3D Printed Aircraft Core for Complex Shapes and Moisture Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft core layers made from Nomex® material are difficult to machine into non-rectangular configurations and lack moisture resistance, limiting their suitability for complex aircraft structures.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing 3D printing techniques to fabricate a moisture-resistant core from materials like ULTEM, PETG, or PEEK, allowing for complex shapes and integration with skin layers through parallel bond lines, with optional splice clips for larger structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If Nomex material is used for core layers, then cost is reduced, but manufacturing complexity increases due to difficulty in machining non-rectangular configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical machining processes with 3D printing technology. Instead of machining Nomex material into complex shapes using conventional tools, the invention uses additive manufacturing to directly create non-rectangular core geometries, eliminating the need for complex machining operations while maintaining cost-effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the manufacturing parameters by transitioning from subtractive manufacturing (machining) to additive manufacturing (3D printing). This parameter change enables the creation of complex non-rectangular shapes that were previously difficult or expensive to produce, while maintaining the cost advantage of using materials like Nomex.
2Ease of manufacture
If Nomex material is used for core layers, then cost is reduced, but moisture resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite material construction by combining Nomex core material with moisture-resistant skin layers. The sandwich panel structure integrates the cost-effective Nomex core with protective outer layers that provide moisture resistance, creating a composite system that achieves both cost-effectiveness and environmental durability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces skin layers as intermediary protective elements between the Nomex core and the moisture-containing environment. These skin layers act as a barrier that protects the Nomex core from moisture exposure, allowing the use of cost-effective Nomex material while achieving the required moisture resistance through the protective outer layers.
3Device complexity
If traditional core materials are used, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but structural support for complex geometries is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical manufacturing methods with 3D printing technology, enabling the production of complex structural geometries that provide enhanced support. The additive manufacturing process can create intricate internal structures and optimized shapes that traditional machining cannot achieve, while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through digital model-based production.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent leverages the three-dimensional capabilities of 3D printing to create complex geometries with internal structures that provide enhanced structural support. By utilizing the third dimension for creating layered, optimized internal architectures, the patent achieves superior structural performance while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through the direct translation of digital designs into physical structures.
Data Source
AI summary
A 3D printed core is provided for a sandwich panel component. The 3D core includes a mesh structure with interconnected segments having vertical facets with bonding surfaces for adhering to aircraft skin layers. A height of the vertical facets may be varied for varying a thickness of the mesh structure. The bonding surfaces of each vertical facet may include a channel for forming parallel bond lines opposite the channel.