Fabrication of composite structures
AssigneePascale Industries, Inc.
InventorWillorage Rathna Perera
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Yarns for use in manufacture of composite structures are intermittently coated with adhesive, and may be twisted as well. These yarns are then woven into fabric, and heat and pressure applied to the intermittently-coated yarns to provide dimensional stability and to prevent unravelling of the fabric during cutting and handling. The fabric is then disposed in a mold or over a mandrel, and a curable resin applied and caused to cure. Provision of the adhesive in intermittent fashion limits propagation of cracks that may form at the location of the adhesive, which does not bond well to the curable resin.
Claims16
A method of making yarns intermittently coated on one surface with an adhesive, comprising the steps of:
- providing a supply reel of uncoated yarn;
- providing a driven take-up reel, whereby a processing path for said yarn is defined extending between said supply reel and said take-up reel;
- providing a driven roller in a vat of molten adhesive along said processing path, the temperature of said molten adhesive being controlled to control the viscosity of said molten adhesive, whereby an upper surface of said roller extending above the surface of said molten adhesive is coated with a predetermined quantity of said molten adhesive;
- reciprocating said uncoated yarn into and out of contact with the upper surface of said roller, so that the surface of said yarn is intermittently coated on one side by said adhesive;
- cooling said yarn, so that said adhesive is solidified;
- and
- spooling said yarn onto said driven take-up reel.
A method of making a fabric woven of yarns intermittently coated with an adhesive and of uncoated yarns, comprising the steps of:
- providing a supply reel of uncoated yarn;
- providing a driven take-up reel, whereby a processing path for said yarn is defined extending between said supply reel and said take-up reel;
- providing a driven roller in a vat of molten adhesive along said processing path, the temperature of said vat being controlled to control the viscosity of said molten adhesive, whereby an upper surface of said roller extending above the surface of said molten adhesive is coated with a predetermined quantity of said molten adhesive;
- reciprocating said uncoated yarn into and out of contact with the upper surface of said roller, so that the surface of said yarn is intermittently coated on one side by said adhesive;
- cooling said intermittently coated yarn, so that said adhesive is solidified;
- spooling said intermittently coated yarn onto said driven take-up reel;
- and
- weaving said intermittently coated yarn into a fabric also comprising uncoated yarns while applying heat and pressure to said intermittently-coated yarns during said weaving step to secure said intermittently-coated yarns to said uncoated yarns.
A method of forming a composite structure, comprising the steps of:
- making a fabric woven of yarns intermittently coated with an adhesive and of uncoated yarns, by:
- providing a supply reel of uncoated yarn;
- providing a driven take-up reel, whereby a processing path for said yarn is defined extending between said supply reel and said take-up reel;
- providing a driven roller in a vat of molten adhesive along said processing path, the temperature of said vat being controlled to control the viscosity of said molten adhesive, whereby an upper surface of said roller extending above the surface of said molten adhesive is coated with a predetermined quantity of said molten adhesive;
- reciprocating said uncoated yarn into and out of contact with the upper surface of said roller, so that the surface of said yarn is intermittently coated on one side by said adhesive;
- cooling said intermittently coated yarn, so that said adhesive is solidified;
- spooling said intermittently coated yarn onto said driven take-up reel;
- and
- weaving said intermittently coated yarn into a fabric also comprising uncoated yarns while applying heat and pressure to said intermittently-coated yarns during said weaving step to secure said intermittently-coated yarns to said uncoated yarns;
- and
- disposing members of said fabric in a desired configuration;
- providing a curable resin in contact with the yarns of said members of said fabric;
- and
- causing said resin to cure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.