Segmented Pressing Device for Thermoplastic Composite Shaping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current manufacturing methods for large aeronautical parts, such as airplane longerons, face challenges in shaping thermoplastic composite materials due to limited equipment dimensions, high temperature requirements, and complex alignment and pressure issues, leading to low throughput and high costs for producing parts with variable sections and complex shapes.
Innovation Solution
A device for shaping thermoplastic parts with reinforcing fibers, featuring a support member, heating and inclination mechanisms, and a displacement system that allows for local treatment and progressive deformation, enabling the formation of complex shapes with variable sections without the need for oversized equipment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If thermoplastic composite parts are heated to very high temperatures (up to 410°C) to consolidate the composite part, then the manufacturing cycle is shorter, but the equipment complexity and pressure control difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pressing device is divided into multiple independent pressing means distributed along the longitudinal axis of the blank, each capable of independent pressure application. This segmentation allows localized pressure control without requiring complex global pressure management, resolving the contradiction between high-temperature consolidation and pressure control complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The pressing device employs movable pressing means that can be dynamically positioned and adjusted along the longitudinal axis. This dynamic capability enables adaptive pressure application to match the varying consolidation requirements along the blank length, simplifying the overall pressure control system while maintaining effective consolidation at high temperatures.
2Manufacturing precision
If two moulds are positioned opposite each other with perfect alignment to limit deformation risks, then the part shape accuracy is improved, but the device complexity and alignment difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The moulding system is segmented into multiple pressing means positioned at different locations along the blank, each independently controllable. This eliminates the need for perfect alignment of two large opposing moulds, as each pressing means can be independently positioned and adjusted, reducing alignment complexity while maintaining shape accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of applying pressure uniformly across the entire blank length with two large moulds, the invention applies partial pressure through multiple smaller pressing means at specific locations. This partial action approach reduces the alignment requirements while still achieving the necessary shape control and minimizing deformation risks.
3Manufacturing precision
If an autoclave is used to mould thermosetting composite parts, then the desired shape is achieved, but the equipment dimensions are limited and cannot accommodate large parts
Solution Approach 1:
The monolithic autoclave is replaced by multiple distributed pressing means that can accommodate blanks of any length. Each pressing means handles a local section, allowing the system to process large-scale parts that exceed traditional autoclave dimensions while maintaining shape control through localized pressure application.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a single large three-dimensional autoclave chamber to a linear arrangement of multiple pressing means along the longitudinal axis. This dimensional reconfiguration allows the equipment to scale with part length without requiring a proportionally larger enclosed chamber, enabling manufacturing of very large parts.
4Force
If hydraulic cylinders are used to apply high pressure to moulds, then the consolidation pressure is sufficient, but the pressure uniformity across the entire mould length is difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
A single hydraulic cylinder is replaced by multiple independent pressing means, each with its own pressure control capability. This segmentation allows independent pressure adjustment at different locations along the blank, achieving uniform pressure distribution that a single hydraulic system cannot provide across the entire length.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the pressure control parameter from a single global pressure value to multiple localized pressure values that can be independently adjusted. This parameter differentiation enables precise pressure uniformity across the entire blank length by allowing compensation for local variations in material density and consolidation requirements.
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
This solution enables the rapid and efficient manufacture of large, complex thermoplastic structural parts with high industrial throughput, preserving mechanical properties and avoiding weaknesses, by allowing precise control over heating, inclination, and cooling processes.
Implementation Method 1
at least one heating member configured to heat a longitudinal portion of the blank to a temperature making it possible to render the thermoplastic matrix of the blank malleable
Implementation Method 2
a system for displacing from upstream to downstream along the longitudinal axis the heating member and the inclination member relatively to the support member so as to modify successively the inclination of a part of each longitudinal portion of the blank
Data Source
AI summary
A device for shaping a blank for forming a thermoplastic structural part, the blank comprising reinforcing fibres embedded in a thermoplastic matrix, said shaping device comprising a support member for supporting a blank along a longitudinal axis, at least one heating member, at least one inclination member configured to modify the inclination of at least one part of the longitudinal portion of the blank at an angle of inclination that can be parameterised with respect to the horizontal plane in a plane transverse to the longitudinal axis, and a movement system from upstream to downstream along the longitudinal axis of the heating member and of the inclination member relative to the support member so as to successively modify the inclination of a part of each longitudinal portion of the blank.