Source: http://www.freshpatents.com/-dt20120329ptan20120073745.php
Timestamp: 2015-10-10 03:47:12
Document Index: 389962120

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 112', 'art 112', 'art 112', 'art 112', 'art 112', 'art 112', 'art 112', 'art 112', 'art 112', 'art 112', 'art 112', 'art 112', 'art 112', 'art 112', 'art 112', 'art 112', 'art 112', 'art 112']

Low Volume Autoclave Having Configurable Shape (Boeing) FreshPatents Stats 5 views for this patent on FreshPatents.com2013: 1 views2012: 4 viewsUpdated: July 08 2015 TOP 200 Companiesfiling patents this week
Low volume autoclave having configurable shape Title: Low volume autoclave having configurable shape.Abstract: An autoclave may be reconfigured to accommodate differently shaped parts by relatively rotating portions of the autoclave. ...
Browse recent The Boeing Company patentsUSPTO Applicaton #: #20120073745 - Class: $ApplicationNatlClass (USPTO) - Inventors: Sergey Barmichev, Kevin Matthew Retz
The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20120073745, Low volume autoclave having configurable shape.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/761,744 filed Jun. 12, 2007, the entire disclosures of which is incorporated by reference herein.
The present disclosure generally relates to autoclaves, and deals more particularly with a low volume autoclave having a configurable shape adapted to process differently shaped parts.
Autoclaves are commonly used in a variety of industries to apply heat and pressure to parts or other objects. For example, in the aircraft industry, an autoclave may be used to cure fiber reinforced composite parts. Autoclaves are typically cylindrically shaped, insulated steal tanks that are sized to accommodate the largest part that is expected to be processed. As the size of the autoclave increases, particularly in diameter, the cost of manufacturing the autoclave may increase substantially, thus creating a practical limitation on the manufactured size of the autoclaves. In some applications, the autoclave may be larger than is required to process a particular part or group of parts, resulting in unused internal space in the autoclave. This unused space may add to operating costs since more-than-required time and energy are required to heat up and pressurize the autoclave, compared to that for an autoclave that is “right-sized” for the part.
Accordingly, there is a need for an autoclave having a size and shape that can be tailored to substantially match that of the part to be processed, thereby minimizing the containment volume in order to reduce capital and/or operating costs while increasing processing efficiency. There is also a need for a low volume autoclave that can be configured to match elongated parts of arbitrary shapes with portions particularly adapted to suit the particular part.
The disclosed embodiments comprise a low volume autoclave having a configurable shape, and a related method of autoclaving parts. The disclosed autoclave allows curing of any arbitrary shape part or a family of irregularly shaped parts by configuring the shape of the autoclave to that of the part.
The amount of energy required to cure a given part is minimized by tailoring the autoclave to the size of the part, thereby allowing as small of a containment in the autoclave as possible. The apparatus also provides a method of manufacturing the autoclave using a minimum amount of material, thereby reducing the weight and/or cost of the autoclave.
In one embodiment, an autoclave includes an elongated pressure vessel that is sealed on both ends and has a circumferential joint between a first portion and a second portion. The autoclave further includes the portions defining an interior configured for accepting an elongated part, the joint being configured to create an angle between the portions and further creating an opening with a seal, the opening facilitating an insertion of the part into the interior, and the seal enabling pressurization of the interior.
In another embodiment, a low volume autoclave includes a pressure vessel having a joint between a first portion and a second portion, the first portion and the second portion each defining a portion of an internal cavity for accepting a part, the joint creating an angle between longitudinal axes of the first portion and the second portion, the joint having a seal to facilitate increased pressure and heat within the pressure vessel in a closed position. In addition, the autoclave may include a transport system for movably opening and closing the pressure vessel by separating the first portion from the second portion at the joint, the transport system configured to insert and remove the part from the cavity.
According to another disclosed embodiment, an autoclave is provided for processing differently shaped, elongate parts. The autoclave comprises first and second autoclave portions axially rotatable relative to each other, and a locking mechanism for locking the first and second portions together in any of a plurality of axial rotational positions. At least one of the first and second portions include first and second cylindrical bases and a curved central axis extending between the centers of the basis, wherein the first base has a diameter larger than that of the second base. The center of the first base may be laterally offset from the center of the second base along a line extending through the center of and substantially perpendicular to the first base. The first and second bases may respectively lie in first and second, differing planes.
According to still another embodiment, an autoclave is provided having a configurable internal volume for processing any of a plurality of differently shaped parts. The autoclave comprises a plurality of autoclave portions respectively having differing internal volume shapes, and a joint between at least certain ones of the autoclave portions allowing the adjacent portions to rotate relative to each other. The joint includes a locking mechanism for locking the first and second portions together in any of a plurality of axial rotational positions. The autoclave may further comprise a brace coupled between certain of the autoclave portions for securing the autoclave portions against movement relative to each other when the autoclave is pressurized.
According to a further embodiment, a method is provided of autoclaving differently shaped parts comprising configuring the shape of the autoclave to accommodate the parts by rotating differently shaped portions of the autoclave relative to each other. The method may further comprise opening the autoclave to receive a part by separating at least certain of the autoclave portions, placing the part into the open autoclave, closing the autoclave by joining the separated autoclave portions, and locking one or more of the portions into a desired rotational relationship.
FIG. 1A is an illustration of a partial cross sectional view of an object inside a low volume autoclave having a configurable shape in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.
FIG. 1B is an illustration of a partial cross sectional view of the shape low volume autoclave in comparison to the cross sectional view of an existing autoclave.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are illustrations of isometric and elevational views of a low volume autoclave in accordance with another embodiment of the disclosure, specifically, FIG. 2A is a top view of an autoclave configured for curing an aircraft wing with a large sweep angle and FIG. 2B is a front view of the autoclave in FIG. 2A.
FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrations of isometric and elevational views of the low volume autoclave in a second position, specifically, FIG. 3A is a top view of an autoclave configured for curing an aircraft wing with a small sweep angle and FIG. 3B is a side view of the autoclave in FIG. 3A.
FIG. 4 is an illustration of a side elevation view of a shape low volume autoclave, including carts, tools and tracks for positioning a part within the autoclave, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.
FIG. 5 is an illustration of an exploded isometric view of an exemplary locking mechanism for a shape low volume autoclave in accordance with another embodiment of the disclosure.
FIG. 6 is an illustration of an isometric view of an exemplary cylindrical insert for a low volume autoclave in accordance with another embodiment of the disclosure.
FIG. 7 is an illustration of a perspective view of a low volume autoclave having a configurable shape in relation to a tooling envelope indicated in broken lines.
FIG. 8 is an illustration of a perspective view of one of the joints between portions of the autoclave shown in FIG. 7.
FIG. 9 is an illustration of the autoclave shown in FIG. 7 following reconfiguration of the portions to accommodate a differently shaped tooling envelope.
FIGS. 10-15 are illustrations of isometric views of different shapes of the configurable portions of the low volume autoclave.
FIG. 16 is an illustration of a typical portion of the low volume autoclave.
FIG. 17 is a graphical plot of the radius of the autoclave portion shown in FIG. 16, measured along the central axis between opposite bases of the portion.
FIG. 18 is an illustration of a perspective view of another embodiment of a low volume configurable autoclave in relation to a tooling envelope suitable for processing an aircraft part.
FIG. 19 is an illustration of an isometric view of a low volume configurable autoclave and related tooling envelope suitable for processing aircraft wings.
FIG. 20 is an illustration of an isometric view of another embodiment of the low volume configurable autoclave and related tooling envelope suitable for processing another shape of an aircraft wing.
FIG. 21 an illustration of an isometric view of the autoclave portion of FIG. 16, showing how the autoclave portion may be fabricated.
FIG. 22 is an illustration of a flow diagram of a method of autoclaving differently shaped parts using a low volume, configurable autoclave.
FIG. 23 is an illustration of a flow diagram of aircraft production and service methodology.
FIG. 24 is an illustration of a block diagram of an aircraft.
Apparatus and techniques for providing a low volume autoclave having a configurable shape are described herein. Many specific details of certain embodiments of the disclosure are set forth in the following description and in FIGS. 1 through 10 to provide a thorough understanding of such embodiments. One skilled in the art, however, will understand that the present disclosure may have additional embodiments, or that the present disclosure may be practiced without several of the details described in the following description. In the present discussion, it is understood that the term “fiber-reinforced composite material” or “reinforced composite material” includes various non-homogeneous polymer-based and non-polymeric based materials, commonly referred to as “reinforced composites”, “carbon-fiber composites”, or still other terms known in the art.
FIG. 1A is a partial cross sectional view of an object inside a low volume autoclave having a configurable shape in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. In environment 100, a low volume autoclave having a configurable shape 102 includes a first portion 104 offset from an angled second portion 106. A joining portion 108 may be included between the first portion 104 and the second portion 106. Further, the joining portion 108 may include a joint 110 that allows the low volume autoclave 102 to open, thus exposing the interior of the autoclave 102.
The environment 100 also includes a part 112 that may be relatively large (e.g., an aircraft wing). In some embodiments, the part 112 may include complex geometries. For example, the part 112 may be a single piece aircraft wing with a sweep and/or dihedral angle α. The part 112 may have a width W and a length L. For example, an aircraft wing may have the width W of approximately 200 feet and the length L of approximately 80 feet. In some aspects, the part 112 may be formed of a fiber-reinforced composite material that requires a curing process performed within the autoclave 102. Therefore, the part 112 may be placed inside of the low volume autoclave 102.
An existing (or prior art) autoclave 114 (represented by dashed lines) formed in a substantially cylindrical shape is represented around the low volume autoclave 102 for comparison purposes. It will be appreciated that the volume of the prior art autoclave 114 is much greater than the volume of the low volume autoclave 102.
FIG. 1B is a partial cross sectional view of the low volume autoclave 102 in comparison to the cross sectional view of the existing autoclave 114. The existing autoclave 114 has a radius R1 while the low volume autoclave 102 has a radius R2. As shown in FIG. 1B, the cross-sectional area of the low volume autoclave 102 is significantly less than the cross-sectional area of the existing autoclave 114 by a degree of squares, as derived from Equation 1 below. For example, in a particular embodiment, if the existing autoclave has a diameter of 80 feet (R1≈40 ft) to accommodate the part 112, the low volume autoclave 102 may have a diameter of about 40 feet (R2≈20 ft) because the angled second portion 106 in connection to the first portion 104 permits a reduced volume to enclose the part 112. As deduced from Equation 1, both the surface area and volume of the low volume autoclave 102 is about a fourth of the surface area and volume, respectively, of the existing autoclave 114.
Vol=π·R2·h Eq. 1
As the sweep and/or dihedral angle α of the non-linear part 112 increases, the radius R1 of an existing autoclave 114 increases with respect to the radius R2. In turn, the volume derived from R1 increases in proportion to the radius (or diameter) squared. Therefore, the low volume autoclave 102 creates a substantially greater savings in internal volume (minimizes excess/unused internal volume) as compared to the existing autoclave 114 which would be necessary to contain the part 112.
As discussed above, the existing autoclave 114 with an internal volume large enough to contain the part 112 may be very expensive to build, if not prohibitively difficult due to structural constraints and large amounts of materials that may be required to erect the autoclave. Further, the volume of an autoclave relates to the per cycle cost to operate the autoclave for curing the part 112 or other operations. Thus, it is advantageous to reduce the volume of the autoclave from at least a capital investment and a per cycle operation cost perspective.
In an exemplary process, the low volume autoclave 102 is opened at the joint 110 between the first portion 104 and the second portion 106. The first and second portions 104, 106 are separated to expose an interior configured for accepting an elongated part. The joint 110 may be configured to create the angle α between the portions and further create an opening with a seal. In some instances, the joining portion 108 may be replaced or reconfigured to create a different angle α between the first and second portions 104, 106. The opening may facilitate an insertion of the part 112 into the interior. The part 112 may be loaded into at least the first portion 104. The low volume autoclave 102 may then be closed by moving the first and second portions toward each other into a mating position where the seal may enable pressurization of the interior. In some instances, the closing process may include inserting the part 112 into the second portion 106.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are isometric views of a low volume autoclave in accordance with another embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 2A is a top view of an autoclave configured for curing an aircraft wing with a sweep angle β, and FIG. 2B is a front view of the autoclave in FIG. 2A. FIG. 2A illustrates an approximately conical (or bi-conical) autoclave 202 having a low volume. The conical autoclave 202 includes a first conical portion 204 and a second conical portion 206. A joining portion 208 is situated between the first and second conical portion 204, 206. The joining portion may further include a joint 210 that allows the conical autoclave 202 to open, thus exposing the interior of the autoclave.
The volume of the conical autoclave 202 can be approximately determined by Equation 2 for a frustum, or partial cone, having a large radius R and a smaller radius r. For some parts, such as the part 112, a frustum volume may completely enclose the part and reduce excess volume, while maintaining enough internal volume around the part to properly cure it during a curing process. For example, a specified airflow is typically desired around the part 112 situated within the conical autoclave to maintain consistent temperatures across the part during the curing process. Both intuitively, and through example calculations comparing Equation 1 and Equation 2, when r<R, the volume of the frustum portions shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b are less than the volume of a cylinder, as used in the previously-described autoclave 102 (FIGS. 1A and 1B). Therefore, the conical autoclave 202 may have a smaller volume than the cylindrical low volume autoclave 102.
Vol=1/3π·h·(R2+Rr+r2) Eq. 2
In further aspects, other geometries that reduce the internal volume of the autoclave may be employed while permitting the part 112 to be contained within the autoclave and maintaining proper operational tolerances necessary for proper operation of the autoclave, such as without limitation spacing to accommodate airflow, tooling, and other apparatus. For example, an autoclave may be formed from a generally shaped tube with a substantially circular cross section. The S-shaped autoclave may be tailored to curing complementary shaped parts that are too large to fit into (or otherwise unsuitable for) standard sized autoclaves, such as complementary shaped parts that measure greater than 100 feet in length. In further aspects, the disclosed autoclave does not require symmetry between the first portion 104 and the second portion 106. Further, additional portions may be included, and each portion may be separated by a joining portion including a joint.
Returning to FIG. 2A, the conical autoclave 202 further includes attachment surfaces 212 between the joining portion 208 and the first and second conical portion 204, 206. The attachment surfaces 212 may allow different joint portions 208 to be used, thus allowing the conical autoclave 202 to be configured for parts with different geometries (e.g. linear or non-linear), such as aircraft wings with different sweep angles β. In other embodiments, the joining portion 208 may be formed in a partially spherical shape 214 that includes a mating surface at the joint 210. The partially spherical shape may facilitate providing a circular cross-section along the joint 210 as further explained below. Thus, the partially spherical shape 214 may facilitate a rotation of an angle (φ) of the first conical portion 204 or second conical portion 206 about the joint 210 in order to change the angle β of the conical autoclave 202. In an exemplary configuration, Table 1 includes exemplary data for the angle φ created by rotating the first conical portion 204 relative the second conical portion 206, creating the angle β for the conical autoclave 202. The conical autoclave 202 may also include a brace 540 to prevent changes in the conical autoclave angle β, such as when the autoclave is in operation and under high pressure. Additional braces may be used to secure the conical autoclave 202 during part processing, such as during the curing of a part.
Rotation Angle φ Relative to
Resulting Sweep + Dihedral
Conical Portions
← Previous Next → Advertise on FreshPatents.com - Rates & InfoYou can also Monitor Keywords and Search for tracking patents relating to this Low volume autoclave having configurable shape patent application.
How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Low volume autoclave having configurable shape or other areas of interest.###
Previous Patent Application:Uv and thermal guardNext Patent Application:Method for producing a solar panelIndustry Class:Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufactureThank you for viewing the Low volume autoclave having configurable shape patent info.- - - Results in 0.01785 seconds Other interesting Freshpatents.com categories:
Novartis , Apple , Philips , Toyota , ###Data source: patent applications published in the public domain by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Information published here is for research/educational purposes only. FreshPatents is not affiliated with the USPTO, assignee companies, inventors, law firms or other assignees. Patent applications, documents and images may contain trademarks of the respective companies/authors. FreshPatents is not responsible for the accuracy, validity or otherwise contents of these public document patent application filings. When possible a complete PDF is provided, however, in some cases the presented document/images is an abstract or sampling of the full patent application for display purposes. FreshPatents.com Terms/Support -g2-0.190666.232.115.224
Patent InfoApplication # US 20120073745 A1Publish Date 03/29/2012 Document # 13035932 File Date 02/26/2011 USPTO Class 156285 Other USPTO Classes 156382 International Class / Drawings 11 Autoclave
The Boeing CompanyBrowse recent The Boeing Company patentsBrowse patents:Next →← Previous