Electromagnetic support tooling for composite part curing

{
  "publication_number": "US10272596B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Electromagnetic support tooling for composite part curing",
  "abstract": "Methods and apparatuses for electromagnetic support tooling for use in composite part curing are described. In one example, a support tooling, such as a mandrel, includes an elastomeric housing that has ferromagnetic components. The mandrel also has electro-magnetic coils positioned within the elastomeric housing and operable to generate magnetic fields to repel or attract the ferromagnetic components of the elastomeric housing to the electro-magnetic coils. When the ferromagnetic components of the elastomeric housing are repelled by the electro-magnetic coils, the elastomeric housing has a rigid surface state. When the ferromagnetic components of the elastomeric housing are attracted to the electro-magnetic coils, the elastomeric housing is collapsed.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A mandrel comprising: an elastomeric housing having ferromagnetic components; one or more electro-magnetic coils positioned within the elastomeric housing and operable to generate a first magnetic field to repel the ferromagnetic components of the elastomeric housing from the one or more electro-magnetic coils and to generate a second magnetic field to attract the ferromagnetic components of the elastomeric housing to the one or more electro-magnetic coils, wherein when the ferromagnetic components of the elastomeric housing are repelled by the one or more electro-magnetic coils the elastomeric housing has a rigid surface state and when the ferromagnetic components of the elastomeric housing are attracted to the one or more electro-magnetic coils the elastomeric housing is collapsed; a plurality of tool segments within the elastomeric housing and coupled in a sequential manner, wherein the one or more electro-magnetic coils comprise a plurality of electro-magnetic coils within the plurality of tool segments, and wherein the plurality of tool segments are positioned inside the elastomeric housing; and joint linkages coupling each adjacent tool segment of the plurality of tool segments to each other, wherein the joint linkages enable flexibility of the plurality of tool segments and provide separation between each of the plurality of tool segments.",
    "2. The mandrel of claim 1, wherein the elastomeric housing comprises a mixture of ferromagnetic components and rubber.",
    "3. The mandrel of claim 1, wherein the ferromagnetic components are embedded within at least one of a plurality of walls of the elastomeric housing.",
    "4. The mandrel of claim 1, wherein the ferromagnetic components are positioned on an interior surface of at least one of a plurality of walls of the elastomeric housing.",
    "5. The mandrel of claim 1, wherein the ferromagnetic components are positioned on an exterior surface of at least one of a plurality of walls of the elastomeric housing.",
    "6. The mandrel of claim 1, wherein the ferromagnetic components comprise a coating on an interior or exterior surface of at least one of a plurality of walls of the elastomeric housing.",
    "7. The mandrel of claim 1, wherein the ferromagnetic components are positioned laterally along the elastomeric housing so as to be linearly perpendicular to a centerline of the elastomeric housing.",
    "8. The mandrel of claim 1, wherein the ferromagnetic components are positioned longitudinally along the elastomeric housing so as to be linearly parallel to a centerline of the elastomeric housing.",
    "9. The mandrel of claim 1, wherein the one or more electro-magnetic coils are positioned equidistance from a plurality of walls of the elastomeric housing.",
    "10. The mandrel of claim 1, wherein the one or more electro-magnetic coils are operated to generate the one or more magnetic fields to repel the ferromagnetic components of the elastomeric housing by the one or more electro-magnetic coils by receiving a first current, and wherein the one or more electro-magnetic coils are operated to generate the one or more magnetic fields to attract the ferromagnetic components of the elastomeric housing to the one or more electro-magnetic coils by receiving a second current that is a direction opposite the first current.",
    "11. The mandrel of claim 1, wherein the one or more electro-magnetic coils are suspended within the elastomeric housing when operated to generate the one or more magnetic fields.",
    "12. The mandrel of claim 1, wherein the one or more electro-magnetic coils generate the one or more magnetic fields to repel or attract the ferromagnetic components of the elastomeric housing to the one or more electro-magnetic coils along a cross-section of the elastomeric housing.",
    "13. The mandrel of claim 1, wherein the one or more electro-magnetic coils generate the one or more magnetic fields to repel or attract the ferromagnetic components of the elastomeric housing to the one or more electro-magnetic coils along a length of the elastomeric housing.",
    "14. The mandrel of claim 1, wherein the one or more electro-magnetic coils are suspended within the elastomeric housing when operated to generate the one or more magnetic fields, and when not being operated, the one or more electro-magnetic coils falls to a bottom wall of the elastomeric housing due to gravity.",
    "15. The mandrel of claim 1, wherein the ferromagnetic components are adhesively fixed on an interior surface of at least one of a plurality of walls of the elastomeric housing using an epoxy.",
    "16. The mandrel of claim 1, wherein when the ferromagnetic components of the elastomeric housing are attracted to the one or more electro-magnetic coils, an interior surface of a wall of the elastomeric housing is drawn inward.",
    "17. The mandrel of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of power cables positioned through each of the plurality of tool segments and attached to respective joint linkages."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present disclosure generally relates to methods and equipment for fabricating composite resin parts, and more particularly to an electromagnetic mandrel system used in curing composite parts.\n\nComposite 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. For example, automated fiber placement (AFP) machines may be used to place fiber reinforcements on molds or mandrels to form composite layups. Following, composite parts may be cured within an autoclave that applies heat and pressure to the part during a cure cycle.\n\nSome composite part geometries include internal cavities that may require a tool such as a supporting bladder that is placed in the cavity to ensure that the part geometry is properly maintained during application of composite material or when processed under autoclave pressure. The supporting bladder may be an inflatable bladder that can easily fit into an internal cavity prior to cure and then be inflated during an autoclave cure process so as to react to the autoclave pressure force applied to the part. Typically, such inflatable bladders are pressurized by venting them to the autoclave pressure through a vacuum bag.",
  "cpc": [
    "B29C 53/824",
    "B29C 33/00",
    "B29C 33/40",
    "B29C 33/48",
    "B29C 33/485",
    "B29C 70/30",
    "B29C 70/40",
    "B29C 70/54",
    "B29K 2995/0008"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B29C 33/00"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Boeing Co"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Justin Register"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2016-01-25",
  "publication_date": "2019-04-30",
  "grant_date": "2019-04-30",
  "priority_date": "2016-01-25",
  "application_number": "US-201615005156-A",
  "family_id": "59358804",
  "cited_by_count": 5,
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}