US 11,839,997 B2
Self pressurizing bladder tooling
Jonathan K. Garhart, Seymour, CT (US)
Assigned to SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT CORPORATION, Stratford, CT (US)
Filed by Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, Stratford, CT (US)
Filed on Mar. 24, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/126,307.
Application 17/329,701 is a division of application No. 15/982,902, filed on May 17, 2018, granted, now 11,020,879, issued on Jun. 1, 2021.
Application 18/126,307 is a continuation of application No. 17/329,701, filed on May 25, 2021, granted, now 11,618,184.
Prior Publication US 2023/0234265 A1, Jul. 27, 2023
Int. Cl. B29C 33/00 (2006.01); B29C 70/34 (2006.01); B29C 43/36 (2006.01); B29C 44/18 (2006.01); B29L 31/30 (2006.01); B29C 33/50 (2006.01)
CPC B29C 33/0016 (2013.01) [B29C 43/3642 (2013.01); B29C 44/182 (2013.01); B29C 70/342 (2013.01); B29C 70/345 (2013.01); B29C 33/505 (2013.01); B29C 2043/3649 (2013.01); B29L 2031/3076 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A bladder for a composite structure comprising at least one composite ply, the bladder comprising:
a flexible body having a selectively sealable hollow internal chamber; and
a phase change material enclosed within the hollow internal chamber, the phase change material configured to be in a first phase and have a first volume when supplied to the internal chamber and to transition to a second phase having a second volume responsive to an increase in temperature,
the second volume being expanded relative to the first volume, wherein the internal chamber is configured to seal the phase change material within the internal chamber when the phase change material is in the second volume; and
the bladder being disposed within a cavity defined by the at least one composite ply of the composite structure and being inseparable from the cavity.