Apparatus for making damped composite structures with fiber wave patterns

• US 6,467,521 B1
• Filed: 03/08/2000
• Issued: 10/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Brigham Young University (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)
• Original Assignee: Brigham Young University (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)
• Inventors: Pratt, William Fossum
• Primary Examiner(s): YAO, SAMCHUAN CUA
• Application Number:
  US09/520,590
• Time in Patent Office: 958 Days
• Field of Search: 156/439, 156/440, 156/177, 156/350, 156/351, 156/361
• US Class Current: 156/351
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2037/90 Measuring, controlling or regulating
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/20 oriented in a single direction, e.g. roofing or other parallel fibres B29C70/083, B29C70/226 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/50 for producing articles of indefinite length, e.g. prepregs, sheet moulding compounds [SMC] or cross moulding compounds [XMC]
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/504 using rollers or pressure bands for corrugating B29C53/22
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2009/00 Layered products
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2260/021 Fibrous or filamentary layer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2260/046 Synthetic resin
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/56 Damping, energy absorption
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 38/08 Impregnating
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/26 another layer next to it also being fibrous or filamentary relative arrangement of fibres or filaments of different layers B32B5/12
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 7/12 using interposed adhesives or interposed materials with bonding properties

Abstract

A method and apparatus of manufacturing a composite material which is light weight and highly damped against vibration. The composite material comprises fibers embedded in a resin matrix wherein the fibers are oriented in a waveform that is substantially continuously variable as to period, amplitude and/or shape. A viscoelastic material is combined with the resin matrix to provide vibration dampening characteristics. The variation in the period/amplitude takes place in a region of the composite structure which is selected to provide optimum strength and dampening characteristics as desired for the particular application. Even without the viscoelastic material, the light weight structure is useful as a pre-preg material from which other composite structures may be formed. Methods of manufacturing the composite material include using multiple, identical cells in which each cell is used to fabricate a fiber, resin matrix and viscoelastic adhesive composite. Rollers, sprays or perforated roller techniques may be employed to lay down the various layers. During the fabrication process, plural pairs of pinch rollers, moving axially with respect to each other are used to lay down the fibers within the resin/viscoelastic composite in a waveform pattern having a variable and controllable period, amplitude and/or shape.

Claims

1. Apparatus for controlling the fiber angle of a fiber tow embedded in a carrier comprising:

a first pair of rollers including a first and second roller,

at least a third roller,

said fiber tow pressed between the first and second rollers and passing adjacent said third roller for movement along a first direction due to rotation of the first, second and third rollers,

a first drive mechanism for rotating said first, second and third rollers,

a second drive mechanism connected to at least one of said first pair of rollers and said third roller, said second drive mechanism responsive to control signals for displacing said at least one of said first pair of rollers and said third roller axially along the rotation axis of said at least one of said first pair of rollers and said third roller,

an electronic controller connected to said second drive mechanism for generating said control signals to control the amount of axial displacement of said at least one of said first pair of rollers and said third roller; and

wherein said carrier comprises a matrix material in the form of a rolled sheet and said apparatus further comprising at least one support roller for securing said matrix material, said at least one support roller positioned for feeding said matrix material for contact with said third roller level with said fiber tow for at least partially securing said fiber tow in place within said matrix material.

2. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said electronic controller comprises a digital computer programmed to generate said control signals as a function of at least one of distance along said first direction and time.

3. Apparatus for controlling the fiber angle of a fiber tow embedded in a carrier comprising:

a first pair of rollers including a first and second roller,

at least a third roller,

said fiber tow pressed between the first and second roller and passing adjacent said third roller for movement along a first direction due to rotation of the first, second and third rollers,

a first dirve mechanism for rotating said first, second and third rollers,

a second drive mechanism connected to at least one of said first pair of rollers and said third roller, said second drive mechanism responsive to control signals for displacing said at least one of said first pair of rollers and said third roller axially along the rotation axis of said at least one of said first pair of rollers and said third roller,

an electronic controller connected to said second drive mechanism for generating said control signals to control the amount of axial displacement of said at least one of said first pair of rollers and said third roller,

a fourth roller positioned adjacent said third roller to form a second pair of rollers,

said fiber tow passing between said third and fourth rollers,

at least a first and second support roller and a first and second sheet of matrix material,

said first support roller supporting said first sheet of matrix material and said second support roller supporting said second sheet of matrix material, and

said first support roller positioned for feeding said matrix material of said first sheet between one of said third and fourth rollers and said fiber tow, and said second support roller positioned for passing said matrix material of said second sheet between the other of said third and fourth rollers and said fiber tow.

4. Apparatus as recited in claim 3 wherein said matrix material comprises an uncured polymer and said apparatus further comprising heating elements downstream of said second pair of rollers, in reference to said first direction, for causing wicking of said fibers with said uncured polymer matrix.

5. Apparatus as recited in claim 3 wherein said carrier comprises a viscoelastic material in the form of a rolled sheet and said apparatus further comprising at least one support roller for securing said viscoelastic material, said at least one support roller positioned for feeding said viscoelastic material for contact with said third roller and with said fiber tow.