Radome forming die and forming method

Abstract

The invention provides a radome forming die, a wave-transparent part and an edge part are arranged on a radome, a vertical surface is arranged on the outer side of the edge part, a first end surface is arranged on the side, away from the wave-transparent part, of the edge part, the forming die comprises a bottom plate, and a forming groove is formed in the bottom plate and used for forming the wave-transparent part; the bottom plate is further provided with a check block assembly, the inner contour of the check block assembly can be matched with the vertical face and the first end face, and the check block assembly is used for forming the edge part. The stop block assembly is arranged on the bottom plate and used for forming the edge portion of the antenna housing, the side, close to the forming mold, of the edge portion of the antenna housing abuts against the first stop block, the circumferential end face of the antenna housing abuts against the second stop block, and the side, away from the forming mold, of the edge portion of the antenna housing is a stress face during shaping. Therefore, the edge part is ensured to be uniformly stressed in the forming process, the radome can be formed under the condition that a single mold is used, meanwhile, the forming quality is ensured, the mold cost is saved, and the production efficiency is greatly improved while the quality is ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of antenna cover molding, and in particular to an antenna cover molding mold and a molding method. Background Art

[0002] In order to protect the antenna from natural disasters, a radome is usually set up to protect the antenna. Composite materials are often used as the main material for making radomes because of their high specific strength, high specific stiffness and good wave transmittance. Existing radomes are usually composed of inner skins, foam layers and outer skins stacked in sequence. When making radomes, one method is to form the inner and outer skins separately on their respective molding molds, and then use adhesive bonding to form the radome with the foam layer. This method has high mold cost and the adhesive fixing method is not firm; the second method is to lay various materials on the mold in sequence according to the structure of the radome and solidify them into a radome at one time. Although this method only requires a single mold, the corners of the obtained product usually have poor molding quality due to insufficient pressure, and often require reprocessing later, which reduces production efficiency. Summary of the invention

[0003] In a first aspect, the purpose of the present application is to provide a radome forming mold in view of the above problems, wherein the radome has a wave-transmitting portion and an edge portion, the outer side of the edge portion has a vertical surface, and the side of the edge portion away from the wave-transmitting portion has a first end surface, and the forming mold comprises: A bottom plate, wherein a forming groove is formed on the bottom plate, and the forming groove is used to form the wave-transmitting portion; A block assembly is arranged on the bottom plate, and the inner contour of the block assembly can match the vertical surface and the first end surface respectively, so as to form the edge portion.

[0004] According to the technical solutions provided in some embodiments of the present application, the block assembly includes: A first stopper, the first stopper is arranged around the open end of the forming groove, and the inner profile of the first stopper matches the vertical surface; A second stopper, the second stopper is arranged on the top of the first stopper, the second stopper is close to one end of the forming groove and extends radially thereof to form an extension portion, the distance between the end face of the first stopper close to the forming groove and the end face of the second stopper close to the forming groove is equal to the width of the first end face, and the bottom contour of the extension portion matches the first end face.

[0005] According to the technical solution provided in some embodiments of the present application, a paving line is engraved on the bottom plate, and a hole position line is engraved on the first stop block.

[0006] According to the technical solutions provided in some embodiments of the present application, the first stopper is detachably connected to the bottom plate and the second stopper respectively.

[0007] According to the technical solutions provided in certain embodiments of the present application, lifting holes are respectively provided at the four corners of the base plate.

[0008] In a second aspect, the present application provides a method for forming a radome, using a radome forming mold as described above, comprising: Install the first stopper on the bottom plate, and lay multiple layers of prepreg on the first stopper and in the molding groove in sequence to obtain an outer skin; Using prepreg to wrap the circumferential end of the foam layer to form a wrapped end on the end surface of the foam layer; Install the second stopper onto the first stopper, and place the foam layer on the outer skin so that its wrapped end abuts against the extension; Laying multiple layers of prepreg on the foam layer in sequence to form a radome; The antenna cover and the molding die are separated to obtain an antenna cover product.

[0009] According to the technical solution provided by some embodiments of the present application, the foam layer includes a first foam block and a second foam block, the second foam block has the wrapped end, and the step of placing the foam layer on the outer skin so that the wrapped end abuts against the extension portion includes: Placing the first foam block at a position on the outer skin corresponding to the wave-transmitting portion; The second foam block is placed at a position on the outer skin corresponding to the edge portion so that its wrapped end abuts against the extension portion, and expansion glue is filled at the joint between the second foam block and the first foam block.

[0010] According to the technical solutions provided in some embodiments of the present application, the forming to obtain the outer skin includes: cutting the prepreg along the top end of the first stopper; Wrapping the prepreg in a vacuum bag for packaging and shaping; The prepreg is cured and formed by using a hot autoclave.

[0011] According to the technical solutions provided in some embodiments of the present application, the forming of the radome includes: cutting the prepreg along the bottom end of the second stopper; Wrapping the prepreg in a vacuum bag for packaging and shaping; The prepreg is cured and formed by using a hot autoclave.

[0012] According to the technical solution provided by some embodiments of the present application, after placing the foam layer on the outer skin so that its wrapped end abuts against the extension portion, and before sequentially laying multiple layers of prepreg on the foam layer, the method further includes: The foam layer is wrapped in a vacuum bag for packaging and shaping.

[0013] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present application are as follows: the present application provides an antenna cover forming mold, the antenna cover has a wave-transmitting portion and an edge portion, the outer side of the edge portion has a vertical surface, and the side of the edge portion away from the wave-transmitting portion has a first end surface, the forming mold includes a base plate, a forming groove is opened on the base plate, and the forming groove is used to form the wave-transmitting portion; a block assembly is also provided on the base plate, and the inner contour of the block assembly can be matched with the vertical surface and the first end surface respectively, and is used to form the edge portion; by arranging the block assembly on the base plate for forming the edge portion of the antenna cover, the side of the edge portion of the antenna cover close to the forming mold is abutted against the first block, and the circumferential end surface of the antenna cover is abutted against the second block, and the side away from the forming mold is the force-bearing surface during shaping, thereby ensuring that the edge portion is evenly stressed during the shaping process, and the antenna cover can be formed using a single mold while ensuring the shaping quality, which not only saves the mold cost, but also greatly improves the production efficiency while ensuring the quality.

[0014] It should be understood that the description of technical features, technical solutions, beneficial effects or similar language in this application does not imply that all features and advantages can be realized in any single embodiment. On the contrary, it is understood that the description of features or beneficial effects means that specific technical features, technical solutions or beneficial effects are included in at least one embodiment. Therefore, the description of technical features, technical solutions or beneficial effects in this specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the technical features, technical solutions and beneficial effects described in the present embodiment can also be combined in any appropriate manner. Those skilled in the art will understand that the embodiment can be realized without one or more specific technical features, technical solutions or beneficial effects of a specific embodiment. In other embodiments, additional technical features and beneficial effects can also be identified in a specific embodiment that does not embody all embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0016] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a radome forming mold provided in Example 1 of the present application; Figure 2 A partial cross-sectional view of a radome forming mold provided in Example 1 of the present application; Figure 3 for Figure 2 A partial enlarged view of the middle A; Figure 4 A flow chart of a method for forming an antenna cover provided in Example 2 of the present application.

[0017] The text annotations in the figure represent: 1. Bottom plate; 2. First stopper; 3. Second stopper; 4. Vertical surface; 5. First end surface; 11. Forming groove; 12. Lifting hole. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present application, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The description in this section is only exemplary and explanatory and should not have any limiting effect on the protection scope of the present application. Specifically, the described embodiments are only embodiments of a part of the present application, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without creative work should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0019] It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters represent similar items in the following figures, so once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent figures. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, for example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units clearly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0020] As mentioned in the background technology, in view of the problems in the prior art, this embodiment provides a radome forming mold, the radome has a wave-transmitting portion and an edge portion, the outer side of the edge portion has a vertical surface 4, and the side of the edge portion away from the wave-transmitting portion has a first end surface 5, and the forming mold includes: A bottom plate 1, on which a forming groove 11 is provided, and the forming groove 11 is used for forming a wave-transmitting portion; The stopper assembly is arranged on the bottom plate 1, and the inner contour of the stopper assembly can match the vertical surface 4 and the first end surface 5 respectively, so as to be used for forming the edge portion.

[0021] like Figure 1 and Figure 3As shown, the bottom plate 1 is approximately a rectangular structure and is made of steel, which can ensure good rigidity and sealing; the molding groove 11 is used to mold the wave-transmitting part of the antenna cover. Since the bottom plate 1 is an integrally molded structure and the molding groove 11 is opened as a whole on the bottom plate 1, the influence of the joint of the molding mold of the splicing structure on the molding surface of the final product can be avoided. The inside of the molding groove 11 is ground and polished to ensure the molding quality of the product molding surface; the vertical surface 4 is the end face of the edge portion close to the bottom plate side, the first end face 5 is the circumferential end face of the antenna cover, and the inner side of the block assembly has a right-angle structure, which can fit and match with the vertical surface 4 and the first end face 5, so that the edge portion is evenly stressed during the molding process.

[0022] A block assembly is provided on the base plate 1 for forming the edge of the antenna cover, so that the edge of the antenna cover close to the molding mold abuts against the first block 2, and the circumferential end face of the antenna cover abuts against the second block 3. The side away from the molding mold is the force-bearing surface during molding, thereby ensuring that the edge is uniformly stressed during the molding process. The antenna cover can be molded using a single mold while ensuring the molding quality. This not only saves the mold cost, but also greatly improves the production efficiency while ensuring the quality.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment, the stopper assembly comprises: A first stopper 2, which is arranged around the opening end of the forming groove 11, and the inner contour of the first stopper 2 matches the vertical surface 4; The second stopper 3 is arranged on the top of the first stopper 2, and one end of the second stopper 3 close to the forming groove 11 extends radially thereof to form an extension portion, and the distance between the end face of the first stopper 2 close to the forming groove 11 and the end face of the second stopper 3 close to the forming groove 11 is equal to the width of the first end face 5, and the bottom contour of the extension portion matches the first end face 5.

[0024] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the first stopper 2 and the second stopper 3 are both approximately annular structures, and their projection surfaces in the vertical direction are both rounded rectangles. The first stopper 2 is arranged around the opening of the forming groove 11, and its inner end face is aligned with the opening end of the forming groove 11. The height of the first stopper 2 is equal to the height of the edge portion, and its inner side surface can be completely fitted with the vertical surface 4; the second stopper 3 is arranged at the top of the first stopper 2, and the outer end face of the second stopper 3 is flush with the outer end face of the first stopper 2, and its inner end face extends from the inner end face of the first stopper 2 along its own radial direction. The part of the second stopper 3 extending out of the first stopper 2 forms the above-mentioned extension portion, and the width of the extension portion is equal to the thickness of the antenna cover, and its bottom end face is completely fitted with the first end face 5.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment, the bottom plate 1 is engraved with a paving line, and the first stopper 2 is engraved with a hole position line.

[0026] like Figure 1 As shown, the area outside the forming groove 11 on the bottom plate 1 is engraved with paving angle quadrant lines to assist the paving operation; the first stopper 2 is engraved with mounting hole position lines to assist the punching operation after forming.

[0027] In a preferred embodiment, the first stopper 2 is detachably connected to the bottom plate 1 and the second stopper 3 respectively.

[0028] like Figure 1 As shown, the first stopper 2 is detachably connected to the bottom plate 1 and the second stopper 3 via positioning pins and screws respectively.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment, four corners of the bottom plate 1 are respectively provided with hanging holes 12 .

[0030] like Figure 1 As shown, the four corners of the bottom plate are respectively provided with hoisting holes 12 for hoisting the forming mold.

[0031] Example 2 like Figure 4 As shown, this figure is a schematic flow diagram of a radome forming method provided in this embodiment, using a radome forming mold described in Example 1, the method includes the following steps: S1. Install the first stopper 2 on the base plate 1, and lay multiple layers of prepreg on the first stopper 2 and in the molding groove 11 in sequence to obtain an outer skin: Apply sealing agent and release agent in the molding groove 11 of the base plate 1, and install the first stopper 2 on the base plate 1; the prepreg is made of epoxy resin or cyanate resin mixed with quartz fiber or glass fiber, and multiple layers of prepreg are laid on the first stopper 2 and in the molding groove 11 in sequence according to the specified angle and number of layers. After the first layer is laid, the prepreg is wrapped with a vacuum bag and vacuumized for pre-forming to ensure that the prepreg is completely fitted with the molding mold; after laying, the prepreg is molded for the first time to obtain the outer skin of the antenna cover.

[0032] The forming to obtain the outer skin comprises: S11, cutting the prepreg along the top of the first stopper 2; After paving is completed, use a wallpaper knife to cut the prepreg along the top edge of the first stopper 2 to ensure that the outer skin can be formed into a net size.

[0033] S12, using a vacuum bag to wrap the prepreg for packaging and shaping; The cut prepreg is wrapped in a vacuum bag, the edge area of ​​the vacuum bag is sealed and fixed to the bottom plate 1 by a sealing tape, the air in the vacuum bag is evacuated, and the prepreg is compacted and shaped by atmospheric pressure.

[0034] S13, curing and molding the prepreg using a hot press; The compacted and shaped prepreg is placed together with the forming mold into an autoclave for curing and molding. After curing, the auxiliary materials and excess materials are removed to obtain the outer skin of the antenna cover.

[0035] S2, wrapping the circumferential end of the foam layer with a prepreg to form a wrapped end on the end surface of the foam layer; The prepreg is used to wrap the circumferential end surface of the foam layer, so that the shape of the prepreg after wrapping is close to a "C" shape. Compared with the traditional technology of directly wrapping the laid prepreg on the circumferential end surface of the foam layer for molding, or using other materials for wrapping, there is no need for additional cutting and consistency with the main material is guaranteed.

[0036] S3, installing the second stopper 3 onto the first stopper 2, placing the foam layer on the outer skin so that its wrapped end abuts against the extension; The second stopper is positioned and installed on the first stopper, and a structural adhesive film is placed between the outer skin and the foam layer. The foam layer adopts PMI foam, including a first foam block, an expansion adhesive and a second foam block spliced ​​in sequence. The first foam block is the internal filling material of the wave-transmitting part, and the second foam block is the internal filling material of the edge part, and has the above-mentioned wrapped end.

[0037] Placing the foam layer on the outer skin so that its wrapped end abuts against the extension portion comprises: S31, placing a first foam block at a position on the outer skin corresponding to the wave-transmitting portion; A whole first foam block is selected as filler in the main wave-transmitting area of ​​the radome.

[0038] S32, placing the second foam block at a position corresponding to the edge portion of the outer skin so that its wrapped end abuts against the extension portion, and filling the joint of the second foam block and the first foam block with expansion glue; The wrapped end of the second foam block is placed close to the bottom end surface of the extension portion at a position corresponding to the edge portion of the outer skin, and expansion glue is used to fill between the first foam block and the second foam block.

[0039] S4, using a vacuum bag to wrap the foam layer for packaging and shaping; The foam layer is wrapped with a vacuum bag, the edge area of ​​the vacuum bag is sealed and connected to the bottom plate 1, and the air in the vacuum bag is extracted to compact and shape the foam layer.

[0040] S5, laying multiple layers of prepreg on the foam layer in sequence to form a radome; Multiple layers of prepreg are laid on the foam layer in sequence according to the specified angle and number of layers, so that the prepreg completely covers the foam layer; after laying, the prepreg is formed into an inner skin to obtain the antenna cover.

[0041] The forming process to obtain the antenna cover comprises: S51, cutting the formed prepreg along the bottom end of the second stopper 3; After the paving is completed, the prepreg is cut along the bottom edge of the second stopper 3 using a wallpaper knife to ensure that the inner skin can be formed to a net size.

[0042] S52, using a vacuum bag to wrap the prepreg for packaging and shaping; The cut prepreg is wrapped in a vacuum bag, the edge area of ​​the vacuum bag is sealed and fixed to the bottom plate 1 by a sealing tape, the air in the vacuum bag is evacuated, and the prepreg is compacted and shaped by atmospheric pressure.

[0043] S53, curing and molding the prepreg using a hot press; The compacted and shaped prepreg is placed together with the forming mold into a hot autoclave for curing and forming. After curing, the prepreg forms an inner skin, and then the antenna cover is obtained.

[0044] S6. Separate the antenna cover and the molding mold to obtain the antenna cover product.

[0045] After curing is completed, the auxiliary materials and excess materials of the molding mold are removed, the second stopper 3 and the first stopper 2 are removed in turn, and the antenna cover is demoulded to obtain the antenna cover product.

[0046] This article uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method and its core ideas of this application. The above is only the preferred implementation method of this application. It should be pointed out that due to the limitations of textual expression and the objective existence of infinite specific structures, ordinary technicians in this technical field can make several improvements, modifications or changes without departing from the principles of the present invention, and can also combine the above technical features in an appropriate manner; these improvements, modifications, changes or combinations, or the direct application of the inventive concept and technical solution to other occasions without improvement, should be regarded as the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A radome forming mold, the radome having a wave-transmitting portion and an edge portion, the outer side of the edge portion having a vertical surface (4), and the side of the edge portion away from the wave-transmitting portion having a first end surface (5), characterized in that: The molding die comprises: A bottom plate (1), the bottom plate (1) being provided with a forming groove (11), the forming groove (11) being used for forming the wave-transmitting portion; A stopper assembly is provided on the bottom plate (1), and the inner contour of the stopper assembly can match the vertical surface (4) and the first end surface (5) respectively, so as to be used for forming the edge portion.

2. The antenna cover forming mold according to claim 1, characterized in that: The stopper assembly comprises: A first stopper (2), the first stopper (2) being arranged around the open end of the forming groove (11), the inner contour of the first stopper (2) matching the vertical surface (4); A second stopper (3), the second stopper (3) being arranged on the top of the first stopper (2), an end of the second stopper (3) close to the forming groove (11) extending along its radial direction to form an extension portion, the distance between the end surface of the first stopper (2) close to the forming groove (11) and the end surface of the second stopper (3) close to the forming groove (11) being equal to the width of the first end surface (5), and the bottom contour of the extension portion matching the first end surface (5).

3. The antenna cover forming mold according to claim 2, characterized in that: The bottom plate (1) is engraved with a paving line, and the first stopper (2) is engraved with a hole position line.

4. The antenna cover forming mold according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first stopper (2) is detachably connected to the bottom plate (1) and the second stopper (3).

5. The antenna cover forming mold according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom plate (1) is provided with lifting holes (12) at four corners respectively.

6. A method for forming a radome, using a radome forming mold as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: include: Installing the first stopper (2) onto the base plate (1), laying multiple layers of prepreg on the first stopper (2) and in the molding groove (11) in sequence, and molding to obtain an outer skin; Using prepreg to wrap the circumferential end of the foam layer to form a wrapped end on the end surface of the foam layer; Installing the second stopper (3) onto the first stopper (2), placing the foam layer on the outer skin so that its wrapped end abuts against the extension; Laying multiple layers of prepreg on the foam layer in sequence to form a radome; The antenna cover and the molding die are separated to obtain an antenna cover product.

7. A method for forming a radome according to claim 6, wherein the foam layer comprises a first foam block and a second foam block, the second foam block having the wrapped end, characterized in that: Placing the foam layer on the outer skin so that its wrapped end abuts against the extension portion comprises: Placing the first foam block at a position on the outer skin corresponding to the wave-transmitting portion; The second foam block is placed at a position on the outer skin corresponding to the edge portion so that its wrapped end abuts against the extension portion, and expansion glue is filled at the joint between the second foam block and the first foam block.

8. A method for forming a radome according to claim 6, characterized in that: The forming to obtain the outer skin comprises: Cutting the prepreg along the top end of the first stopper (2); Wrapping the prepreg in a vacuum bag for packaging and shaping; The prepreg is cured and formed by using a hot autoclave.

9. A method for forming a radome according to claim 6, characterized in that: The forming process to obtain the antenna cover comprises: Cutting the prepreg along the bottom end of the second stopper (3); Wrapping the prepreg in a vacuum bag for packaging and shaping; The prepreg is cured and formed by using a hot autoclave.

10. A method for forming a radome according to claim 6, characterized in that: After placing the foam layer on the outer skin so that its wrapped end abuts against the extension portion, and before sequentially laying multiple layers of prepreg on the foam layer, the method further includes: The foam layer is wrapped in a vacuum bag for packaging and shaping.

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