{
  "patent_number": "US 11267584",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How to Build an Aircraft Tail Using One-Shot Composite Curing",
  "original_title": "Method for manufacturing a rear section of an aircraft and aircraft rear section",
  "summary": "A manufacturing process for creating an aircraft's rear fuselage and vertical tail as a single, integrated composite structure to reduce weight and assembly time.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent describes a method for building the rear section of an airplane by combining the outer skin, internal stringers, and structural frames into a unified piece. Engineers place pre-formed composite parts, known as preforms, into specialized integration tools that act as a mold. These parts are then placed into an autoclave—a high-pressure, high-temperature oven—to 'co-cure' or harden all the components together in one single operation. This results in a stronger, lighter structure compared to traditional methods that require bolting or riveting many separate pieces together.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover the manufacturing of metallic aircraft structures.",
    "Does not cover the use of additive manufacturing or 3D printing for these parts.",
    "Does not cover assembly methods that do not use an autoclave for co-curing.",
    "Does not cover the design of the aircraft's aerodynamic shape."
  ],
  "filed": "2019-06-14",
  "granted": "2022-03-08",
  "expires": null,
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Airbus Operations SL",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/airbus-operations-sl",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Melania Sanchez Perez",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/melania-sanchez-perez"
    },
    {
      "name": "Fernando INIESTA LOZANO",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/fernando-iniesta-lozano"
    },
    {
      "name": "Carlos GARCIA NIETO",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/carlos-garcia-nieto"
    },
    {
      "name": "Maria Almudena CANAS RIOS",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/maria-almudena-canas-rios"
    },
    {
      "name": "Alberto Arana Hidalgo",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/alberto-arana-hidalgo"
    },
    {
      "name": "Edouard MENARD",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/edouard-menard"
    },
    {
      "name": "Esteban Martino-Gonzalez",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/esteban-martino-gonzalez"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jesus Javier Vazquez Castro",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/jesus-javier-vazquez-castro"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 0,
  "tags": [
    "aerospace",
    "mechanical",
    "materials"
  ],
  "abstract": "A method for manufacturing a composite assembly of an empennage and rear-fuselage having a continuous skin solution. The method obtains parts of the sub-structure. For each part, it is obtained a plurality of stringers performs and frames preforms by composite tooling. The frames are transferred to curing frames molds and a sub-structure skin is obtained. Furthermore, the method includes integrating the parts over an integration tool having cavities for locating the curing frames molds and the stringer performs. Furthermore, the method includes co-curing the integration tool in one shot on an autoclave, demolding the sub-structure skin sections and disassembling the curing frame molds to obtain the composite assembly of the rear section.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11267584/orbital-refueling",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11267584/orbital-refueling/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US11267584",
  "relatedPatents": []
}