Composite Stiffened Panel Embedded Joint Manufacturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current composite material assembly techniques, such as bolted, adhesive, and welded joints, face challenges including stress concentration, anisotropic strength, and high manufacturing costs due to sequential and difficult-to-automate operations, leading to slow and costly manufacturing processes.
Innovation Solution
A method where mechanical joints are embedded within the stiffeners during the manufacturing process, integrating the joining operation into the production of stiffened panels, allowing for a single-component assembly of the skin and stiffeners, reducing stress concentration and operational steps.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If bolted joints are used to assemble composite materials, then assembly flexibility and low cost are achieved, but stress concentration and failure risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the skin and stiffeners into a single integrated component manufactured as one piece, eliminating the need for separate bolted joints. This integration removes the stress concentration points created by drill holes while maintaining assembly flexibility, as the integrated structure is designed to be installed as a complete unit rather than assembled from separate parts.
2Weight of moving object
If adhesive joints are used to assemble composite materials, then weight is reduced and stress concentration is decreased, but disassembly capability is lost and surface preparation becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the skin and stiffeners into a single component, eliminating the need for adhesive joints. This integration maintains the weight benefits of adhesive joints while providing superior disassembly capability, as the integrated structure can be removed and reinstalled as a complete unit without requiring adhesive bonding.
3Reliability
If welded joints are used to assemble composite materials, then stress concentration is solved and surface preparation is simplified, but automation difficulty and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the skin and stiffeners into a single integrated component, eliminating the need for welded joints. This integration solves the stress concentration issues of welded joints while maintaining ease of automation, as the integrated structure can be manufactured using standard composite material processing techniques that are well-suited for automated production.
4Adaptability or versatility
If multiple sequential joining operations are used, then assembly flexibility is maintained, but manufacturing time and system cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple joining operations into a single integrated manufacturing process. The skin and stiffeners are manufactured as one piece, eliminating the need for separate bolted, adhesive, or welded operations. This integration significantly reduces manufacturing time while maintaining assembly flexibility, as the integrated structure can be installed as a complete unit rather than assembled through multiple sequential operations.
Data Source
AI summary
Method for manufacturing a stiffened panel of composite materials and a stiffened panel, comprising:a skin (1), andstiffeners (3, 4),wherein the manufacturing method comprises the following steps:providing a skin (1),making a plurality of through drill holes (6) on the skin (1) located in correspondence with areas where the placement of stiffeners (3, 4) is expected,introducing threaded bolts (5) in the through drill holes (6) such that the head (11) of the threaded bolt (5) remains housed in the skin (1),locating a threaded nut (10) on the free end of the threaded bolts (5),manufacturing the stiffeners (3, 4) such that the threaded bolts (5) and the threaded nut (10) remain embedded in the stiffeners (3, 4).