The Boeing Company

Nicklaus Cummings Kimball

Robert Loftus

Michael John McNulty

Mitchell J Lee

Robert L Knicely

A structure for a trailing edge portion of a rotor blade, wherein the rotor blade has a leading edge, a trailing edge, and opposed upper and lower airfoil profiles each beginning at the leading edge and terminating at the trailing edge. The structure includes an inner core having a generally caret-shaped cross-sectional profile and upper and lower skins adhered to the inner core. The upper and lower skins have respective first and second portions adhered to the inner core, and respective third portions which are adhered to each other and which extend aftward to proximate the trailing edge. An upper pocket is defined by the second and third upper skin portions and the upper airfoil profile, and a lower pocket is defined by the second and third lower skin portions and the lower airfoil profile. The upper and lower pockets are filled with a fairing compound and/or an expandable adhesive.

Structure for trailing edge portion of rotor blade and method of manufacturing the structure

A system to manufacture an object includes a headstock, a tailstock, and a mandrel having a first end coupled to the headstock and a second end coupled to the tailstock. The system also includes an actuator coupled to one or more of the headstock, the tailstock, or the mandrel, the actuator operable to apply a force to the one or more of the headstock, the tailstock, or the mandrel, to oppose deformation of the mandrel.

Actuator-based compensation for deformation of a mandrel

A method of removing a metal detail from a dielectric material of an article may include placing the article in an electrolyte bath such that at least a portion of the metal detail is submerged. The metal detail may be coupled to a dielectric material. The method may further include positioning at least one cathode in the electrolyte bath in spaced relation to the metal detail, and passing electrical current through the metal detail. The method may additionally include deplating the metal detail from the dielectric material in response to passing the electrical current through the metal detail.

Method of removing a metal detail from a substrate

A coupon geometry that reliably fails in the gauge area of the coupon during fatigue testing. The propensity to fail at the gauge area is imparted by using a bow-tie-shaped coupon coupled with similarly shaped tabs. The test coupons have a bow-tie-shaped profile with tapered sides that converge as they extend from the opposing ends of the coupon to the gauge area, forming a pair of trapezoidal portions (one the mirror image of the other) connected by the gauge area. These trapezoidal portions of the test coupon include the regions where similarly trapezoidal tabs will be adhered to the front and back of the coupon. The test coupon has a minimum width in the gauge area and a constant thickness, and a height of the gauge area is no greater than 3% of a height of the test coupon.

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Mesa, AZ, United States of America

Nicklaus Cummings Kimball