The Boeing Company
Controllable multi-celled bladders for composites

Abstract:

Systems and methods are provided for multi-celled pressurizable air bladders. One embodiment is an apparatus that includes a bladder. The bladder includes a casing that encloses an internal volume of the bladder, walls within the bladder that subdivide the internal volume into cells that are airtight with respect to each other, and ducting that couples each of the cells with a source of pressurized gas via a distinct pathway. The apparatus also includes a controller that progressively pressurizes individual cells within the bladder from a first portion of a laminate to a second portion of the laminate by controlling application of gas from the source via the ducting.