Liquid mold closing forming production line for large wedge-shaped structural integral component of airplane

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of aircraft manufacturing, and particularly relates to an aircraft large wedge-shaped structure integral component liquid mold closing forming production line which comprises an automatic discharging area, a product paving area, a pre-forming area, a mold closing-demolding area, a mold overturning area, a heating curing area, a milling detection area, a mold storage area and two AGV transfer devices. Parking points of AGV transfer equipment are evenly distributed in all the areas, the automatic discharging area, the product paving area, the preforming area, the mold closing-demolding area, the mold overturning area and the heating curing area are sequentially adjacent, are only separated by fences, are geographically semicircular and are arranged on one side of a plant, the milling detection area is arranged at the circle center position, the state of a mold is divided into standing storage and circulation use, and the automatic discharging area, the product paving area, the preforming area, the mold closing-demolding area, the mold overturning area and the heating curing area are arranged on one side of the plant. The mold storage areas are arranged on the outer sides of the semicircles and used for storing standing molds which are not used temporarily, the molds used in circulation are recycled in the production line, and the molds and products among the areas are transferred through AGV transfer equipment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of aircraft manufacturing, in particular to a liquid closed-mold molding production line for large-scale wedge-shaped integral structural components of aircraft. Background Art

[0002] In the aviation field, composite materials have the unique advantage of large-area integral molding and are increasingly used. Many structural parts, secondary load-bearing parts and even some main load-bearing parts on aircraft have been made of composite materials. Large aircraft projects even use the proportion of composite materials in the entire aircraft as one of the technical standards for aircraft manufacturing.

[0003] At present, there are two main process methods for large-area integral molding technology. The first is the autoclave co-curing / co-bonding technology. The material cost accounts for about 15% of the total cost, while the design cost accounts for only 5%. The remaining costs are mostly composite material manufacturing costs such as paving, curing, machining and assembly, which usually account for 70-80% of the total cost of composite material parts. In the traditional autoclave molding process, the preparation, storage and process of prepreg are relatively complicated, resulting in a large consumption of auxiliary materials, manpower and energy, as well as expensive equipment investment, which seriously restricts the widespread application of composite materials. Therefore, the use of low-cost non-autoclave curing process is an effective way to reduce the cost of composite material parts, making the second large-area integral molding technology - composite material integral component liquid closed mold molding technology a hot spot in the field of composite material research in the world.

[0004] Compared with the autoclave, the manufacturing process of liquid closed mold molding of composite integral components not only improves dimensional control and stability, but also ensures good processing quality on all surfaces. It also has high process repeatability, can produce composite parts with nearly no excess, effectively reduces the cost of secondary finishing and assembly, and has the characteristics of high degree of automation and shorter production cycle.

[0005] At present, there are few domestic studies on liquid closed-mold molding of composite integral components, and the level is low. There are almost no application examples, which seriously retards the application of liquid closed-mold molding of composite integral components in the aviation field. In the manufacturing process of liquid closed-mold molding of composite integral components, it is necessary to frequently pick up and unload the mold. The placement of the mold is particularly critical. It is particularly important to reasonably plan the production line of liquid closed-mold molding of composite integral components. Summary of the invention

[0006] The purpose of this application is to provide a liquid closed mold molding production line for large wedge-shaped structural integral components of aircraft, so as to solve the lack of research on liquid closed mold molding of composite integral components in the aviation manufacturing industry and meet the important strategic requirements of my country's aviation industry for its unique competitive advantage in the world.

[0007] In order to achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solutions to achieve

[0008] A liquid closed-mold molding production line for integral components of large wedge-shaped structures for aircraft comprises an automatic unloading area, a product laying area, a preforming area, a mold closing-demolding area, a mold turning area, a heating and curing area, a milling and cutting detection area, a mold storage area and two AGV transfer equipment, each area is provided with parking points for the AGV transfer equipment, the automatic unloading area, the product laying area, the preforming area, the mold closing-demolding area, the mold turning area and the heating and curing area are adjacent in sequence and are only separated by enclosures, geographically presenting a U-shaped process layout and arranged on one side of a factory building, the milling and cutting detection area is arranged at the middle position of the upper end of the U-shape, the status of the mold is divided into static storage and circulation use, the mold storage area is arranged on the outer side of the semicircle for storing static molds that are temporarily not in use, and the molds used for circulation are recycled in the production line, and the mold and product circulation between the areas is operated by the AGV transfer equipment, realizing full automation of the transfer between stations, saving the mold loading and unloading time, improving production efficiency and reducing physical labor.

[0009] Furthermore, the mold storage area is provided with a row of racks for storing temporarily unused molds. The mold types are divided into upper molds, lower molds and core mold modules. The racks are composed of several rows of racks, and each row of racks stores upper molds, core molds and lower molds in sequence from top to bottom in the vertical direction.

[0010] Furthermore, the automatic unloading area is the first area of ​​the entire production line, which is used to automatically cut the shape of the dry three-dimensional fabric preform, including the shape cutting of the preform on the lower mold and the shape cutting of the preform on the core mold module. The cut dry preform directly enters the adjacent product paving area for manual paving.

[0011] Furthermore, the product paving area includes an array of mold assemblies and their corresponding placement tables. Each group of mold assemblies is placed in a row, including an upper mold, a lower mold and a core mold module. The upper mold and the lower mold are placed on a placement table with a fixed position. Several core mold modules constitute the core mold assembly, which is placed on a movable placement vehicle that needs to be circulated. The turnover of the upper and lower molds is completed by general AGV transfer equipment, and the turnover of the core mold assembly is completed by the placement vehicle. At the same time, the cleaning, paving and disassembly of the core mold assembly are all carried out on the placement vehicle. The dry preform of the lower mold and the core mold module after paving enters the preforming area for pre-compaction.

[0012] Furthermore, the preforming area includes an automatic loading and unloading system, a rapid vacuum sealing and compacting system, and an infrared lamp constant temperature heating system. After the AGV transfer equipment transports the mold with the preform to the designated loading station in the preforming area, the automatic loading and unloading system automatically moves the mold onto the rapid vacuum sealing and compacting system for pressurization and sealing. The rapid vacuum sealing and compacting system replaces the original bag making process, avoiding material waste while improving production efficiency.

[0013] After that, it is heated by the infrared lamp constant temperature heating system. Finally, the automatic loading and unloading system automatically moves the mold off the shelf to the unloading station, and is received and transported to the next station by the AGV transfer equipment. The mold with the preform needs to be laid and compacted for many times, and the AGV transfer equipment is required to transport back and forth between the product laying area and the preforming area. The ground of the preforming area is marked with ground markings that can be recognized by the AGV transfer equipment.

[0014] Furthermore, the mold closing and demolding area includes special flip mold closing equipment, a mold assembly placement area, and a core mold assembly area. The core mold assembly area and the mold assembly placement area are respectively arranged at the front end and the rear end of the flip mold closing equipment. The core mold assembly area includes an array of core mold placement vehicles for combining core mold modules with compacted preforms. The mold assembly placement area includes an upper mold, a lower mold and its corresponding placement table and a core mold assembly and its corresponding placement vehicle, which are used to park molds that are temporarily removed from the special flip mold closing equipment or waiting to be put on the shelf. The special flip mold closing equipment has the functions of precise positioning of the mold on the shelf, lifting and lowering the mold, and flipping the mold at a certain angle. The mold closing and demolding area is marked with a ground mark that can be recognized by a general AGV transfer equipment at the corresponding position in front of the special flip mold closing equipment.

[0015] Furthermore, the mold flipping area includes a flipping tool and an array of upper molds, lower molds and their corresponding placement tables and core mold assemblies and their corresponding placement vehicles. The flipping tool is used to horizontally flip the upper mold removed from the special flipping and mold closing equipment so that it faces up for cleaning, or to flip the upper mold running from the mold storage area so that it faces down for loading. The placement table and the placement vehicle are used to place the compacted preforms and perform manual milling. Parking areas for AGV transfer equipment are provided on the left and right sides of the flipping tool.

[0016] Furthermore, the heating and curing zone is used to inject liquid pressure into the closed mold after the mold is closed in the mold-demolding zone, exhaust the gas, and the heated liquid flows through and fills the closed mold, while infiltrating and impregnating the dry preform fiber structure to complete the curing. After the molded product is finally obtained, it is transported to the mold-demolding zone by AGV transfer equipment to separate the upper and lower molds and the core mold combination. The cured product is moved to the milling and inspection area for automated milling and agent inspection. The separated lower mold and core mold combination enter the mold flipping area for cleaning and then enter the next cycle. The separated upper mold enters the mold flipping area for flipping, cleaning, and placement on a placement vehicle to wait for the next mold closing.

[0017] Furthermore, the milling inspection area is the last area of ​​the entire production line, including a reversible flexible clamping system, multi-axis milling equipment and online detection of product edge quality. The reversible flexible clamping system is a flexible tooling in the form of a dot matrix vacuum suction cup to adapt to the reconfigurable flexible positioning and clamping function of products of different shapes to meet the product's external dimensions and positioning requirements; the multi-axis milling equipment performs edge trimming on the product after heating and curing, and the product edge quality online detection equipment performs rapid and intelligent online detection and evaluation of the product edge quality after heating and curing.

[0018] Beneficial effects: The present application provides a liquid closed-mold molding production line for large wedge-shaped structural integral components of aircraft. The production line adopts two AGV transport vehicles to realize the circulation of molds between various areas, thereby realizing the continuity of each process and accommodating four sets of molds for orderly flow operation at the same time. It is a full-process production line integrating prefabricated body laying, pressurized curing and milling inspection. The rapid vacuum sealing and compaction system is used to replace the original bag-making process, which avoids material waste and improves production efficiency. The production line promotes the application of liquid closed-mold molding of integral components of composite materials in the aviation field, fills the gap in domestic research on liquid closed-mold molding of integral components of composite materials, and can be directly extended to the technical field of aircraft working platforms of different sizes and types in the aviation manufacturing industry.

[0019] The present application is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the production line structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of a product laying area of ​​a production line provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the mold closing and demoulding area of ​​the production line provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4A schematic diagram of a production line process flow diagram provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Explanation of numbers in the figure: 1 automatic unloading area; 2 product laying area; 2-1 upper mold; 2-2 lower mold; 2-3 core mold module; 2-4 placement table; 2-5 placement vehicle; 3 preforming area; 4 mold closing and demolding area; 4-1 special flip mold closing equipment; 4-2 mold component placement area; 4-3 core mold combination area; 5 mold flipping area; 6 heating and curing area; 7 milling and inspection area; 8 AGV transfer equipment; 9 mold storage area. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] See also Figure 1 A liquid closed-mold molding production line for an integral component of a large wedge-shaped structure for an aircraft comprises an automatic unloading area 1, a product laying area 2, a preforming area 3, a mold closing-demolding area 4, a mold turning area 5, a heating and curing area 6, a milling and cutting inspection area 7, a mold storage area 9 and two AGV transfer equipment 8. Parking points for the AGV transfer equipment 9 are distributed in each area. The automatic unloading area 1, the product laying area 2, the preforming area 3, the mold closing-demolding area 4, the mold turning area 5, and the heating and curing area 6 are adjacent in sequence and separated by enclosures. Geographically, they present a U-shaped process layout and are arranged on one side of a factory building. The milling and cutting inspection area 7 is arranged at the middle position of the upper end of the U shape. The status of the mold is divided into static storage and circulation use. The mold storage area 9 is arranged on the outer side of the U shape for storing static molds that are temporarily unused. The molds used for circulation are recycled in the production line. The mold and product circulation between the areas is operated by the AGV transfer equipment 8.

[0026] See also Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 4 A row of racks is provided in the mold storage area 9 for storing temporarily unused molds. The mold types are divided into upper molds 2-1, lower molds 2-2 and core mold modules 2-3. The racks are composed of several rows of racks, and each row of racks stores the upper mold 2-1, the core mold 2-3 and the lower mold 2-2 in sequence from top to bottom in the vertical direction.

[0027] See also Figure 1 , Figure 4 The automatic unloading area 1 is the first area of ​​the entire production line, which is used to automatically cut the shape of the dry three-dimensional fabric preform, including the shape cutting of the first preform on the lower mold 2-2 and the shape cutting of the second preform on the core mold module 2-3. The cut dry preform directly enters the adjacent product laying area 2 and is placed on its corresponding mold for manual laying;

[0028] See also Figure 4 Before the product laying area, the automatic unloading machine can prepare the preform and clean the mold in circulation at the same time to shorten the production cycle.

[0029] See also Figure 2 , Figure 4 The product laying area 2 includes an array of mold assemblies and their corresponding placement tables 2-4. Each group of mold assemblies is placed in a row, including an upper mold 2-1, a lower mold 2-2 and a core mold module 2-3. The upper mold 2-1 and the lower mold 2-2 are placed on a placement table 2-4 with a fixed position. Several core mold modules 2-3 form a core mold assembly, which is placed on a movable placement vehicle 2-5 that needs to be circulated. The turnover of the upper and lower molds is completed by the general AGV transfer equipment 8, and the turnover of the core mold assembly is completed by the placement vehicle 2-5. At the same time, the cleaning, laying and disassembly of the core mold assembly are all carried out on the placement vehicle 2-5. The dry preforms of the lower mold 2-2 and the core mold module 2-3 after laying enter the preforming area 3 for pre-compaction.

[0030] See also Figure 1 , Figure 4 The preforming area 3 includes an automatic loading and unloading system, a rapid vacuum sealing and compacting system, and an infrared lamp constant temperature heating system. After the AGV transfer equipment 8 transports the mold with the preform to the designated loading station in the preforming area 3, the automatic loading and unloading system automatically moves the mold to the rapid vacuum sealing and compacting system for pressurization and sealing, and then heats it by the infrared lamp constant temperature heating system. Finally, the automatic loading and unloading system automatically moves the mold off the shelf to the unloading station, and the AGV transfer equipment 8 receives and transports it to the next station. The mold with the preform needs to be laid and compacted for multiple times, and the AGV transfer equipment 8 is required to transport it back and forth between the product laying area 2 and the preforming area 3. The ground of the preforming area 3 is marked with ground markings that can be recognized by the AGV transfer equipment 8.

[0031] See also Figure 3 , Figure 4 The mold clamping and demolding area 4 includes a special flip mold clamping equipment 4-1, a mold assembly placement area 4-2, and a core mold assembly area 4-3. The core mold assembly area 4-3 and the mold assembly placement area 4-2 are respectively arranged at the front end and the rear end of the flip mold clamping equipment 4-1. The core mold assembly area 4-3 includes an array of core mold placement vehicles 2-5 for combining the core mold modules 2-3 with compacted preforms. The mold assembly placement area 4-2 includes an upper mold 2-1, a lower mold 2-2 and its corresponding placement table 2-4 and a core mold assembly and its corresponding placement vehicle 2-5, which are used to park the molds that are temporarily removed from the special flip mold clamping equipment 4-1 or waiting to be put on the shelf. The special flip mold clamping equipment 4-1 has the functions of accurately positioning the mold on the shelf, lifting and lowering the mold, and flipping the mold at a certain angle. The mold clamping and demolding area 4 is marked with a ground mark that can be recognized by the general AGV transfer equipment 8 at the corresponding position in front of the special flip mold clamping equipment 4-1.

[0032] See also Figure 1 , Figure 4The mold flipping area 5 includes a flipping tool and an array of upper molds 2-1, lower molds 2-2 and their corresponding placement tables 2-4 and core mold components and their corresponding placement vehicles 2-5. The flipping tool is used to horizontally flip the upper mold 2-1 removed from the special flipping and mold clamping equipment so that it faces up for cleaning, or to flip the upper mold running from the mold storage area 9 so that it faces down for loading. The placement table 2-4 and the placement vehicle 2-5 are used to place the compacted preforms and perform manual milling. Parking areas for AGV transfer equipment 8 are provided on the left and right sides of the flipping tool.

[0033] See also Figure 1 , Figure 4 The heating and curing zone 6 is used to inject liquid pressure into the closed mold after the mold is closed in the mold closing-demolding zone 4, exhaust the gas, and the heated liquid flows through and fills the closed mold, while infiltrating and impregnating the dry preform fiber structure to complete the curing. After the molded product is finally obtained, it is transported to the mold closing-demolding zone 4 through the AGV transfer equipment 8 to separate the upper and lower molds and the core mold combination. The cured product is moved to the milling and inspection zone 9 for automated milling and inspection. The separated lower mold 2-2 and the core mold combination enter the mold flipping zone 5 for cleaning and then enter the next cycle. The separated upper mold 2-1 enters the mold flipping zone 5 for flipping, cleaning, and placement on the placement vehicle 2-5 to wait for the next mold closing.

[0034] See also Figure 1 , Figure 4 The milling inspection area 7 is the last area of ​​the entire production line, including a reversible flexible clamping system, multi-axis milling equipment and online detection of product edge quality. The reversible flexible clamping system is a flexible tooling in the form of a dot matrix vacuum suction cup to adapt to the reconfigurable flexible positioning and clamping function of products of different shapes; the multi-axis milling equipment trims the products after heating and curing, and the product edge quality online detection equipment performs rapid and intelligent online detection and evaluation of the edge quality of the products after heating and curing.

Claims

1. A liquid closed mold molding production line for large wedge-shaped integral components of aircraft, characterized in that , including: automatic unloading area, product laying area, preforming area, mold closing and demoulding area, mold turning area, heating and curing area, milling and cutting inspection area, mold storage area and two AGV transfer equipment. Each area is equipped with parking points for AGV transfer equipment; The automatic unloading area, product laying area, preforming area, mold closing and demolding area, mold flipping area, and heating and curing area are adjacent to each other in sequence and separated by fences. Geographically, they are arranged in a U-shaped process layout and are located on one side of the factory building. The milling and cutting inspection area is located in the middle of the upper end of the U-shape. The mold status is divided into static storage and circulation use. The mold storage area is arranged on the outside of the semicircle to store temporarily unused static molds. The circulating molds are recycled in the production line. The mold and product circulation between areas is carried out by AGV transfer equipment.

2. The liquid closed mold molding production line for large aircraft wedge-shaped structural integral components according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mold storage area is provided with a row of racks for storing temporarily unused molds. The mold types are divided into upper molds, lower molds and core mold modules. The racks are composed of several rows of racks, and each row of racks stores upper molds, core molds and lower molds in sequence from top to bottom in the vertical direction.

3. The liquid closed mold molding production line for large aircraft wedge-shaped structural integral components according to claim 2, characterized in that: The automatic unloading area is the first area of ​​the entire production line, which is used to automatically cut the shape of the dry three-dimensional fabric preform, including the shape cutting of the first preform on the lower mold and the shape cutting of the second preform on the core mold module. The cut dry preform directly enters the adjacent product paving area for manual paving.

4. The liquid closed mold molding production line for large aircraft wedge-shaped structural integral components according to claim 3, characterized in that: The product laying area includes an array of mold assemblies and their corresponding placement tables. Each group of mold assemblies is placed in a row, including an upper mold, a lower mold and a core mold module. The upper mold and the lower mold are placed on a placement table with a fixed position. Several core mold modules form a core mold assembly, which is placed on a movable placement vehicle that needs to be circulated. The turnover of the upper and lower molds is completed by a general AGV transfer equipment, and the turnover of the core mold assembly is completed by the placement vehicle. At the same time, the cleaning, laying and disassembly of the core mold assembly are all carried out on the placement vehicle; The first preform is laid on the lower mold, and the second preform is laid on the core mold module; The dry preforms of the lower mold and the core mold module after paving enter the preforming area for pre-compaction.

5. The liquid closed mold molding production line for large aircraft wedge-shaped structural integral components according to claim 4, characterized in that: The preforming area includes an automatic loading and unloading system, a rapid vacuum sealing and compacting system, and an infrared lamp constant temperature heating system; After the AGV transfer equipment transports the mold with the preform to the designated loading station in the preforming area, the automatic loading and unloading system automatically moves the mold onto the shelf to the rapid vacuum sealing and compacting system, where it is pressurized and sealed and then heated by the infrared lamp constant temperature heating system. Finally, the automatic loading and unloading system automatically moves the mold off the shelf to the unloading station, and the AGV transfer equipment receives it and transports it to the next station. The mold with the preform needs to be laid and compacted for multiple times, and the AGV transfer equipment is required to transport it back and forth between the product laying area and the preforming area. The ground of the preforming area is marked with ground markings that can be recognized by the AGV transfer equipment.

6. The liquid closed mold molding production line for large aircraft wedge-shaped structural integral components according to claim 5, characterized in that: The mold clamping and demoulding area includes a special mold turning and clamping equipment, a mold assembly placement area, and a core mold assembly area; The core mold assembly area and the mold component placement area are arranged at the front end and the rear end of the flip mold clamping equipment respectively; The core mold assembly area includes an array of core mold placement vehicles for assembling core mold modules with compacted preforms; the mold assembly placement area includes an upper mold, a lower mold and its corresponding placement table and a core mold assembly and its corresponding placement vehicle, which are used to park molds that are temporarily removed from the special flip mold equipment or waiting to be put on the shelf; the special flip mold equipment has the functions of precise positioning of the mold on the shelf, lifting and lowering the mold, and flipping the mold at a certain angle; the mold closing and demolding area is marked with a ground mark that can be recognized by the general AGV transfer equipment at the corresponding position in front of the special flip mold equipment.

7. The liquid closed mold molding production line for large aircraft wedge-shaped structural integral components according to claim 6, characterized in that: The mold turning area includes a turning tool and an array of upper molds, lower molds and their corresponding placement tables and a core mold assembly and its corresponding placement vehicle; The turning tool is used to turn the upper mold removed from the special turning mold clamping equipment horizontally so that it faces up for cleaning, or to turn the upper mold running from the mold storage area so that it faces down for loading; The placement table and the placement vehicle are used to place the compacted prefabricated bodies and perform manual milling. Parking areas for AGV transfer equipment are provided on the left and right sides of the flip tooling.

8. The liquid closed mold molding production line for large aircraft wedge-shaped structural integral components according to claim 7, characterized in that: The heating and curing zone is used to inject liquid pressure into the closed mold after the mold-stripping zone is molded, exhaust gas, and the heated liquid flows through and fills the closed mold, while infiltrating and impregnating the dry preform fiber structure to complete the curing. After the molded product is finally obtained, it is transported to the mold-stripping zone by AGV transfer equipment to separate the upper and lower molds and the core mold combination; The solidified product is moved to the milling and inspection area for automated milling and inspection. The separated lower mold and core mold combination enter the mold flipping area for cleaning and then enter the next cycle. The separated upper mold enters the mold flipping area for flipping, cleaning, and placement on the placement vehicle to wait for the next mold closing.

9. The liquid closed mold molding production line for large aircraft wedge-shaped structural integral components according to claim 8, characterized in that: The milling inspection area is the last area of ​​the entire production line, including a reversible flexible clamping system, multi-axis milling equipment and online detection of product edge quality. The reversible flexible clamping system is a flexible tooling in the form of a dot matrix vacuum suction cup to adapt to the reconfigurable flexible positioning and clamping function of products of different shapes; the multi-axis milling equipment trims the products after heating and curing, and the product edge quality online detection equipment performs rapid and intelligent online detection and evaluation of the edge quality of the products after heating and curing.

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