US4662587A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Composite for aircraft wing and method of making
Assignee: Boeing Co
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Filing: 1985-06-10
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Granted: 1987-05-05
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Expires: 2005-06-10
Abstract
Abstract A pair of specially reinforced skin-spar joints in combination with a honeycomb core are used to build up a wing spar for a composite airplane wing. A series of contoured mandrels with a covering of fuel resistant material and a wrapped reinforced plastic are aligned one above the other. The wing spar materials are placed between the mandrels, honeycomb core is located alongside as well as wing skins to form a wing buildup. The buildup is placed in a mold, pressure applied to each mandrel forcing all the parts together, and the buildup heated to cure the resins and form a composite wing structure.
Inventors
- 👤 Philip C. Whitener
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 00:17
CPC Classifications
B; B64; B64C; B64C3/00; B64C3/18; B64C3/185; B29; B29C; B29C70/00; B29C70/04; B29C70/06; B29C70/08; B29C70/10; B29C70/16; B29C70/24; B29C70/28; B29C70/40; B29C70/50; B29D; B29D24/00; B29D24/001; B29D24/002; B29D24/005; B29D24/008; B29D99/00; B29D99/0003; B29C53/00; B29C53/56; B29C53/58; B29L; B29L2031/00; B29L2031/30; B29L2031/3076; B29L2031/3085; B29L2031/767; Y; Y02; Y02T; Y02T50/00; Y02T50/40; Y10; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/24; Y10T428/24058; Y10T428/24074; Y10T428/24091; Y10T428/24099; Y10T428/24149; Y10T428/24174
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 4
Claim 1
Independent Claim
185 words
A contoured composite structure comprising: a contoured outer skin, a series of longitudinally extending spars each having an integral load bearing skin-spar joint at extremities adjacent the skins and honeycomb core between the joints, honeycomb core adjacent the skins to extend between the joints, a cell of reinforced plastic coating each space between adjacent spars and the honeycomb alongside the skins, a plastic liner inside each cell, and the parts all bonded together into a composite structure wherein each skin-spar joint comprises: an elongated essentially T-shaped cross section having a wide body and thick arms, a resin impregnated woven fabric panel to extend straight across the underside of the arms and interwovenly intersecting a pair of resin impregnated woven fabric panels along the outside of the body that extend through the arms, a reinforcing core contacting all the panels in the body area, a second reinforcing core contacting all the panels in the area of the extension of the pair of panels, a pair of reinforcing chords in the arms adjacent the second core, and the resins cured to make up a composite skin-spar joint.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
185 words
A contoured composite structure comprising: a contoured outer skin, a series of longitudinally extending spars each having an integral load bearing skin-spar joint at extremities adjacent the skins and honeycomb core between the joints, honeycomb core adjacent the skins to extend between the joints, a cell of reinforced plastic coating each space between adjacent spars and the honeycomb alongside the skins, a plastic liner inside each cell, and the parts all bonded together into a composite structure wherein each skin-spar joint comprises: an elongated essentially T-shaped cross section having a wide body and thick arms, a resin impregnated woven fabric panel to extend straight across the underside of the arms and interwovenly intersecting a pair of resin impregnated woven fabric panels along the outside of the body that extend through the arms, a reinforcing core contacting all the panels in the body area, a second reinforcing core contacting all the panels in the area of the extension of the pair of panels, a pair of reinforcing chords in the arms adjacent the second core, and the resins cured to make up a composite skin-spar joint.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
27 words
A contoured composite structure as in claim 1, further comprising: the pair of reinforcing chords in the arms having varying load bearing properties in a spanwise direction.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
21 words
A contoured composite structure as in claim 1, further comprising the intermediate second core having crisscrossing reinforcing to resist torsional loads.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1990-05-04 | 1990-11-03 | 1991-05-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1994-05-04 | 1994-11-03 | 1995-05-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1998-05-04 | 1998-11-03 | 1999-05-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |