US Patent 10232926 Integrated lamination process for manufacturing a shell element

A process for manufacturing an integrated shell element including: providing a shell element lay-up tool with an upper tool surface; laying-up a resin impregnated fibers on the upper tool surface to form the shell element; providing on the resin impregnated fibers a stiffener element layup tool having surfaces to support a stiffener element structure; laying-up resin impregnated fibers on the stiffener element lay-up tool to form the stiffener element; curing in a single step the resin impregnated fibers such that the fibers forming the shell element and the fibers forming the stiffener element are laminated into an integrated shell element having a longitudinal or transversal stiffener element; and separating the integrated shell element from the shell element and stiffener element lay-up tools.