US 12,391,011 B2
Double vacuum debulk processing
John F. Spalding, Renton, WA (US); Marc R. Matsen, Seattle, WA (US); and Gwendolyn Marie Janda, Seattle, WA (US)
Assigned to The Boeing Company, Arlington, VA (US)
Filed by The Boeing Company, Arlington, VA (US)
Filed on Jul. 6, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/348,131.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/383,154, filed on Nov. 10, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0157660 A1, May 16, 2024
Int. Cl. B29C 70/44 (2006.01); B29C 70/54 (2006.01)
CPC B29C 70/443 (2013.01) [B29C 70/544 (2021.05)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of performing a cure cycle on a composite laminate comprising:
pulling vacuum in two vacuum zones using two vacuum pumps, the two vacuum zones comprising a first vacuum zone in a vacuum bag enclosing the composite laminate and a second vacuum zone enclosing the first vacuum zone;
pneumatically connecting the two vacuum zones such that a single vacuum pump of the two vacuum pumps pulls vacuum in both the first vacuum zone and the second vacuum zone;
performing gas extraction on the composite laminate while the two vacuum zones are pneumatically connected;
pneumatically isolating the two vacuum zones following gas extraction and prior to curing the composite laminate;
venting the first vacuum zone to the second vacuum zone by a pressure relief valve in the vacuum bag to prevent inflation of the vacuum bag; and
heating and curing the composite laminate.