Composite Barrel Perforation Layout to Avoid Honeycomb Cell Walls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for forming perforations in acoustic structures like engine inlet barrel sections often result in blocked or missing perforations, leading to reduced noise attenuation effectiveness, increased production time, and costs.
Innovation Solution
A drilling system comprising robotic drilling units that operate in synchronized movement to drill perforations in a composite sandwich structure's inner face sheet, ensuring a predetermined percent-open-area and minimizing defects, which are formed after the final cure of the structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional methods are used to form perforations in the inner wall of the barrel section, then the inner wall can be formed as a separate component with perforations, but some perforations may become blocked during assembly or subsequent operations, reducing the percent-open-area and acoustic effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The invention forms perforations through the entire inner wall thickness during the molding process itself, before assembly operations occur. This preliminary action ensures perforations are created at the correct locations with proper geometry, eliminating the risk of blockage during subsequent assembly or handling operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention combines the perforation formation operation with the inner wall molding operation into a single integrated process. The perforations are formed as part of the molding cycle, merging two separate operations (molding and perforation creation) into one, which eliminates the need for separate perforation formation steps that could cause blockage.
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional methods are used to form perforations in acoustic structures, then the process can be completed in multiple steps, but this results in increased production time and costs
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the perforation formation operation with the inner wall molding operation into a single integrated process. Both operations are completed during the same molding cycle, eliminating the need for separate perforation formation steps and significantly reducing production time.
Solution Approach 2:
The molding process continues uninterrupted to form both the inner wall structure and the perforations in a single continuous operation. The useful action of material formation is maintained throughout the entire cycle without stopping for separate perforation creation, maximizing productivity.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional methods are used to form perforations, then the inner wall can be formed separately, but this may result in missing perforations and reduced percent-open-area, decreasing noise attenuation effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The perforations are formed during the molding process itself, before any assembly or handling operations that could cause damage. This preliminary action ensures perforations are created with precise geometry and location, eliminating the risk of missing or damaged perforations during subsequent operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention combines perforation formation with inner wall molding into a single integrated process, ensuring that perforations are created with the same precision and control as the wall formation itself. This merging eliminates variability introduced by separate operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A drilling system includes a single robotic drilling unit having a drill end effector positioned inside a barrel section configured as a composite sandwich structure having an inner face sheet. The robotic drilling unit is operable to drill a plurality of perforations into the inner face sheet using the drill end effector. The robotic drilling unit is configured to index a hole pattern of the perforations to one or more cell walls of a honeycomb core of the composite sandwich structure. The robotic drilling unit is configured to form the hole pattern in the inner face sheet such that the perforations are located at a spaced distance from the cell walls of the honeycomb core.