Method and an installation for winding a pre-impregnated fabric strip onto a sloping surface

A method of winding a pre-impregnated fabric strip onto a sloping surface of a winding tooling having a first end and a second end, the pre-impregnated fabric strip extending lengthwise in a longitudinal direction and widthwise in a transverse direction, the method comprising:

• deforming the pre-impregnated fabric strip by applying differing traction forces to the pre-impregnated fabric strip, the traction forces being directed in the longitudinal direction of the strip, the values of the applied traction forces differing across the transverse direction of the strip, the differing traction forces being applied by tensioning the pre-impregnated fabric strip between firstly a pair of brake rollers and secondly a traction device present downstream from the pair of brake rollers, the traction device driving the pre-impregnated fabric strip at speeds that differ across the transverse direction of the strip;
• and
• winding the strip onto a surface of revolution of the winding tooling comprising said sloping surface and including at least one tapering portion that forms a nonzero angle with an axis of revolution of the surface of revolution, the at least one tapering portion of the surface of revolution tapering to one of the first or second ends of the winding tooling,
• wherein the traction device is positioned along a rotation axis that is non-parallel to the axis of revolution and substantially parallel to the sloping surface so as to exert contact pressure on the strip and towards the surface of revolution of the winding tooling as the strip is applied thereto.