The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 30, 1996
Filed:
Sep. 08, 1994
Peter B Leoni, Bethany, CT (US);
United Technologies Corporation, Hartford, CT (US);
Abstract
A two-stage co-cure method for fabricating a composite article having a box-beam cross-sectional configuration wherein an outer shell portion of the composite article is fabricated and configured in the first stage to function as the tooling for completing the fabrication of composite article in the second stage. The first stage includes a step wherein a molding assembly is configured to define the outer margin line surface of the outer shell, a step wherein prepreg plies forming the outer shell are layed-up in the molding assembly, a step wherein the layed-up molding assembly is vacuum bagged and evacuated in preparation for curing, a curing step, an optional step wherein the molding assembly is reconfigured as required so that the reconfigured molding assembly and the outer shell in combination define a foam injection cavity, an injecting step wherein a high temperature, high pressure foam is injected into the foam injection cavity to form an outer shell, cured foam core stabilized combination that functions as the tooling for the second stage, and a disassembly step. The second stage includes an application step wherein a film adhesive is applied to the outer shell, cured foam core stabilized combination, a step wherein prepreg plies forming an inner cap are layed-up onto the adhesive coated outer shell, cured foam core stabilized combination, a step wherein layed-up outer shell, cured foam core stabilized combination is vacuum bagged for curing, and a curing step.