Composite u-stiffened panel stringer forming assembly and method

Abstract

The application discloses a composite U-shaped stiffened wallboard stringer forming combined device and method, and belongs to the technical field of aviation manufacturing, which comprises a stringer laying and molding tool, which is located on a tool table and fixedly connected with the tool table and used for forming a stringer laying tool; a turnover tool, which is located on the side and lower part of the stringer laying tool and positioned and connected with the stringer laying tool; and a pressing tool, which is located on the side of the stringer laying tool and arranged perpendicularly to the stringer laying tool and used for pressing the stringer laying tool in cooperation with the turnover tool. The tool and the forming method provided by the technical scheme can be applied to the composite U-shaped stiffened wallboard structure, and compared with the traditional tool, the tool positioning precision can be improved, and the wallboard forming quality can be controlled.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of aerospace manufacturing technology, specifically relating to a composite material U-shaped stiffened wall panel stringer forming assembly device and method. Background Technology

[0002] In modern composite aircraft structures, wing panel structures are typically fabricated as a whole using a co-curing or co-bonding process between the stringers and the panel. A common co-curing process for wing panel structures involves first using stringer layup fixtures to manually lay up the stringers or using thermal insulation molding to obtain a pre-formed stringer layup. Then, several stringer layups are positioned and transferred onto the panel skin layup, reassembled, sealed, and placed in an autoclave to complete the curing process. Compared to co-bonding or secondary bonding processes, in the co-curing process, all stringers are in an uncured, wet state when the panel skin is assembled with the stringers, exhibiting a certain degree of stickiness. Common molding and positioning fixture designs often struggle to meet the requirements for stringer-skin assembly positioning accuracy and molding quality control.

[0003] Existing solutions suffer from insufficient rigidity in the stringer layup molds for larger stiffened panels, failing to guarantee axial and contour accuracy. After stringer flipping and assembly, component shapes are prone to deformation, and uneven internal pressure distribution can easily lead to wrinkles. If a defect in a stringer causes a component to exceed tolerances, it can impact subsequent processes, resulting in high manufacturing risks. To effectively address these issues of component shape and position deviations and internal quality control, a tooling system is proposed that simultaneously optimizes stringer layup positioning and assembly quality control. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the above problems, this invention provides a composite material U-shaped stiffened wall panel stringer forming assembly device and method. This ensures quality control during the stringer laying process, including positioning, tooling deformation, and stringer outline control during the assembly of the U-shaped stringer prefabricated body and the skin. This guarantees the overall quality of the stiffened wall panel and reduces defects caused by the U-shaped stringer assembly process, thus minimizing overall deviations. The proposed tooling and forming method are applicable to composite material U-shaped stiffened wall panel structures and offer improved tooling positioning accuracy and better control over wall panel forming quality compared to traditional tooling.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the technical solution of the present invention, a composite material U-shaped stiffened wall panel stringer forming assembly device is provided, comprising:

[0006] A stringer paving mold forming fixture is located on the fixture table and fixedly connected to the fixture table, and is used to form the stringer paving fixture.

[0007] The flipping tooling is located on the side and bottom of the stringer laying tooling and is positioned and connected to the stringer laying tooling;

[0008] The pressing tooling is located on the side of the stringer laying tooling and is arranged perpendicular to the stringer laying tooling, and is used to cooperate with the flipping tooling to press the stringer laying tooling.

[0009] Furthermore, the stringer laying die forming tooling includes a plurality of stringer laying toolings, lifting rings, laying die positioning blocks and stoppers.

[0010] Furthermore, the stringer laying tooling is designed according to the shape of the stringer, and the outline allowance line of the stringer shape is engraved on the stringer laying tooling.

[0011] Furthermore, stringer positioning holes and the laying die positioning blocks are arranged at the ends of the stringer laying tooling for stringer laying limit and combined positioning; the lifting rings and stoppers are located on the laying die positioning blocks for restricting the starting position of laying.

[0012] Furthermore, a "convex" - shaped docking groove and a plurality of positioning oblong holes are provided at the bottom of the stringer laying tooling for positioning and connecting with the flipping tooling.

[0013] Furthermore, the stringer laying die forming tooling further includes a segmented cutting fixture, and the segmented cutting fixture is clamped on both sides of the stringer laying tooling.

[0014] Furthermore, a plurality of first fixture positioning holes are provided on both sides of the stringer laying tooling; the segmented cutting fixture is divided into multiple segments, and second fixture positioning holes are provided at both ends of each segment, and the first fixture positioning holes and the second fixture positioning holes are arranged in one - to - one correspondence.

[0015] Furthermore, an anti - overturning chamfer and a connection sequence number are provided at the end of the segmented cutting fixture.

[0016] Furthermore, the flipping tooling includes: a support, a slide rail, multiple columns of spring positioning pins, a positioning block support and a stringer positioning block.

[0017] Furthermore, the support is arranged around the stringer laying tooling and is fixedly connected to the tooling table; the slide rails are arranged parallel to the stringer axis vertically, and the slide rail positioning pins at the lower part of the slide rails pass through the slide rail positioning holes on the tooling table to achieve fixed connection with the tooling table.

[0018] Furthermore, the slide rail passes through the support and is fixedly connected to the tooling table.

[0019] Furthermore, a plurality of positioning block supports are arranged on the slide rail, the positioning block supports can slide along the slide rail, and the stringer positioning blocks are located on the positioning block supports.

[0020] Further, the stringer positioning blocks are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the "convex"-shaped docking grooves provided at the bottom of the stringer laying tooling, so that the stringer laying tooling slides along the rail direction for the overall combination of the stringers.

[0021] Further, multiple columns of the spring positioning pins are located between the rails and are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with multiple positioning oblong holes provided at the bottom of the stringer laying tooling.

[0022] Further, the support seats are provided with stringer positioning pins at the corresponding positions at the ends of the stringer laying tooling, which are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the stringer positioning holes arranged at the ends of the stringer laying tooling.

[0023] Further, the pressing tooling includes a support frame, adjustable feet, a universal cloud platform, connection joints, hand wheels, and a transmission shaft and a reduction gear.

[0024] Further, the support frame is on the tooling tabletop. Multiple groups of the adjustable feet are located at the lower part of the support frame and are used to support the support frame; the number of the universal cloud platforms is multiple, and they abut against the stringer laying tooling for pressing; the connection joints are located on the support frame and are used to fix with the flipping tooling; the hand wheels are located at one end of the support frame and are connected with the transmission shaft and the reduction gear, so that when the hand wheels rotate, the transmission shaft is driven to cooperate with the reduction gear to achieve synchronous pressing.

[0025] Further, the flipping tooling further includes two panel forming die locators, which are used for the combined positioning of the stringer laying tooling and the panel skin after the stringer laying tooling is flipped; the two panel forming die locators are arranged at the diagonal positions at both ends of the stringer laying tooling, and the combination of the stringer laying tooling and the panel tooling is completed through surface positioning.

[0026] According to the second aspect of the technical solution of the present invention, a method for forming and combining stringers of a composite U-shaped stiffened panel is provided. The method for forming and combining stringers of the composite U-shaped stiffened panel is based on the composite U-shaped stiffened panel stringer forming and combining device described in any one of the above aspects, and the method for forming and combining stringers of the composite U-shaped stiffened panel includes:

[0027] Install the first stringer on the flipping tooling and position and connect it;

[0028] The remaining stringers are sequentially based on the first stringer and continue to be positioned and connected with the flipping tooling until the installation of the stringers is completed;

[0029] After the combination is completed, lay the preformed wick strips in the R corner area of the stringers, ensure the forming quality of the R area, and use auxiliary materials to complete the vacuum encapsulation of the panel to complete the preforming of the stringer combination;

[0030] The pressurizing fixture is installed on the side of the stringer paving fixture and is set perpendicular to the stringer paving fixture. It works in conjunction with the flipping fixture to pressurize the stringer paving fixture.

[0031] After pressurization, the flipping fixture is flipped 180° and positioned in conjunction with the wall panel skin. The flipping fixture is then removed.

[0032] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0033] This patent relates to a device and method for forming and assembling stringers for composite material U-shaped stiffened wall panels. It ensures quality control during the stringer laying process, including positioning, tooling deformation, and stringer outline control during the assembly of the U-shaped stringer prefabricated body and the skin. This guarantees the overall quality of the stiffened wall panel and reduces defects caused by the U-shaped stringer assembly process, thus minimizing overall deviations. The proposed tooling and forming method are applicable to composite material U-shaped stiffened wall panel structures and offer improved tooling positioning accuracy and better control over panel forming quality compared to traditional tooling. Attached Figure Description

[0034] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without creative effort.

[0035] Figure 1 The diagram shows a long stringer tooling and detailed schematic diagram according to the technical solution of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a long stringer tooling cutting fixture according to the technical solution of the present invention is shown.

[0037] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a long stringer tooling flipping fixture according to the technical solution of the present invention is shown.

[0038] Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing the fixing of the long stringer tooling spring pin and the long stringer laying mold according to the technical solution of the present invention is shown.

[0039] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a long stringer pressure fixture according to the technical solution of the present invention is shown.

[0040] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the overall assembly of the long girder tooling according to the technical solution of the present invention is shown.

[0041] The realization of the objective, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0042] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numerals in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this disclosure as detailed in the appended claims.

[0043] The terms "first," "second," etc., used in this disclosure are for distinguishing similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such use of data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of this disclosure described herein can be implemented, for example, in orders other than those illustrated or described herein.

[0044] Furthermore, the terms “comprising” and “having”, and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units that are explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not explicitly listed or that are inherent to such process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0045] Multiple, including two or more.

[0046] And / or, it should be understood that, for the purposes of this disclosure, the term "and / or" is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, and B existing alone.

[0047] One embodiment of the technical solution of the present invention provides a composite material U-shaped stiffened wall panel stringer forming assembly device, including: stringer laying mold forming tooling, pressure tooling and stringer flipping tooling, which can realize precise positioning and assembly forming of stringer and skin and internal forming quality control.

[0048] Furthermore, the stringer paving mold forming fixture includes multiple stringer paving fixtures, lifting rings, paving mold positioning blocks, stop blocks 1, and cutting fixtures. The stop blocks are used to limit the starting position of the paving and are the outermost boundary of the paving.

[0049] Furthermore, the stringer laying fixture is designed according to the shape of the stringer. The stringer outline margin line 12 is pre-carved on the stringer laying fixture. Each stringer laying fixture has a stringer positioning hole 2 and a laying mold positioning block arranged on the front end for stringer laying limit and combination positioning. The lifting ring (partial 1) and the stop block are located on the laying mold positioning block 1.

[0050] Further, a "convex" shaped docking groove ( Figure 2 Local 2) is provided at the bottom of the stringer laying tooling, which is used to combine with the positioning block on the flipping tooling.

[0051] Further, multiple positioning oblong holes 4 and 5 are provided in the middle of the bottom of the stringer laying die tooling, which are fixed with the spring positioning pins of the flipping tooling, ensuring that there are at least three positioning holes at the front, middle and rear of each laying die, ensuring that it will not deform during the flipping process and correcting the stringer deformation error caused by the too long die body.

[0052] Further, the stringer laying die forming tooling is equipped with a cutting fixture customized according to the shape of the stringer flange. The fixture is manufactured in a segmented form to avoid the deformation of the template and inaccurate positioning caused by the too long wing surface. The cutting fixture is clamped on both sides of the stringer laying tooling. The cutting fixture positioning holes 8 at both ends of the fixture correspond to the cutting fixture positioning holes 7 on both sides of the stringer laying tooling, assisting in the cutting and forming of the stringer. Anti - reverse chamfers and connection sequence numbers are provided at the ends of the segmented cutting fixtures to ensure the accuracy of the flange shape cutting.

[0053] The pressurizing tooling consists of a support frame, adjustable foot supports ( Figure 3 Local 3), a universal cloud platform ( Figure 3 Local 4), connection joints ( Figure 3 Local 5), hand wheels ( Figure 3 Local 6), a transmission shaft reducer ( Figure 3 Local 7). The pressurizing device realizes the process of synchronous pressurization by driving the transmission shaft with the hand wheel and配合 the reducer. The pressurizing height can be adjusted through the anchor support shaft and配合 the flipping tooling for pressurization. The connection joint is used to fix with the flipping tooling to prevent sliding during the pressurization process.

[0054] The flipping tooling mainly consists of a support 9, stringer positioning blocks ( Figure 4 Local 8), slide rails 10, spring positioning pins ( Figure 4 Local 9), and a panel forming die locator ( Figure 5 Local 12), etc.

[0055] Further, the supports are arranged around the slide rails 10. The supports are connected to the tooling table top. The slide rails assist in positioning the stringer tooling through the positioning holes 11 on the tooling table top and complete the combination with the sliders.

[0056] Further, the positioning block supports are arranged vertically parallel to the stringer axis. Multiple supports can be arranged vertically to the stringer according to the length of the stringer to ensure the straightness of the stringer axis. The supports are connected to the supports, and stringer tooling positioning pins are provided on both sides.

[0057] Further, the stringer forming die tooling is positioned with the flipping tooling through the positioning blocks, the stringer positioning blocks ( Figure 4After locking the paving die locally (9), insert the stringer tooling positioning pin, position the paving die on the flipping platform. Each paving die has two stringer positioning holes 6 at both ends.

[0058] Further, the panel forming die locator is used for combined positioning with the panel skin after the stringer is flipped. There are 2 positions for positioning. One of them is a round hole as the main positioning ( Figure 6 local 12), and the other is an oblong hole as the auxiliary positioning 13, which is arranged at the diagonal positions at both ends of the tooling. The combination of the stringer tooling and the panel tooling is completed through surface positioning at these two positions.

[0059] Embodiment

[0060] The specific implementation manner of a stiffened panel forming combined tooling and forming method is as follows:

[0061] As Figure 1 shown, the stringer paving die forming tooling consists of a stringer paving tooling, a lifting ring, a paving die positioning block 1, and a stop block. The stringer paving die is designed according to the stringer outer profile surface and is of a rigid male die structure. Positioning blocks and stop blocks are arranged at the upper end of the paving die. The positions of the positioning blocks and the stop blocks are determined by the panel outer dimensions. The stop block preliminarily positions the stringer end position. A "convex" - shaped connecting groove 3 is provided on the lower side of the paving die for connecting with the combined positioning tooling. The outline allowance line 12 of the stringer is drawn on the paving die tooling. According to the allowance line and the stringer laying sequence, the stringer is formed by manual laying on the male die. After paving, the cutting fixture ( Figure 2 shown) is positioned with the stringer paving die tooling according to the tooling positioning hole 7, and the stringer flange profile is preliminarily cut manually. After cutting, vacuum pre - forming is carried out.

[0062] As Figure 3 shown, the pressurizing tooling consists of a support frame, adjustable footrests (local 3), a universal cloud platform (local 4), a connecting joint with the tooling (local 5), a handwheel (local 6), and a transmission shaft reducer (local 7). To ensure precise control of the stringer flange thickness and the fitting accuracy of the combined stringers after combination, after each stringer is combined on the combined tooling, the pressurizing device applies pressure to the side of the combined stringer paving tooling along the direction perpendicular to the stringer. The pressurizing device realizes the synchronous pressurizing process by driving the transmission shaft with the handwheel in cooperation with the reducer. During the pressurizing process, the gap value between each stringer paving die tooling is measured to ensure the stringer flange thickness.

[0063] As Figure 4 、 Figure 5 shown, the flipping tooling consists of a support 9, a positioning block support 10, and a stringer positioning block ( Figure 4 local 8). The support 9 is installed around the positioning device. The positioning block supports 10 are arranged perpendicular to the stringer axis and in parallel. The positioning block supports are provided with slide rails for the stringer paving tooling to slide along the slide rail direction for the overall combination of the stringers. The stringer positioning block ( Figure 3The part 8) is installed on the positioning block bracket 10 according to the stringer spacing, corresponding one by one to the connection grooves at the bottom of the stringer laying tooling. The bracket can slide along the direction perpendicular to the stringer. The stringer end positioning pin 2 corresponds to the end positioning hole 6 of the stringer laying tooling and the turnover tooling positioning hole ( Figure 3 The part 11) corresponds one by one, and is used for the positioning and constraint of the two ends of the stringer laying tooling on the turnover platform to facilitate the demolding of the stringer tooling. After positioning, it is locked with the slide rail locking pin ( Figure 3 as shown in part 4). Ensure the accurate position of the positioning block. The slide rail locking pin is used for the connection and disconnection between the stringer connection slide rail and the turnover platform. When the stringer laying tooling is connected and positioned with the turnover platform, the slide rail locking pin is in the locked state.

[0064] Such as Figure 1 and Figure 4 as shown. The stringer tooling is provided with a connection groove 3. The first stringer is first installed on the positioning tooling. Using the stringer end positioning pin 2 and the turnover tooling positioning hole ( Figure 4 the part 11) (after initially positioning the stringer position by matching, the positioning block of the turnover tooling ( Figure 4 the part 8) is precisely positioned with the convex-shaped positioning groove of the stringer laying tooling to further correctly position the stringer tooling ( Figure 5 as shown), and correct the error of the stringer deformation.

[0065] Such as Figure 6 as shown. The remaining stringers are sequentially based on the middle stringer, and are combined according to the positions of the stringer positioning pin and the turnover tooling positioning block ( Figure 4 the part 8). After the combination is completed, the preformed wick strip is laid in the R corner area of the stringer to ensure the forming quality of the R area. The auxiliary material is used to complete the vacuum encapsulation of the panel, and the stringer combination preforming is completed. After the stringer combination is completed ( Figure 6 as shown), the turnover tooling is turned 180°. After being butt-jointed and positioned with the panel skin through the positioners ( Figure 6 as shown in part 12) arranged at both ends of the diagonal of the turnover tooling, the slide rail locking pin slides to the open position of the "convex"-shaped positioning hole, realizing the disconnection of the corresponding components of the stringer forming tooling.

[0066] In summary, the technical solution of the present invention provides a composite stiffened panel forming combination tooling and method, which can realize the positioning combination and co-curing forming of the stringer and the skin of the stiffened panel. In addition, in the corresponding positions of the stringer laying die tooling and the turnover tooling of the present invention technical solution, oblong holes and spring pins are designed, ensuring the accuracy and axis degree of the stringer tooling during the turnover combination process; the cutting fixture in the technical solution of the present invention adopts a segmented combination form, and a circular hole and an oblong hole are paired and combined for positioning with the stringer laying tooling, ensuring the profile accuracy of the flange.

[0067] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other forms under the guidance of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims. All of these forms are within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A composite material U-shaped stiffened wall panel stringer forming assembly device, characterized in that, Comprising: The stringer laying die forming tooling, which is located on the tooling tabletop and fixedly connected to the tooling tabletop, and is used for forming the stringer laying tooling; wherein, the stringer laying die forming tooling includes a plurality of stringer laying toolings, lifting rings, laying die positioning blocks and stoppers; the ends of the stringer laying toolings are provided with stringer positioning holes and the laying die positioning blocks for stringer laying limit and combined positioning; the lifting rings and stoppers are located on the laying die positioning blocks; the bottom of the stringer laying tooling is provided with a "convex"-shaped docking groove and a plurality of positioning oblong holes for positioning connection with the flipping tooling. The flipping tooling, which is located on the side and lower part of the stringer laying tooling and is positioned and connected with the stringer laying tooling; wherein, the flipping tooling includes: a support, a slide rail, multiple columns of spring positioning pins, a positioning block bracket and a stringer positioning block; the support is arranged around the stringer laying tooling and fixedly connected to the tooling tabletop; the slide rails are arranged perpendicular to the stringer axis in parallel, and slide rail positioning pins are arranged at the lower part of the slide rails and pass through the slide rail positioning holes arranged on the tooling tabletop, wherein, a plurality of positioning block brackets are arranged on the slide rails, and the positioning block brackets can slide along the slide rails, and the stringer positioning blocks are located on the positioning block brackets; wherein, the stringer positioning blocks are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the "convex"-shaped docking grooves provided at the bottom of the stringer laying tooling, so that the stringer laying tooling slides along the slide rail direction for overall stringer combination; wherein, multiple columns of the spring positioning pins are located between the slide rails and are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of positioning oblong holes provided at the bottom of the stringer laying tooling; the support is provided with stringer positioning pins at the corresponding positions at the ends of the stringer laying tooling, which are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the stringer positioning holes arranged at the ends of the stringer laying tooling. The pressurizing tooling, which is located on the side of the stringer laying tooling and is arranged perpendicular to the stringer laying tooling, and is used for pressurizing the stringer laying tooling in cooperation with the flipping tooling; wherein, the pressurizing tooling includes a support frame, adjustable feet, a universal cloud platform, a connecting joint, a hand wheel, a transmission shaft and a reduction gear; the support frame is on the tooling tabletop, and multiple groups of the adjustable feet are located at the lower part of the support frame for supporting the support frame; the number of the universal cloud platforms is multiple and abuts against the stringer laying tooling for pressurization; the connecting joint is located on the support frame for fixedly connecting with the flipping tooling; the hand wheel is located at one end of the support frame and is connected with the transmission shaft and the reduction gear, so that when the hand wheel rotates, it drives the transmission shaft to cooperate with the reduction gear to achieve synchronous pressurization.

2. The composite material U-shaped stiffened wall panel stringer forming assembly device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The stringer laying die forming tooling further includes a segmented cutting fixture, and the segmented cutting fixture is clamped on both sides of the stringer laying tooling. Wherein, a plurality of first fixture positioning holes are arranged on both sides of the stringer laying tooling; the segmented cutting fixture is divided into multiple segments, and second fixture positioning holes are arranged at both ends of each segment, and the first fixture positioning holes are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the second fixture positioning holes.

3. A method for forming and assembling a composite material U-shaped stiffened wall panel stringer, characterized in that, The composite material U-shaped stiffened wall panel stringer forming and assembly method is operated based on the composite material U-shaped stiffened wall panel stringer forming and assembly device according to claim 1 or 2, and the composite material U-shaped stiffened wall panel stringer forming and assembly method includes: Install the first long girder onto the flipping fixture and position and connect it; The remaining long trusses are sequentially connected to the flipping fixture with the first long truss as the reference until the installation of the long trusses is completed; After assembly, pre-formed twist strips are laid in the R-corner area of ​​the stringer to ensure the quality of the R-zone forming. Auxiliary materials are used to complete the vacuum sealing of the wall panel, thus completing the pre-forming of the stringer assembly. The pressurizing fixture is installed on the side of the stringer paving fixture and is set perpendicular to the stringer paving fixture. It works in conjunction with the flipping fixture to pressurize the stringer paving fixture. After pressurization, the flipping fixture is flipped 180° and positioned in conjunction with the wall panel skin. The flipping fixture is then removed.

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