Claims
- 1. A method of making a sealed opening through a multisheet expanded metal sandwich structure, comprising:assembling multiple sheets of an alloy suitable for superplastic forming in a vertical stack; clamping the sheets together at a drill point and welding the sheets together around the periphery of a region in which a hole is to be drilled sequentially through the stack of sheets; drilling a hole sequentially through the sheets in the region within the welded periphery so that the weld bounds the hole; inserting a sleeve into the hole adjacent the weld, the sleeve having the same height as the sandwich structure at the drill point after the sheets are expanded; inserting the sheets with the sleeve into a die having an internal cavity, the cavity having a shape the same as the intended design shape of the expanded sandwich structure; and superplastically expanding the sheets in the die cavity to form the expanded sandwich structure and to cause the welded and drilled sheets to contact said sleeve along the length of the sleeve to define a reinforced hole, being a sealed opening, through the expanded sandwich structure.
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application is a divisional application based upon U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/101,688 filed Jul. 10, 1998 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,994,666 which claims priority from 371 International Application PCT/US96/20106, filed Dec. 20, 1996, which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/010,033, filed Jan. 12, 1996.
US Referenced Citations (25)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0 535 935 |
Jul 1993 |
EP |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry |
“Advances in Aircraft Component Superplastic forming/Diffusion Bonding Technology,” SAE Technical Paper Series 912216, dated Sep. 23, 1991. |
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60/010033 |
Jan 1996 |
US |