Preliminary and end winding method and apparatus

A method of forming a fiber reinforced resin article, comprising the steps of forming a coaxial extension on an end of the mandrel, said extension having a smaller diameter than said mandrel, positioning the extension longitudinally adjacent a wind-off ring, coating a plurality of fibrous elements with a resin binder, guiding said fibrous elements onto the wind-off ring at a plurality of locations spaced around the circumference of said ring, winding the fibrous elements on the wind-off ring in a plurality of turns, transferring the winding of the fibrous elements from said wind-off ring to said extension and winding said elements around the outer surface of said extension in a plurality of turns, transferring the winding of the fibrous elements from said extension to the outer surface of the mandrel, winding the fibrous elements in a generally helical pattern on the outer surface of the mandrel in a series of superimposed layers to form a wound tubular article, transferring the winding of the fibrous elements from the outer surface of the mandrel to the extension and winding the fibrous elements on said extension in a plurality of turns, transferring the winding from the extension to the wind-off ring and winding the fibrous elements in a plurality of turns on said wind-off ring, and severing the fibrous elements at a location axially outward of and adjacent the mandrel to separate the fibrous elements wound on the extension and on the wind-off ring from said wound tubular article.

A filament winding machine, comprising a mandrel member, a cylindrical extension, a circular guide member disposed concentrically outward of the mandrel member and having means for guiding a multiplicity of fibrous strands onto the mandrel member throughout an arc of 360.degree., means to rotate one of said members about its axis, means to advance one of said members longitudinally and thereby wind the strands onto the mandrel member in a helical pattern to form a wound tubular article, an extension disposed co-axially on the end of the mandrel member and having a smaller diameter than the mandrel member, a wind-off ring disposed longitudinally adjacent the extension, said strands adapted to be wound in a plurality of turns on the wind-off ring to lock the strands to the to the ring and said strands thereafter being transferred to the extension and wound in several turns on the extension and subsequently being transferred to the outer surface of the mandrel member, the outer diameter of the extension being correlated with the outer diameter of the mandrel member and the winding angle to prevent slippage of the strands as they pass from the extension onto the mandrel member and thereby prevent distortion of the winding pattern at the end of the mandrel member, said strands being severed at a location between the mandrel member and the wind-off ring to separate the strands wound on the extension and on the wind-off ring from the wound tubular article.