1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to an improved roll forming mechanism. And, more particularly, this invention relates to an improved roll forming mechanism for the manufacture of the corrugated webbing of structural members for the aerospace industry.
2. Description of Prior Art
In the aircraft industry, it is common to utilize I-beam like structural members having a sinusoidal web extending normally between a top and bottom flange. The generally sinusoidal shape of the web provides increased strength to weight performance, improved stiffness, and decreased volume. In order to accommodate the aircraft wiring harness, hydraulic and fuel lines, as well as immediate strength and volume requirements, the geometry of the web may vary from sinusoidal to planar, creating a potentially non-repeating web corrugation pattern.
Currently, structural members are generally constructed from metal or composite materials. With either choice of material, the construction of a structural member with a sinusoidal web is a challenge, in maintaining quality, tolerances, and minimizing costs. With the high cost of manufacturing composite structural members, due to the labor intensive techniques utilized, it is at times more economical and practical to use metals, such as titanium and aluminum, to construct sinusoidal structural members, when the design allows for it.
To construct the sinusoidal web, it is common to use a roll former or other similar device to create the desired corrugated pattern. Certain materials, such as titanium alloy 6-4, have considerable spring-back properties, making them relatively difficult to roll form to the tight tolerances required in the aerospace industry. It was found that the titanium alloy, when bent to a known angle in a bending jig with a 0.75 inch mandrel, would return to an angle that was approximately 50% of the angle induced in the bending jig. For example, if the angle induced in the bending jig is 240 degrees, when removed from the bending jig the titanium alloy will return to an angle approximately equal to 120 degrees.
One method presently being used to form corrugated webbing is an intermeshing gear type former. The titanium alloy sheet is fed between two intermeshing gears to form the corrugated pattern. This method lends itself to very rapid production however it is not adjustable to accommotade for slight variations in metal spring back nor is it capable of producing variations in shape.
What is needed is a mechanism that can quickly and economically produce corrugated titanium webbing for a structural member. What is also needed is a mechanism that can induce a bending angle ranging approximately between 0 and 240 degrees, in any desired combination of alternating planar and curvilinear cross-sectional patterns.
In accordance of the present invention, a roll forming machine capable of forming the corrugated metal web of a sinusoidal structural member is provided. The preferred embodiment includes a material feeding means, a material guiding means, and at least two forming cylinders. The material feeding means receives a sheet of material, and is in material communication with the material guiding means. The material guiding means receives the sheet of material, guiding the sheet of material into the forming cylinders and preventing significant movement or buckling of the sheet of material. The forming cylinders are an assembly of at least two substantially aligned and parallel cylinders, having a separation between sufficient to receive the sheet of material. The forming cylinders can alternately orbit one around the other, one forming cylinder axis being held substantially stationary while the other forming cylinder orbits the stationary cylinder, bending the sheet of material and forming the desired web geometry.
The sheet of material is first fed into the forming rollers assembly when the assembly is in the home position, when the separation between the forming cylinders is aligned and able to receive the sheet of material from the guiding means. The sheet of material is advanced into the forming roller assembly, the length of the advancement being equivalent to the length of material needed to complete the desired arc. The first forming cylinder remains stationary in the home position, while the opposing second forming cylinder orbits around the first forming cylinder. The sheet of material is wrapped around the first forming cylinder as the orbiting second forming cylinder completes its partial orbit.
After the arc has been formed in the sheet of material, the orbiting forming cylinder returns to the home position, next to the stationary forming roller. In this home position, the sheet of material can once again be advanced a discrete distance sufficient to form the successive arc. In a opposite fashion, the second forming cylinder remains stationary in the home position, while the opposing first forming cylinder orbits around the stationary forming cylinder, both actions resulting in the formation of a sine like geometry.
During the forming of the metal web, the sinusoidal pattern of the web can be altered, creating various curves or planar sections. To produce a planar section, the sheet of material is advance while the forming cylinders are both in the home position. The length of the advancement corresponds to the designed planar section length. Additionally, various curves can be produced by reducing or increasing the angle of travel of the orbiting forming cylinder, effectively changing the sector of the arc.
If varying amplitudes of arcs in a sinusoidal webbing are desired, the forming cylinders can be removed and replaced with forming cylinders of the required diameter. Additionally, the separation between the forming cylinders can be adjusted to match the needed gap distance.
In an alternate embodiment, the present invention includes a material feeding means and at least two forming cylinders. The material feeding means receives a sheet of material, and is in material communication with the forming cylinder. The material feeding means can both feed and guide the material to the separation between the forming cylinders.
The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of presently-preferred embodiments of the invention and is not intended to represent the only forms in which the present invention may be constructed and/or utilized. The description sets forth the functions and the sequence of steps for constructing and operating the invention in connection with the illustrated embodiments. However, it is to be understood that the same or equivalent functions and sequences may be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention.
An alternate embodiment of the present invention can be seen in
The preferred embodiment of the present invention can be seen in
As can be seen in
As can be seen in
The continuation of this alternating orbit pattern can be seen clearly in
At times, designs may require a mixture of sinusoidal and planar sections in resulting web. In
This process of sheet of material (18) advancement and bending is repeated, with variations in feed rate and feed advancement distance to achieve the desired corrugation and planar geometry. While the sheet of material (18) is formed, the previously formed corrugations can be inspected for variation from the intended design; then, the feed rate and feed advancement distance can be adjusted to bring the overall corrugated web into design compliance.
A few of the many possible patterns of webbing for structural members can be seen in FIGS. 5A-C, to more clearly demonstrate the capabilities of the present invention.
The present invention allows for the economical and rapid manufacture of metal webbing for corrugated structural members commonly used in the aerospace industry. Additionally, the present invention allows for the forming of a precise bending angle of 120 degrees in metals such as titanium alloy 6-4. Any angle between 0 and 120 degrees can be formed with the present invention. And additionally, the formation of a combination of linear and curvilinear geometries for webbing is made possible by the present invention. The present invention allows for a wide variety of patterns and separate webbing designs to be manufactured using a substantially similar setup, reducing manufacturing time and setup costs.
While the present invention has been described with regards to particular embodiments, it is recognized that additional variations of the present invention may be devised without departing from the inventive concept.
This application is entitled to the benefit of Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/488,663 filed on Jul. 21, 2003.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60488663 | Jul 2003 | US |