Method of making tubes out of composite material having high tribiological and mechanical characteristics

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a composite material in the form of an annular tube by winding on a mandrel both a reinforcing fiber fabric and a sheet of matrix material, comprising the following steps: 1) preheating the mandrel to a predetermined temperature; 2) fixing the reinforcing fiber fabric and the sheet of matrix material to the mandrel; 3) causing the mandrel to rotate at a nominal speed to wind the fabric and the sheet simultaneously, the fabric and the sheet being subjected to a nominal tension; 4) actuating heating means for heating the material and cooling means for cooling the mandrel; 5) when the tube reaches the desired diameter, stopping both the heating means and the rotation of the mandrel; 6) after a determined duration that is sufficient for; bringing the temperature of the mandrel to the predetermined preheating temperature, stopping the cooling means; and 7) dismounting the mandrel. The present invention also relates to the composite material obtained by the method and to a machine for manufacturing the material in application of the method.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.