Methods for assembling a skin of a composite structure

US9144959B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• The Boeing Company · US

Inventors

• Daniel M. Rotter · Lake Forest Park, US
• Arvid J. Berg · Seattle, US
• Joseph D. Anderson · Union City, US
• Kurtis S. Willden · Kent, US
• Richard V. Phillips · Enumclaw, US
• Stephen Lee Metschan · Black Diamond, US
• Brad Andrew Coxon · Everett, US
• Joseph J. Pruss · Redmond, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 4, 2013
• Grant date: Sep 29, 2015
• Expiry date: Mar 21, 2034

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10T156/1028
• WIPO field: Other special machines
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

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, deforming the composite-substrate assembly to an intermediate conformation that is different from the initial conformation, affixing the charge of composite material to an outer surface of a 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, an assembly deformation structure that is configured to deform the composite-substrate assembly from the initial conformation to the intermediate conformation, and the layup mandrel that receives the charge of composite material.