Method and device for manufacturing arbitrary-curvature thermoplastic composite honeycomb sandwich structure

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of composite material honeycomb sandwich structure manufacturing, and particularly relates to a method and a device for manufacturing a thermoplastic composite material honeycomb sandwich structure with any curvature, a 3D printing process and an automatic fiber placement process are fused, the characteristics of the 3D printing process and the automatic fiber placement process are fully utilized, and in-situ online forming of an upper panel, a lower panel and a honeycomb core is realized. Complex parts which are difficult to achieve through other composite material forming processes can be machined, one-time forming of the composite material honeycomb sandwich structure can be achieved, the step of step-by-step machining or glue joint or welding is omitted, high manufacturing efficiency is achieved, the honeycomb sandwich structure of any curvature can be formed at a time, and the subsequent bending molding procedure is omitted.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of composite honeycomb sandwich structure manufacturing, and specifically relates to a method and device for manufacturing a thermoplastic composite honeycomb sandwich structure with arbitrary curvature. Background Art

[0002] Composite honeycomb sandwich structures have the characteristics of light weight and good load-bearing performance, and are widely used in aircraft body structures, especially skin structures.

[0003] The composite honeycomb sandwich structure comprises an upper panel, a lower panel and a honeycomb core arranged between the upper panel and the lower panel.

[0004] Currently, the manufacture of composite honeycomb sandwich structures usually involves separately manufacturing the upper panel, lower panel, and honeycomb core, and then assembling and fixing them together by gluing or welding. This makes it difficult to form complex components, and the process is complicated, with low manufacturing efficiency. In addition, for structures with curvature, further subsequent bending plasticity is required.

[0005] This application is proposed in view of the above-mentioned technical defects. Summary of the invention

[0006] The purpose of the present application is to provide a method and device for manufacturing a thermoplastic composite honeycomb sandwich structure with arbitrary curvature, so as to overcome or alleviate at least one aspect of the known technical defects.

[0007] The technical solution of this application is:

[0008] A method for manufacturing a thermoplastic composite honeycomb sandwich structure with arbitrary curvature, comprising:

[0009] Step 1: Design and determine the honeycomb sandwich structure;

[0010] Step 2: Design and manufacture a mold, wherein the outer surface of the mold is designed according to the curvature distribution of the lower panel of the honeycomb sandwich structure;

[0011] Step 3: Design and plan the wire laying paths for manufacturing the upper and lower panels by the automatic wire laying process, and design and plan the printing path for manufacturing the honeycomb core by the 3D printing process;

[0012] Step 4: Form the lower panel on the mold by an automatic wire laying process according to the designed wire laying path;

[0013] Step 5: According to the designed printing path, a honeycomb core is formed on the lower panel by 3D printing process;

[0014] Step 6: According to the designed wire laying path, an upper panel is formed on the honeycomb core by an automatic wire laying process;

[0015] Step 7: Let the honeycomb sandwich structure consisting of the upper panel, the lower panel and the honeycomb core stand still, and remove it from the mold.

[0016] According to at least one embodiment of the present application, in the above-mentioned method for manufacturing a thermoplastic composite honeycomb sandwich structure with arbitrary curvature, in step 1, specifically, the honeycomb sandwich structure is designed and determined using Catia three-dimensional design software;

[0017] The design parameters of the honeycomb sandwich structure include the overall structural design parameters, the upper and lower panel design parameters, and the honeycomb core design parameters.

[0018] The overall structural design parameters include structural curvature distribution, structural dimensions, and face sheet / core material ratio;

[0019] The upper and lower panel design parameters include panel thickness, ply angle, and ply sequence;

[0020] Honeycomb core design parameters include honeycomb size, wall thickness, and distribution pattern.

[0021] According to at least one embodiment of the present application, in the above-mentioned method for manufacturing a thermoplastic composite honeycomb sandwich structure of arbitrary curvature, in step 2, the outer surface of the mold is designed and manufactured to be able to cover the honeycomb sandwich structure and have a certain extension.

[0022] According to at least one embodiment of the present application, in the above-mentioned arbitrary curvature thermoplastic composite honeycomb sandwich structure manufacturing method, in step 3, when designing and planning the wire laying path for manufacturing the upper panel and the lower panel by the automatic wire laying process, the width of the prepreg tape, the prepreg tape cutting margin, the accessibility of the wire laying head and the minimum offset are considered;

[0023] When designing and planning the printing path for manufacturing honeycomb cores using 3D printing technology, the printing layer height, printing spacing and printing speed should be considered.

[0024] According to at least one embodiment of the present application, in the above-mentioned method for manufacturing a thermoplastic composite honeycomb sandwich structure of arbitrary curvature, in step 4, a release agent is pre-coated on the mold, and the mold is placed on a leveling workbench;

[0025] The automatic wire placing robot arm drives the automatic wire placing end effector to automatically place wires on the mold to form the lower panel according to the designed wire placing path.

[0026] According to at least one embodiment of the present application, in the above-mentioned method for manufacturing a thermoplastic composite honeycomb sandwich structure of arbitrary curvature, in step five, a 3D printing robot arm drives a 3D printing end effector to print a honeycomb core on the lower panel according to a designed and planned 3D printing path.

[0027] According to at least one embodiment of the present application, in the above-mentioned method for manufacturing a thermoplastic composite honeycomb sandwich structure of arbitrary curvature, in step six, an automatic wire placing robot arm drives an automatic wire placing end effector to automatically place wires on the honeycomb core to form an upper panel according to a designed wire placing path.

[0028] According to at least one embodiment of the present application, in the above-mentioned method for manufacturing a thermoplastic composite honeycomb sandwich structure of arbitrary curvature, in step seven, after the honeycomb sandwich structure is removed from the mold, burrs and excess dimensions are further removed and a shaping process is performed.

[0029] A manufacturing device for a thermoplastic composite honeycomb sandwich structure with arbitrary curvature, comprising an automatic wire placement robot arm, an automatic wire placement end effector, a 3D printing end effector, a 3D printing robot arm, a leveling workbench, a mold, and a honeycomb sandwich structure;

[0030] The mold is set on a leveling workbench, and its outer surface is designed according to the curvature distribution of the lower panel of the honeycomb sandwich structure;

[0031] The automatic wire placement robot arm can drive the automatic wire placement end effector to automatically place wires on the mold to form the lower panel of the honeycomb sandwich structure according to the designed wire placement path;

[0032] The 3D printing robot arm can drive the 3D printing end effector to print the honeycomb core on the lower panel of the honeycomb sandwich structure according to the designed 3D printing path;

[0033] The automatic wire placing robot arm can drive the automatic wire placing end effector to automatically place wires to form the lower panel on the honeycomb core of the honeycomb sandwich structure according to the designed wire placing path.

[0034] This application has at least the following beneficial technical effects:

[0035] Provided are a method and device for manufacturing a honeycomb sandwich structure of thermoplastic composite materials with arbitrary curvature, which integrate a 3D printing process and an automatic wire laying process, fully utilize the characteristics of the two, realize in-situ online forming of an upper panel, a lower panel, and a honeycomb core, can process complex components that are difficult to achieve with other composite material forming processes, can realize one-time forming of a composite material honeycomb sandwich structure, eliminates the steps of step-by-step processing, gluing or welding, has high manufacturing efficiency, and can form a honeycomb sandwich structure of arbitrary curvature at one time, eliminating the subsequent bending and shaping process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of a method for manufacturing a thermoplastic composite honeycomb sandwich structure with arbitrary curvature provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Figure 2It is a schematic diagram of a manufacturing device for a thermoplastic composite honeycomb sandwich structure with arbitrary curvature provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the cooperation between the honeycomb sandwich structure and the mold provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the process of sequentially forming a lower panel, a honeycomb core, and a lower panel of a honeycomb sandwich structure provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] in:

[0041] 1-Automatic wire placement robot arm; 2-Automatic wire placement end effector; 3-3D printing end effector; 4-3D printing robot arm; 5-Leveling workbench; 6-Mold; 7-Honeycomb sandwich structure.

[0042] In order to better illustrate the present embodiment, some parts of the drawings may be omitted, enlarged or reduced, and do not represent the size of the actual product. In addition, the drawings are only used for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as limitations on the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] In order to make the technical solution and advantages of the present application clearer, the technical solution of the present application will be described in further detail in detail and in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It can be understood that the specific embodiments described here are only partial embodiments of the present application, which are only used to explain the present application, not to limit the present application. It should be noted that, for the convenience of description, only the parts related to the present application are shown in the accompanying drawings, and other related parts can refer to the general design.

[0044] In addition, unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used in the description of this application shall have the usual meanings understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The words used in the description of this application to indicate orientation are only used to indicate relative directions or positional relationships. When the absolute position of the described object changes, its relative positional relationship may also change accordingly. The word "include" used in the description of this application indicates that the elements or objects appearing before the word include the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, but does not exclude other elements or objects.

[0045] In addition, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the words "installation", "connection" and similar terms used in the description of this application should be understood in a broad sense. For example, the connection can be a fixed connection or a detachable connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. Technical personnel in the field can understand its specific meaning in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0046] A method for manufacturing a thermoplastic composite honeycomb sandwich structure with arbitrary curvature, such as Figure 1 shown.

[0047] Step 1: Design and determine the honeycomb sandwich structure.

[0048] Catia 3D design software can be used to design and determine the honeycomb sandwich structure.

[0049] The design parameters of the honeycomb sandwich structure include the overall structural design parameters, the upper and lower panel design parameters, and the honeycomb core design parameters. Among them, the overall structural design parameters include the structural curvature distribution, structural size, and panel / core material ratio; the upper and lower panel design parameters include panel thickness, laying angle, and laying sequence; the honeycomb core design parameters include honeycomb size, wall thickness, and distribution form.

[0050] Step 2: Design and manufacture a mold. The outer surface of the mold is designed based on the curvature distribution of the lower panel of the honeycomb sandwich structure.

[0051] The outer surface of the mold can cover the honeycomb sandwich structure and have a certain extension to facilitate the trimming of the burrs after the honeycomb sandwich structure is formed.

[0052] Step 3: Design and plan the wire laying paths for manufacturing the upper and lower panels using the automatic wire laying process, and design and plan the printing path for manufacturing the honeycomb core using the 3D printing process.

[0053] The design and planning of the wire placement path for manufacturing the upper and lower panels using the automatic wire placement process mainly considers factors such as the width of the prepreg tape, the prepreg tape cutting allowance, the accessibility of the wire placement head, and the minimum offset.

[0054] The design and planning of the printing path for manufacturing honeycomb cores using the 3D printing process mainly considers parameters such as printing layer height, printing spacing, and printing speed. In addition, it should also consider whether regular compaction is required to ensure the adhesion between the tows.

[0055] Step 4: According to the designed wire laying path, the lower panel is formed on the mold by automatic wire laying process.

[0056] In order to facilitate demoulding of the honeycomb sandwich structure after molding, a release agent can be pre-coated on the mold.

[0057] The mold can be placed on a leveling table.

[0058] Specifically, the automatic wire placing robot arm can drive the automatic wire placing end effector to automatically place the wires on the mold to form the lower panel according to the designed wire placing path.

[0059] After the lower panel is finalized, proceed to the next step.

[0060] Step 5: Based on the designed printing path, a honeycomb core is formed on the lower panel using a 3D printing process.

[0061] Specifically, the 3D printing robotic arm can drive the 3D printing end effector to print the honeycomb core on the lower panel according to the designed 3D printing path.

[0062] After the honeycomb core is finalized, proceed to the next step.

[0063] Step 6: According to the designed wire laying path, the upper panel is formed on the honeycomb core by automatic wire laying process.

[0064] Specifically, the automatic wire placing robot arm can drive the automatic wire placing end effector to automatically place wires on the honeycomb core to form the upper panel according to the designed wire placing path.

[0065] After the upper panel is finalized, the honeycomb sandwich structure can be obtained and the next step can be carried out.

[0066] Step 7: Let the honeycomb sandwich structure consisting of the upper panel, the lower panel and the honeycomb core stand still, and remove it from the mold.

[0067] After the honeycomb sandwich structure is removed from the mold, the burrs and excess dimensions can be further removed and the shape can be modified to meet the design parameters.

[0068] The method for manufacturing a thermoplastic composite honeycomb sandwich structure of arbitrary curvature disclosed in the above-mentioned embodiment integrates 3D printing technology and automatic wire laying technology, fully utilizes the characteristics of the two, realizes in-situ online forming of the upper panel, the lower panel, and the honeycomb core, and can process complex components that are difficult to achieve with other composite material forming processes. It can realize one-time forming of the composite honeycomb sandwich structure, eliminating the steps of step-by-step processing, gluing or welding, has high manufacturing efficiency, and can perform the forming of the honeycomb sandwich structure of arbitrary curvature at one time, eliminating the subsequent bending and shaping process.

[0069] In order to realize the method for manufacturing a honeycomb sandwich structure of thermoplastic composite material with arbitrary curvature disclosed in the above embodiment, the present application embodiment provides a device for manufacturing a honeycomb sandwich structure of thermoplastic composite material with arbitrary curvature, such as Figure 2 As shown, it includes an automatic wire placing robot arm 1, an automatic wire placing end effector 2, a 3D printing end effector 3, a 3D printing robot arm 4, a leveling workbench 5, a mold 6, and a honeycomb sandwich structure 7.

[0070] The mold 6 is arranged on the leveling workbench 5 , and its outer surface is designed according to the curvature distribution of the lower panel of the honeycomb sandwich structure 7 .

[0071] The automatic wire placing robot arm 1 can drive the automatic wire placing end effector 2 to automatically place wires on the mold to form the lower panel of the honeycomb sandwich structure 7 according to the designed wire placing path.

[0072] The 3D printing robot arm 4 can drive the 3D printing end effector 3 to print and form a honeycomb core on the lower panel of the honeycomb sandwich structure 7 according to the designed 3D printing path.

[0073] The automatic wire placing robot arm 1 can drive the automatic wire placing end effector 2 to automatically place wires on the honeycomb core of the honeycomb sandwich structure 7 to form a lower panel according to the designed wire placing path.

[0074] The honeycomb sandwich structure can be manufactured by using the arbitrary curvature thermoplastic composite material honeycomb sandwich structure manufacturing device disclosed in the above embodiment, and the steps below can be referred to.

[0075] a. Use Catia 3D design software to design and determine the honeycomb sandwich structure, such as Figure 3 As shown, the designed honeycomb sandwich structure has a certain curvature. Considering that the poor edge quality of the honeycomb sandwich structure affects the mechanical properties, it is necessary to design a surplus to facilitate subsequent processing and removal to form a structural sample that meets the requirements.

[0076] b. Design the outer surface of the mold according to the curvature distribution of the lower panel of the honeycomb sandwich structure, and manufacture the mold. The outer surface of the mold can cover the honeycomb sandwich structure and have a certain extension.

[0077] c. Design and plan the wire laying path for manufacturing the upper and lower panels using the automatic wire laying process, and design and plan the printing path for manufacturing the honeycomb core using the 3D printing process.

[0078] Carry out process preparation, debug the automatic wire placing robot arm 1, the automatic wire placing end effector 2, the 3D printing end effector 3, and the 3D printing robot arm 4, position and level the mold 6, add wire placing / printing materials, apply the release agent, determine the relative positions of the automatic wire placing robot arm 1, the automatic wire placing end effector 2, the 3D printing end effector 3, the 3D printing robot arm 4 and the mold 6, and ensure the positioning accuracy.

[0079] d. The automatic wire laying robot arm 1 drives the automatic wire laying end effector 2 to automatically lay wires on the mold 6 to form a lower panel according to the designed wire laying path; the 3D printing robot arm 4 drives the 3D printing end effector 3 to print and form a honeycomb core on the lower panel according to the designed 3D printing path; the automatic wire laying robot arm 1 can drive the automatic wire laying end effector 2 to automatically lay wires on the honeycomb core according to the designed wire laying path, so as to obtain a honeycomb sandwich structure 7, as shown in FIG. Figure 4 shown.

[0080] e. Let the honeycomb sandwich structure 7 stand until it is completely cooled and formed, and then remove it from the mold 6, remove the burrs and excess dimensions, and reshape it into the required size.

[0081] So far, the technical solution of the present application has been described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art should understand that the scope of protection of the present application is obviously not limited to these specific embodiments. Without departing from the principles of the present application, those skilled in the art can make equivalent changes or substitutions to the relevant technical features, and the technical solutions after these changes or substitutions will fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a thermoplastic composite honeycomb sandwich structure with arbitrary curvature, characterized in that: include: Step 1: Design and determine the honeycomb sandwich structure; Step 2: Design and manufacture a mold, wherein the outer surface of the mold is designed according to the curvature distribution of the lower panel of the honeycomb sandwich structure; Step 3: Design and plan the wire laying paths for manufacturing the upper and lower panels by the automatic wire laying process, and design and plan the printing path for manufacturing the honeycomb core by the 3D printing process; Step 4: Form the lower panel on the mold by an automatic wire laying process according to the designed wire laying path; Step 5: According to the designed printing path, a honeycomb core is formed on the lower panel by 3D printing process; Step 6: According to the designed wire laying path, an upper panel is formed on the honeycomb core by an automatic wire laying process; Step 7: Let the honeycomb sandwich structure consisting of the upper panel, the lower panel and the honeycomb core stand still, and remove it from the mold.

2. The method for manufacturing a thermoplastic composite honeycomb sandwich structure with arbitrary curvature according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step one, the honeycomb sandwich structure is designed and determined using Catia 3D design software; The design parameters of the honeycomb sandwich structure include the overall structural design parameters, the upper and lower panel design parameters, and the honeycomb core design parameters. The overall structural design parameters include structural curvature distribution, structural dimensions, and face sheet / core material ratio; The upper and lower panel design parameters include panel thickness, ply angle, and ply sequence; Honeycomb core design parameters include honeycomb size, wall thickness, and distribution pattern.

3. The method for manufacturing a thermoplastic composite honeycomb sandwich structure with arbitrary curvature according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step 2, the outer surface of the mold is designed and manufactured to cover the honeycomb sandwich structure and have a certain extension.

4. The method for manufacturing a thermoplastic composite honeycomb sandwich structure with arbitrary curvature according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step 3, when designing and planning the wire laying path for manufacturing the upper and lower panels by the automatic wire laying process, the width of the prepreg tape, the prepreg tape cutting allowance, the accessibility of the wire laying head, and the minimum offset are considered; When designing and planning the printing path for manufacturing honeycomb cores using 3D printing technology, the printing layer height, printing spacing and printing speed should be considered.

5. The method for manufacturing a thermoplastic composite honeycomb sandwich structure with arbitrary curvature according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step 4, a release agent is pre-coated on the mold, and the mold is placed on a leveling workbench; The automatic wire placing robot arm drives the automatic wire placing end effector to automatically place wires on the mold to form the lower panel according to the designed wire placing path.

6. The method for manufacturing a thermoplastic composite honeycomb sandwich structure with arbitrary curvature according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step five, the 3D printing robot arm drives the 3D printing end effector to print the honeycomb core on the lower panel according to the designed 3D printing path.

7. The method for manufacturing a thermoplastic composite honeycomb sandwich structure with arbitrary curvature according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step six, the automatic wire placing robot arm drives the automatic wire placing end effector to automatically place wires on the honeycomb core to form the upper panel according to the designed wire placing path.

8. The method for manufacturing a thermoplastic composite honeycomb sandwich structure with arbitrary curvature according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step seven, after the honeycomb sandwich structure is removed from the mold, the burrs and excess dimensions are further removed and the shape is trimmed.

9. A manufacturing device for a thermoplastic composite honeycomb sandwich structure with arbitrary curvature, characterized in that: It comprises an automatic wire laying robot arm (1), an automatic wire laying end effector (2), a 3D printing end effector (3), a 3D printing robot arm (4), a leveling workbench (5), a mold (6), and a honeycomb sandwich structure (7); The mold (6) is arranged on a leveling workbench (5), and its outer surface is designed according to the curvature distribution of the lower panel of the honeycomb sandwich structure (7); The automatic wire laying robot arm (1) can drive the automatic wire laying end effector (2) to automatically lay wires on the mold to form the lower panel of the honeycomb sandwich structure (7) according to the designed wire laying path; The 3D printing mechanical arm (4) can drive the 3D printing end effector (3) to print and form a honeycomb core on the lower panel of the honeycomb sandwich structure (7) according to the designed 3D printing path; The automatic wire laying robot arm (1) can drive the automatic wire laying end effector (2) to automatically lay wires on the honeycomb core of the honeycomb sandwich structure (7) to form a lower panel according to a designed wire laying path.

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