BOX-SHAPED MONOLITHIC STRUCTURE IN COMPOSITE MATERIAL FOR FUSELAGES AND WINGS OF AIRCRAFT AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SAID STRUCTURE

摘要

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a box-shaped monolithic structure (1) having a cavity (8) by curing a fiber-reinforced prepreg material. The method uses elongated and internally hollow support tools (15) having a conformation complementary to the cavities (8) and made of reinforcement material and polymer allowing the passage from a rigid state to a flexible elastomeric state and vice versa in response to heating/cooling down; the support tools (15) allow, in the rigid state, the direct lamination of the prepreg material on their external walls (16) and are configured to set the flexible elastomeric state at a temperature lower than the curing temperature and higher than 50°C; during the curing operation, the curing pressure is applied both outside the structure (1) being formed and inside the support tools (15), whose walls (16) have become flexible, push on the prepreg material to be cured.