Method of fabricating a removable mandrel for filament winding containers
AssigneeShade, Inc.
InventorA. John Ayorinde
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of fabricating a removable mandrel for use in filament winding a container, includes the steps of providing and inflating an internal bladder. A dry 3-D fabric layer of a given thickness is layed-up about the inflated bladder. An external vacuum/pressure bag is installed about the dry fabric layer. The dry 3-D fabric layer is impregnated with a liquid soluble resin between the internal bladder and the external bag. The resin then is cured to rigidify the fabric layer to form a mandrel structure. The container then can be wound on the mandrel formed by the cured and rigidified fabric layer, and the resin can be subsequently washed out to remove the fabric layer.
Claims30
A method of fabricating a removable mandrel for use in filament winding a container, comprising the steps of:
- providing and inflating an internal bladder;
- laying-up a dry 3-D fabric layer of a given thickness about the inflated bladder;
- installing an external vacuum/pressure bag about said dry fabric layer;
- impregnating the dry 3-D fabric layer with a liquid soluble resin between the internal bladder and the external bag;
- and
- curing said resin to rigidify the fabric layer to form a mandrel structure,
- whereby the container can be wound on the mandrel formed by the cured and rigidified fabric layer and the resin subsequently washed out to remove the fabric layer.
A method of fabricating a removable mandrel for use in filament winding a container, comprising the steps of:
- providing and inflating an internal bladder having an elongated cylindrical configuration with opposite hemispherical ends;
- laying-up a dry 3-D fabric layer of a given thickness about the inflated bladder, the dry 3-D fabric layer being formed as a thickness of woven fabric layed-up in sections to form a desired configuration of the container;
- installing an external vacuum/pressure bag about said dry 3-D fabric layer;
- impregnating the dry 3-D fabric layer with a liquid soluble resin under pressure between the internal bladder and the external bag;
- and
- curing said resin to rigidify the fabric layer to form a mandrel structure,
- whereby the container can be wound on the mandrel formed by the cured and rigidified fabric layer and the resin subsequently washed out to remove the fabric layer.
A method of fabricating a filament wound container about a removable mandrel, comprising the steps of:
- providing and inflating an internal bladder;
- laying-up a dry 3-D fabric layer of a given thickness about the inflated bladder;
- installing an external vacuum/pressure bag about said dry 3-D fabric layer;
- impregnating the dry fabric layer with a liquid soluble resin between the internal bladder and the external bag;
- curing said resin to rigidify the fabric layer to form a mandrel structure,
- filament winding a container about the mandrel formed by the cured and rigidified fabric layer;
- washing out the resin from said fabric layer;
- and
- removing the fabric layer from within the container.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.