Continuous forming apparatus of fiber reinforced composite

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12157281-B2
Application number	US-202117385409-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 26, 2021
Priority date	Aug 27, 2020
Publication date	Dec 3, 2024
Grant date	Dec 3, 2024

Abstract

A continuous forming apparatus of a fiber reinforced composite includes a tension detection mechanism, a drive motor, and a drive control device. The drive control device is configured so that a material roll is rotationally driven in a delivery direction of a reinforced fiber base material during a time period from a time point of end of pressurization in a forming process to a time point of end of a pulling-out process, and is also configured to perform tension control on the reinforced fiber base material based on a detected tension value from the tension detection mechanism and a target tension value, during a time period from a time point of start of the pulling-out process to a time point of end of the pressurization in the forming process in a next forming operation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A continuous forming apparatus of a fiber reinforced composite comprising a supply device to which a plurality of material rolls, each of which is formed by a sheet shaped reinforced fiber base material wound in a roll shape, is mounted; a forming device configured to execute a forming process of pressurizing and heating the plurality of overlapped reinforced fiber base materials supplied from the supply device to form a fiber reinforced composite; and a pulling-out device configured to execute a pulling-out process of pulling out the fiber reinforced composite formed by the forming device by a predetermined pulling-out amount, wherein one forming operation consisting of the forming process by the forming device and the pulling-out process by the pulling-out device after the forming process is repeatedly performed, so that the fiber reinforced composite is continuously formed while pulling out the reinforced fiber base material from each of the material rolls, the continuous forming apparatus of a fiber reinforced composite being characterized by comprising:
one or more drive motors for rotationally driving the material rolls, the number of the one or more drive motors being equal to or smaller than a total number of the material rolls, and all the material rolls corresponding to any one of the one or more drive motors;
a tension detection mechanism provided to detect tension of the reinforced fiber base materials pulled out from the one or more material rolls of the material rolls corresponding to the one or more drive motors; and
a drive control device configured to control drive of the one or more drive motors so that the material roll is rotationally driven in a delivery direction of the reinforced fiber base material during a time period from a time point of end of the pressurization in the forming process to a time point of end of the pulling-out process, wherein a time period of the pulling-out process or a part or whole of a time period from a time point of end of the pulling-out process to a time point of end of the pressurization in the forming process in a next forming operation is preset as a tension control time period, and the drive control device executes tension control for controlling drive of the one or more drive motors based on a detected tension value, which is obtained from a detected value obtained by the tension detection mechanism, and a target tension value that is a preset target tension value, during the tension control time period.

2. The continuous forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the tension control time period is set to the part or whole of the time period from the time point of end of the pulling-out process to the time point of end of the pressurization in the forming process in the next forming operation.

3. The continuous forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein one of the one or more drive motors is provided for each of the material rolls.

4. The continuous forming apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising a setting device in which the target tension value is set,
wherein the setting device is configured to be able to set the target tension value for each of the material rolls.

5. The continuous forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein one of the one or more drive motors is provided for each of the material rolls.

6. The continuous forming apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising a setting device in which the target tension value is set,
wherein the setting device is configured to be able to set the target tension value for each of the material rolls.

Assignees

• Tsudakoma Ind Co Ltd
• Kanazawa Institute Of Tech

Inventors

• Nishimura Isao
• Uzawa Kiyoshi
• Nunotani Katsuhiko

Classifications

• B29C70/527

  Pulling means · CPC title

• B29C70/56 Primary

  Tensioning reinforcements before or during shaping · CPC title

• B29C70/52

  Pultrusion, i.e. forming and compressing by continuously pulling through a die · CPC title

• B29C70/504 Primary

  using rollers or pressure bands (for corrugating B29C53/22) · CPC title