Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

Keith Alan Olsen

John E Potter

Stephen P Grossman

Michael David Durham

Daniel Patrick Coughlin

Kevin Herman Alt

Jayanth Nandalke Kudva

Allen John Lockyer

Martin J McLaughlin

Robert L Harshberger, Jr

Peter Lacombe

A structural endcap antenna for a vertical tail of an aircraft. The endcap antenna comprises an outer skin having an inner surface and an antenna element disposed adjacent to the inner surface of the outer skin. The antenna element is in electrical communication with an RF signal source. Disposed adjacent to the antenna element is an inner support structure electrically bonded thereto. The antenna element and the inner support structure are excited by the RF signal source and provide structural support to the endcap antenna.

Structural endcap antenna

Method and apparatus for making a fiber reinforced composite wherein fiber reinforcement material is disposed in a molding cavity formed between a substantially rigid molding tool and a compliant molding tool in a pressurizable chamber of a pressure vessel, such as an autoclave. Uncured polymer resin is introduced under pressure to the molding cavity by a resin pump disposed in the chamber or external thereof so as to initially infiltrate the fiber reinforcement material with the resin. The chamber is gas pressurized to provide isostatic pressure on the rigid and compliant tools during resin infiltration of the fiber reinforcement material. The resin-infiltrated fiber reinforcement material then is heated in the chamber to cure the resin matrix. Large surface area composites of the aerospace skin structure type can be made using the present invention.

Isostatic pressure resin transfer molding

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Lakewood, CA, United States of America

Keith Alan Olsen