Automated fiber placement assembly with pressure roller
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsArthur William Sibbach, Nicholas Joseph Kray, Douglas Lorrimer Armstrong
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The disclosure herein relates to an automated fiber placement assembly for forming a component by the successive layering of strips of fiber tows with a pressure roller. The pressure roller has a rotational axis about which the pressure roller rotates to apply the strip of fiber tows to the component. The pressure roller can be shaped complementary to a non-uniform surface of the component for even application of the strip of fiber tows to the component.
Claims20
An automated fiber placement assembly for forming a component by application of a strip of fiber tows, the automated fiber placement assembly comprising:
- a substrate including a non-uniform surface;
- and
- a pressure roller extending axially between a first end and a second end, and having a body that includes at least an inner portion and an outer portion, the inner portion intersecting a rotational axis of the pressure roller, the outer portion being located outward from the inner portion in a radial direction relative to the rotational axis, the outer portion defining an exterior surface for applying pressure to the strip of fiber tows against the non-uniform surface of the substrate when the pressure roller is rotated about the rotational axis,
- wherein the pressure roller has a design configuration that is a varied material configuration, and wherein the varied material configuration enables the pressure roller to apply the pressure uniformly to the strip of fiber tows in a manner complementary to the non-uniform surface, and wherein the varied material configuration varies complementary to the non-uniform surface.
An automated fiber placement assembly for forming a component by application of a strip of fiber tows, the automated fiber placement assembly comprising:
- a substrate including a non-uniform surface;
- and
- a pressure roller extending axially between a first end and a second end, the pressure roller having a body that includes an exterior surface for applying pressure to the strip of fiber tows against the non-uniform surface of the substrate when the pressure roller is rotated about a rotational axis,
- wherein the pressure roller has a design configuration that is a varied material configuration, and wherein the varied material configuration includes a material property gradient that enables the pressure roller to apply the pressure uniformly to the strip of fiber tows in a manner complementary to the non-uniform surface, and the material property gradient extends in an axial direction between the first end and the second end of the pressure roller.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.