The Boeing Company

Larry Dean Ridgeway

Pradeep Krishnaswamy

Marc Rollo Matsen

John F Spalding

Remmelt Andrew Staal

Landon Keith Henson

Gary D Oakes

Paul J Shirron

Michael Anthony Lazar

David J Hengy

James H Henderson

Steve J Morse

Daniel L Lichtenstein

John V Van Horn

Systems and methods for actualizing simulated scarfing and patching for repair of composite laminates. A virtual environment is provided that enables engineers to optimize a repair design and provide the most robust repair solution that meets structural requirements, while minimizing the material removal and the impact to the composite structure. An optimization algorithm is configured to adjust contour offsets for pad-up plies and adjust scarf taper ratios in any direction to reduce the amount of material removed or avoid underlying structures. Scarf repair designs are subsequently transmitted to repair technicians for manual scarfing via printed templates or automated/robotic scarfing using converted computer-readable code. The technology also provides digital data for automated repair ply cutting.

Systems and methods for actualizing simulated scarfs and patches for repair of composite laminates

Disclosed herein is a duplicator assembly for forming a first void, which can be layered, in a laminated material of a part that matches a second void in a scarf repair guide. The duplicator assembly comprises an arm that comprises a first end portion and a second end portion. The first end portion is spaced apart from the second end portion. The duplication assembly also comprises a probe that is fixed to the first end portion of the arm and configured to trace the second void in the scarf repair guide. The duplication assembly further comprises a milling tool that is fixed to the second end portion of the arm such that the milling tool is co-movably coupled with the probe via the arm.

Scarf repair apparatus, system, and method

An assembly to repair a thermoplastic composite. The assembly includes a heating device positioned on opposing sides of the thermoplastic composite. The heating device includes one or more susceptor with a Curie temperature to heat the thermoplastic composite. A pressure device applies a compressive force to the heating device. A pressure distribution device is positioned between the heating device and the thermoplastic composite. The pressure distribution device distributes the compressive force from the pressure device over areas of the opposing sides of thermoplastic composite.

Assembly and method to repair thermoplastic composites

An apparatus is provided for analysis of a repair for a structure by identifying component parts of the structure that have common material properties and geometric constraints, and based thereon determining a generic repair component for the component parts that also have the common material properties and the geometric constraints. A set of loads are extracted from a loads model of the undamaged structure and redistributed in a loads redistribution model at a damaged or defective portion of the component part. The set of redistributed loads indicate loading incurred by the generic repair component under an external load. The apparatus then uses the redistributed loads to perform an analysis to determine a margin of safety of the generic repair component and, in instances in which the margin of safety is positive, outputs the material properties and geometric constraints of the generic repair component to a fabrication system for production thereof.

System for analysis of a repair for a structure

Growing community of inventors

Snohomish, WA, United States of America

Larry Dean Ridgeway