1. Field
The present invention relates to systems and methods for using a reusable apparatus made of shape memory polymer (SMP) to fabricate composite parts.
2. Related Art
Composite parts, such as those used in the manufacture of aircraft, can be constructed using various production methods, such as filament winding, tape placement, overbraid, chop fiber roving, coating, hand lay up, or other composite processing techniques and curing processes. Most of these processes use a rigid cure tool/mandrel on which composite material is applied and then cured into a rigid composite part. Removing the mandrel from the cured composite part is generally difficult, costly, and/or time-consuming, particularly if the resulting composite part has trapping geometry that precludes easy part removal. One known method of removing the mandrel requires sacrificing or destroying the mandrel by cutting, dissolving, bead-blasting, or otherwise breaking down the mandrel into smaller pieces which can be removed from within the composite part. Destroying the mandrel obviously prevents it from being used again for subsequent parts and can be damaging to an inner surface of the composite part.
Another method uses a segmented mandrel that can be disassembled and removed after the composite part is cured. However, these mandrels are expensive and require a great amount of time to install and remove. Furthermore, these segmented mandrels are typically each designed to fabricate a specific composite part and are not easily reconfigured to be used in the manufacture of other composite parts.
Yet another method uses inflatable mandrels that can be removed by deflating them after the composite part is cured. However, this method typically involves balloon-like mandrels that can only be used as a bagging aid due to their relative lack of strength and rigidity during composite lay-up.
Accordingly, there is a need to structurally support inflatable or formable mandrels during the forming of a composite part.
Embodiments of the present invention include a support apparatus configured for providing internal support to a shape memory polymer (SMP) apparatus, mold, or tooling for forming composite parts. The support apparatus may comprise a rigid structural member, a plurality of inflatable or deployable SMP cells inflatable or deployable through openings in the rigid structural member, and a pressurization system configured to inflate or deploy the SMP cells to extend from the rigid structural member. Specifically, the SMP cells may be made of shape memory polymer (SMP) configured to be actuated to transition between a rigid state and a malleable state. For example, the SMP cells may be configured to be rigid at temperatures below Tg and to become malleable at temperatures above Tg. The rigid structural member may be configured to remain rigid when heated to a temperature sufficient for curing a composite part. The pressurization system may inflate or deploy the SMP cells when the SMP cells are in the malleable state. When cooled in the inflated configuration, the SMP cells may be configured to provide a load path between the SMP apparatus and the rigid structural member during application of composite material onto the SMP apparatus.
A method of forming a composite part on an SMP apparatus composed of SMP material may comprise placing a support apparatus proximate to at least one surface of the SMP apparatus. The support apparatus may comprise a rigid structural member, a plurality of inflatable or deployable SMP cells extending from the rigid structural member and actuatable between a rigid state and a malleable state, and a pressurization system configured to inflate or deploy the SMP cells away from the rigid structural member. The method may further comprise actuating the SMP cells to the malleable state and then inflating or deploying the SMP cells with the pressurization system such that the SMP cells press against the surface(s) of the SMP apparatus while in the malleable state. The method may also comprise actuating the SMP cells to the rigid state while the SMP cells are pressed against the surface(s) of the SMP apparatus, thus providing a rigid load path between the SMP apparatus and the rigid structural member. Then the method may comprise applying uncured composite material to another surface of the SMP apparatus opposite of the surface(s) of the SMP apparatus in contact with the SMP cells.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawing figures.
Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:
a is a fragmentary, perspective end view of the support apparatus of
b is a fragmentary, perspective end view of the support apparatus of
The drawing figures do not limit the present invention to the specific embodiments disclosed and described herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the invention.
The following detailed description of the invention references the accompanying drawings that illustrate specific embodiments in which the invention can be practiced. The embodiments are intended to describe aspects of the invention in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Other embodiments can be utilized and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
In this description, references to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or “embodiments” mean that the feature or features being referred to are included in at least one embodiment of the technology. Separate references to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or “embodiments” in this description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment and are also not mutually exclusive unless so stated and/or except as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description. For example, a feature, structure, act, etc. described in one embodiment may also be included in other embodiments, but is not necessarily included. Thus, the present technology can include a variety of combinations and/or integrations of the embodiments described herein.
As illustrated in
SMP Apparatus
The SMP apparatus 12, as illustrated in
The SMP material used to form the SMP apparatus 12 may be reinforced or unreinforced SMP material. Specifically, the SMP material used to form the SMP apparatus 12 may be an epoxy, an epoxy-based SMP, a styrene copolymer based SMP or any other type or combination of SMPs, such as cyanate ester, polyurethane, polyethylene homopolymer, styrene-butadiene, polyisoprene, copolymers of stearyl acrylate and acrylic acid or methyl acrylate, norbonene or dimethaneoctahydronapthalene homopolymers or copolymers, and malemide. For example, the SMP material used in the SMP apparatus 12 may be any of the SMPs described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,422,714, 6,986,855, 7,276,195, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0021188, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0021166, and/or U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0269420, all of which are incorporated herein in their entireties by reference. However, numerous other types of SMPs exist and can be tailored to meet specific tolerances and temperature requirements.
The modulus of various SMP materials can be changed through several different methods, such as a temperature change, an electric current, water, and/or light. However, the exemplary methods described herein disclose the use of temperature changes to transform the SMP apparatus 12 from a malleable state to a rigid state and vice versa. Nevertheless, any of the above-listed triggers or actuation techniques for changing the modulus of the SMP material of the SMP apparatus 12 may be used for the composite part fabrication methods described herein without departing from the scope of the invention.
A glass transition temperature (Tg) of an SMP material may be a threshold temperature at and/or above which that SMP material may transition to a lower modulus state, become softened and/or malleable in order to be deformed. Therefore, the SMP apparatus 12 of the present invention may be configured to become flexible and formable when it is heated above its Tg and to become rigid when cooled to a temperature below its Tg. If the SMP apparatus 12 is deformed at a temperature above Tg and then held in that deformed state as its temperature drops below Tg, then the SMP apparatus 12 may harden in that deformed state. When heated again, the SMP apparatus 12 may return to its originally-casted memory shape unless otherwise acted on by another force.
The SMP apparatus 12 may be made of an SMP material having any Tg appropriate for the uses and methods described herein. In some embodiments of the invention, Tg may be equal to or less than the curing temperature for the composite material 14, such that the SMP apparatus 12 may be used as an expandable bladder during curing of the composite part. In some embodiments of the invention, Tg may be a temperature between 100° F. and 350° F. Furthermore, Tg may be a temperature between 200° F. and 300° F. or between 225° F. and 275° F. In one embodiment of the invention, Tg may be approximately equal to 250° F. For example, the change in modulus of the SMP apparatus 12 may occur within a small temperature range centered at a Tg of approximately 250° F.
The composite material 14 placed on the SMP apparatus 12 to form the composite part may comprise or be in the form of prepreg, wet processed fiber, dry fiber, continuous fiber, discontinuous fiber, chopped fiber, low temperature resin, high temperature resin, toughened resin, glass, KEVLAR, carbon, and/or core. Furthermore, the chemical makeup of the composite material 12 may include epoxy, BMI, benzoxazine, and other similar substances known in the art. The composite material 14 may be placed onto the SMP apparatus 12 using automated fabric placement, automated fiber placement, automated filament winding, fabric placement, hand lay-up, or any other method known in the art. The composite material 14 may be configured to be hardened or cured, such as in an autoclave, out of an autoclave, via a low-temperature cure process, and/or via a high-temperature cure process.
In use, the SMP apparatus 12 may be actuated or triggered to its malleable state, formed into the mandrel configuration, then actuated, triggered, or otherwise allowed to return to its rigid state, such as by cooling the SMP apparatus 12 below Tg. Next, the composite material 14 may be applied thereon. For example, in its malleable state, the SMP apparatus 12 may be shaped by inflation or any induced pressure differential driving the SMP apparatus 12 toward a mold. Specifically, the SMP apparatus 12 may be placed inside the mold, outside the mold, and/or proximate to a surface of the mold in order to be driven toward and shaped by the mold. Specifically, the SMP apparatus 12 may be heated and inflated or otherwise deformed into a mandrel configuration for forming a surface (such as an inner surface) of a composite part. Once the SMP apparatus 12 is cooled or otherwise converted to its rigid state while in the mandrel configuration, as illustrated in
The SMP apparatus 12 may be used to form a variety of composite parts, such as aircraft fuselages, wings, nacelles, panels, ducts, and aircraft structural supports or stiffeners. Examples of aircraft structural supports may include stringers, frames, trapezoidal hat-shaped stiffeners, bell-shaped stiffeners, inverted hat stiffeners, J-stiffeners, F-stiffeners, blade stiffeners, I-stiffeners, C-stiffeners, and various types of core, such as honeycomb core. Additionally, the SMP apparatus 12 may be used to form a variety of other composite parts, such as trailers, automotive ducts and manifolds, hoses, tires, turbochargers, tanks, automobiles, racing vehicles, boats, yachts, bicycles, canoes, kayaks, paddles, sporting goods, gun stocks, grips, crossbows and accessories, golf clubs and related components, fishing rods, guitars, pipes, poles, building supplies, wind turbine blades, engine components, furniture, sail masts, electronic enclosures, armor, driveshafts, satellites, missiles, and spacecraft. These composite parts may be formed using methods similar to those described above.
Each of these composite parts may be formed using the SMP apparatus 12 by first forming the composite material 14 against at least a portion of the SMP apparatus 12 when the SMP apparatus 12 is in its rigid mandrel configuration. Then the composite material 14 may be compressed by inflation or expansion of the SMP apparatus 12 during curing of the composite material 14 into the composite part. Alternatively, the SMP apparatus 12 may remain rigid in its mandrel configuration during curing of the composite material 14 into the composite part, while an external apparatus, such as a vacuum bag or impermeable membrane, compresses and consolidates the composite material 14 against the SMP apparatus 12.
Support Apparatus
As illustrated in
As illustrated schematically in
The rigid structural member 16 may have any shape or configuration and may be formed of a material that remains rigid when subjected to composite cure temperatures and pressures. The structural member 16 may be configured to support attachment and/or sealing of the SMP cells 18 thereto. In some embodiments of the invention, the structural member 16 may have one or more openings formed therethrough, over which the SMP cells 18 may be sealed and through which inflation pressure may be provided to the SMP cells 18.
The SMP cells 18 may be formed of the same SMP material as the SMP apparatus 12 or any other SMP material known in the art and desired for a particular application. The Tg of the SMP cells 18 may be identical to the Tg of the SMP apparatus 12, or alternatively the SMP cells 18 may be composed of SMP material having a different Tg than the SMP apparatus 12. The SMP cells 18 may be flat, contoured, and/or hollow and may be shaped in a variety of configurations. In some embodiments of the invention described herein, the SMP cells 18 may comprise a peripheral or edge portion sealed to the structural member 16. Additionally, as mentioned above, the SMP cells 18 may each be sealed around and/or over one of the openings formed through the structural member 16, such that pressure applied through the openings may inflate and/or deploy the SMP cells 18.
In some embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in
In some embodiments of the invention, the heating of the SMP cells 18 may be achieved by insertion into an oven or an autoclave. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments of the invention, the pressurization system 20 may comprise a heat exchanger 30, as illustrated in
Support Apparatus—Spoke and Bladder Configuration
In one embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in
In some embodiments of the invention, the extension support members 24 may each be extendible and/or retractable, having a mechanically-adjustable length. For example, the extension support members 24 may be operable to telescope toward or away from the center support structure 22 either manually or by way of some automated actuation (e.g., a hydraulic cylinder). This feature may allow the support apparatus 10 to be used in SMP apparatuses of a large variety of configurations or sizes and/or may facilitate removal of the support apparatus 10 from within the SMP apparatus 12 by retraction of the extension support members 24.
Furthermore, in embodiments of the invention illustrated in
The pressurization system 20 may be fluidly coupled with the SMP cells 18 in a variety of configurations. For example, in one embodiment of the invention, the central support structure 22 and/or the extension support members 24 may be substantially hollow, providing direct delivery of forced liquid or pressurized gas from the pressure source 28 to the SMP cells 18. Additionally or alternatively, various flexible or rigid tubes or any plumbing system may fluidly couple the SMP cells 18 with the pressurization system 20, providing inflation pressure to the SMP cells 18.
Support Apparatus—Inflatable Cell Configuration
In an alternative embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
During inflation, SMP cells 18 may each increase in size and/or surface area independently by an amount dependent on their location relative to a surface of the SMP apparatus 12. In this embodiment of the invention, the SMP cells 18 may be configured to both flex and stretch when heated above Tg. The SMP cells 18 of the configuration illustrated in
Support Apparatus—Diaphragm Configuration
In another alternative embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in
In some embodiments of the invention, the SMP cells 18 or diaphragms may be formed of an SMP material which may flex when heated above Tg, but not necessarily stretch. For example, the SMP cells 18 may be formed with a thickness and heated by such an amount during use that they may be deployed outward with pressure and/or inverted inward by vacuum without stretching during deployment. Furthermore, the SMP cells 18 or diaphragms may maintain a substantially constant surface area during use in either their deployed or inverted configurations.
The SMP cells 18 of the embodiments illustrated in
In one embodiment of the invention, illustrated in
The SMP cells 18 or diaphragms may also comprise a lip or attachment portion 36 configured to seal the SMP cells 18 to a portion of the rigid structural member 16, as illustrated in
In some embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in
Additionally, the structural member 16 may comprise or be attached to rigid containers 46 which may be aligned with the openings 42 of the tray 40 and fixed between the tray 40 and the base component 38. The containers 46 may comprise a primary opening (not shown) aligned with the tray openings 42 and/or an inflation opening (not shown) in fluid communication with the pressure source 28 via tubes 26. In this configuration, the SMP cells 18 may be sealed to the containers 46 over the primary opening thereof. For example, the attachment portion 36 of the SMP cells 18 may be sealed to the containers 46 and/or between the containers 46 and the tray 40. Furthermore, the SMP cells 18 may be housed in the containers 46 in an inverted configuration (when vacuum pulls the SMP cells 18 away from the SMP apparatus 12), and pushed outward from within the containers 46 in a deployed configuration (when supplied with liquid or pressurized gas forced through the inflation openings of the containers 46).
The height of the SMP cells 18 in this embodiment of the invention may be approximately equal to the greatest distance between the tray 40 and the SMP apparatus 12. Furthermore, the distance between the tray 40 and the base component 38 may be approximately equal to the height of the SMP cells 18. Additionally or alternatively, a depth of the containers 46 may be approximately equal to the height of the SMP cells 18, such that each of the SMP cells 18 may be fully inverted within their corresponding containers 46.
As in the previous embodiments of the invention described above, the support apparatus 10 of
Methods of Use
In use, the SMP apparatus 12 may be heated and pressurized or otherwise formed into a desired shape. Then the support apparatus 10 may be inserted into the SMP apparatus 12 or arranged proximate thereto such that inflation or deployment of the SMP cells 18 causes the SMP cells 18 to contact at least one surface of the SMP apparatus 12. In some embodiments of the invention, the SMP apparatus 12 may be placed into a rigid outer mandrel tool (not shown) or clam shell, heated, and then inflated or deployed therein. Then the support apparatus 10 may be inserted into the SMP apparatus 12 and the SMP cells 18 may be heat and inflated or deployed while the SMP apparatus 12 remains in the outer mandrel tool. This may cause the SMP apparatus 12 to be sandwiched between the SMP cells 18 and the outer mandrel tool. Additionally or alternatively, the support apparatus 10 may be built into or onto the SMP apparatus 12 and the SMP apparatus 10 and SMP cells 18 may be simultaneously or sequentially deployed or inflated during a single heat cycle using an oven or autoclave to heat the SMP components.
In some alternative embodiments of the invention, inflating of the SMP apparatus 12 may be omitted. Rather, the inflation of the SMP cells 18 therein may push the SMP apparatus 12 outward against the outer mandrel tool. In another alternative embodiment of the invention, the SMP apparatus 12 may be formed or inflated into the desired shape within a mold while the SMP cells 18 are simultaneously inflated against a surface of the SMP apparatus. In yet another alternative embodiment of the invention, the SMP apparatus 12 may be in a rigid state and/or removed from the outer mandrel tool before the SMP cells 18 are heated and inflated therein, such that the SMP cells 18 may conform to the inner surface of the SMP apparatus 12 in its rigid mandrel state.
In some embodiments of the invention, such as those illustrated in
After inflation or deployment of the SMP cells 18 against the SMP apparatus 12, the SMP cells 18 may be cooled and thereby hardened in their inflated state, as illustrated in
In some embodiments of the invention, such as those illustrated in
In the embodiments of the invention illustrated in
Note that the inflation and/or vacuum described herein may be replaced with or provided in addition to any means for creating a pressure differential known in the art. For example, pressure for inflating or deflating the SMP apparatus 12 and/or the SMP cells 18 may be provided via an autoclave or any other system capable of inflating or deflating a sealed malleable material. Furthermore, though the support apparatus 10 is described herein as providing structural support for the SMP apparatus 12, note that the support apparatus 10 may also be used to provide structural support to any molding or mandrel tooling used to form composite parts.
Although the invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments illustrated in the attached drawing figures, it is noted that equivalents may be employed and substitutions made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as recited in the claims.
The present utility patent application claims priority benefit, with regard to all common subject matter, of earlier-filed U.S. provisional patent application titled “Reconfigurable Shape Memory Polymer Tooling Support” Ser. No. 61/412627, filed Nov. 11, 2010, hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference into the present application.
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SAMPE 2007 Baltimore : Composites World; SAMPE 2007 Baltimore; The SAMPE Symposium's cross-country move proves a welcome boon to East Coast suppliers and composites professionals; Article From: High-Performance Composites Jul. 2007; Staff; Posted on Jul. 1, 2007; http://www.compositesworld.com/articles/sampe-2007-baltimore. |
Shape memory Polymer Bladder Tooling; Navy SBIR RY2008.1; http://www.navysbir.com/08—1/81.htm; published Jul. 13, 2007. |
CRG—SMP Bladders; Manufacturing Technology Portfolio; Shape Memory Polymer (SMP) Bladders for Composites Manufacturing; http://www.crgrp.com/technology/mantechportolio/smp-bladders.shtml; Published Jul. 13, 2007. |
SAMPE Fall Technical Conference and Exhibition; Oct. 29-Nov. 1, 2007; Cincinnati, Ohio,Cincinnati Hilton Netherland Plaza, Sponsored by SAMPE's Midwest Chapter; From Art to Science: Advancing Materials and Process Engineering; Published Jul. 19, 2007. |
Reinforced Plastics—Preview: Composites 2007; Reinforced Plastics.com; Feature Preview: Composites 2007; Aug. 31, 2007; Reinforced Plastics; http://www.reinforcedplastics.com/view/3605/preview-composites-2007-/; p. 4. |
Elastic Memory Composite (EMC) Material; Composite Technology Development, Inc: Engineered Material Solutions; Products; TEMBO Shape Memory Polymers and Elastic Memory Composites; http://www.ctd—materials.com/products/emc.htm; Published Oct. 2, 2007. |
Technical Paper : Model Development for Shape Memory Polymers; Ryan D. Siskind and Ralph C. Smith; Department of Mathematics; North Carolina State University; Raleigh, NC 27695; Published 2008; http://www.ncsu.edu/crsc/reports/ftp/pdf/crsc-tr08-04.pdf. |
Paper : Shape Memory Polymers; Published Oct. 8, 2008; http://www.plasticsprojects.org/Shape%20Memory%2010-12.pdf. |
CRG—Shape Memory Polymer Nanocomposites: Multifunctional Materials for Revolutionary Applications; Power Point Presentation; Published Mar. 17, 2005. |
SMP Bladders : Advanced Composite Tooling : Operate first as mandrels and later as inflatable bladders; CRG sales sheet: Copyright 2007. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20120119416 A1 | May 2012 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61412627 | Nov 2010 | US |