Method for producing tube body

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12220880-B2
Application number	US-202217884343-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 9, 2022
Priority date	Mar 19, 2020
Publication date	Feb 11, 2025
Grant date	Feb 11, 2025

Abstract

A tube body production method includes: a disposing step of disposing carbon fibers with respect to an outer circumferential surface of a mandrel so that the carbon fibers extend in the axial direction of the mandrel; and a molding step of impregnating the fiber body with a resin on the outer circumferential surface of the mandrel and then heating the resin to mold the resin, wherein the disposing step and the molding step are performed in a state where the axial direction of the mandrel coincides with an up-down direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tube body production method comprising:
a disposing step of disposing fibers with respect to an outer circumferential surface of a circular cylindrical tube so that an orientation angle of the fibers with respect to an axis of the circular cylindrical tube is such that the fibers are wound by less than one turn with respect to the circular cylindrical tube, the outer circumferential surface having a circular cylindrical tube shape with a consistent diameter;
a molding step of impregnating the fibers with a resin on the outer circumferential surface of the circular cylindrical tube and then heating the resin to mold the resin; and
between the disposing step and the molding step, an upper end portion fixing step of fixing an upper end portion of the fibers with respect to the outer circumferential surface of the circular cylindrical tube by an upper end portion fixing member,
wherein the disposing step and the molding step are performed in a state where the axial direction of the circular cylindrical tube coincides with an up-down direction, and
wherein in the molding step, the circular cylindrical tube on which the upper end portion of the fibers have been fixed by the upper end portion fixing member is disposed in a space of a molding device and the resin in a molten state is injected to the space from above the upper end portion to impregnate the fibers with the resin.

2. The tube body production method of claim 1 , further comprising,
wherein the upper end portion fixing member has a tubular shape.

3. The tube body production method of claim 2 , further comprising,
a shrinkage step of heating the upper end portion fixing member using heats of the resin and of the molding device, which heats are generated in the molding step, thereby to cause the upper end portion fixing member to shrink.

4. The tube body production method of claim 2 ,
wherein the upper end portion fixing member with the tubular shape is a film-like member wound in a circumferential direction by one or more turns.

5. The tube body production method of claim 2 ,
wherein the upper end portion fixing member is a plurality of fixing members, wherein in the upper end portion fixing step, the plurality of fixing members are disposed in a manner of being spaced apart in the axial direction of the circular cylindrical tube.

6. The tube body production method of claim 3 ,
wherein the upper end portion fixing member with the tubular shape is a film-like member wound in a circumferential direction by one or more turns.

7. The tube body production method of claim 3 ,
wherein the upper end portion fixing member is a plurality of fixing members,
wherein in the upper end portion fixing step, the plurality of fixing members are disposed in a manner of being spaced apart in the axial direction of the circular cylindrical tube.

8. The tube body production method of claim 1 ,
wherein the upper end portion fixing member is formed of a same material as the resin or is formed of a material that melts due to heat(s) of the molding device and/or of the resin to mix into the resin.

Assignees

• Hitachi Astemo Ltd

Inventors

• Nakayama Takahiro
• Mori Kenichi
• Ohta Kazuki

Classifications

• B29L2023/22

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

• B29K2307/04

  Carbon · CPC title

• B29C70/32

  on a rotating mould, former or core · CPC title

• B29C70/86

  Incorporated in coherent impregnated reinforcing layers, {e.g. by winding} · CPC title

• B29C70/48

  and impregnating the reinforcements in the closed mould, e.g. resin transfer moulding [RTM] {, e.g. by vacuum} · CPC title