Foster-miller, Inc.

Aztex, Inc.

Alliant Techsystems Inc.

Joseph S Boyce

Glenn A Freitas

Constance Lee Magee

Jack Allen Woods

Daniel E Bullock

Thomas G Campbell

Glen Freitas

Kevin Edward Keough

Richard Terrazzano

Stephen C Jens

Thomas M Fusco

David A Evans

Edward Kunkel

Roland R Wallis, Jr

Margaret E Roylance

John J Harris

Victor Leemon

John Player

William J Hurley, Jr

James P Ross

Dave A Evans

Brian Tweed

Jack A Woods

John C Player

A method of fabricating a fiber matrix composite structure including assembling a plurality of plies of fiber-reinforced polymer-matrix material on a mandrel; engaging an ultrasonic horn with the top surface of uppermost ply; and orienting the horn at an acute angle with respect to the top surface and energizing the horn to inducing a shear force in the plies to heat and consolidate the plies.

Method of fabricating a polymer-matrix fiber-reinforced composite and the product thereof

A method of fabricating a thermosetting matrix, fiber reinforced composite structure wherein a stack of fiber reinforced thermosetting material plies are assembled; an ultrasonic horn is engaged with a top surface of the upper most ply, oriented at an acute angle with respect to the top surface, and energized to induce a shear wave in the plies to heat the plies. The horn is moved along the upper most ply to consolidate the plies and the energy level applied to the horn is sufficient to reduce the viscosity of the thermoset resin to the point where the plies can be debulked but not high enough to fully cross-link the resin so that another ply can still be fully cross-linked to the uppermost ply. Pressure is applied to the plies as the horn moves to debulk the plies.

Ultrasonic method of fabricating a thermosetting matrix fiber-reinforced composite structure and the product thereof

A method of manufacturing a composite turbine rotor in which blade coupons are fabricated from flat braided fabrics that have extending axial fibers. The extending axial fibers are then woven between the plies of polar woven fabric which make up the body of the rotor. This preform assembly is then impregnated with resin and cured. The blade coupons make up the blades of the rotor and can be made to have an airfoil shape, a curved shape, or a twisted shape by the use of blade formation tools designed for forming the rotor preform.

Composite turbine rotor

An ultrasonic fastening system wherein an ultrasonic transducer is used to insert a plurality of fasteners supported by a compressible member into two components to be joined or a single composite part to be reinforced.

Ultrasonic fastening system and method

A reinforced foam core sandwich structure including opposing face sheets, a foam core therebetween, and tow members encapsulated within the foam core and extending between the opposing face sheets to form a combined foam/tow member core wherein the compressive strength or shear strength of the combined foam/tow member core is greater than the compressive strength or shear strength, respectively, of the foam core alone or the tow members alone forming a support structure within the foam core between the face sheets.

Truss reinforced foam core sandwich

A translaminar reinforcement system for Z-direction reinforcement of a fiber matrix structure in which a plurality of reinforcing elements are disposed in a body of compactible material to extend in at least one direction and orientated at at least one acute angle and driven into a fiber matrix structure when the body is compacted by a compressive force.

Translaminar reinforcement system for Z-direction reinforcement of a

A method of joining composite parts including disposing reinforcing elements through the thickness of two composite adherends to be joined, at least a number of the reinforcing elements extending from the joint surface of each adherend; assembling the adherends so the joint surface of one faces the joint surface of the other defining a joint region therebetween, wherein the extending reinforcing elements are interstitially disposed in the joint region; and disposing an adherent within the joint region about the interstitially disposed reinforcing elements and the joint surface for providing an improved and reinforced joint.

Reinforced joint for composite structures and method of joining

A reinforced foam core sandwich structure including opposing face sheets, a foam core therebetween, and tow members encapsulated within the foam core and extending between the opposing face sheets forming a support structure within the foam core between the face sheets.

Method of forming a truss reinforced foam core sandwich structure

A technique for the translaminar reinforcement in the z-axis direction of composite laminates utilizing an apparatus and method for heating and softening the composite laminates by ultrasonic energy, penetrating the composite laminate, moving the composite laminate fibers aside, inserting a reinforcing fiber into the composite laminate and allowing the composite laminate and reinforcement fiber to cool and bond.

Composite laminate translaminar reinforcement apparatus and method

Translaminar reinforcement structure for localized Z-direction reinforcement of composite structure includes a body of thermally decomposable material that has substantially opposed surface, a plurality of reinforcing elements in the body that extend generally perpendicularly to one body surface, and pressure intensifying structure on the other opposed body surfaces for applying driving force to the reinforcing elements for insertion into the composite structure as the body is subjected to elevated temperature and decomposes.

Growing community of inventors

Hanover, MA, United States of America

Joseph S Boyce