US 5,110,395 A · Fiber placement head

Abstract

A fiber placement head for a fiber placement machine of the type in which a number of individual resin-impregnated fiber tows or "towpregs" are fed at independent rates from a creel assembly for application as a fiber band onto the surface of a mandrel includes cooling chutes for each fiber tow which reduces their temperature to reduce the tack of the tows. A cut, clamp and restart mechanism is provided wherein the cutting and clamping operations are performed by a unitary knife blade and clamping block, and the restart or rethreading of cut tows is obtained by the engagement of a pinch roller with a continuously rotating rethread shaft which are operative independently of the movement of the fiber placement head relative to the mandrel. The tows are pressed or compacted onto the mandrel by a compaction shoe, and feed and rewind rollers are provided to interpose a protective film between the compaction shoe and fiber band to avoid damage to the tows.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A fiber placement head for applying composite fiber tows onto a surface, comprising:

a fiber compaction device;
guide means for guiding a number of individual fiber tows supplied at independent rates from a fiber tow source to a location beneath said fiber compaction device, said guide means being effective to orient the individual fiber tows side-by-side to form a fiber band which is pressed against the surface by said fiber compaction device;
cutting means associated with each of the individual fiber tows for selectively and independently cutting the fiber tows to form a cut end;
clamping means associated with each of the fiber tows and operative in response to actuation of said cutting means for individually and independently clamping the cut end of one of the fiber tows in a fixed position relative to said fiber compaction device after each of the fiber tows is cut by one of said cutting means.

1 more element

A fiber placement head for applying composite fiber tow onto a surface, comprising:

a fiber compaction device;
guide means for guiding a number of individual fiber tows supplied at independent rates from a fiber source to a location beneath said fiber compaction device, said guide means being effective to orient the individual fiber tows side-by-side to form an essentially continuous fiber band which is pressed against the surface by movement of said fiber compaction device thereagainst;
cutting means associated with each of the individual fiber tows for selectively cutting the fiber tows to form a cut fiber;
a clamping device associated with each of the individual fiber tows, each of said clamping devices being movable between a clamping position in which a cut fiber tow is clamped in a fixed position relative to said fiber compaction device after cutting by said cutting means, and a release position in which the cut fiber tow is released to permit movement thereof to said fiber compaction device;
restart means associated with each of the individual fiber tows for feeding a cut fiber tow to said fiber compaction device independently of the movement of said fiber compaction device upon release of the cut fiber tow by said clamping device.

2 more elements

A fiber placement head for applying composite fiber tows onto a surface, comprising:

a fiber compaction device;
guide means for guiding a number of individual fiber tows supplied at independent rates from a fiber tow source to a location beneath said fiber compaction device, said guide means being effective to orient the individual fiber tows side-by-side to form a fiber band;
means for interposing a protective film between said fiber compaction device and said fiber band so that said fiber compaction device contacts said protective film and presses said fiber band against the surface without damaging said fiber band;
cutting means associated with each of the individual fiber tows for selectively cutting the fiber tows to form a cut fiber tow;
clamping means operatively associated with said cutting means for clamping a cut fiber tow in a fixed position relative to said fiber compaction device after the fiber tows are cut, and for subsequently releasing the cut fiber tows;
restart means associated with each of the individual fiber tows for feeding a cut fiber tow to said fiber compaction device independently of the movement of said fiber compaction device upon release of the cut fiber tows by said clamping means;
a cooling chute associated with each of the individual fiber tows, each of said cooling chutes receiving one of the fiber tows and directing cooling fluid thereon to lower the temperature of the fiber tows.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Fiber placement head

Life of this patent

Fiber placement head

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims14