The Boeing Company

Other

Robert James Miller

Marc Rollo Matsen

Christopher John Hottes

Diane C Rawlings

James M Kestner

Mark Alan Negley

Gary E Georgeson

William Preston Geren

Cameron Kai-Ming Chen

Leah Gillian Glauber

John Ralph Hull

William Chet Dykstra

Stephen Roger Amorosi

Jennifer Sue Noel

Scott David Billings

Vyacheslav Khozikov

John F Spalding, Jr

Larry K Olli

Rangasamy Elangovan

Glen L Rasmussen

Micheal E Dickson

Mary J Nelson

Jonathan C Hughes

Joseph Lawrence Hafenrichter

John A Mittleider

Joseph A Marshall

David L Banks

Andrew M Hopkins

Mark E King

Stephen P Hubbell

Donald John Sutkus, Jr

David F Taylor

Brian W Smith

Darren R Walker

Paul B Mori

Morteza Safai

Frederick Theodore Calkins

Aaron William Bartel

Dan John Clingman

Michael Strasik

Jeffery Lee Marcoe

Sahrudine Apdalhaliem

Karl Marius Nelson

James Henry Mabe

Moushumi Shome

Stephen G Moore

Kenneth A Krienke

Patrice K Ackerman

Geoffrey Allen Butler

Noel Timothy Gerken

Daniel James Kovach

Robert T Ruggeri

Robert Graham Albers

Jeffrey Denys Morgan

John B Moser

Darrell M Storvick

Flint Matthew Jamison

Glen Smith

Wendi Lynn Pickett Otto

Mary Katherine Nigro

Flint M Jamison

Gary Earnest Georgeson

Adhesive bondlines in a cell-based structural array are thermally cured using tooling blocks inserted into the cells. The tooling blocks have embedded susceptors that are inductively heated by an alternating electromagnetic field generated by an electromagnet.

Induction curing of cell-based structural arrays

A heating blanket is disclosed. The heating blanket may include a thermoplastic matrix configured to become conformable at a predetermined temperature, a conductor embedded in the thermoplastic matrix and configured to receive electrical current and generate a magnetic field in response to the electrical current, and a plurality of susceptors embedded in the thermoplastic matrix and composed of a magnetic material having a Curie point.

Highly formable smart susceptor blankets

A coaxially arranged smart susceptor conductor, comprising a smart susceptor core comprising an alloy having a first Curie temperature point and a first smart susceptor shell coaxially arranged around the smart susceptor core. The first smart susceptor shell comprising a second Curie temperature point that is different than the first Curie temperature point of the smart susceptor core. In one arrangement, the second Curie temperature point of the first smart susceptor shell is lower than the first Curie temperature point of the smart susceptor core. In another arrangement, the smart susceptor conductor further comprises a second smart susceptor shell disposed about the first smart susceptor shell. The second smart susceptor shell comprising a third Curie temperature point.

Coaxial smart susceptor

Thermoplastic welding apparatus and related methods are disclosed. An example method includes providing a smart susceptor between composite parts that are to be joined via thermoplastic welding. The example method includes positioning the composite parts and the smart susceptor on a tooling surface within a cavity of a tooling apparatus and applying a seal to the composite parts and the tooling surface to form a vacuum chamber between the composite parts and the tooling surface at a welding joint of the composite parts; producing a magnetic field at the welding joint. The example method includes providing a vacuum in the vacuum chamber during a welding operation.

Thermoplastic welding apparatus and related methods

A heating blanket is disclosed. The heating blanket may include a conductor yarn configured to receive electrical current and generate a magnetic field in response to the electrical current, and a plurality of susceptor yarns composed of a magnetic material including a Curie point. The conductor yarn and the plurality of susceptor yarns may be interlaced to form a layer of fabric.

Woven smart susceptor heat blankets

Embodiments of the presently disclosed system include a thin thermoplastic or thermosetting polymer film loaded with non-polymeric inclusions that are susceptible to heating under a time-varying magnetic field. Insertion of this additional heating layer into a structural or semi-structural heterogeneous laminate provides an 'on-demand' de-bonding site for laminate deconstruction. For example, in some embodiments when the heating layer is inserted between a cured Carbon-Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) layer and a Polymeric/Metallic film stackup layer, the heating layer can be selectively heated above its softening point (e.g., by using energy absorbed from a locally-applied time-varying magnetic field) to allow for ease of applique separation from the CFRP layer.

Heating layer for film removal

A processing apparatus such as a heating and/or debulking apparatus that may be used to debulk a plurality of uncured composite layers to form an article such as an aircraft component may include a plurality of interconnected smart susceptor heater blankets. The plurality of smart susceptor heater blankets may be connected in series or in parallel, and may be controlled to uniformly heat the component during formation.

Large scale smart susceptor heater blankets requiring multi zone control

A susceptor wire array. The array includes a first susceptor wire comprising an alloy having a first Curie temperature point and a second susceptor wire comprising an alloy having a second Curie temperature point, the second Curie temperature point is different than the first Curie temperature point of the first susceptor wire. In one susceptor wire arrangement, the second Curie temperature point of the second susceptor wire is lower than the first Curie temperature point of the first susceptor wire. In another susceptor wire arrangement, the array further comprises a third susceptor wire, the third susceptor wire comprising an alloy having a third Curie temperature point. The third Curie temperature point of the third susceptor wire may be different than the first Curie temperature point of the first susceptor wire.

Susceptor wire array

Methods and systems for heating forming dies by an induction coil, including a pair of electromagnetic (EM) field stabilizers, each EM field stabilizer configured to be adjacent one end of the forming die while the forming die is within the induction heating coil.

System and methods for heating a forming die

A method of supplying electricity to an electrical component inside a vacuum chamber may include positioning an electrical component inside a vacuum chamber, the electrical component having a first electrical connector portion. A second electrical connector portion may then be connected to the first electrical portion through a hole in a flexible wall of the vacuum chamber, the second electrical connector portion being electrically connected to circuitry disposed outside the vacuum chamber. The connecting step may include hermetically clamping the flexible wall of the vacuum chamber between the first and second electrical connector portions.

Apparatus for curing composite materials and method of use thereof

A composite part is cured out-of-autoclave using an inductively heated, stand-alone tooling. The part in placed on a tool and is covered by a heating blanket. One side of the part is heated by inductive coil circuits in the tool, and the other side of the part is heated by inductive coil circuits in the blanket.

Curing composites out-of-autoclave using induction heating with smart susceptors

A tester for bonded composite materials uses a magnetic source to generate a response signal from wires infused in an adhesive used between layers of the composite material. Acoustic or magnetic response signals, separately or in combination, can be received and analyzed to detect stresses in wires indicative of voids in the adhesive or other defects affecting the bond quality between layers of the composite material.

Magnetic characterization of bond strength

An induction heating system employs a ferromagnetic susceptor mounted proximate an exterior of flight surface of an aircraft. At least one electrically conductive coil is mounted proximate the ferromagnetic susceptor. The at least one electrically conductive coil is powered by a first power source with a first frequency. At least one compensating coil is mounted proximate the ferromagnetic susceptor having a geometry determined to provide substantially net-zero flux with respect to the at least one electrically conductive coil and positioned to induce induction heating where the first plurality of electrically conductive coils lacks induced inductive heating coverage. The at least one compensating coils is powered by a second AC power source with a second frequency.

Induction heating coils with uniform heating

Growing community of inventors

Fall City, WA, United States of America

Robert James Miller