Molding equipment of composite material and molding method of composite material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10328615-B2
Application number	US-201615054048-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 25, 2016
Priority date	Mar 11, 2015
Publication date	Jun 25, 2019
Grant date	Jun 25, 2019

Abstract

According to one implementation, a molding equipment of a composite material includes a vessel, a decompression system and a heating medium supply system. The vessel houses a molding target sealed by a sealing object. The decompression system performs bending forming of the molding target and pressurization on the molding target after the bending forming by decompressing a region surrounded by the sealing object in the vessel. The heating medium supply system supplies a heating medium into the vessel. The heating medium is supplied for the bending forming, and heating and curing of the molding target under the pressurization.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A molding equipment of a composite material comprising:
a vessel that houses a molding target sealed by a sealing object;
a decompression system that:
decompresses a region surrounded by the sealing object to a first pressure appropriate for bending forming of the molding target; and
decompresses the region surrounded by the sealing object to a second pressure appropriate for heating and curing of the molding target; and

a heating medium supply system that:
as the region surrounding the sealing object is decompressed to the first pressure, supplies a heating medium at a first temperature appropriate for the bending forming of the molding target into the vessel; and
as the region surrounding the sealing object is decompressed to the second pressure, supplies the heating medium at a second temperature appropriate for the heating and curing of the molding target into the vessel.

2. The molding equipment of the composite material according to claim 1 ,
wherein the heating medium supply system is configured to supply steam as the heating medium.

3. The molding equipment of the composite material according to claim 1 ,
wherein the decompression system includes variable vacuum equipment that decompresses the region, surrounded by the sealing object, to the first pressure appropriate for the bending forming of the molding target and subsequently decompresses the region, surrounded by the sealing object, to the second pressure appropriate for the heating and the curing of the molding target.

4. The molding equipment of the composite material according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a vacuum control circuit configured to control the decompression system to make the region surrounded by the sealing object be decompressed to the first pressure appropriate for the bending forming of the molding target and subsequently to the second pressure appropriate for the heating and the curing of the molding target.

5. The molding equipment of the composite material according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a temperature control circuit configured to set a control value of a temperature of the heating medium to a value appropriate for the bending forming of the molding target and subsequently to a value appropriate for the heating and the curing of the molding target.

6. The molding equipment of the composite material according to claim 2 ,
wherein the heating medium supply system is configured to supply saturated steam, steam in which air is mixed, or steam in which nitrogen is mixed, as the heating medium.

7. The molding equipment of the composite material according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first pressure appropriate for bending forming of the molding target is different than the second pressure appropriate for heating and curing of the molding target.

8. A molding method of a composite material for manufacturing a molded product of the composite material using the molding equipment of the composite material according to claim 1 .

9. A molding method of a composite material comprising:
carrying a molding target into a vessel, the molding target being sealed by a sealing object;
heating the molding target by supplying a heating medium into the vessel at a first temperature, and performing bending forming of the molding target by decompressing a region surrounded by the sealing object in the vessel to a first pressure appropriate for bending forming of the molding target; and
heating and curing the molding target after the bending forming, the molding target being heated and cured while decompressing the region surrounded by the sealing object to a second pressure appropriate for heating and curing of the molding target, the molding target being heated and cured by supplying the heating medium into the vessel at a second temperature.

10. The molding method of the composite material according to claim 8 ,
wherein the region surrounded by the sealing object is decompressed to different pressures in incremental steps.

11. The molding method of the composite material according to claim 8 ,
wherein a pressure in the region surrounded by the sealing object is changed continuously by decompression of the region surrounded by the sealing object.

12. The molding method of the composite material according to claim 9 ,
wherein at least one of pressurization for the bending forming of the molding target and pressurization for curing of the molding target after the bending forming is performed by controlling a pressure of the heating medium in the vessel.

13. The molding method of the composite material according to claim 8 ,
wherein a molded product of the composite material of which a length in a longitudinal direction is not less than 1 m and not more than 100 m is manufactured.

14. The molding equipment of the composite material according to claim 2 ,
wherein the decompression system includes variable vacuum equipment that decompresses the region, surrounded by the sealing object, to the first pressure appropriate for the bending forming of the molding target and subsequently decompresses the region, surrounded by the sealing object, to the second pressure appropriate for the heating and the curing of the molding target.

15. The molding equipment of the composite material according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a vacuum control circuit configured to control the decompression system to make the region surrounded by the sealing object be decompressed to the first pressure appropriate for the bending forming of the molding target and subsequently to the second pressure appropriate for the heating and the curing of the molding target.

16. The molding equipment of the composite material according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a temperature control circuit configured to set a control value of a temperature of the heating medium to a value appropriate for the bending forming of the molding target and subsequently to a value appropriate for the heating and the curing of the molding target.

17. The molding equipment of the composite material according to claim 3 ,
wherein the variable vacuum equipment includes:
decompression subsystems that decompresses the region, surrounded by the sealing object, to different pressures respectively; and
a switching structure that switches the decompression subsystems.

18. The molding method of the composite material according to claim 9 ,
wherein the region surrounded by the sealing object is decompressed to different pressures in incremental steps.

19. The molding method of the composite material according to claim 9 ,
wherein a pressure in the region surrounded by the sealing object is changed continuously by decompression of the region surrounded by the sealing object.

20. The molding method of the composite material according to claim 9 ,
wherein a molded product of the composite material of which a length in a longitudinal direction is not less than 1 m and not more than 100 m is manufactured.

Assignees

• Fuji Heavy Ind Ltd
• Kk Ashida Seisakusho
• Subaru Corp

Inventors

• Ito Yumi
• Nakajima Masanori
• Ashida Takeshi

Classifications

• B29C70/54

  Component parts, details or accessories; Auxiliary operations {, e.g. feeding or storage of prepregs or SMC after impregnation or during ageing} · CPC title

• B29C2043/562

  combined with isostatic pressure, e.g. pressurising fluids, gases · CPC title

• B29C35/007

  Tempering units for temperature control of moulds or cores, e.g. comprising heat exchangers, controlled valves, temperature-controlled circuits for fluids (B29C35/0294 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B29C70/44 Primary

  using isostatic pressure, e.g. pressure difference-moulding, vacuum bag-moulding, autoclave-moulding or expanding rubber-moulding · CPC title

• B29C43/12 Primary

  using bags surrounding the moulding material {or using membranes contacting the moulding material} · CPC title