Inverted Double Dome Vacuum Debulk Tool for Composite Repair
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current double vacuum debulking tools for composite material repairs are heavy, making them costly and difficult to transport, and require extensive preparation and multiple process steps, which are time-consuming and labor-intensive.
Innovation Solution
The design of an inverted double dome double vacuum debulk tool with separable, lightweight chamber portions and a removable base plate, allowing for easier transport and assembly, which reduces weight and complexity in the repair process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If traditional box-shaped or convex dome vacuum chambers are used, then the tool provides sufficient structural strength and vacuum sealing, but the tool becomes heavy and difficult to transport
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies spherical dome geometry for the vacuum chamber ends instead of traditional box-shaped or flat designs. The spherical shape distributes stress more evenly across the chamber structure, allowing for lighter wall thickness while maintaining vacuum integrity and structural strength during operation and transport.
Solution Approach 2:
The vacuum chamber is divided into multiple separable components including upper and lower domes, sidewalls, and end plates that can be assembled and disassembled. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for strength-to-weight ratio and enables easier transport by separating heavy components when not in use.
2Reliability
If extensive preparation and multiple process steps are used for composite repairs, then the repair quality and defect reduction are improved, but the repair time and labor intensity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple repair operations into a single integrated vacuum chamber setup. The composite patch, breather material, and vacuum sealing are all prepared and assembled together before being placed in the chamber, allowing debulking and consolidation to occur simultaneously in one continuous process rather than as separate sequential steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The repair patch and surrounding materials are pre-assembled on the composite structure before applying the vacuum chamber. This preliminary preparation ensures proper positioning and alignment, eliminating the need for extensive adjustments and rework during the actual vacuum debulking process.
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 tool is lighter, easier to transport, and reduces repair time and defects, offering safer handling and operational advantages by minimizing porosity in composite repair plies and simplifying the repair process.
Implementation Method 1
a process in which a stack of repair plies is subjected to vacuum and mild heating without being compacted by atmospheric pressure. The purpose of the double vacuum debulk process is to minimize porosity in the repair plies by drawing air and other gases from between the plies
Implementation Method 2
a process in which a stack of repair plies is subjected to vacuum and mild heating
Data Source
AI summary
An inverted double dome double vacuum debulk tool having separable upper and lower chamber portions which can be assembled to form a vacuum chamber. In accordance with some embodiments, the top and bottom halves each comprise a circular cylindrical sidewall closed at one end by an inverted dome. The domes may be hemispherical or semi-elliptical with convex sides facing the chamber interior space. A base plate on which the composite patch rests is removable from the vacuum chamber. Various fittings pass electrical power and vacuum into the tool and sensor outputs out of the tool.