Large-slenderness-ratio composite component cementing tool adapting to curing deformation and using method

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of helicopter composite component cementing curing forming, and particularly relates to a large-slenderness-ratio composite component cementing tool adapting to curing deformation and a using method. A modular design structural form is adopted, a bottom frame serves as a main body module, and a mounting platform is provided; an upper module is designed on the installation platform and comprises a sliding table, a positioner and a clamping plate, the positioner and the clamping plate make direct contact with the product, and the product is fixed through the positioner and the clamping plate and then arranged on the sliding table. The two-way sliding platform is designed between the upper module and the main body module, the two-way sliding function in the length direction and the width direction is provided, when the main body module is subjected to size change due to the temperature influence, self-adaptive adjustment deformation can be achieved between the internal structures of the cementing tool, the upper module and a positioner cannot be driven to slide, and the welding quality is improved. Therefore, curing stress is avoided, and deformation caused by inconsistent thermal expansion coefficients is effectively controlled.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of adhesive bonding and curing molding of helicopter composite components, and in particular relates to adhesive bonding tooling for composite components with large aspect ratio that can adapt to curing deformation and a use method thereof. Background Art

[0002] The helicopter horizontal tail frame is made of composite material front beam, rear beam and several ribs and reinforcing ribs glued together. The overall length is about 4000mm and the width is about 1000mm. The structural dimensions have a large aspect ratio. The gluing and curing molding process has many difficulties. Special gluing tooling is required to position and clamp the composite parts. At the same time, the gluing tooling must be able to maintain accuracy when used under medium temperature conditions.

[0003] Traditional adhesive tooling design materials are mostly ordinary carbon steel, and the structure is rigidly designed according to the positioning and clamping benchmark of composite parts. It is welded, machined, and assembled. During the adhesive curing process, the difference in thermal expansion coefficients will cause stress to be generated and the stress cannot be released, which will cause the product to deform during curing and fail to meet the precision requirements. The thermal expansion coefficient of Invar steel is very close to that of composite materials, making it an excellent material for heated curing tooling. However, if all tooling materials are made of Invar steel, the tooling manufacturing cost will be high. The traditional adhesive tooling structure is a vertical frame with casters, or a forklift tube on the frame, which is transported manually or by forklift, and the transportation work is inefficient and inconvenient.

[0004] The helicopter vertical tail frame is made of composite material front beam, rear beam, reinforcement beam and several ribs glued together. The overall length is about 4000mm and the width is about 600mm. The outer dimensions of the vertical tail frame gluing tooling are similar to those of the horizontal tail frame gluing tooling, and it needs to be heated and cured in a curing oven. Summary of the invention

[0005] The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a bonding tool and a method for using the bonding tool, which can be used under medium temperature curing conditions and is suitable for the bonding and curing deformation of large slenderness ratio composite components. The bonding tool can avoid the generation of stress, thereby accurately controlling the molding dimensions and reducing the occurrence of technical quality problems. Through structural design, the manufacturing cost of the tool is reduced, and the problem of inconvenience in tool transportation is solved, so that the requirements of simultaneous furnace entry with the bonding tool of the vertical tail frame of similar size are met, thereby improving production efficiency.

[0006] Technical solution: To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention has designed a bonding tool for composite components with a large slenderness ratio that can adapt to curing deformation. The tool adopts a modular design structure. The bottom frame serves as a main module to provide an installation platform. An upper module is designed on the installation platform. The upper module includes a slide and a positioner and a pallet that are in direct contact with the product. The positioner and the pallet fix the product and place it on the slide.

[0007] Furthermore, the main module includes a mounting platform and three legs. The mounting platform is welded with square steel tube profiles and steel plates. The upper surface is machined with accurate planes, threaded holes, and pin holes for installing the slide and fixed supports. The lower surface is machined in the leg mounting area to facilitate accurate installation of the legs.

[0008] Furthermore, the legs are welded from square steel tube profiles and steel plates, and fixed metal feet are installed, and the height of the feet is adjustable so that the tooling is in a horizontal state.

[0009] Furthermore, all tooling parts of the upper module are made of Invar steel material, including a sliding frame, an upper pallet assembly, a lower pallet assembly and a bidirectional slide rail; the sliding frame is made of Invar steel plates welded and then machined to provide a reference surface and a reference hole; the slide rail is installed under the sliding frame, wherein the length direction slide rail is installed at the front beam position, and the slide rail is installed in both the length and width directions at the rear beam position, the installation height of the length direction slide rail is the same as that of the front beam, and the width direction slide rail is installed thereunder.

[0010] Furthermore, the upper and lower pallets are designed according to the various positions of the products, wherein the upper pallet provides the shape clamping function, the upper pallet is installed on the lower pallet, one end of which is a pin shaft, and the other end is fixed with a pin; the lower pallet also provides shape positioning and locator installation functions, and the lower pallet is fixed on the sliding frame with an angle seat.

[0011] Furthermore, the lower card plate assembly includes a lower card plate and a beam positioner and a rib positioner installed on the lower card plate, which are used to provide an accurate positioning position of the part to be formed.

[0012] Furthermore, the upper clamping plate assembly includes an upper clamping plate and a handle, which are used to determine the upper surface shape of the part to be formed.

[0013] Furthermore, the mounting platform also includes a fixed support, which fixedly connects the midpoint of the upper sliding frame with the midpoint of the bottom frame to ensure that no slippage occurs during the transportation of the tooling.

[0014] The method for using the bonding tooling for large slenderness ratio composite components adapted to curing deformation as designed above comprises the following steps:

[0015] Step 1: Check the status of the bonding tooling, count the parts of the bonding tooling, and confirm that it meets the use requirements;

[0016] The second step is to open the upper pallet assembly of the bonding tool in sequence, put the front beam, rear beam and rib box parts of the product on the lower pallet assembly, and use the positioning parts to pre-position them;

[0017] Step 3: Disassemble product parts as needed, install the film, complete the positioning again, and lock the parts with the included positioning bolts;

[0018] Step 4: Close the pallet assemblies on the tooling in sequence to complete the clamping of all product parts on the tooling;

[0019] Step 5: The automatic transfer vehicle tows the horizontal tail frame gluing fixture into the curing furnace, and the automatic transfer vehicle tows the vertical tail frame gluing fixture into the curing furnace, closes the curing furnace, and performs the heating, insulation, and cooling procedures;

[0020] Step 6: Use an automatic transfer vehicle to transfer the horizontal tail frame gluing fixture and the vertical tail frame gluing fixture out of the curing furnace respectively;

[0021] Step 7. Open the upper pallet assembly, remove all positioning bolts, remove some positioners as needed, and remove the glued products from the shelf.

[0022] Step 8. Clean the tooling and restore it to its original state.

[0023] Technical effects: 1. The thermal expansion coefficient of the tooling material selected by the present invention is similar to that of the product material, which can effectively control product deformation and improve product quality;

[0024] 2. In the designed tooling structure, the upper positioner (including beam and rib positioner), the pallet, and the slide are made of Invar steel, and the bottom frame is made of ordinary steel. Due to the large difference in thermal expansion coefficients between ordinary carbon steel and Invar steel, the size changes between the upper module and the main module during heating and cooling can be dynamically compensated by the slide rail, effectively controlling the deformation caused by inconsistent thermal expansion coefficients. In the specific design, a two-way sliding platform is designed between the upper module and the main module to provide two-way sliding functions in the length and width directions. When the main module changes in size due to temperature, the internal structure of the bonding tooling can adaptively adjust the deformation, and will not cause the upper module and the positioner to slide, thereby avoiding the generation of curing stress.

[0025] 3. The front and rear beam positioners and rib positioners are all installed on the lower card plate, which has little interference in the positioning of product parts on the shelf and the process of unloading after gluing, reduces the workload of tooling disassembly, and facilitates operation;

[0026] 4. Automatic transfer vehicles are used for transportation before and after entering the furnace, which is safer, more reliable and more portable;

[0027] 5. The tooling structure dimensions allow two sets of tooling to be put into the furnace at the same time, saving heating and curing time and resources. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the horizontal tail frame gluing tooling;

[0029] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the vertical tail frame gluing tooling structure;

[0030] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the dynamic compensation structure for the slide rail;

[0031] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of two sets of tooling being put into the furnace at the same time (horizontal tail frame gluing tooling, vertical tail frame gluing tooling)

[0032] Among them, 1 is the bottom frame; 2 is the fixed support; 3 is the two-way sliding platform; 4 is the sliding frame; 5 is the automatic transfer vehicle; 6 is the upper pallet assembly; 7 is the lower pallet assembly; 8 is the horizontal tail frame gluing fixture; 9 is the vertical tail frame gluing fixture; 10 is the curing oven; 11 is the sliding track in the length direction; 12 is the sliding track in the width direction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The technical solution of the present invention will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0034] See attached Figures 1 to 3 The bonding tooling structure specifically designed in the present invention mainly includes: a bottom frame 1, a fixed support 2, a bidirectional sliding platform 3, a sliding frame 4, an automatic transfer vehicle 5, a lower pallet assembly 6, an upper pallet assembly 7, a length direction sliding track 11, and a width direction sliding track 12;

[0035] Among them, the bottom frame 1 is the foundation of the bonding tooling, providing an installation platform for other structures, including a platform and three legs. The legs are arranged in a three-point layout, providing an entry and exit channel for the automatic transfer vehicle 5. The adjustable feet at the bottom of each leg ensure that the bonding tooling is in a horizontal state; the lower surface of the fixed support 2 is connected to the bottom frame 1 with screws and pins, and the upper surface of the fixed support 2 is connected to the sliding frame 4 with screws and pins; the two-way sliding platform 3 is composed of two sets of parallel length-direction slide rails 11 and sliders, a set of width-direction slide rails 12 and sliders and pads. One set of length-direction slide rails 11 and sliders are installed on the width-direction slide rails 12 and sliders, and the other set of length-direction slide rails 11 and sliders are installed on the pads. The width-direction slide rails 12 and sliders and the pads are connected to the bottom frame 1 with screws and pins.

[0036] The lower card assembly 6 is connected to the sliding frame 4 through an angle seat. One end of the lower card is a pin shaft, and the other end is a latch structure for connecting with the upper card assembly 7, so that the upper card has the function of opening and closing along the pin shaft.

[0037] The lower clamping plate assembly 6 includes a lower clamping plate and a beam locator and a rib locator installed on the lower clamping plate, and is used to provide an accurate positioning position for the part to be formed.

[0038] The upper clamping plate assembly 7 includes an upper clamping plate and a handle, which are used to determine the upper surface shape of the part to be formed.

[0039] The fixed support 2 fixedly connects the midpoint of the upper sliding frame 4 with the midpoint of the bottom frame to ensure that no slipping occurs during the tooling transportation process.

[0040] When used specifically, the bonding process of large slenderness ratio composite components is as follows:

[0041] Step 1: Check the status of the bonding tooling, count the parts of the bonding tooling, and confirm that it meets the use requirements;

[0042] Step 2, open the upper pallet assembly 6 of the bonding tool in sequence, put the front beam, rear beam and rib box parts of the product on the lower pallet assembly 7, and use the positioning pieces to pre-position them;

[0043] Step 3: Disassemble product parts as needed, install the film, complete the positioning again, and lock the parts with the included positioning bolts;

[0044] Step 4: Close the clamping plate assembly 6 on the tooling in sequence to complete the clamping of all product parts on the tooling;

[0045] Step 5, the automatic transfer vehicle 5 drags the horizontal tail frame gluing fixture 8 into the curing oven 10, and the automatic transfer vehicle 5 drags the vertical tail frame gluing fixture 9 into the curing oven 10, closes the curing oven, and performs heating, heat preservation, and cooling procedures;

[0046] Step 6: Use the automatic transfer vehicle 5 to transfer the horizontal tail frame gluing fixture 8 and the vertical tail frame gluing fixture 9 out of the curing oven 10 respectively;

[0047] Step 7: Open the upper pallet assembly 6, remove all positioning bolts, remove some positioners as needed, and remove the glued products from the shelf.

[0048] Step 8: Clean the tooling and restore it to its original state.

[0049] In order to control the curing deformation of products such as the WG type machine horizontal tail frame and reduce the manufacturing cost of tooling, the present invention has made an innovative design for the bonding tooling, including selecting some tooling materials as INVAR steel materials with a thermal expansion coefficient close to that of the product, and adopting a special structural design to adapt to the deformation caused by the inconsistent thermal expansion coefficient. In order to ensure safe, reliable and portable transportation, the legs of the bonding tooling are adaptively designed so that the bonding tooling can be transported by an automatic transfer vehicle; in order to improve efficiency, the bonding tooling is suitable for combination into the furnace, and the bonding tooling structure is designed according to the actual size of the curing furnace to ensure that every two sets of bonding fixtures can be combined into the furnace.

[0050] The present invention realizes the use of mixed tooling materials and adapts to curing deformation through specific mechanical structure design, and the tooling structure meets the transportation requirements of automatic transfer vehicles. This structure is easy to transport and is suitable for medium-temperature bonding and curing molding of large aspect ratio composite components. This technology is applied to the bonding of helicopter composite horizontal tail frames and vertical tail frames, which promotes the upgrading of process technology, reduces manufacturing costs, improves production efficiency, and reduces quality problems.

[0051] The above specific implementation methods or cases are only used to explain the technical solutions of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any parts not described in detail are regarded as conventional technical means in the art. A person of ordinary skill in the art should understand that based on the design concept of the present application, the technical solutions described in the aforementioned implementation methods should be adaptively modified, or some or all of the technical features therein should be replaced by equivalents. These modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A bonding tool for composite components with large slenderness ratio that can adapt to curing deformation, characterized in that: A modular design structure is adopted. The bottom frame is used as a main module to provide an installation platform. The upper module is designed on the installation platform. The upper module includes a slide and a positioner and a pallet that are in direct contact with the product. The positioner and the pallet fix the product and place it on the slide.

2. The bonding tool for composite components with large slenderness ratio that can adapt to curing deformation according to claim 1, characterized in that: The main module includes a mounting platform and three legs. The mounting platform is welded with square steel tube profiles and steel plates. The upper surface is machined with accurate planes, threaded holes and pin holes for installing slides and fixed supports. The lower surface is machined in the leg mounting area to facilitate accurate installation of the legs.

3. The bonding tool for composite components with large slenderness ratio that can adapt to curing deformation according to claim 2, characterized in that: The legs are welded from square steel tube profiles and steel plates, and fixed metal legs are installed. The height of the legs can be adjusted so that the tooling is in a horizontal state.

4. The bonding tool for composite components with large slenderness ratio and adaptable to curing deformation according to claim 1, characterized in that: All tooling parts of the upper module are made of Invar steel, including a sliding frame, an upper pallet assembly, a lower pallet assembly and a bidirectional slide rail; the sliding frame is made of Invar steel plates welded and then machined to provide a reference surface and a reference hole; the slide rail is installed under the sliding frame, wherein the length direction slide rail is installed at the front beam position, and the slide rail is installed in both the length and width directions at the rear beam position, the installation height of the length direction slide rail is the same as that of the front beam, and the width direction slide rail is installed below it.

5. The bonding tool for composite components with large slenderness ratio and adaptable to curing deformation according to claim 4, characterized in that: The upper and lower pallets are designed according to the various positions of the products. The upper pallet provides the shape pressing function and is installed on the lower pallet with a pin at one end and a latch at the other end. The lower pallet also provides shape positioning and locator installation functions and is fixed on the sliding frame with an angle seat.

6. The bonding tool for composite components with large slenderness ratio and adaptable to curing deformation according to claim 4, characterized in that: The lower clamping plate assembly comprises a lower clamping plate and a beam positioner and a rib positioner installed on the lower clamping plate, and is used to provide an accurate positioning position of the part to be formed.

7. The bonding tool for composite components with large slenderness ratio and adaptable to curing deformation according to claim 4, characterized in that: The upper clamping plate assembly includes an upper clamping plate and a handle, which are used to determine the upper surface shape of the part to be formed.

8. The bonding tool for composite components with large slenderness ratio and adaptable to curing deformation according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mounting platform also includes a fixed support, which fixedly connects the midpoint of the upper sliding frame with the midpoint of the bottom frame to ensure that no slippage occurs during the tooling transportation process.

9. The method for using the bonding tool for composite components with large slenderness ratio that can adapt to curing deformation according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: The first step is to check the status of the bonding tooling, count the parts of the bonding tooling, and confirm that it meets the use requirements; The second step is to open the upper pallet assembly of the bonding tool in sequence, put the front beam, rear beam and rib box parts of the product on the lower pallet assembly, and use the positioning parts to pre-position them; Step 3: Disassemble product parts as needed, install the film, complete the positioning again, and lock the parts with the included positioning bolts; Step 4: Close the pallet assemblies on the tooling in sequence to complete the clamping of all product parts on the tooling; Step 5: The automatic transfer vehicle tows the horizontal tail frame gluing fixture into the curing furnace, and the automatic transfer vehicle tows the vertical tail frame gluing fixture into the curing furnace, closes the curing furnace, and performs the heating, insulation, and cooling procedures; Step 6: Use an automatic transfer vehicle to transfer the horizontal tail frame gluing fixture and the vertical tail frame gluing fixture out of the curing furnace respectively; Step 7. Open the upper pallet assembly, remove all positioning bolts, remove some positioners as needed, and remove the glued products from the shelf. Step 8. Clean the tooling and restore it to its original state.

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