Societe Nationale D'etude Et De Construction De Moteurs D'aviation

Safran Aircraft Engines

Safran

Philippe Henrio

Eric P Celerier

Thierry Godon

A method of impregnating a fiber preform with an impregnation composition, includes applying a liquid on a structure, the structure including a chamber in which a fiber preform for impregnating is present, the chamber being defined between a rigid support on which the fiber preform is placed and a wall, the wall having a face situated facing the fiber preform; and an impregnation composition for impregnating the fiber preform, the impregnation composition being present in the chamber; the liquid being applied against the wall on its side opposite from the chamber, the wall being configured so that its face situated facing the fiber preform conserves its shape during the application of the liquid, the applied liquid enabling sufficient pressure to be created to move the wall towards the rigid support and impregnate the fiber preform with the impregnation composition.

Method for impregnation of a fibrous preform and device for implementation of the said method

The invention proposes a process for bladder moulding thin articles made of a composite material consisting of fibre and polymerised resin, the articles comprising corners having a rounded vertex and produced by a shaper. Such a process is distinguished in that the surface experiencing the air pressure is convex and the normals to the surface converge on the rounded shaping vertex of the shaper.

Method of bladder moulding thin articles made of a composite material

A method is disclosed for simultaneously molding separate portions of an article which may be subsequently assembled to form the complete separable article. Apparatus for carrying out the method includes separate mold portions which, when assembled, define a molding cavity in which each of the mold portions has an outwardly extending flange. The mold portions are fastened together such that the flanges are spaced apart a distance at least twice as great ad the thickness of the article to be molded. The mold portions extend along a longitudinal axis and each defines a molding surfaces which extends around the axis less than 360.degree.. When the mold portions are assembled, the molding surfaces extend completely around the longitudinal axis. The mold also includes silicone bead elements extending along the longitudinal axis in the space between the spaced apart flanges. The bead elements also define molding surfaces which bear against a portion of the molding material and urge it into contact with the surfaces of the flanges to form flanges on the molded portions of the article. The method for simultaneously molding separate portions of the article involves separating the mold portions, placing a molding material, such as a prepreg of composite material in the portions such that the prepreg bears against the molding surfaces and assembling the first and second mold portions together with the bead elements and a vacuum pouch located within the molding cavity. The mold portions are assembled with the silicone bead elements extending along the space defined between the adjacent flanges.

Method for simultaneously molding portions of separable article

A method and apparatus of molding articles from composite materials are dlosed in which a stack of prepregs are placed on a first forming surface of a former, which forming surface has a surface configuration matching that of one side of the composite article, placing a semi-rigid molding shelf onto the former such that a second forming surface of the molding shell, which matches the surface configuration of an opposite side of the composite article, bears against the stack of prepregs and urging the molding shell towards the former, thereby compressing the plies of prepregs by drawing a vacuum between an impermeable membrane covering the molding shell and the former. The assembly of the former, the molding shell, the stack of prepregs and the impermeable membrane are placed in an autoclave such that it may be heated while the vacuum is drawn between the membrane and the former to compress the stack of plies of prepregs.

Apparatus for molding a composite material article

A method and apparatus of molding articles from composite materials are disclosed in which a stack of prepregs are placed on a first forming surface of a former, which forming surface has a surface configuration matching that of one side of the composite article, placing a semi-rigid molding shelf onto the former such that a second forming surface of the molding shell, which matches the surface configuration of an opposite side of the composite article, bears against the stack of prepregs and urging the molding shell towards the former, thereby compressing the plies of prepregs by drawing a vacuum between an impermeable membrane covering the molding shell and the former. The assembly of the former, the molding shell, the stack of prepregs and the impermeable membrane are placed in an autoclave such that it may be heated while the vacuum is drawn between the membrane and the former to compress the stack of plies of prepregs.

Method and apparatus for molding a composite material article

An apparatus for simultaneously molding separate portions of an article which may be subsequently assembled to form the complete separable article. The apparatus includes separate mold portions which, when assembled, define a molding cavity in which each of the mold portions has an outwardly extending flange. The mold portions are fastened together such that the flanges are spaced apart a distance at least twice as great as the thickness of the article to be molded. The mold portions extend along a longitudinal axis and each defines a molding surface which extends around the axis less than 360.degree.. When the mold portions are assembled, the molding surfaces extend completely around the longitudinal axis. The mold also includes silicone bead elements extending along the longitudinal axis in the space between the spaced apart flanges. The bead elements also define molding surfaces which bear against a portion of the molding material and urge it into contact with the surfaces of the flanges to form flanges on the molded portions of the article.

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Lardy, France

Philippe Henrio