An aerospace triangular truss additive winding integrated manufacturing device

Abstract

The present invention provides an integrated manufacturing device for additive winding of triangular trusses for aerospace use, comprising four parts: a multi-axis motion module, a multi-material printing nozzle, a truss traction and support module, and a winding module. The multi-axis motion module is composed of a linear motion guide rail capable of moving in the X and Y directions within a plane and its drive motor, while a short fiber composite material or resin material printing nozzle is fixed on a mounting plate capable of moving in the X and Y directions. Driven by the multi-axis drive motor, the printing nozzle can achieve movement in the X and Y directions within a plane. The truss traction and support module comprises an integral mounting frame, a drive roller, a plurality of support rollers located on the opposite side of the drive roller, wherein one end of the drive roller is connected to a traction stepper motor. The integrated manufacturing device for additive winding of triangular trusses for aerospace use proposed by the present invention realizes rapid in-situ forming of composite material trusses, and can form long-baseline high-strength triangular truss structures for aerospace use.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of additive manufacturing devices, and in particular to an additive winding integrated manufacturing device for aerospace triangular trusses. Background Art

[0002] Both NASA and China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation have realized space additive manufacturing in space. The manufacturing process uses high molecular polymer wires to be melt-extruded through FDM technology and then stacked layer by layer to form. For long-baseline composite truss structures in space, the current manufacturing of composite trusses mostly uses molds to machine out truss components, and then glue them into shape. The process is cumbersome and the truss structure cannot be formed in one go. The truss structure formed by the layer-by-layer method requires manual preparation, with a long processing cycle, poor product consistency, and inconsistent resin and fiber states inside the truss. The technology for forming trusses using additive manufacturing is still under development, and the relevant equipment is not yet mature. There is no aerospace truss additive manufacturing device. The aerospace triangular truss additive winding integrated manufacturing device proposed in the present invention realizes the rapid in-situ forming of composite trusses and can form long-baseline high-strength aerospace triangular truss structures. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To solve the above problems, the present invention discloses an integrated additive winding manufacturing device for triangular trusses for aerospace use. The device can form truss rods of infinite length through 3D printing in a space environment; the formed truss rods include two materials and processes, a 3D printed short fiber reinforced composite truss body parallel to the X and Y planes, and a continuous fiber prepreg reinforcement layer rotationally wrapped around the short fiber composite truss body, which can complete high-efficiency truss forming in a space environment.

[0004] A truss additive manufacturing device for aerospace use comprises four parts: a multi-axis motion module, a multi-material printing nozzle, a truss traction and support module, and a winding module.

[0005] The multi-axis motion module consists of linear motion guides capable of in-plane motion in the X and Y directions, along with their drive motors. A short-fiber composite or resin printhead is affixed to a mounting plate capable of in-plane motion in the X and Y directions. Driven by the multi-axis drive motors, the printhead can achieve in-plane motion in the X and Y directions.

[0006] The truss traction and support module includes an integral mounting frame, a driving roller, and a plurality of supporting rollers located on the opposite side of the driving roller, wherein one end of the driving roller is connected to the traction stepping motor.

[0007] Furthermore, the three sides of the integral mounting frame have an angle of 60 degrees, and mounting positioning holes are opened on the edge of the mounting frame. Limit rollers are installed on the three sides of the mounting frame for supporting and conveying the triangular truss, wherein the supporting rollers are rigid wheels, there are two groups in total, and are rigidly connected to the integral mounting frame; one group of driving rollers uses flexible rubber wheels to ensure that the friction with the triangular truss can drive the truss to move along the Z direction. At the same time, the driving rollers and the integral mounting frame are connected by springs and positioning pins, so that the driving rollers can fully contact the truss, thereby ensuring the stability of the truss movement along the Z direction.

[0008] Furthermore, the driving rollers are driven by a stepper motor, and multiple groups of driving rollers are connected by gears to ensure consistency of movement and enhance friction through the multiple groups of driving rollers.

[0009] While the truss is being pulled by the driving roller, the print head module moves at the same time, and the printing module on the motion module works, stacking layer by layer to complete the printing of the short fiber reinforced composite material truss body; after the short fiber composite material truss body is printed, the thermoplastic prepreg tape is heated by the winding module and rotated to wrap around the short fiber composite material truss body to enhance the overall structural strength of the truss and prevent cracking between the truss layers.

[0010] The present invention achieves the following beneficial effects: By using a truss traction and support module instead of a Z-axis hot bed, it achieves the continuous formation of truss rods of unlimited length. Furthermore, the device combines 3D printing with continuous fiber prepreg tape winding, enhancing the structural rigidity and interlaminar bonding strength of the composite truss body. This effectively prevents the low interlaminar strength and cracking problems along the X and Y planes often seen in traditional 3D-printed and short-fiber-printed trusses. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 Shown is the overall structural design of an aerospace triangular truss additive winding integrated manufacturing device.

[0012] Figure 2 It is a multi-axis motion module;

[0013] Figure 3 This is the structural diagram of the truss traction and support module;

[0014] Figure 4 The final truss member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the following specific embodiments are intended only to illustrate the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that the terms "front," "rear," "left," "right," "up," and "down" used in the following description refer to directions in the accompanying drawings, and the terms "inward" and "outward" refer to directions toward or away from the geometric center of a particular component, respectively.

[0016] like Figure 1-4 As shown, the overall structure of an aerospace triangular truss additive winding integrated manufacturing device in this embodiment includes a multi-axis motion module 1, a print head mounting plate 2, a print head 3, a truss traction and support module 4, a winding module 5 and a printed truss 6.

[0017] In this embodiment, the multi-axis motion module 1 can move in the X and Y directions within a plane, and a linear motion guide rail and a drive motor are installed along the motion direction, wherein 11 is the multi-axis motion module installation plate, 12 is the Y-axis motion module, and 13 is the X-axis motion module. The multi-material printing nozzle 3 is installed on the printing nozzle installation plate 2.

[0018] In this embodiment, the truss traction and support module 4 includes an integral mounting frame 41, support rollers 42, a roller support frame 43, drive rollers 44, a drive gear 45, and a traction stepper motor 46. The integral mounting frame has a 60-degree angle on all three sides. Mounting holes are provided on the edge of the mounting frame, and limited-position rollers are installed on three sides of the mounting frame to support and transport the triangular truss. The support rollers 42 are rigid wheels, two sets in total, rigidly connected to the integral mounting frame. The drive rollers 44 are one set of flexible rubber wheels, ensuring friction with the triangular truss to drive the truss 6 in the Z direction. The roller support frame 43 between the drive rollers 44 and the integral mounting frame is connected by springs and locating pins, ensuring full contact between the drive rollers and the truss 5, ensuring stability in the truss's Z-direction movement. Drive gears 45 and traction stepper motors 46 are located between the multiple sets of drive rollers to ensure consistent movement and enhance friction.

[0019] In this embodiment, the winding module 5 is fixed to the tail of the integral mounting frame 4. After the printing of the short fiber composite material truss body is completed, the thermoplastic prepreg is heated by the winding module 5 and rotated to wrap around the short fiber composite material truss body.

[0020] In this embodiment, the final truss member 6 is composed of two parts of materials, including a short fiber reinforced composite material truss body 61 parallel to the X and Y planes and a continuous fiber reinforced composite material outer layer 62 covering the truss body. By combining two different materials, the structural rigidity and interlayer bonding strength of the composite material truss body are enhanced, which can effectively prevent the interlayer cracking problem along the X and Y planes that occurs in traditional short fiber printed trusses.

[0021] The technical means disclosed in the solution of the present invention are not limited to the technical means disclosed in the above-mentioned embodiment, but also include technical solutions composed of any combination of the above technical features.

Claims

1. An aerospace triangular truss additive winding integrated manufacturing device, characterized by: The invention comprises a multi-axis motion module (1), a print head mounting plate (2), a multi-material print head (3), a truss traction and support module (4), a winding module (5), and a printed truss (6); wherein the multi-axis motion module (1) can move in the X and Y directions in a plane, and a linear motion guide rail and a drive motor are installed along the motion direction, wherein the multi-material print head (3) is installed on the print head mounting plate (2); the print head mounting plate (2) is arranged on the multi-axis motion module (1), and the winding module (5) is fixed to the tail of the truss traction and support module (4); after the short fiber composite material truss body is printed, the thermoplastic prepreg is heated by the winding module (5) and rotated to cover the short fiber composite material truss body; the triangular truss (6) is composed of two parts of material, including a short fiber reinforced composite material truss body (61) parallel to the X and Y planes and a continuous fiber reinforced composite material outer layer (62) covering the truss body; wherein the multi-axis motion module (1) comprises a multi-axis motion module mounting plate (11), Y-axis motion module (12) and X-axis motion module (13); the truss traction and support module (4) includes an integral mounting frame (41), a support roller (42), a roller support frame (43), a drive roller (44), a drive gear (45), and a traction stepper motor (46); the three sides of the integral mounting frame (41) are all angled at 60 degrees, and support rollers (42) are installed on the three sides of the integral mounting frame (41) for supporting and transporting the triangular truss (6), and the output shaft of the traction stepper motor (46) is connected to the drive gear ( 45); the driving gear (45) is connected to the transmission gear through a meshing gear; one end of the driving roller (44) is connected to the transmission gear; the supporting rollers (42) are rigid wheels, there are two groups of them, and they are rigidly connected to the integral mounting frame (41); one group of driving rollers (44) uses flexible rubber wheels to ensure that the friction with the triangular truss (6) can drive the triangular truss (6) to move along the Z direction; at the same time, the roller support frame (43) between the driving rollers (44) and the integral mounting frame (41) is connected by a spring and a positioning pin.

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