Interlocking Vacuum Bag Sealing for Composite Parts
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The construction of vacuum bags for sealing composite parts is time-consuming, expensive, and unreliable, requiring skilled personnel and airtight seals to maintain vacuum pressure, which limits the types of fastening and materials that can be used.
Innovation Solution
A vacuum bag sealing system that includes a composite bagging sheet with interlocking strips, allowing sections to be joined to form a sealed vacuum bag, facilitating airtight sealing around composite parts without the need for complex fastening, using materials suitable for high temperatures and reusable for various applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional vacuum bag sealing methods are used, then airtight seals can be achieved, but the construction process is time-consuming and requires skilled personnel
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum bag is divided into multiple modular sections that can be independently assembled. Each section includes pre-formed sealing edges with interlocking features, allowing rapid assembly without requiring skilled personnel to create complex seals from scratch. The segmentation enables standardized components to be quickly connected while maintaining airtight integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
Sealing edges and interlocking features are pre-formed and integrated into the vacuum bag sections during manufacturing. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for time-consuming field assembly and skilled manual sealing operations, allowing workers to simply connect pre-configured modules to achieve reliable airtight seals quickly.
2Reliability
If complex fastening methods are used to ensure airtight seals, then vacuum pressure can be maintained, but the types of fastening and vacuum bag materials are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The interlocking sealing mechanism is designed with universal features that can accommodate various fastening types (mechanical fasteners, adhesives, heat-welded joints) and different vacuum bag materials. The standardized interface allows the same sealing structure to work with diverse materials and fastening methods, greatly increasing adaptability while maintaining vacuum integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The interlocking sealing edge acts as an intermediary component between different fastening systems and vacuum bag materials. This standardized interface layer enables compatibility between various fastening types and material compositions without requiring complex custom-designed connections, thus expanding the range of acceptable fastening methods and materials.
3Reliability
If skilled personnel are assigned to construct vacuum bags, then reliable airtight seals can be achieved, but the process becomes expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum bag sections with integrated interlocking seals are designed as disposable or single-use components that are pre-manufactured at low cost. Rather than requiring expensive skilled labor to assemble and reuse complex sealing systems, the invention uses inexpensive pre-formed sections that maintain reliability through standardized design while reducing labor costs and overall manufacturing expense.
4Ease of manufacture
If traditional sealing methods are used, then vacuum bags can be constructed, but the process is expensive and unreliable without skilled personnel
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the fundamental parameters of vacuum bag construction from manual skilled labor to modular assembly of pre-formed sections. By transforming the sealing edge geometry to include integrated interlocking features and standardizing connection parameters, the system achieves high seal reliability through design rather than skill, making the construction process easier and more consistent while maintaining dependable airtight seals.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system simplifies the vacuum bag sealing process, reducing construction time and costs, enabling reliable airtight seals with ease, and allowing for the use of a variety of materials and fastening types, while maintaining the integrity of the vacuum for composite part curing.
Implementation Method 1
at least one interlocking strip connected to a surface of the composite bagging sheet, wherein the interlocking strip is configured to join a first section of the composite bagging sheet to a second section of the composite bagging sheet to form a sealed vacuum bag
Implementation Method 2
To cure the part, a vacuum is drawn from between the vacuum bag and the base plate
Data Source
AI summary
A method for vacuum bag sealing a composite part including: using a composite bagging sheet including a first sealing surface and a first interlocking strip coupled to the first sealing surface of the composite bagging sheet; joining the first interlocking strip with a second interlocking strip coupled to a second sealing surface; and forming a sealed vacuum bag around an uncured composite part positioned between the first sealing surface and the second sealing surface.