Rohr, Inc.

Goodrich Corporation

Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation

B/e Aerospace, Inc.

Other

Raytheon Technologies Corporation

Cerco LLC

Delavan Inc.

Vijay V Pujar

Jason Allen Ryon

Teresa Kruckenberg

Steven A Poteet

Katherine E Waugh

Blair A Smith

Christopher Charles Koroly

Robert L Braden

Katherine Urena Pimentel

Thomas Martz

Richard Scott Alloway

Irene Rexwinkle

Adam G Saunders

Jay Francisco

Steven M Kestler

Sarah Lohman

Georgios S Zafiris

Weilong Zhang

Michael A Kryzman

Lance R Bartosz

Bryce Tyler Kelford

Luby R Weaver

Bradford D'Alessio

Anthony H Becher

Mark R Jaworowski

Zhongfen Ding

Xiaolan Hu

John S Linck

Jacob Greenfield

Sean Tiwari

Anthony M Mazany

Bart Antonie Van Hassel

Song Chiou

Sai-Kwing Lau

Stuart James Byrne

Keith Towers Brown

Marc E Gage

Edward Roy Stover

David P McConnell

Leslie Scotte Steele

Promila Bhaatia

Hwa-Wan Kwan

Jinqiu Jacques Lu

Shawn Karl Reynolds

Claude J Moreau

Gary Euan Bowman

Manuel Muñoz

David Charles McConnell

Bryan Thai

Nicholas Hedges

Thomas J Vlach

Salvatore J Calandra

David C McConnell

Thomas Dwayne Nixon

Lamia Salah

Robert R Hebert

Peter W Aziz

Lanny Dean Ritz

Travis Michael Frazier

Gary L Clark

Kyle Rosenbrock

Jeffrey Harasha

Russell Brian Hayes

Jared Victor

David L Rose

Richard Haslim

Steve T Keller

Paul E Kukuchek

Tayelor B McKay

Arun Ramachandran

Alberto E Perez

Mark A Brege

Shaahin Amini

Viktor Yaroshenko

Edward R Rockynol Retirement Center Stover

Lanny Ritz

Manuel Munoz

Stuart J Byrne

David Charles Mcconnell

David Mcconnell

Irene W Rexwinkle

Rusty Hayes

Keith T Brown

Gary E Bowman

Travis M Frazier

Michael E Folsom

Teresa M Kruckenberg

A commingled fiber preform is provided. The commingled fiber preform includes at least one first fabric layer and a second fabric layer. The second fabric layer is positioned on top of the at least one first fabric layer. The second fabric layer is joined to the at least one first fabric layer via through thickness reinforcement (TTR) using a commingled thread. A transport depth of the TTR penetrates completely through a thickness of the second fabric layer and an entirety of the at least one first fabric layer. The commingled thread comprises carbon fibers commingled with fugitive fibers. The fugitive fibers are pyrolyzed from the commingled fiber preform to create a path through the thickness for infiltration of fluids.

Commingled fiber preform architecture for high temperature composites

A manufacturing method is provided. A preform is arranged over a surface of an inner mold line. The preform is folded over sides of the inner mold line. An end of the preform is pressed into a grip strip coupled to a side of the inner mold line. The grip strip is translated in a first direction to tension the preform into a shaped body.

Forming a preform into a shaped body

A manufacturing method is disclosed herein. The method includes arranging a preform with a plurality of clamping assemblies, the plurality of clamping assemblies disposed along ends of the preform; and forming the preform into a shaped body, the forming including incrementally tensioning the preform around a surface of an inner mold line using the plurality of clamping assemblies; and drawing the preform into a set of forming beads of the inner mold line.

An aerospace component may comprise a fiber reinforced composite material. The fiber reinforced composite material includes a plurality of fiber layers and a carbon matrix surrounding the plurality of fiber layers. A plurality of ceramic particles is dispersed in the carbon matrix. A first fiber layer of the plurality of fiber layers may include a carbon fiber, and a second fiber layer of the plurality of fiber layers may include a non-carbon fiber. A hardness of the non-carbon fiber is greater than a hardness of carbon fiber.

Composites and methods of forming composites having tailored hardness profile

Systems and methods for through thickness reinforcement of a fibrous preform include a needle configured to move a through thickness fiber along a curved path. The needle can be moved along the curved path and can penetrate one or more plies of the fibrous preform. The needle can move one or more through thickness fibers along the curved path (e.g., from a first ply of the fibrous preform at least partially into a second ply of the fibrous preform). The needle can be moved about one or more axes during through thickness reinforcement. In various embodiments, the needle is translated along an axis, and rotated about the same axis to move the through thickness fiber(s) along the curved path.

Systems and methods for non-linear through thickness reinforcement

A method for selective needling on a fibrous preform includes performing a through thickness reinforcement process on the fibrous preform and varying a needle density, a needle angle, and/or a needle penetrating depth during the through thickness reinforcement process such that a first needle density, a first needle angle, and/or a first needle penetrating depth of a first zone of the fibrous preform is greater than a second needle density, a second needle angle, and/or a second needle penetrating depth of a second zone of the fibrous preform. The method can further include identifying expected interlaminar stress throughout the fibrous preform and varying the needle density, needle angle, and/or needle penetrating depth in accordance with a magnitude of the expected interlaminar stress.

Systems and methods for selective needling of fibrous preforms for shape-forming

An end effector for needling a fibrous preform includes a body (or head), a plurality of articulating presser feet mounted to the body and moveable with respect to the body, and a plurality of articulating needles mounted to the body and moveable with respect to the body. The needles may be configured to move between an extended position and a retracted position. The presser feet may be configured to move between an extended position and a retracted position. The end effector presser feet may conform to complex geometries of a fibrous preform. The end effector may control needling depth, needling density, applied tension and/or pressure on the fibrous preform, and needle angle.

Systems and methods for robotic arm end effector for tailored through thickness reinforcement

Disclosed is a phosphate coating, comprising: a phosphate portion, wherein the phosphate portion comprises pores, wherein the pores are at least partially filled with a corrosion inhibition sealant, wherein the corrosion inhibition sealant comprises: a base, wherein the base comprises a matrix and a metal within the matrix, wherein the metal within the matrix comprises aluminum, an aluminum alloy, zinc, a zinc alloy, magnesium, a magnesium alloy, or a combination thereof and an inhibitor mixed within the base, wherein the inhibitor comprises zinc molybdate, magnesium metasilicate, trivalent chromium, tungstenate, a metal phosphate silicate, or a combination thereof.

Phosphate coating which can be substantially free of hexavalent chromium and methods of making the same

Disclosed are methods for detecting an antimicrobial surface coating on a substrate including the steps of applying an anionic agent to a surface of the substrate, allowing the anionic agent to bond to antimicrobial surface coating present on the substrate, removing unbonded anionic agent, subjecting the surface of the substrate to a predetermined process to effect a change in the bonded anionic agent, observing the change, and verifying, based on the observed change, the presence of antimicrobial surface coating on the substrate. Further disclosed are antimicrobial surface coating solutions, methods for their application, and methods for reactivated antimicrobial surface coatings.

Antimicrobial surface coating formation, detection, quantification and reactivation systems and methods

A method includes depositing an antimicrobial material onto a surface of a substrate. The method includes binding a photochromic material to the antimicrobial material. Depositing the antimicrobial material and binding the photochromic material can include forming a mixture of the antimicrobial material and the photochromic material and depositing the mixture onto the surface of the substrate. It is also contemplated that depositing the antimicrobial material and binding the photochromic material can include first depositing the antimicrobial material onto the surface of the substrate and then depositing the photochromic material onto the antimicrobial material.

Detecting antimicrobial surfaces

A shape forming tool for pre-carbonization compression of a fibrous preform includes a female forming tool comprising a die recess, a support structure moveable with respect to the female forming tool, and at least one bladder coupled to the support structure and configured to be received into the die recess. The support structure is configured to move the bladder(s) with respect to the female forming tool. The bladder(s) is/are configured to be inflated to apply a compressive force to compress and form a fibrous preform between the bladder(s) and the female forming tool.

Expandable male die bladder for match die shape-forming systems and methods

A preform tooling arrangement includes a base plate comprising a male die surface and a stripper plate comprising a female die surface. A plurality of perforations are disposed in the base plate and/or the stripper plate. The stripper plate is moveable with respect to the base plate. The preform tooling arrangement is configured to receive a fibrous preform between the male die surface and the female die surface. The preform tooling arrangement is a dual-purpose fixture configured to accommodate z-needling and densification, all while the fibrous preform remains in the same fixture (i.e., the preform tooling arrangement). The perforations are configured to receive one or more textile needles for through thickness reinforcement of the fibrous preform.

Conformable tooling systems and methods for complex contour composite preforms

An end effector for the through thickness reinforcement of a fibrous preform includes a needle cleaning material configured to contact a needle to clean resin from the needle during or between through thickness reinforcement operations. The needle cleaning material may extend from a presser foot toward the needle. The needle cleaning material may slidingly engage the needle in response to movement of one of the needle or the presser foot moving (e.g., translating and/or rotating) with respect to the other of the needle or the presser foot.

Systems and methods for self-cleaning needles for through thickness reinforcement of resin-infused fabrics

An end effector for the through thickness reinforcement of a fibrous preform includes a plurality of spray nozzles configured to direct a needle cleaning fluid to a needle to clean resin from the needle between through thickness reinforcement operations. The plurality of spray nozzles may extend from a presser foot toward the needle. The needle cleaning fluid may contact the needle while the needle or the presser foot move (e.g., translate and/or rotate) with respect to the other of the needle or the presser foot. The plurality of spray nozzles can be incorporated into the end effector. The plurality of spray nozzles can be incorporated into a needle cleaning station into which a portion of the robotic end effector can be moved for cleaning the needles.

Systems and methods for spray cleaning needles for through thickness reinforcement of resin-infused fabrics

An apparatus for through thickness reinforcement of a fibrous preform includes an actuating textile needle, a feeder spool configured to supply a veil cloth, and a take up spool. The feeder spool and take up spool can rotate to cause a portion of the veil cloth to translate such that a needled portion of the veil cloth is received by the take up spool and an unneedled portion of the veil cloth is provided for subsequent needling by the textile needle. In this manner, the veil cloth is only momentarily supplied to the fibrous preform for providing the through thickness fibers and removed from the fibrous preform before subsequent processing of the fibrous preform. The textile needle, feeder spool, and take up spool can be mounted to a common apparatus (e.g., a housing) such that the entire assembly is moveable together as a single unit.

Systems and methods for through thickness reinforcement using roll-to-roll veil cloth

Growing community of inventors

San Diego, CA, United States of America

Vijay V Pujar