Reducing manufacturing defects of a wound filament product

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11794402-B2
Application number	US-201916719512-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2019
Priority date	Dec 18, 2019
Publication date	Oct 24, 2023
Grant date	Oct 24, 2023

Abstract

A filament winding assembly includes a rotating mandrel coupled to a shaft that rotates the rotating mandrel. The rotating mandrel includes a first perforated sleeve that defines holes and includes a winding surface. The rotating mandrel also includes a second perforated sleeve disposed inside the first perforated sleeve. The second perforated sleeve defines an interior volume and holes configured to form fluid pathways with the holes of the first perforated sleeve. The fluid pathways extend from the interior volume to the winding surface of the first perforated sleeve. The filament winding assembly includes a filament that is wound, under tension, around the winding surface of the first perforated sleeve. The filament winding assembly also includes a fluid source fluidically coupled to the interior volume of the second perforated sleeve. The fluid source exhausts fluid, through the fluid pathways, from the wound filament to reduce manufacturing defects of the wound filament.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A filament winding assembly comprising:
a rotating mandrel coupled to a shaft configured to rotate the rotating mandrel, the rotating mandrel comprising:
a first perforated sleeve defining holes and comprising a winding surface, and
a second perforated sleeve disposed inside the first perforated sleeve, the second perforated sleeve attached to the shaft and defining an interior volume, the second perforated sleeve defining holes configured to form fluid pathways with the holes of the first perforated sleeve, the fluid pathways extending from the interior volume to the winding surface of the first perforated sleeve, the second perforated sleeve configured to rotate with respect to the first perforated sleeve to open and close the fluid pathways;

a filament configured to be wound, under tension, around the winding surface of the first perforated sleeve; and
a fluid source fluidically coupled to the interior volume of the second perforated sleeve, the fluid source configured to exhaust, through the fluid pathways, fluid from the wound filament.

2. The filament winding assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second perforated sleeve is configured to rotate to align or misalign the holes of the second perforated sleeve with the holes of the first perforated sleeve to open or close the fluid pathways, the interior volume open when the holes of the second perforated sleeve are aligned with the holes of the first perforated sleeve and the interior volume at least partially closed when the holes of the second perforated sleeve are misaligned with respect to the holes of the first perforated sleeve.

3. The filament winding assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second perforated sleeve comprises a first closed end opposite a second closed end, wherein at least one of the first closed end or the second closed end is attached to the shaft to rotate the rotating mandrel.

4. The filament winding assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first perforated sleeve is a first perforated tube and the second perforated sleeve is a second perforated tube, the second perforated tube axially coupled to the shaft, the second perforated tube and the first perforated tube configured to rotate together with the shaft during winding of the filament.

5. The filament winding assembly of claim 1 , wherein the fluid source is configured to vacuum, with the interior volume open, air from the wound filament during a manufacturing process when the filament is being wound on the mandrel.

6. The filament winding assembly of claim 1 , wherein the shaft is a hollow shaft comprising apertures, the hollow shaft defining a second interior volume fluidically coupled, through the shaft apertures, to the interior volume of the second perforated sleeve and wherein the fluid source is fluidically coupled, through a fluid conduit extending through the second interior volume of the hollow shaft, to the interior volume of the second perforated sleeve.

7. The filament winding assembly of claim 2 , wherein the fluid source is configured to vacuum, with the interior volume open, air from the wound filament to reduce voids in the wound filament.

8. The filament winding assembly of claim 2 , wherein the fluid source or a different fluid source fluidically coupled to the interior volume is configured to flow, with the interior volume at least partially closed, steam into the interior volume to heat the rotating mandrel to help uniformly cure at least part of the wound filament.

9. The filament winding assembly of claim 2 , wherein each hole of the second perforated sleeve is configured to align with each hole of the first perforated sleeve to form respective fluid pathways.

10. The filament winding assembly of claim 2 , wherein the second perforated sleeve is tightly snug inside the first perforated sleeve to help prevent fluid from flowing between an outer surface of the second perforated sleeve and an inner surface of the first perforated sleeve.

11. The filament winding assembly of claim 2 , wherein the mandrel comprises a lock attached to the first perforated sleeve and the second perorated sleeve, the lock actuable to prevent rotation of the second perforated sleeved with respect to the first perforated sleeve and actuable to allow rotation of the second perforated sleeved with respect to the first perforated sleeve.

12. A filament winding mandrel comprising:
a first perforated sleeve defining holes and comprising a winding surface; and
a second perforated sleeve disposed inside the first perforated sleeve, the second perforated sleeve attached to a rotating shaft configured to rotate the filament winding mandrel, the second perforated sleeve defining an interior volume and defining holes configured to form fluid pathways with the holes of the first perforated sleeve, the fluid pathways extending from the interior volume to the winding surface of the first perforated sleeve, the second perforated sleeve configured to rotate with respect to the first perforated sleeve to open and close the fluid pathways, the second perforated sleeve configured to be fluidically coupled to a fluid source configured to exhaust, through the fluid pathways, fluid from a filament wound on the winding surface of the first perforated sleeve.

13. The filament winding mandrel of claim 12 , wherein the second perforated sleeve is configured to rotate to align or misalign the holes of the second perforated sleeve with the holes of the first perforated sleeve to open or close the fluid pathways, the interior volume open when the holes of the second perforated sleeve are aligned with the holes of the first perforated sleeve and the interior volume at least partially closed when the holes of the second perforated sleeve are misaligned with respect to the holes of the second perforated sleeve.

14. The filament winding mandrel of claim 13 , wherein each hole of the second perforated sleeve is configured to align with each hole of the first perforated sleeve to form respective fluid pathways.

15. The filament winding mandrel of claim 13 , wherein the second perforated sleeve is tightly snug inside the first perforated sleeve to help prevent fluid from flowing between an outer surface of the second perforated sleeve and an inner surface of the first perforated sleeve.

16. The filament winding mandrel of claim 12 , wherein the first perforated sleeve is a first perforated tube and the second perforated sleeve is a second perforated tube, the second perforated tube axially coupled to the shaft, the second perforated tube and the first perforated tube configured to rotate together with the shaft during winding of the filament.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Al-Hashmy Hassan Ali
• Mohamed Kaamil Ur Rahman
• Fakiri Abderrahim

Classifications

• B29C53/8083 Primary

  Improving bonding of wound materials or layers · CPC title

• B29C53/56

  Winding and joining, e.g. winding spirally {(winding in general B65H)} · CPC title

• B29C53/821 Primary

  Mandrels especially adapted for winding and joining · CPC title

• B29L2023/22

  Tubes or pipes, i.e. rigid (bent tubes not for use as pipe couplings B29L2023/004) · CPC title

• B29L2031/712

  Containers; Packaging elements or accessories, Packages (closures therefor B29L2031/56; ink or toner cartridges B29L2031/7678; squeeze tubes B29L2023/20; suitcases B29L2031/7418) · CPC title