Patent ID: 11931975
Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANY
Field: Other special machines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 14:
15. A method of utilizing the forming system of claim 1 to tension the elongate charge of composite material across the elongate forming surface of the elongate forming tool, the method comprising:
positioning the elongate charge of composite material on the elongate forming surface;
attaching an attached region of the elongate charge of composite material to the elongate forming surface;
applying the applied vacuum to generate the pressure differential across the porous elongate vacuum region of the elongate end effector;
retaining a retained region of the elongate charge of composite material on the porous elongate vacuum region via the pressure differential;
during the retaining, moving the elongate end effector away from the attached region of the elongate charge of composite material to tension the elongate charge of composite material across the elongate forming surface; and
during the moving and with the elongate end effector, resisting the sliding motion between the elongate charge of composite material and the elongate end effector when a shear force between the elongate charge of composite material and the elongate end effector is less than a threshold shear force magnitude and permitting the sliding motion between the elongate charge of composite material and the elongate end effector when the shear force is greater than the threshold shear force magnitude.