Pneumatic Height-Adjustable Skiving Tool

ABSTRACT: To address the Air Force need for an advanced power skiver tool, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop an innovative Pneumatic, Height-Adjustable Skiving Tool (PHAST). The proposed device is based on combining proven material removal methodologies in practice today, innovative feed rate control, and the use of novel gear topology to create a lightweight, versatile, and accurate skiving tool. The innovation in tool design will enable PHAST to reliably trim loaded gap-fill material to a predefined height over a highly-varying surface contour, ensuring a smooth, consistent finish in a single pass. As a result, this device offers highly accurate and adjustable height regulation of a pneumatic-powered skiving blade, packaged in a compact, rotatable body, allowing easy manipulation in confined spaces, which directly addresses the Air Force requirements for an advanced skiver tool. In Phase I, POC will demonstrate the feasibility of PHAST by building a prototype tool capable of skiving gap-fill materials to precise heights, perform tests on samples with complex contours, and provide initial cost estimates for the device. In Phase II, POC plans to deliver a field-ready device capable of full-scale validation in a production-representative environment in addition to a detailed transition-to-production plan. BENEFIT: Meeting the technical and operational requirements set forth by the U.S. Air Force for an advanced power skiving tool will allow POC to develop PHAST for all types of assembly operations in both the military and commercial sides of the aerospace industry where outer mold line control is critical, including assembly and rework of stealth aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). In addition to gap-fill trimming, PHAST may be utilized in fastener flushness applications in which fastener holes must be filled and consequently trimmed to achieve low observable requirements. PHAST can also be used to trim shim buttons and cured liquid shim down to required heights in a single pass for proper skin alignment to reduce the cycle time and cost associated with achieving step and gap requirements. All of these capabilities not only apply to the military and defense side of manufacturing but to other commercial transportation areas as well, such as automotive and boating, where the use of composites and fill materials is increasing and the need for trimming materials to exact specifications is necessary to meet aerodynamic and fluid dynamic requirements.