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US 8,616,110 B2Granted
Method and apparatus for making a fiber reinforced article
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsRaymond Silva, Jeffrey Scott Dahl
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus for producing an article. The method includes providing a fiber material, splitting the fiber material with a splitting roller having a set of grooves that extend continuously around a circumference of the splitting roller, and cutting the fiber material to a desired length.
Claims17
A method of producing an article, comprising:
- providing a fiber material;
- splitting the fiber material with a splitting roller having a set of grooves that extend continuously around a circumference of the splitting roller, wherein each member of the set of grooves has a flat bottom that extends around the splitting roller and is separated from an adjacent member of the set of grooves by a tooth including a tip having a substantially constant radius of curvature that extends continuously around the splitting roller;
- and
- cutting the fiber material to a desired length.
1 more element
An apparatus for producing a fiber reinforced article, comprising:
- a splitting roller configured to rotate about a first axis, the splitting roller having a set of grooves that extend around a circumference of the splitting roller in a substantially parallel relationship for splitting a fiber material, wherein each member of the set of grooves has a flat bottom that extends around the splitting roller and is separated from an adjacent member of the set of grooves by a tooth including a tip having a substantially constant radius of curvature that extends continuously around the splitting roller;
- a cutting roller spaced apart from the splitting roller and configured to rotate about a second axis;
- and
- a drive roller configured to rotate the splitting and cutting rollers about the first and second axes.
1 more element
An apparatus for producing an article, comprising:
- a splitting roller having a set of grooves that extend around a circumference of the splitting roller in a substantially parallel relationship, wherein each member of the set of grooves has a flat bottom that extends around the splitting roller and is separated from an adjacent member of the set of grooves by a tooth including a tip having a substantially constant radius of curvature that extends continuously around the splitting roller;
- a drive roller configured to rotate the splitting roller;
- and
- a fiber material that is separated into bundles by the splitting roller when the splitting roller is rotated by the drive roller.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.