Apparatus and method for making wound-fiber reinforced articles

A system for winding fibers onto an article, comprising:

• a winding station having a controllable speed of rotation, said winding station having at least one fiber bobbin thereon;
• a conveyor adapted to move said article axially through said winding station;
• a sensor adapted to measure axial speed of said article proximate to said winding station, said axial speed sensor comprising a wheel in frictional contact with said article coupled to a rotary encoder;
• a sensor adapted to measure said speed of rotation of said winding station, said rotational speed sensor comprising a rotary encoder rotationally coupled to a motor adapted to rotate said winding station;
• a controller adapted to adjust said speed of rotation of said winding station in response to output of said sensor adapted to measure said speed of rotation, said rotation speed sensor and said axial speed sensor operatively coupled to said controller, said adjustment to cause correspondence of said rotational speed with said measured axial speed to wind said fibers on said article in a helical pattern having a lay angle tolerance of about one-half degree;
• a resin ring coupled to said winding station adapted to apply resin to said fibers prior to winding on said article, said resin ring comprising a rotationally fixed inlet for said resin, an inflatable seal adapted to seal a fiber inlet and a fiber outlet of a chamber wherein said resin is applied to said fibers, said chamber having formed surfaces therein so that said fibers change directed as they pass through said chamber;
• a controllable force brake rotationally coupled to said bobbin, said brake selectively operable to maintain a substantially constant tension on said fibers as said fibers are wound onto said article;
• and
• a detector adapted to detect torsional resonance in said winding station coupled to said controller, said controller adapted to adjust said rotational speed of said winding station and said speed of axial motion of said article to avoid said torsional resonance.