Insertion apparatus and method of providing through thickness reinforcement in a laminated material
AssigneeROLLS-ROYCE plc
InventorPaul Warrington
Life of this patent
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Abstract
There is disclosed a method of providing through-thickness reinforcement in a laminated material. A guide foot is moved to a datum location relative the laminated material, at which the guide foot abuts a reinforcement zone on a surface of the laminated material. An insertion operation is conducted by inserting an insertion element through the guide foot into the laminated material along an insertion direction when the guide foot is in the datum location. The insertion element comprises a needle for forming a hole in the laminated material; a reinforcement rod to be received in the laminated material; or a tamping pin for tamping a reinforcement rod received in the laminated material. A corresponding insertion apparatus is disclosed.
Claims11
A method of processing a laminated material, the method comprising:
- moving a guide foot to a datum location relative the laminated material, at which the guide foot abuts a reinforcement zone on a surface of the laminated material;
- moving a carrier for an insertion element relative the guide foot to align the insertion element for insertion through the guide foot when the guide foot is at the datum location, whereby the carrier is translated relative the guide foot along a translation axis;
- and
- conducting an insertion operation by inserting the insertion element, having a principal axis which is linear, through the guide foot into the laminated material along an insertion direction when the guide foot is in the datum location, wherein the insertion element comprises:
- a needle for forming a hole in the laminated material;
- a reinforcement rod to be received in the laminated material;
- or
- a tamping pin for tamping a reinforcement rod received in the laminated material;
- wherein the translation axis is orthogonal to the insertion direction.
A method of processing a laminated material, the method comprising:
- moving a guide foot to a datum location relative the laminated material, at which the guide foot abuts a reinforcement zone on a surface of the laminated material;
- conducting an insertion operation by inserting an insertion element, having a principal axis which is linear, through the guide foot into the laminated material along an insertion direction when the guide foot is in the datum location, wherein the insertion element comprises:
- a needle for forming a hole in the laminated material;
- a reinforcement rod to be received in the laminated material;
- or
- a tamping pin for tamping a reinforcement rod received in the laminated material;
- wherein the insertion operation comprises simultaneously inserting a plurality of insertion elements of the same type through the guide foot along the insertion direction into respective hole locations in the reinforcement zone by movement of a common carrier for the plurality of insertion elements along the insertion direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.