Automated forming method and forming apparatus for composite hat structures

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of composite material forming, and particularly relates to a kind of composite material cap structure automatic forming method and forming equipment.The method comprises: setting separable support assembly on the first protrusion and the second protrusion of forming equipment, and setting air guide layer on the air vent;The blank is transferred to the support assembly;The inner isolation film unit and the air permeable unit are sequentially arranged on the blank;The separable sealing unit is arranged on the outside of the first protrusion, the outside of the second protrusion and the supporting part of the forming equipment, and the vacuum film unit is arranged on the separable sealing unit and sealed to form a vacuum bag;The vacuum bag is pumped, and the blank is sequentially preformed and cured.The method sets separable support assembly on the forming equipment, realizes preforming and curing two processes by one bag making, significantly reduces auxiliary material consumption and manual working hours, reduces sealing quality risk, and improves production efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of composite material molding technology, and in particular to an automated molding method and molding equipment for composite material hat-shaped structures. Background Technology

[0002] Composite materials, due to their lightweight and high strength, are widely used in aerospace and other fields. Among them, composite stiffened panels, made of reinforcing ribs (cap-shaped, C-shaped, and L-shaped stringers) and skin through co-bonding or co-curing, are a typical integrated structure and are widely used in the main load-bearing components of aircraft such as fuselages, wings, and tails. Due to the influence of aircraft aerodynamic shape, most cap-shaped structural components have a large camber and torsion, making the forming of hyperbolic cap-shaped structural components a crucial process in the manufacturing of stiffened panels.

[0003] In existing hyperbolic cap-shaped structural component molding technologies, preforming and curing processes are typically independent. Each process requires separate vacuum bag fabrication, necessitating the removal of the vacuum bag after preforming and its re-fabrication before the curing process. This multi-bag-making process not only increases the consumption of auxiliary materials and labor time, but more importantly, each bag-making step carries the risk of poor sealing quality; any sealing failure will affect the performance of the final product. Furthermore, the need for intermediate bag removal and re-fabrication significantly extends the manufacturing cycle. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide an automated molding method and molding equipment for composite material cap-shaped structures, in order to solve the technical problems of long working time, high quality risk and long manufacturing cycle caused by the need to make vacuum bags multiple times in the pre-molding and curing processes in the prior art.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides an automated molding method for a composite material hat-shaped structure, applied to a molding equipment for composite material hat-shaped structural parts. The molding equipment includes: a tooling main mold body; a first vent hole provided on the tooling main mold body; a first protrusion and a second protrusion respectively disposed at both ends of the upper surface of the tooling main mold body; and a support portion disposed on the tooling main mold body at equidistant from the first and second protrusions. The method includes: providing separable support components on the first and second protrusions of the molding equipment, and providing an air guiding layer on the vent hole of the molding equipment; transferring the blank to the support components; sequentially providing an inner isolation film unit and a venting unit on the blank; providing separable sealing units on the outer side of the first protrusion, the outer side of the second protrusion, and the support portion of the molding equipment; placing a vacuum film unit on the separable sealing unit and sealing it to form a vacuum bag; evacuating the vacuum bag; and sequentially pre-forming and curing the blank.

[0006] Specifically, the transfer of the material blank onto the support assembly is performed using a vacuum adsorption method.

[0007] Furthermore, the blank is provided with positioning holes, and the molding equipment is provided with positioning blocks. After the blank is transferred to the support assembly, the positioning blocks pass through the positioning holes for positioning.

[0008] Additionally, the detachable support assembly includes a pull-out adhesive tape and a first film fixed to the top of the first protrusion and the second protrusion by the pull-out adhesive tape.

[0009] Specifically, the preforming and curing of the blank sequentially includes the following: the preforming of the blank includes:

[0010] The molding device is placed into the heating device; a first preset program is run to control the heating device to preheat and preform the blank.

[0011] The curing of the pre-formed composite material hat-shaped structure includes: running a second preset program to control the heating device to cure the pre-formed composite material hat-shaped structure.

[0012] The present invention also provides a molding device for a composite material cap-shaped structural component, comprising: a tooling main mold body; a first vent hole provided on the tooling main mold body; a first protrusion and a second protrusion respectively disposed at both ends of the tooling main mold body; a support portion disposed on the tooling main mold body, located between the first protrusion and the second protrusion, and equidistant from the first protrusion and the second protrusion; a vacuum chamber disposed inside the tooling main mold body; a vacuum nozzle disposed in the vacuum chamber; and a second vent hole provided on the support portion, the vent hole communicating with the vacuum chamber.

[0013] Furthermore, it also includes a thermocouple disposed on the upper part of the main mold body of the tooling, the thermocouple being 1-5mm away from the upper surface of the main mold body of the tooling.

[0014] In addition, the distance between the first protrusion and the second protrusion is adjustable.

[0015] Furthermore, the upper surface of the main mold body of the tooling is provided with cutting reference lines.

[0016] The present invention also provides a hat-shaped stringer prepared by the method described above, the hat-shaped stringer including a top plate, a web plate and an overlapping edge, wherein the two ends of the web plate are respectively connected to the two sides of the top plate and the overlapping edge, wherein the overlapping edge is used to connect with the skin to form a stiffened wall panel.

[0017] This invention achieves the goal of completing both preforming and curing processes using only a vacuum bag by setting a separable support component and an air guiding layer on the protrusion of the molding equipment, and by sequentially setting an inner isolation film unit, an air permeable unit and a vacuum film unit. This significantly reduces the consumption of auxiliary materials and labor time, reduces the risk of sealing quality, and shortens the manufacturing cycle.

[0018] This invention utilizes a detachable support component on the protrusion of the molding equipment and a gas-guiding layer on the vent. Combined with an inner isolation film unit and a venting unit, this allows the gas exhaust channel to run through the entire process of vacuuming, preforming, and curing. Furthermore, by setting detachable sealing units on the outer sides of the first and second protrusions and the support portion, a vacuum film unit is placed on top and sealed to form a vacuum bag. This allows the product to proceed directly to the curing process after preforming without removing the vacuum bag. Thus, the invention achieves the goal of completing both preforming and curing processes using only a single vacuum bag, significantly reducing auxiliary material consumption and labor time, minimizing sealing quality risks, and shortening the manufacturing cycle. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the process flow of an automated molding method for a composite material hat-shaped structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a molding device according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a preform curve in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the curing curve in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the molding equipment in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of vacuum bag preparation in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] The markings in the diagram are as follows: 11. Tooling main mold body, 12. First protrusion, 13. Second protrusion, 14. Support part, 15. Positioning block, 16. Lifting ring, 17. Cutting reference line, 21. Vacuum chamber, 22. Vacuum nozzle, 221. Vacuum extraction nozzle, 222. Vacuum measuring nozzle, 23. Vent hole, 24. Thermocouple, 25. Thermocouple socket, 31. First membrane, 32. Pull-out adhesive tape, 33. Air guiding material, 34. Inner isolation membrane, 35. Breathable material, 36. Sealing strip, 37. Vacuum bag, 4. Material blank. Detailed Implementation

[0026] In the description of this invention, unless otherwise stated, the following terms have the following meanings:

[0027] Prepreg refers to fiber-reinforced materials that have been impregnated with a resin matrix, in which the resin content, flowability and other performance indicators are pre-controlled;

[0028] Preform refers to an uncured laminate formed by laying prepreg according to design requirements;

[0029] Preforming refers to the process of shaping a blank into a desired three-dimensional shape under certain temperature and pressure conditions.

[0030] Curing refers to the process of causing a chemical reaction in the resin in the prepreg through heating or other means, ultimately forming a composite material part with certain mechanical properties;

[0031] Vacuum bags are sealing systems used to assist in the molding of composite material parts, and typically include vacuum membranes, sealing strips, etc.

[0032] Breathable materials refer to fabrics or non-woven fabrics with good breathability, used to assist in the removal of air during the vacuum bag forming process;

[0033] A positioning block is a raised structure used to determine the position of a blank.

[0034] The terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a method, apparatus, or product that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to the method, apparatus, or product. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the method, apparatus, or product that includes said element.

[0035] In the embodiments of this invention, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used to distinguish different objects and do not represent a specific quantity or order.

[0036] The above explanations of terms are only for the purpose of helping to understand the technical solutions of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0037] The specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described herein can be combined with each other.

[0038] In related technologies,

[0039] Example 1

[0040] See Figure 1 This embodiment provides an automated molding method for a composite material hat-shaped structure, including the following steps:

[0041] Step 1: Separable support components are provided on the first and second protrusions of the molding equipment, and an air-guiding layer is provided on the vent holes of the molding equipment. Preferably, the separable support components include a pull-out adhesive tape and a first film fixed to the top of the first and second protrusions by the pull-out adhesive tape. The pull-out adhesive tape is an easy-peel tape, and its peel strength is preferably 2-5 N / cm. The first film is a nylon film, and its thickness is preferably 50-100 μm. The air-guiding layer is an air-guiding felt, and its thickness is preferably 2-3 mm.

[0042] Step 2: Transfer the blank to the support assembly. The transfer of the blank is performed using vacuum adsorption. Preferably, a vacuum suction cup is used to pick up the blank, and the negative pressure of the vacuum suction cup is preferably -60 kPa to -80 kPa.

[0043] Step 3: Blank Positioning. The blank has positioning holes, and the molding equipment has positioning blocks. After the blank is transferred to the support assembly, the positioning blocks pass through the positioning holes for positioning. Preferably, the diameter of the positioning holes is 8-12 mm, and the height of the positioning blocks is preferably 15-20 mm.

[0044] Step 4: Sequentially install an inner insulating film unit and a breathable unit on the raw material. The inner insulating film unit is made of nylon membrane, with a preferred thickness of 25-50 μm. The breathable unit is made of breathable felt, with a preferred thickness of 2-3 mm.

[0045] Step 5: Separable sealing units are provided on the outer sides of the first protrusion, the second protrusion, and the support portion of the forming device. A vacuum film unit is then placed on the separable sealing unit and sealed to form a vacuum bag. The separable sealing unit is a sealing strip, and the vacuum film unit is a vacuum bag film, preferably with a thickness of 75-100 μm.

[0046] The outer sides of the first and second protrusions refer to the inclined surfaces sloping outward from the top of the protrusions, forming an angle of 30-60° with the horizontal plane. A separable sealing unit is provided on this inclined surface to ensure a smooth transition of the vacuum bag during pre-forming, preventing wrinkles from forming at the protrusions.

[0047] It should be noted that the surface of the support portion of the molding equipment can be divided into two areas: the middle area is used to support the blank, and the two end areas extend beyond the blank. After step four is completed, firstly, separable sealing units are set on the support portion areas located outside the two ends of the blank, and then separable sealing units are set on the outer sides of the first protrusion and the second protrusion. In this way, when placing the vacuum film unit, it can be ensured that the vacuum film unit is tightly fitted with all the separable sealing units to form a complete sealed cavity.

[0048] Preferably, a sealing area of ​​50-100mm is reserved between the two ends of the blank and the end of the support part to ensure sufficient sealing area. Meanwhile, the sealing strip width of the separable sealing unit is preferably 15-25mm to provide sufficient sealing strength.

[0049] In addition, an auxiliary sealing strip can be provided at the edge area of ​​the material blank in the support part to further improve the sealing reliability. The width of the auxiliary sealing strip is preferably 8-12mm.

[0050] Step 6: Vacuum the vacuum bag and then pre-form and cure the material blank in sequence.

[0051] Specifically, the molding equipment is placed inside the heating equipment. First, a vacuum pipe is connected to the vacuum nozzle 221 of the vacuum chamber 21 to extract air from the tooling; simultaneously, the vacuum pipe is connected to a vacuum measuring nozzle 222 to monitor the vacuum level within the vacuum chamber 21 in real time. The vacuum chamber 21 forms a continuous extraction channel with the blank through a vent 23, ensuring that the gas inside the vacuum bag is extracted uniformly. Preferably, the vacuum level of the vacuum system is no higher than -60 kPa.

[0052] Thermocouple 24 is connected to the temperature monitoring system. Since thermocouple 24 is 1-5mm away from the upper surface of the main mold body of the tooling, the temperature of the blank surface attached to the tooling can be accurately monitored. The temperature measurement accuracy of the temperature monitoring system is preferably ±1℃.

[0053] A preset program is run to control the heating equipment for preheating and preforming of the blank. During preforming, the blank is first heated to 45-50°C. At this temperature, the pull-out tape 32 and the first film 31 automatically detach under vacuum pressure, and the blank gradually adheres to the tooling surface under atmospheric pressure. This temperature and vacuum are maintained for 10-15 minutes to ensure the blank fully adheres to the tooling surface.

[0054] After preforming is completed, the material directly enters the curing stage without damaging the vacuum bag seal. The temperature and holding time of the prepreg during curing are set according to the requirements of the prepreg process, which is a common practice for those skilled in the art and will not be elaborated further.

[0055] By employing the above method, this invention achieves both preforming and curing processes in a single bag-making process, significantly improving production efficiency. Simultaneously, the vacuum adsorption transfer and positioning hole positioning methods ensure the integrity and positional accuracy of the preform, guaranteeing product quality. Furthermore, the inclusion of a detachable support component enables the preform to fall smoothly during the preforming process, preventing defects such as wrinkles.

[0056] Example 2

[0057] See Figure 2 This embodiment provides a molding device for a composite material hat-shaped structural component. The molding device includes: a tooling main mold body 11, a first protrusion 12 and a second protrusion 13 respectively disposed at both ends of the tooling main mold body 11, and a support portion 14 disposed on the tooling main mold body 11 at a distance equidistant from the first protrusion 12 and the second protrusion 13.

[0058] The first protrusion 12 and the second protrusion 13 extend upward along both ends of the main mold body 11 of the tooling to form an inclined surface structure. The inclined surface forms an angle of 30-60° with the horizontal plane, which is used to support the two sides of the blank and guide the blank to move downward during the preforming process. The support part 14 is a surface adapted to the design shape of the stringer, which is used to provide support and forming reference for the blank during the forming process.

[0059] The main mold body 11 of the tooling is uniformly provided with vent holes 23 communicating with the vacuum chamber 21, which are used to achieve uniform transmission of vacuum pressure during preforming and curing. The vacuum chamber 21 is used to form a stable negative pressure environment during molding, and through cooperation with the vent holes 23, it ensures that the blank can be uniformly stressed and fully conform to the tooling surface. In some embodiments, the support part 14 is also provided with vent holes 23 to further improve vacuum uniformity.

[0060] The synergistic effect of these designs allows the blank to fall smoothly and gradually conform to the tooling surface during the preforming process, avoiding defects such as wrinkles and bubbles.

[0061] The main mold body 11 of the tooling is larger than the size of the blank with a margin, and its length and width can be adjusted according to the size of the blank material. In some embodiments, the shape of the main mold body 11 of the tooling can be a cube, a cylinder or an ellipse. In this embodiment, the main mold body 11 of the tooling is preferably a long cube to accommodate the hat-shaped stringer structure blank.

[0062] The tooling main mold body 11 can have 3-5 vacuum chambers 21 evenly arranged along its length. The shape of each vacuum chamber 21 can be a cube, cylinder, or ellipsoid, and the specific shape can be adapted to the structure of the tooling main mold body 11. Each vacuum chamber 21 is equipped with a vacuum nozzle 22. Specifically, each vacuum chamber 21 has one set of vacuum nozzles 22 distributed on both sides, each set including one vacuum extraction nozzle 221 and one vacuum measuring nozzle 222. The vacuum extraction nozzle 221 is used to connect to a negative pressure device to discharge air from the vacuum chamber 21, and the vacuum measuring nozzle 222 is used to connect to a monitoring device to measure the vacuum level inside the vacuum chamber 21.

[0063] The inner edges of the first protrusion 12 and the second protrusion 13 are evenly provided with vent holes 23, which communicate with the vacuum chamber 21. Preferably, the diameter of the vent holes 23 is 1-2 mm, and 8-12 holes are provided on each protrusion.

[0064] Furthermore, the molding equipment also includes a thermocouple 24, which is embedded above the outside of the main mold body 11 of the tooling, 1-5 mm from the upper surface. Preferably, one thermocouple 24 is evenly arranged along the length of the main mold body 11 of the tooling to monitor the temperature of the blank surface attached to the tooling. The thermocouple 24 is powered through a thermocouple socket 25 to achieve the temperature monitoring function.

[0065] Furthermore, the distance between the first protrusion 12 and the second protrusion 13 can accommodate blanks of different widths. Further, a cutting reference line 17 is provided on the upper surface of the tooling main mold body 11. The cutting reference line 17 is designed according to the contour of the blank and is used as a cutting reference after the stringer has been solidified.

[0066] The upper surface of the main tooling mold body 11 is provided with lifting rings 16 for tooling transfer. Preferably, the number of lifting rings 16 is 4-6.

[0067] The molding equipment in this embodiment achieves a stable and reliable vacuum effect through its internal vacuum chamber and uniformly distributed vacuum nozzles; the rational arrangement of thermocouples ensures the uniformity and controllability of the temperature field; the adjustable protrusion design improves the applicability of the tooling; and the setting of cutting reference lines facilitates subsequent product processing. The overall design ensures molding quality while improving the practicality and versatility of the tooling.

[0068] Example 3

[0069] This embodiment combines Figure 3 and Figure 4 The working principle of the present invention will be explained in detail below. It should be understood that the equipment selection and process parameters described below are only preferred embodiments and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0070] In this embodiment, an autoclave is selected as the heating device, which has a temperature control accuracy of ±2℃ and a pressure control accuracy of ±5kPa. Of course, those skilled in the art can also choose other devices with vacuum and heating functions, such as ovens or curing ovens.

[0071] See Figure 3 The preforming curve shown includes the following temperature control curves for the preforming process: heating from room temperature to above 45℃ at a heating rate of 1-5℃ / min; holding at that temperature for at least 5 minutes; and the entire preforming process lasting 20-60 minutes. The vacuum control curve shows that: during the heating process, a vacuum is gradually evacuated until the vacuum level reaches no higher than -60 kPa; and the vacuum level is maintained for at least 10 minutes.

[0072] See Figure 4 The curing curves shown include a temperature control curve for the curing process: heating from room temperature to 180°C at a rate of 0.5-3°C / min; holding at 180°C for at least 120 min; and cooling to room temperature at a rate of 0-3°C / min. The pressure control curve shows that a pressure of at least 600 kPa is maintained throughout the curing process.

[0073] In the preforming stage, the deformation process of the blank can be divided into three key stages:

[0074] The first stage is preheating of the prepreg. The prepreg is heated to above 45°C. At this temperature, the viscosity of the resin matrix in the prepreg is significantly reduced, and the interlayer slip resistance is decreased. This process gives the prepreg sufficient deformability, creating conditions for subsequent molding. At this time, the prepreg is still supported by the first film 31, maintaining its initial planar state.

[0075] The second stage is guided deformation. When the air pressure inside the vacuum bag 37 drops below -60 kPa, atmospheric pressure begins to push the blank downwards. At this time, the pull-out adhesive tape 32 fixed to the top of the first protrusion 12 and the second protrusion 13 is subjected to downward shear force and gradually detaches from the protrusion surface. Due to the inclined design of the protrusions, the blank falls smoothly along the tooling surface under the combined action of gravity and air pressure. During this process, the vent holes 23 on the main mold body 11 of the tooling and the vacuum chamber 21 form a continuous air extraction channel network, ensuring that gas can be evenly extracted from all positions of the blank and avoiding local bubbling.

[0076] The third stage is stress release. Under constant temperature (45-50℃) and constant pressure (below -60kPa) conditions for 10-15 minutes, the blank is allowed to fully conform to the tooling surface. During this stage, residual stress in the blank is fully released, and the fibers are gradually adjusted to their final position. The positioning holes 43 at both ends of the blank, in conjunction with the positioning blocks 15 on the tooling, provide stable reference points throughout the deformation process, ensuring that the fiber orientation remains within the design range and effectively preventing wrinkles and twisting.

[0077] During the curing stage, the preformed blank enters the curing process directly without damaging the vacuum bag seal. At this time, thermocouples 24 embedded in the tooling monitor the blank temperature in real time, and vacuum probes 222 monitor the vacuum level to ensure the entire curing process strictly adheres to the process requirements. During curing, the vacuum chamber 21 maintains a continuous negative pressure state, and the distribution of vents 23 ensures uniform pressure on the blank, guaranteeing the dimensional accuracy and surface quality of the final product.

[0078] This invention achieves a smooth transformation of the preform from a planar shape to a three-dimensional shape through the synergistic effect of temperature, pressure, and tooling structure. The fiber direction is controllable throughout the process, and the molding quality is stable.

[0079] Example 4

[0080] This embodiment uses the manufacturing of the wingtip spars of a certain type of passenger aircraft as an example to illustrate the specific application effects of the present invention. It should be understood that the specific parameters and material selections in this embodiment are merely preferred implementation methods and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0081] The stringer is located at the wingtip and is characterized by: a total length of 2400mm, a maximum camber of 320mm, and a twist angle of 15°. It uses carbon fiber / epoxy resin prepreg H3184, with a total ply thickness of 3.6mm and a ply direction of [45 / 0 / -45 / 90]3s. The manufacturing process is as follows:

[0082] See Figure 5 In step one, a pull-out adhesive tape 32 is first attached to the top of the first protrusion 12 and the second protrusion 13. In this embodiment, an FEP film tape with a thickness of 0.075 mm is selected as the pull-out adhesive tape 32, with a tape width of 25 mm and a peel strength of 3.5 N / cm. A first film 31, a PA66 nylon film with a thickness of 75 μm, is then laid on the pull-out adhesive tape 32. An air-guiding material 33, made of polyester fiber air-guiding felt, is placed above the vent holes 23 on the inner side of the protrusions, with a weight of 150 g / m² and a thickness of 2.5 mm.

[0083] In step two, a vacuum chuck array (12 chucks in total) is used to transfer the blank 4. The negative pressure of the vacuum chuck is set to -70 kPa. The tooling protrusion spacing is set to 180 mm to match the unfolded width of the blank.

[0084] In step three, the pre-designed positioning holes 43 on the blank 4 have a diameter of 10mm, which precisely match the positioning blocks 15 on the tooling with a height of 18mm. The spacing between the positioning blocks 15 is set to 2350mm to ensure the stability of the fiber direction of the blank 4 during the preforming process.

[0085] In step four, see Figure 6 An inner insulating film 34 is laid on the preform 4, and a PET polyester film with a thickness of 38μm is selected. A breathable material 35 is laid on top of it, which is a polyester fiber breathable felt with a weight of 200g / m² and a thickness of 2.8mm.

[0086] In step five, see Figure 6 Sealing strips 36 are applied to the outer inclined surfaces (at an angle of 45° to the horizontal plane) of the first protrusion 12 and the second protrusion 13, as well as to the exposed areas of the blank at both ends of the support portion 14. The sealing strips 36 are made of 20mm wide butyl tape. An auxiliary sealing strip with a width of 10mm is added at the edge of the blank in the support portion 14. A 75mm sealing area is reserved between the two ends of the blank and the ends of the support portion 14. Finally, a 0.8mm thick silicone rubber film is used as a vacuum bag 37 to cover and seal the area.

[0087] In step six, the molding equipment is placed into the autoclave. The vacuum tubing and thermocouple test leads are then connected. The vacuum tubing includes: an 8mm vacuum tube connected to vacuum nozzle 221 for evacuation, and a 6mm vacuum tube connected to vacuum probe 222 for monitoring. Thermocouple 24 is connected to the equipment's temperature measurement system via a dedicated compensating wire.

[0088] implement Figure 3 The preforming curves shown and Figure 4 The curing curve is shown. The temperature during the preforming stage is controlled at 47℃ and held for 12 minutes; the curing stage is carried out according to the curing process requirements of the prepreg.

[0089] This invention achieves the technical effect of completing both pre-forming and curing processes using only a single vacuum bag by setting a separable support component and air-guiding layer on the protrusion of the molding equipment, and by sequentially setting an inner isolation film unit, an air-permeable unit, and a vacuum film unit. This solution significantly reduces the consumption of auxiliary materials and labor time, reduces the risk of sealing quality issues, and shortens the manufacturing cycle.

[0090] This invention employs a tooling structure with a built-in vacuum chamber and thermocouples, combined with an adjustable protrusion design and a precise positioning mechanism. This not only ensures the uniformity of the vacuum pressure and temperature field but also expands the tooling's applicability. The blank is transferred via vacuum adsorption, and precise positioning is achieved through the cooperation of positioning holes and positioning blocks, guaranteeing molding quality. The advantages of this invention are particularly significant for hyperbolic cap-shaped structural parts with large arch heights and torsion.

[0091] Example 5

[0092] This embodiment provides a hat-shaped stringer prepared using the method provided in the foregoing embodiments. It should be understood that the following description is merely a preferred embodiment and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of this invention.

[0093] The composite material cap-shaped structural component prepared in this embodiment is the leading edge stringer of the vertical tail of a certain type of passenger aircraft. The stringer is a typical hyperboloid component with a large arch height in the span direction and a certain torsion angle in the span direction. The stringer is made of prepreg materials such as carbon fiber or epoxy resin, and the layup design is quasi-isotropic.

[0094] Testing revealed that all performance indicators of the stringer met design requirements, including fiber volume fraction, porosity, interlaminar shear strength, flexural modulus, and compressive strength. Ultrasonic C-scan testing showed no delamination, large areas of resin enrichment, or resin-deficient regions. Coordinate measuring machine (CMM) measurements indicated that key dimensions such as the product's profile, wall thickness, and fiber angles met engineering requirements.

[0095] The above test results show that the composite material cap-shaped structural component prepared by the method of the present invention has excellent molding quality and mechanical properties, and fully meets the requirements for use of aerospace structural components.

[0096] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention. Various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automated molding method for a composite material hat-shaped structure, characterized in that, A molding apparatus for a composite material cap-shaped structural component, the molding apparatus comprising: Tooling main mold body; The main mold body of the tooling is provided with a first vent hole; A first protrusion and a second protrusion are respectively provided at both ends of the upper surface of the main mold body of the tooling; A support portion disposed on the main mold body of the tooling, located between the first protrusion and the second protrusion, and equidistant from the first protrusion and the second protrusion; The method includes: Separable support components are provided on the first protrusion and the second protrusion, and an air guiding layer is provided on the first vent hole; Transfer the blank to the support assembly; An inner isolation layer and a breathable layer are sequentially disposed on the material blank; A separable sealing assembly is provided on the outer side of the first protrusion, the outer side of the second protrusion, and above the support portion of the molding device. A vacuum film is placed on the separable sealing assembly and sealed to form a vacuum bag. The vacuum bag is evacuated, and the blank is pre-formed to obtain a pre-formed composite material hat-shaped structural component; The vacuum bag is left in place, and the pre-formed composite material hat-shaped structure is cured to obtain the formed composite material hat-shaped structure.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The material blank is transferred to the support component using a vacuum adsorption method.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The blank is provided with positioning holes, and the molding equipment is provided with positioning blocks. After the blank is transferred to the support assembly, the positioning blocks are positioned by passing through the positioning holes.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The preforming of the blank includes: Place the molding equipment into the heating equipment; Run the first preset program, and control the heating equipment to preheat and preform the blank through the first preset program; The curing of the preformed composite material hat-shaped structural component includes: Run the second preset program, and control the heating device to cure the pre-formed composite material hat-shaped structure through the second preset program.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The separable support assembly includes a pull-out adhesive tape and a first film secured to the tops of the first and second protrusions by the pull-out adhesive tape.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The tooling main mold body is provided with a vacuum chamber inside; The vacuum chamber is equipped with a vacuum nozzle; The support portion is provided with a second vent hole, which communicates with the vacuum chamber.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, It also includes a thermocouple disposed on the upper part of the main mold body of the tooling, the thermocouple being 1-5mm away from the upper surface of the main mold body of the tooling.

8. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The distance between the first protrusion and the second protrusion is adjustable.

9. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The upper surface of the main mold body of the tooling is provided with cutting reference lines.

10. A hat-shaped stringer prepared by the method according to any one of claims 1-5, the hat-shaped stringer comprising a top plate, a web plate and an overlapping edge, wherein the two ends of the web plate are respectively connected to the two sides of the top plate and the overlapping edge, wherein the overlapping edge is used to connect with the skin to form a stiffened wall panel.

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