The Boeing Company

Steven Michael Shewchuk

Michael Palmore Matlack

Keith Daniel Humfeld

Timothy J Luchini

Steven J Plummer

John M Griffith

George E Bible

Ronald J Byington

Ryan M Trella

Kurtis Shuldberg Willden

Brice Aaron Johnson

Brian Gregory Robins

Alexander Rubin

Troy Winfree

Samuel J Tucker

Ravi Verma

Andrew Lawrence Bauer

Justin Joseph Schell

Dustin D Fast

Carla E Reynolds

A method of manufacturing a composite structure includes accessing design data for the composite structure that is manufactured according to a process including forming a layup of plies of fibers using a machine tool. The method includes applying the design data to an ANN classifier to classify a localized inconsistency of a type of inconsistency on the composite structure, the localized inconsistency spatially referenced to a location on the composite structure. The method includes performing a root cause analysis to identify one or more of process parameters as a potential cause of the type of inconsistency, and modifying one or more of the geometric model, the layup design, or values of the one or more of the process parameters to address the potential cause.

Composite manufacturing using data analytics

A composite forming apparatus includes an end effector, a forming feature, and a non-contact heater. The forming feature is coupled to the end effector. The end effector moves the forming feature relative to a composite ply to form the composite ply over a forming tool or a prior formed composite ply. The non-contact heater heats to a portion of the composite ply before the portion of the composite ply is formed over the forming tool or the prior formed composite ply.

Composite forming apparatus, system and method

A composite manufacturing system and method are provided. The composite manufacturing system comprises a press and a bladder. The press has an upper portion having a desired shape for a composite structure and a lower portion configured to receive layers of composite material. The bladder is associated with the upper portion of the press and is configured to reach a superplastic state when heated such that the bladder forms to the composite structure by applying heat and pressure to the layers of composite material. The bladder cools without appreciable shrinkage, applying a desired amount of pressure to the composite structure during the entire cooling cycle. Once one composite structure is formed using the bladder, the bladder may be reused to form similar structures.

Method and system for manufacturing composite structures using a magnesium bladder

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

A system and method of forming a composite structure includes heating an outer mold line surface of a tool to a processing temperature, positioning an inner mold line surface with a composite preform disposed thereon within the outer mold line surface, and extracting the inner mold line surface and the composite preform in a gelled state from the outer mold line surface.

System and method for manufacturing composite structures

A system and method for manufacturing a composite structure includes a tool having an outer mold line surface, a mandrel removably disposed within the tool and having an inner mold line surface, and a heating element connected to the tool. The heating element is configured to set a process temperature of the outer mold line surface when the mandrel is placed within the tool.

A press tool for a press assembly includes an additive manufactured body including a plurality of stacked layers of additive manufacturable material extending between an interior side and an exterior side. The interior side has a part forming surface including a surface profile for forming a part. The exterior side has a plurality of hollow cores defined by longitudinal walls and lateral walls meeting at joints. Press inserts are coupled to the longitudinal walls and the lateral walls at the exterior side. The press inserts are configured to be pressed inward by a pressing load during a pressing operation for forming the part. The press inserts distribute the pressing load along the longitudinal and lateral walls.

Press assembly having a press tool

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.

Apparatus and methods for operating an autoclave. One embodiment includes a baffle located in an autoclave during a run cycle of the autoclave. A release mechanism secures the baffle in a retracted position during the run cycle, and automatically releases the baffle to a deployed position during the run cycle, when a temperature inside of the autoclave reaches a target temperature, to alter airflow within the autoclave.

Hinged baffle for autoclave that deploys at a target temperature during a run cycle

A method of forming a composite part may include positioning composite layers onto a part-supporting surface of a support tool. The composite layers combine to form the composite part. The method may also include covering the composite part on the support tool with a vacuum bag, and forming a heat transfer assembly on the vacuum bag in relation to a portion of the composite part. The method may include forming the heat transfer assembly on the vacuum bag by depositing a fluid layer of material onto the vacuum bag, inserting heat transfer promoters into the fluid, and cooling the fluid to form a solid heat transfer assembly.

System and method for forming a composite part

A method and apparatus for heating a part. The part is heated with the part at least partially surrounded by a surface of a tooling system, while a heatsink system is positioned relative to the part. A thermal conduction between the heatsink system and the part is changed during heating of the part.

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St. Louis, MO, United States of America

Steven Michael Shewchuk