The Boeing Company

Steven J Plummer

Kurtis Shuldberg Willden

Andrew Elmer Modin

Raviendra Sidath Suriyaarachchi

Steven Michael Shewchuk

Megan Elizabeth Bliss

John M Griffith

George E Bible

Ronald J Byington

Ryan M Trella

Darrell Darwin Jones

James R Kendall

Paul D Shaw

Lisa Christina Carlson

Silas Lawton Studley

Gagandeep Saini

Paul Chace Wilcoxson

Daniel Saeil Martin

Composite laminate stiffeners such as stringers are punch formed between first and second universal dies respectively carried on first and second trays. The second tray is mounted for sliding movement relative to the first tray between a punch position and a compaction position. Parts of the first and second dies are easily reconfigurable, allowing different shapes of stiffeners to be formed on the same forming apparatus.

Stringer forming apparatus and method

Cap wrinkling in a contoured composite hat stringer is reduced by constraining the cap as the hat stringer is being formed from a flat composite charge. The cap is constrained by an inflatable bladder placed in a tool set used to form the composite charge.

Constrained forming of contoured composite hat stringers

A tool is configured to form a composite charge into a stringer having a net shape with at least one out-of-place feature. The out-of-plane feature is formed by a shim removably attached to the tool. A family of the shims may be used to form a range of out-of-plane features having varying characteristics.

Net shape forming of composite stringers containing out-of-plane features

A tool for making contoured composite hat stringers allows control of stringer wrinkling. The tool includes a set of first openings that allow the tool to flex during contouring of the stringer, and a set of second openings into which portions of the composite charge may strain during the contouring.

Tool and method for forming contoured composite stringers having reduced wrinkling

A method including steps of (1) heating, with a heating system, an apparatus comprising an enclosure assembly and a temperature emulation assembly positioned within said enclosure assembly; (2) thermally isolating said temperature emulation assembly from said heating system with said enclosure assembly; (3) permitting conductive heat transfer to said temperature emulation assembly only through an enclosure assembly-leading end of said enclosure assembly; and (4) representing a hottest temperature and a coldest temperature of an article being emulated by said apparatus with said temperature emulation assembly.

Apparatus and method for emulating temperature during a thermal cure cycle

Described are methods and systems for manufacturing curved composite stringers. Such composite stringers may have in-plane and/or out-of-plane bends, which are formed while shaping composite charges. Specifically, a composite charge is shaped using a pallet, comprising a plurality of independent pallet portions, rotatably coupled to each other. A hat portion is formed when a part of this charge is conformed to a cavity in the pallet. The pallet portions are rotated relative to each other while forming the hat portion and/or when the hat portion already conforms to the cavity. In some examples, the die is bent together with the charge, when the pallet portions are rotated. This rotation produces one or more of in-plane and/or out-of-plane bends. In some examples, flange portions of the composite charge are positioned in a temporary orientation, e.g., to enable bending of the charge and reduce wrinkles.

Methods and systems for forming curved composite charges for stringers

An apparatus includes a enclosure assembly including an enclosure assembly-leading end and an opposed enclosure assembly-lagging end, and a temperature emulation assembly mounted within the enclosure assembly and including a temperature emulation assembly-leading end located proximate to the enclosure assembly-leading end and a temperature emulation assembly-lagging end spaced away from the enclosure assembly-lagging end. The enclosure assembly thermally isolates the temperature emulation assembly. The enclosure assembly permits conductive heat transfer to the temperature emulation assembly only through the enclosure assembly-leading end.

Growing community of inventors

Bothell, WA, United States of America

Steven J Plummer