Method of producing reinforcing fiber woven fabric and production device therefor and reinforcing fiber woven fabric

An apparatus for producing a reinforcing fiber woven fabric by using a loom which comprises a weft yarn bobbin being wound a weft yarn comprising a reinforcing fiber yarn, a weaving means for interlacing the weft yarn unwound from the weft yarn bobbin with plural of warp yarns each of which comprises a reinforcing fiber yarn separately supplied for forming a woven fabric, a weft yarn feeding passage through which the weft yarn proceeding from the weft yarn bobbin to the weaving means is passed, a weft yarn unwinding means provided in the weft yarn feeding passage for laterally unwinding the weft yarn from the weft yarn bobbin, and a weft yarn storing means provided in the weft yarn feeding passage for temporarily storing a segment of the weft yarn proceeding to the weaving means, wherein

• (A) the weft yarn storing means comprises a weft yarn storing cylinder,
• (B) the weft yarn storing cylinder has a weft yarn gate opened to outside air at one end thereof and an air releasing port for sucking and releasing air in the weft yarn storing cylinder at the other end thereof, wherein peripheral edges of the weft yarn gate of the weft yarn storing cylinder have at least a first side and a second side parallel to each other;
• an inlet guide at the side of yarn leading-in is provided along the first side, to be kept in contact with the weft yarn coming from the weft yarn bobbin into the weft yarn storing cylinder;
• and an outlet guide at the side of yarn leading-out is provided along the second side, to be kept in contact with the weft yarn destined to go out from inside the weft yarn storing cylinder toward the weaving means, and
• (C) the weft yarn storing cylinder has a weft yarn contact means for forming a yarn passage by contacting with the weft yarn located therein which is drawn into the weft yarn storing cylinder through the weft yarn gate under function of air sucking and releasing brought by the air releasing port, wherein the weft yarn contact means located in the weft yarn storing cylinder comprises a guide at the side of yarn leading-in to be kept in contact with the weft yarn leading-in from the inlet guide and a guide at the side of yarn leading-out to be kept in contact with the weft yarn leading-out from the outlet guide, and a distance (L) between the guide at the side of yarn leading-in and the guide at the side of yarn leading-out in the direction perpendicular to the direction of the inlet guide gradually decreases from the weft yarn gate toward the air releasing port;
• and
• (D) the weft yarn gate is positioned in face to the weft yarn feeding passage.

A reinforcing fiber woven fabric is a bi-directional woven fabric formed with warp yarns comprising reinforcing fiber yarns and weft yarns comprising reinforcing fiber yarns, wherein the woven fabric satisfies the following relations:

• YW≧4 mm,
• WTR=40 to 100,
• YWvc≦10%, and
• W min PR≧0.8,
• where YW is a yarn width of each of the reinforcing fiber yarns;
• YT is a yarn thickness;
• WTR is a width/thickness ratio (YW/YT) of the yarn width (YW) to the yarn thickness (YT);
• YWvc is a yarn width variation coefficient;
• YWmin is the minimum yarn width;
• YP is a weaving yarn pitch;
• and WminPR is a width/pitch ratio (YWmin/YP) of the minimum yarn width (YWmin) to the weaving yarn pitch (YP).

A method for producing a reinforcing fiber woven fabric, said method comprising the steps of:

• laterally unwinding a weft yarn comprising a reinforcing fiber yarn from a weft yarn bobbin;
• passing the weft yarn along a weft yarn feeding passage;
• drawing a segment of the weft yarn through an opened end of a weft yarn gate into a weft yarn storing cylinder and toward an air releasing port, thereby storing temporarily the segment of the weft yarn in the weft yarn storing cylinder;
• supporting the weft yarn in the weft yarn storing cylinder with a guide at a yarn leading-in side of the weft yarn storing cylinder and a guide at a yarn leading-out side of the weft yarn storing cylinder, wherein a distance between the guides gradually decreases toward the air releasing port, thereby forming a yarn passage;
• advancing the weft yarn from the weft yarn storing cylinder along the weft yarn feeding passage;
• and
• interlacing the weft yarn with warp yarns comprising reinforcing fiber yarn.

An apparatus for producing a reinforcing fiber woven fabric, said apparatus comprising:

• a weft yarn bobbin wound with weft yarn comprising a reinforcing fiber yarn;
• means for laterally unwinding the weft yarn from said weft yarn bobbin;
• means for weaving the weft yarn unwound from said weft yarn bobbin with warp yarns comprising a reinforcing fiber yarn;
• a weft yarn feeding passage between said weaving means and said unwinding means through which the weft yarn is passed;
• and
• a weft yarn storing cylinder provided along said weft yarn feeding passage for temporarily storing a segment of the weft yarn, said weft yarn storing cylinder having a weft yarn gate opened at one end thereof, a port for sucking and releasing air in said weft yarn storing cylinder at the other end thereof, and means for forming a yarn passage by contacting weft yarn drawn into said weft yarn storing cylinder through said weft yarn gate under suction applied through said ports,
• said yarn passage forming means comprising a guide at a yarn leading-in side of said weft yarn storing cylinder and a guide at a yarn leading-out side of said weft yarn storing cylinder, wherein a distance between said guide at the yarn leading-in side and said guide at the yarn leading-out side gradually decreases from the weft yarn gate toward said port.