Patent ID: 8851438

Claim:
A fixture for securing a thin-walled component, the fixture comprising: a support having one or more securing devices that secures the component to the support, and an inflatable pressure element having an internal volume and an external surface, the external surface pressing a flexible liner when inflated, the flexible liner having a first surface that presses the external surface of the inflatable pressure element and a second surface that presses a thin wall of the component when the inflatable pressure element is inflated, the liner being disposed between the pressure element and the thin wall of the component, wherein the flexible liner incorporates at least one stiffening element located opposite a position on an outer side of the thin wall of the component where a machining operation is performed, the stiffening element being embedded within the liner and holding the liner away from the thin wall by a spacer such that there is a cavity between the thin wall and the stiffening element, and the inflated pressure element and the flexible liner damp vibrations in the component during machining of the outer side of the thin wall.