The Boeing Company

Joel Patrick Baldwin

Michael Walter Evens

Megan Nicole Watson

Eugene Dan-Jumbo

John F Spalding, Jr

Joseph Lawrence Hafenrichter

Karl Edward Nelson

Paul Stanley Rutherford

Mary Helen Vargas

Ronald Gail Turner

James D Chanes

Allan Joshua Slocum

Russell Lee Keller

Marcus Anthony Belcher

The present disclosure is generally directed to a primer saturated carrier medium assembly including a carrier medium having a front face and an opposing rear face, a primer saturating the carrier medium between the front face and the opposing rear face, and removable film impenetrable to the primer covering opposite faces of the carrier medium. A method of applying primer to a surface includes applying a face of a primer saturated carrier medium to contact a surface, and curing the primer saturated carrier medium on the surface. A structure includes a primer saturated medium including a carrier medium having a front face and an opposing rear face, and a primer saturating the carrier medium between the front face and the opposing rear face. The structure further includes a surface adhered to the primer on one face of the primer saturated medium.

Primer saturated carrier medium assembly and method of applying to a surface

An in-situ double vacuum debulk (DVD) composite repair system designed to produce partially or fully cured autoclave-quality hot-bond composite repairs on contoured structures. The system provides vacuum pressure for hot bond repairs to be performed on flat and contoured structures using one set-up capable of debulking (partially curing) and then fully curing composite repairs on composite and metallic aircraft structures. The use of in-situ DVD also eliminates handling of the patch/adhesive when transferring from an off-aircraft DVD chamber to the repair site on the aircraft. This can increase the probability of successful repairs because the possibility of contaminating and misaligning the adhesive and repair patch are eliminated.

Systems and methods for on-aircraft composite repair using double vacuum debulking

The present disclosure describes one or more systems, methods, routines and/or techniques for thermal management. One or more systems, methods, routines and/or techniques may provide advice or guidance (e.g., to a repair technician) regarding how to perform a hot bond repair, for example, on an aircraft component that has been damaged. The thermal management advisor may provide advice or guidance regarding how to prepare a repair field prior to running a thermal survey. For example, thermal management advisor may recommend a particular heat blanket, a configuration of the heat blanket, placement of various temperature sensors and other preparation guidance. The thermal management advisor may provide advice or guidance regarding how to alter or manage the repair setup during a thermal survey and during the actual curing process. For example, thermal management advisor may recommend particular temperature sensors or areas of the repair field that should be insulated.

System and method for thermal management guidance

A method and apparatus for forming a bonded joint on a composite structure is presented. An apparatus carrying a first workpiece is positioned relative to a second workpiece. A vacuum is applied to the first workpiece and a portion of the second workpiece. A bladder on a first surface of a housing of the apparatus is deflated. Deflating the bladder positions the first workpiece such that adhesive having a desired thickness is positioned between the first workpiece and the second workpiece. The adhesive positioned between the first workpiece and the second workpiece is cured.

System and method for forming a bonded joint

A bond surface testing apparatus and method are presented. The bond surface testing apparatus comprises a solution chamber; a plurality of solution containers located in the solution chamber; a plurality of microfluidic pipettes; and an information capture module. Each solution container in the plurality of solution containers includes a microfluidic pipette in the plurality of microfluidic pipettes. A number of the plurality of microfluidic pipettes has a non-circular cross-section. The information capture module is physically associated with the solution chamber and is configured to capture information relating to bonding surface properties of the bonding surface.

Bond surface testing apparatus and method

There is provided a high temperature hybridized molecular functional group adhesion barrier coating for a composite structure. The coating has one or more hybridized molecular functional groups attached to a composite surface of the composite structure, wherein the one or more hybridized molecular functional groups are hybridized through a chemical derivatization process. The coating further has one or more chemical derivatization compounds attached to the one or more hybridized molecular functional groups via a condensation reaction. The coating is resistant to high heat temperatures in a range of from about 350 degrees Fahrenheit to about 2000 degrees Fahrenheit, and the coating is a thermally protective, toughened adhesion coating that mitigates effects of a hostile operating environment.

High temperature hybridized molecular functional group adhesion barrier coating

The disclosure provides in one embodiment a method of applying a high temperature hybridized molecular functional group adhesion barrier coating to a surface of a structure. The method includes providing a structure having at least one surface to be bonded, preparing the at least one surface to expose active reactive surface sites, providing one or more liquid or solid phase chemical derivatization compounds, applying heat to the one or more liquid or solid phase chemical derivatization compounds to vaporize the one or more liquid or solid chemical derivatization compounds, depositing the one or more vaporized chemical derivatization compounds on the prepared surface to form a derivatized composite surface having hybridized molecular functional groups, and heat curing the derivatized composite surface to form a high temperature hybridized molecular functional group adhesion barrier coating.

High temperature hybridized molecular functional group adhesion barrier coating and method

A method of processing a patch includes mounting the patch on a surface of a caul plate having at least one suction hole, and drawing a vacuum through the suction hole to maintain the patch in contact with the caul plate.

Method of processing a composite patch

The disclosure provides in one embodiment a method of promoting adhesion on a composite surface. The method comprises providing a composite structure having at least one composite surface to be bonded. The method further comprises preparing the at least one composite surface. The method further comprises providing a chemical derivatization compound containing active functional groups that promote adhesion. The method further comprises depositing the chemical derivatization compound on the prepared composite surface to form a functional group-adhesive promoter derivatized layer. The method further comprises applying an adhesive layer to the derivatized layer. The method further comprises heat curing the adhesive layer to result in a bond with another structure made of a composite, a metal, or a combination thereof.

Method of promoting adhesion and bonding of structures and structures produced thereby

A bond surface testing apparatus includes a solution chamber; a plurality of solutions in the solution chamber, the solution chamber adapted to dispense the solutions onto a bonding surface; an information capture module carried by the solution chamber and adapted to capture information relating to bonding surface properties of the bonding surface; at least one analysis module interfacing with the information capture module and adapted to analyze the bonding surface properties of the bonding surface; and a structural wettability factor prediction module interfacing with the at least one analysis module and adapted to predict a structural wettability factor based on the bonding surface properties.

A tool comprises a caul plate having at least one suction hole and a vacuum port fluidly coupled to the suction hole for drawing a patch against the caul plate under vacuum.

High temperature composite patch tool

The condition of a bond surface is determined. A 3-D wettability tension curve is generated for the bond surface which represents a range of possible wettings of an adhesive on the bond surface that may result in a bond joint of acceptable quality. At least three surface energies on the bond surface are measured, and the wettability curve is used to determine whether the condition of the bond surface is acceptable based on the measured bonding surface energies.

Growing community of inventors

Seattle, WA, United States of America

Joel Patrick Baldwin