Manufacturing processes for parts which basically comprise a first stage of fabric stacking are well known in the aeronautical industry through ATL “Automatic Tape Lay-Up” and a second stage of autoclave curing.
In the stacking stage layers of composite material such as pre-impregnated material which is a mixture of fibrous reinforcement and polymeric matrix suitable for storage, are placed in a mould/tool.
This material may take various forms and in particular that of fabric. For thermohardening matrices the resin is generally partially cured or through another process it is brought to a controlled viscosity known as B-stage.
The fabrics of composite material are not placed randomly but rather a number are arranged in each zone and with an orientation of their fibrous reinforcement, typically carbon fibre, determined on the basis of the nature and magnitude of the forces which the part will support in each zone. For this purpose, ATL machines are generally used (Automatic Tape Lay-up).
Automatic tape lay up machines are very effective for manufacturing flat or substantially flat laminates as admissible gradients for said machines are small.
Nevertheless, some aeronautical structures comprise ramps in which, despite the fact that from a design point of view it would be desirable to have gradients greater than those of which the ATL machines are capable, ultimately they are designed with lower gradients in order to adapt to the conditioning factors of these machines, leading to a number of disadvantages which this invention seeks to overcome.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds