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:
Dec. 06, 2016
Filed:
Oct. 16, 2013
The Boeing Company, Seal Beach, CA (US);
Daniel M. Rotter, Lake Forest Park, WA (US);
Arvid J. Berg, Seattle, WA (US);
Joseph D. Anderson, Seattle, WA (US);
Kurtis Shuldberg Willden, Kent, WA (US);
Richard V. Phillips, Enumclaw, WA (US);
Stephen Lee Metschan, Black Diamond, WA (US);
Brad Andrew Coxon, Everett, WA (US);
Joseph J. Pruss, Redmond, WA (US);
The Boeing Company, Chicago, IL (US);
Abstract
Systems and methods for assembling a skin of a composite structure are disclosed herein. The methods include operatively attaching a charge of composite material to a flexible substrate to define an initial conformation for a composite-substrate assembly and locating the composite-substrate assembly and a layup mandrel proximal to one another. The methods further include pressing the composite-substrate assembly against an outer surface of the layup mandrel to deform the composite-substrate assembly to a final conformation. The methods also include affixing the charge of composite material to the outer surface of the layup mandrel and releasing the charge of composite material from the flexible substrate while retaining the charge of composite material on the outer surface of the layup mandrel. The systems include the flexible substrate, the layup mandrel, and an assembly deformation structure that is configured to press the composite-substrate assembly against the outer surface of the layup mandrel.