Automated Gap Filler Fabrication for Composite Joints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manufacturing gap fillers in composite materials are inefficient and prone to human error, leading to suboptimal bond strength at joints with tight inner corner radii, necessitating the development of a more precise and cost-effective automated process.
Innovation Solution
An automated system that dynamically trims and compacts webs of curable constituent material to create gap fillers with varying widths and geometries, using cutter blades and rollers to match the desired geometry of the gap filler, allowing for precise fabrication and increased production speed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If automated trimming and compaction is implemented, then manufacturing precision and productivity improve, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gap filler manufacturing process is segmented into distinct operational zones: trimming stations with cutter blades for width adjustment, compaction rollers for density control, and guidance systems for positioning. Each segment handles a specific function, allowing precise control of gap filler geometry while maintaining modular system architecture that manages complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Manual operations are replaced with automated mechanical systems including programmable cutter blades for trimming webs of constituent material to varying widths, and automated compaction rollers for compacting layers. This substitution enables consistent precision while reducing human error, with control systems managing the complexity through standardized interfaces.
2Manufacturing precision
If dynamic width adjustment is implemented during web trimming, then gap filler geometry precision improves, but manufacturing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The trimming operation maintains continuous motion of the web through the cutter blades, with dynamic width adjustment achieved by varying the cutter blade positioning or engagement points along the web length rather than stopping and restarting. This continuous action preserves production speed while achieving precise width variations required for complex gap filler geometries.
Solution Approach 2:
The trimming system incorporates dynamic adjustment capabilities where cutter blade positions, angles, or engagement depths can be varied continuously along the length of the web to create non-uniform width profiles. This dynamic control allows single-pass trimming of complex geometries without sacrificing production throughput.
3Strength
If multiple layers are compacted together, then gap filler strength improves, but process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple trimmed layers of constituent material are merged together through compaction rollers that apply controlled pressure to bond the layers into a single integrated gap filler structure. This merging process enhances structural strength and stiffness while the automated layer feeding and alignment systems manage the complexity of multi-layer handling through synchronized control.
Solution Approach 2:
The gap filler is constructed as a composite structure with multiple layers of constituent material (such as fiber-reinforced polymers) compacted together. Each layer can have optimized fiber orientation or material properties, and the compaction process creates strong interlaminar bonding, resulting in a composite structure with superior mechanical properties for enhancing joint bond strength.
4Device complexity
If manual gap filler fabrication is used, then device complexity is low, but manufacturing precision and productivity decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The automated fabrication system is designed to be self-regulating with feedback control mechanisms that monitor web width, layer alignment, and compaction density in real-time. The system automatically adjusts cutter positions, feeding rates, and roller pressures to maintain optimal manufacturing parameters, enabling high-speed production with consistent precision while the standardized automation components keep overall system complexity manageable.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are provided for fabricating gap fillers for composite parts. One exemplary system includes a controller that acquires a geometry for a gap filler that will occupy a volume at a joint between laminates of curable constituent material, subdivides the geometry of the gap filler into layers, and for each layer: identifies variations in width of the layer along a length of the gap filler, and generates instructions for trimming a web of curable constituent material to match the variations in width of the layer. The system also includes rollers that dispense webs of the curable constituent material, trimmers that trim the webs of the curable constituent material based on the instructions, and compaction rollers that compact the trimmed webs together to fabricate the gap filler.