US 11,872,722 B2
Preform shaping method and composite forming method
Naoyuki Sekine, Tokyo (JP); and Yuta Inoue, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to SUBARU CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by SUBARU CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on May 23, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/420,641.
Claims priority of application No. 2018-159800 (JP), filed on Aug. 28, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2020/0070385 A1, Mar. 5, 2020
Int. Cl. B29B 11/16 (2006.01); B29C 70/48 (2006.01); B29C 70/54 (2006.01)
CPC B29B 11/16 (2013.01) [B29C 70/48 (2013.01); B29C 70/541 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A dry preform shaping method comprising:
forming a stack, the forming the stack including:
forming a fiber stack by stacking sheet-form fibrous components to each of which a first binder is attached while tentatively fastening the sheet-form fibrous components with the first binder;
stacking an electrically conductive mesh for lightning protection on top of the fiber stack and tentatively fastening the electrically conductive mesh to the fiber stack using the first binder; and
attaching an additional sheet-form binder that is different from the first binder between the fiber-stack and the electrically conductive mesh and tentatively fastening the fiber-stack to the electrically conductive mesh via the additional sheet-form binder; forming a dry preform that has a shaped configuration, the forming the dry preform including:
placing the stack in a region surrounded by a mold and a bagging film that is attached to the mold; and
depressurizing the region for pressing and pressurizing the stack against the mold while heating the stack in a state where the fiber stack contacts the mold and the electrically conductive mesh is placed between the fiber stack and the bagging film so that the first binder maintains the shaped configuration of the dry preform after the depressurizing of the region,
wherein the additional sheet-form binder comprises a thermoplastic binder, and
wherein the electrically conductive mesh is fixed to the fiber stack by thermally fusing the thermoplastic binder at equidistantly spaced spots through a use of a heater.