Filament winding system

• US 4,867,834 A
• Filed: 02/24/1988
• Issued: 09/19/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hercules Incorporated (Ashland Global Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hercules Incorporated (Ashland Global Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Geil, Gerald L., Alenskis, Brian A., Moloney, Brian N., Gill, Dee R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ball, Michael W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Knable, Geoffrey L.
• Application Number:
  US07/163,141
• Time in Patent Office: 573 Days
• Field of Search: 156/169, 156/173, 156/175, 156/181, 156/189, 156/425, 156/433, 156/507, 156/428-432, 156/512, 156/517, 156/264, 156/266, 156/353, 156/523, 156/574, 156/504
• US Class Current: 156/433
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 53/585 the cross-section varying along their axis, e.g. tapered, with ribs, or threads, with socket-ends
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 53/8016 Storing, feeding or applying winding materials, e.g. reels, thread guides, tensioners
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/382 Automated fiber placement [AFP]
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/386 Automated tape laying [ATL]
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/545 Perforating, cutting or machining during or after moulding
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/3082 Fuselages
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/3085 Wings
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/3456 Antennas, e.g. radomes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1322 Severing before bonding or assembling of parts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1348 Work traversing type

Abstract

A filament winding system includes a head that selects the number of tows within a winding band while winding and positions the winding band directly on the mandrel according to its contours.

Claims

1. In a filament winding system for winding rovings, tows, tapes or the like on an irregularly contoured mandrel including a supply unit for feeding a plurality of spaced rovings across a tray and against a delivery device for placement on a rotating mandrel, the improvement being a cut and add assembly for selectively cutting tows for reducing the number of tows applied to the mandrel and for selectively resuming the feed of the cut tows in accordance with the contour of the mandrel, a pair of slots extending across said tray of a length corresponding to the path of movement of the tows, said cut and add assembly comprising a cutting device associated with one of said slots and a clamping device associated with the other of said slots, said cutting device comprising an anvil positioned on one side of said tray in line with said one slot and a knife positioned on the other side of said tray in line with said anvil and vertically movable into said one slot for contacting said anvil, said clamping device comprising an idler roller positioned on one side of said tray in line with said other of said slots, said idler roller being positioned for being contacted and driven by said uncut tows, a splice roller being positioned on the other side of said tray in line with said idler roller, and said splice roller being vertically movable into contact with said idler roller.

2. The system of claim 1 including means for selectively moving said knife and said splice roller across and beneath said tray for selective positioning with respect to the tows.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said means for selectively moving comprises a ball screw, a carriage mounted to said ball screw, and said knife and said splice roller being mounted to said carriage.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said assembly includes solenoids for selectively vertically moving said knife and said splice roller.

5. The system of claim 4 including a plurality of troughs in the upper surface of said tray whereby each tow may be guided in a respective trough.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein said delivery device includes a plurality of delivery rollers mounted at the downstream end of said tray in line with said troughs for contacting the mandrel and positioning the tows on the mandrel.

7. The system of claim 1 including a manipulator having three axes rotation and connected to said assembly for controlling the position of said delivery rollers to maintain said delivery rollers in contact with the mandrel.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said anvil is positioned above said tray, said idler roller being positioned above said tray, and said splice roller being positioned below said tray.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein said idler roller extends completely across the path of the rovings.