US5286438A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Method of fabricating a complex part made of composite material
Assignee: RTX Corp
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Filing: 1992-06-12
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Granted: 1994-02-15
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Expires: 2012-06-12
Abstract
Abstract The method of fabricating a complex part made of composite material and having a plurality of panels oriented in diverse angular relationship, and utilizing a plurality of conformable cauls upon which the composite material is individually laid up and which cauls cooperate to form one of the molds used in the co-curing of the individually laid-up composite materials.
Inventors
- 👤 Alexander C. Dublinski
- 👤 Ronald J. Cooper
- 👤 Edward J. Fabian
- 👤 Gary J. Jacaruso
- 👤 Philip J. Ramey
- 👤 Darryl M. Toni
- 👤 Matthew T. Turner
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 09:01
CPC Classifications
B; B29; B29D; B29D99/00; B29D99/001; B29D99/0014; B29D99/0017; B29C; B29C33/00; B29C33/30; B29C33/38; B29C33/3842; B29C33/3857; B29C33/44; B29C33/48; B29C33/485; B29C33/50; B29C33/505; B29C70/00; B29C70/04; B29C70/28; B29C70/30; B29C70/34; B29C70/342; B29C70/345; B29C70/54; B29C70/549; B29D22/00; B29C43/00; B29C43/32; B29C43/36; B29C43/3642; B29C2043/3655; B29C43/02; B29C43/10; B29C43/12; B29K; B29K2827/00; B29K2827/12
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
298 words
The method of fabricating a complex part having inner and outer surfaces and made of composite material and having a plurality of panels oriented in diverse angular relationship and wherein the composite material which will form the panels is laid up, then co-cured in a molding process to form the complete part, including the steps of: a. providing a first mold shaped to define a plurality of part defining surfaces each associated with one of said part panels and which cooperate to define one of the entire inner surface and the entire outer surface of the part; b. providing a mold mateable with the first mold comprising a plurality of conformable cauls, one caul for each said panel of the part, and each said caul having a surface shaped to define a portion of the other of said inner and said outer surfaces of the part and shaped to cooperate with others of said conformable cauls to define the entire other of said inner and said outer surfaces of the part and to cooperate with one of said first mold surfaces to define at least a panel of the part; c. selectively laying up prepreg composite material on the surface of at least one of said molds to produce a composite material lay-up of selected dimension to form the complete part; d. placing each conformable caul surface in alignment with a corresponding first mold surface and with the composite material lay-up therebetween; e. placing the first mold with the conformable cauls and composite lay-ups so positioned in a vacuum bag to thereby provide an autoclave ready unit, and positioning the autoclave ready unit in an autoclave and subjecting it to heat and pressure so as to co-cure all composite material lay-ups to form the complete composite material part.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
298 words
The method of fabricating a complex part having inner and outer surfaces and made of composite material and having a plurality of panels oriented in diverse angular relationship and wherein the composite material which will form the panels is laid up, then co-cured in a molding process to form the complete part, including the steps of: a. providing a first mold shaped to define a plurality of part defining surfaces each associated with one of said part panels and which cooperate to define one of the entire inner surface and the entire outer surface of the part; b. providing a mold mateable with the first mold comprising a plurality of conformable cauls, one caul for each said panel of the part, and each said caul having a surface shaped to define a portion of the other of said inner and said outer surfaces of the part and shaped to cooperate with others of said conformable cauls to define the entire other of said inner and said outer surfaces of the part and to cooperate with one of said first mold surfaces to define at least a panel of the part; c. selectively laying up prepreg composite material on the surface of at least one of said molds to produce a composite material lay-up of selected dimension to form the complete part; d. placing each conformable caul surface in alignment with a corresponding first mold surface and with the composite material lay-up therebetween; e. placing the first mold with the conformable cauls and composite lay-ups so positioned in a vacuum bag to thereby provide an autoclave ready unit, and positioning the autoclave ready unit in an autoclave and subjecting it to heat and pressure so as to co-cure all composite material lay-ups to form the complete composite material part.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
59 words
The method according to claim 1 wherein said composite material lay-up is in several discrete sections with each section laid up on and in the shape of one of said conformable cauls so that each section of composite material lay-up will form a portion of the complete part and coact with the other sections to form the complete part.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method according to claim 2 wherein said laying up of the prepreg composite material is on each of the conformable cauls and including the step of debulking the prepreg lay-up while on its conformable caul.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method according to claim 3 including the step of initially subjecting the vacuum bag to vacuum to debulk the composite material laid up on the conformable cauls before the autoclave ready unit is positioned in the autoclave.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method according to claim 4 wherein said step of providing a first mold comprises providing a female mold and said step of providing a mating mold comprises providing a male mold.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
76 words
The method according to claim 5 wherein said prepreg material is laid up in layers and including the step of accurately positioning at least one preformed detail on an appropriate layer of prepreg material during the lay-up procedure, then laying at least one additional layer of prepreg material over the detail so that the final lay-up includes both composite material and the detail laid up on the conformable caul for debulking and curing as a unit.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
88 words
A method according to claim 5 wherein said conformable cauls are fabricated by the steps of: a. providing a model of the part; b. utilizing the model to form the plurality of conformable cauls, one for each panel of the part, and each having a contoured surface shaped to define a portion of the other of said inner and said outer surfaces of the part and to cooperate with the other conformable cauls to define the entire other of said inner and said outer surfaces of the part.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
134 words
The method according to claim 5, wherein said conformable cauls are fabricated by the steps of: a. providing a model of the part to be fabricated, b. laying up layers of selected fluoroelastomer on each panel of the model, and c. debulking and curing the laid-up layers of selected fluoroelastomer so that one surface thereof is in the precise contour of the panel of the finished part model upon which it is laid up to thereby provide a plurality of conformable cauls, one for each panel of the part, and each having a surface shaped to define a portion of one of said inner or outer surfaces of the part, and to cooperate with others of said conformable cauls to define the entire one of said inner and said outer surfaces of the part.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
58 words
The method according to claim 8 and including the steps of: a. covering interior surfaces of the part model with separator release film before commencing the prepreg lay-up, and b. positioning layers of separator release film between the prepreg lay-up on each panel and the prepreg lay-up on adjacent panels so that discrete conformable cauls will be formed.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
64 words
The method according to claim 9 including mating the conformable cauls of fluoroelastomer material and wherein the layers consist of a first layer of Teflon® Polytetrafluroethylene film coated gum stock positioned against the model, a second layer of fluoroelastomer gum stock, a third and fourth layers of KEVLAR® Polyamide fiber reinforced fluoroelastomer with 45° angle fibers, and a fifth layer of fluoroelastomer gum stock.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
50 words
The method according to claim 10 wherein said first layer is 0.032 inches, the second layer is 0.030 inches, the third and fourth layer is 0.040 inches, and the fifth layer is 0.034 inches so as to produce discrete conformable cauls of reinforced fluoroelastomer of a thickness of 0.172 inches.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
59 words
The method according to claim 11 wherein said composite material lay-up consists of three layers of prepreg composite material positioned against the conformable caul shaped surface, eleven layers of reinforced prepreg material positioned thereon, and three layers of prepreg material laid up upon the reinforced layers, and wherein said prepreg layers are made of high performance composite prepreg materials.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method according to claim 12 wherein at least one of the layers of prepreg composite material is continuous over mold surfaces which form surfaces of the molded part.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
52 words
The method according to claim 13 wherein said conformable cauls are fabricated to have peripheral layers which slightly overlap the first mold surface with which it is associated so as to conform to corners between first mold surfaces when the conformable cauls are subjected to heat and pressure during the co-curing process.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method according to claim 14 wherein the pressure within the autoclave during curing is at least 75 psi.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method according to claim 11 or 15 and wherein said first mold has locator cones projecting therefrom to loosely position the conformable cauls with respect to the first mold during the debulking and curing steps.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of fabricating a complex part according to claim 1 wherein the vacuum bag is a one-piece silicone bag.
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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) | 1997-02-14 | 1997-08-16 | 1998-02-15 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2001-02-14 | 2001-08-16 | 2002-02-15 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2005-02-14 | 2005-08-16 | 2006-02-15 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |