Ltv Aerospace & Defense Company

James C Foster

Earl L Stone, Iii

Jamie L Petty-Galis

Stanley L Whitcher

A process for producing reinforced laminate plastic panel structures by thermoplastic compression employing internal mold mandrels which are significantly embrittled during or subsequent to the compression step. Hat stiffened panels formed from two thermoplastic resin sheets may be produced by using elongated mandrels formed of ceramic particulate material adhered together by a binder such as an alkali metal silicate. The mandrels are arranged between a skin sheet and hat stiffener sheets with the respective sheets disposed between the platens of a hydraulic press or other suitable compression molding mechanism. Sandwich laminate structures can be formed employing free thermoplastic resin sheets with a first set of ceramic particulate mandrels interposed between one adjacent pair of sheets and a second set of such mandrels interposed between the other adjacent pair of sheets.

Method for compression molding of laminated panels

A composite, carbon-carbon rotor or rotor hub (20) for use in power translating devices, such as in a turbine engine or in fluid pumps, includes a plurality of carbon-carbon laminate plies (P1-P25) layered to form the thickness of the rotor. The plies include alternating plies of cloth and spiral plies of fibrous material having different diameters to provide a desired variation in the cross-sectional configuration of the rotor. The individual spiral plies may vary in thickness from near the center to the outer edge and may be either tapered or formed to other contours. The cloth plies are positioned at predetermined orientations such that the strand axes are not aligned. These plies consist of fibrous carbon or graphite filament tape preimpregnated with a thermosetting polymer material, such as phenolic resin. The spiral plies are individual discs of resin impregnated fibrous carbon or graphite tow formed by winding the tow on a rotating shaft (54) having forming plates (56, 64) on both sides thereof to define the contour of the discs. The cross-sectional contour of the spiral plies is controlled by the forming face of the plates and by applying an appropriate tension to the tow during winding to completely fill the area between the forming faces during the winding process. The composite rotor or rotor hub is cured, pyrolyzed and densified using predetermined time/temperature/pressure cycles to form a high strength carbonized structure having orthotropic properties.

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Arlington, TX, United States of America

James C Foster