摘要 |
Lightweight structural elements are fabricated by machining a serpentine groove in a sheet of structural material such as honeycomb composite material, filling the groove with adhesive, and folding the sheet along the groove to achieve a desired configuration. The groove defines one or more tabs and one or more corresponding recesses. The tabs enter corresponding recesses when the sheet is folded and force excess adhesive from the groove which then can be removed to reduce weight of the structural element. In some applications, the use of adhesive may be eliminated entirely. This technique of building lightweight structural elements is particularly attractive in the aerospace industry where weight reduction is of paramount concern.
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