A composite material layup apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of laminated forming equipment, and provides a composite material laying equipment, which comprises a material rack and a filament laying head connected below the material rack; at least one set of material discharging mechanism is arranged on the material rack; the material discharging mechanism comprises a material roll shaft, a material guide roller and a film collecting shaft; a transition wheel set and a filament guide assembly are further arranged on the material rack; the filament laying head comprises two oppositely arranged hanging plates for connecting the material rack; a filament feeding mechanism and a filament cutting mechanism are arranged between the two hanging plates; and a filament laying roller is further connected to the two hanging plates. In this way, the prefabricated filament is sequentially pressed on a mold by the filament laying roller, and finally the product is obtained. The existing production mode of the blade is replaced, the production efficiency is improved, the defects of the existing production mode are eliminated, and the product quality is improved.

Description

A composite material laying equipment Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the technical field of composite material laying equipment, and particularly relates to a composite material laying equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Composite materials possess advantages such as lightweight, high strength, corrosion resistance, and high temperature resistance, and are used in aero-engine blades. Currently, RTM (Resin Transfer Molding) technology is widely used to manufacture blades.

[0003] The RTM molding process involves multiple steps, including fiber preform fabrication, mold preparation, and resin infusion, each of which is time-consuming, resulting in a long overall manufacturing cycle. The resin infusion stage, in particular, requires waiting for the resin to fully penetrate the fiber preform, which is time-consuming and significantly impacts the efficiency of blade production.

[0004] Furthermore, the fibers may overlap or bend during the preforming process; at the same time, the resin penetration into the fiber preform varies in different parts during the injection process, which can easily lead to uneven fiber content in certain areas, ultimately affecting the overall performance of the blade.

[0005] In conclusion, the existing technology obviously has inconveniences and defects in practical use, so it is necessary to improve it. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the aforementioned shortcomings, this invention primarily provides a composite material laying equipment, which solves the technical problems of long blade forming cycles and numerous defects during the forming process.

[0007] To address the aforementioned problems, the present invention provides a composite material placement device, comprising a material rack and a fiber placement head connected below the material rack;

[0008] The material rack is provided with at least one set of feeding mechanisms; the feeding mechanism includes a material roll shaft, a guide roller and a take-up shaft; the material rack is also provided with a transition wheel set and a yarn guide assembly;

[0009] The filament-laying head includes two opposing lifting plates for connecting the material rack; a filament-feeding mechanism and a filament-cutting mechanism are provided between the two lifting plates; and filament-laying rollers are also connected to the two lifting plates.

[0010] According to the composite material laying equipment of the present invention, the guide roller and the take-up shaft of the feeding mechanism are respectively located on both sides of the material roll shaft.

[0011] According to the composite material laying equipment of the present invention, the transition wheel assembly includes a plurality of transition wheels.

[0012] According to the composite material laying equipment of the present invention, the wire guide assembly includes a wire guide drive wheel and two reversing wheels; the wire guide drive wheel is connected to the two reversing wheels via a synchronous belt drive; the wire guide assembly also includes two guide wheels; the wire guide drive wheel is connected to a wire guide motor.

[0013] According to the composite material laying equipment of the present invention, a slide rail is fixedly provided on the outer side of the lifting plate; a rail groove component that slides and engages with the slide rail is fixedly provided on the material rack; and a vertical cylinder for connecting the lifting plate is also provided on the material rack.

[0014] According to the composite material laying equipment of the present invention, the fiber laying head is further provided with a hot air gun, and the hot air gun is connected to an air outlet pipe.

[0015] According to the composite material laying equipment of the present invention, the wire feeding mechanism includes a wire feeding wheel plate and a pressure wheel assembly;

[0016] The wire feeding wheel plate is provided with at least one wire feeding wheel; the wire feeding wheel is driven by a wire feeding motor.

[0017] The pressure roller assembly includes a pressure roller plate disposed opposite to the wire feeding roller plate; a pressure roller cylinder is provided on the pressure roller plate, the pressure roller cylinder is connected to a pressure roller frame, and a pressure roller is provided on the pressure roller frame; the pressure roller and the wire feeding roller are disposed directly opposite each other; both the wire feeding roller plate and the pressure roller plate are provided with wire guide grooves; and a scraper is provided below both the wire feeding roller and the pressure roller.

[0018] According to the composite material laying equipment of the present invention, the feeding mechanism consists of four sets; the wire feeding mechanism consists of two sets, and each set of wire feeding mechanism has two wire feeding grooves on the wire feeding wheel plate and the pressure wheel plate.

[0019] According to the composite material laying equipment of the present invention, the wire cutting mechanism includes a wire breaking cylinder, the wire breaking cylinder is connected to a knife rod, and a wire cutting knife is fixed at the end of the knife rod, which can extend into the wire passage groove.

[0020] According to the composite material laying equipment of the present invention, the wire feeding mechanism is provided with two sets of wire feeding wheels on the wire feeding wheel plate, one set of wire feeding wheels being driven and connected to the wire feeding motor; the pressure roller assembly consists of two sets; each set of wire feeding wheels corresponds to one pressure roller.

[0021] In summary, this invention uses a filament-laying roller to sequentially press pre-formed filaments onto a mold to ultimately produce the product. This replaces existing blade production methods, improves production efficiency, eliminates the shortcomings of existing methods, and enhances product quality. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the material rack in Figure 1;

[0024] Figure 3 is a structural schematic diagram of the material rack of the present invention from one view;

[0025] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the fiber placement head of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the filament placement head in Figure 4;

[0027] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the structure along direction A in Figure 5;

[0028] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the filament-laying head in Figure 5 from one view;

[0029] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure along direction B in Figure 7;

[0030] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure along direction C in Figure 7;

[0031] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the wire pressing assembly of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the wire feeding assembly of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the structure along direction D in Figure 11;

[0034] Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view of the filament placement roller of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 14 is a structural schematic diagram of one embodiment of the volume adjustment shaft in Figure 13;

[0036] Figure 15 is a structural schematic diagram of one embodiment of the volume adjustment shaft in Figure 13;

[0037] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of the wire laying operation principle of the present invention;

[0038] In the diagram: 1-Material roll, 11-Guide roller, 12-Take-up roller, 13-Transition roller; 2-Guide drive wheel, 21-Guide motor, 22-Guide wheel, 23-Reversing wheel; 3-Vertical cylinder, 31-Railway; 4-Fiber placement roller, 41-Roller plate, 42-Roller skin, 43-Roller, 44-Main air pipe, 45-Branch air pipe, 46-Rotary joint, 47-Air cylinder, 471-Ventilation hole, 472-Annular groove; 48-Air bladder; 5-Lifting plate, 51- 52-Guide roller, 53-Feeding motor, 54-Transmission gear, 55-Hot air gun, 56-Air outlet pipe; 6-Feed groove, 61-Air blowing hole, 62-Feed breaking cylinder, 63-Scraper, 64-Knife bar, 65-Feeding knife; 7-Pressure roller plate, 71-Pressure roller cylinder, 72-Pressure roller; 8-Feeding roller plate, 81-Feeding plate, 82-Feeding roller, 83-Wheel shaft; 100-Material rack, 200-Feeding head, 300-Quick change plate, 400-Mold. Detailed Implementation

[0039] Referring to Figure 1, the present invention provides a composite material laying equipment, including a material rack 100 and a fiber laying head 200 connected below the material rack 100;

[0040] Optionally, the top of the material rack 100 is provided with a quick-change plate 300 for connecting equipment such as robotic arms to realize the overall mobile operation of the laying equipment.

[0041] Referring to Figure 2, the material rack 100 is provided with at least one set of feeding mechanisms; the feeding mechanism includes a material roll shaft 1, a guide roller 11, and a take-up shaft 12;

[0042] It also includes transition wheel sets and guide wire assemblies;

[0043] The material roll shaft 1 is used to fix the material roll. The material roll of the present invention includes pre-formed filaments, which are wound on a material cylinder to form a material roll; the material roll shaft 1 is sleeved and fixed on the material cylinder. Pulling the pre-formed filaments realizes continuous feeding.

[0044] The pre-formed filaments are wound onto the transition wheel assembly via the guide roller 11 and then fed to the filament laying head 200 via the filament guiding assembly.

[0045] Optionally, the material roll 1 of the present invention is connected to a feeding motor. By controlling the rotation of the material roll 1 through the feeding motor, the tension on the preformed wire is reduced, preventing it from being broken due to excessive tension.

[0046] Optionally, the pre-formed filament of the present invention is: a fiber filament, the outer layer of which is coated with resin.

[0047] Even better, to prevent the preformed filaments from sticking together, a separator membrane is placed between adjacent layers of preformed filaments. When the preformed filaments are pulled out, the separator membrane is simultaneously wound onto the take-up shaft 12 and recycled.

[0048] Each feeding mechanism can feed one pre-formed filament. Increasing the number of feeding mechanisms can improve the filament laying efficiency. The number of feeding mechanisms is set according to the requirements of the actual product. Preferably, the invention has four feeding mechanisms.

[0049] As a preferred embodiment, the guide roller 11 and the take-up shaft 12 of the feeding mechanism are located on both sides of the material roll shaft 1, and the pre-formed filaments and the separator film have different directions and do not interfere with each other.

[0050] Referring to Figure 3, as a preferred embodiment, the transition wheel group includes multiple transition wheels 13; the pre-formed wire is sequentially wound around each transition wheel 13 along the conveying direction;

[0051] The wire guide assembly includes a wire guide drive wheel 2 and two reversing wheels 23; the wire guide drive wheel 2 is connected to the two reversing wheels 23 via a synchronous belt drive; the wire guide assembly also includes two guide wheels 22; the wire guide drive wheel 2 is connected to a wire guide motor 21;

[0052] Pre-formed wires are sequentially wound around each guide wheel 22 and reversing wheel 23;

[0053] The guide wire motor 21 drives the guide wire drive wheel 2 to rotate, causing the two reversing wheels 23 to generate a pulling force on the pre-made wire, which is then sent to the wire laying head 200.

[0054] Referring to Figure 4, the filament-laying head 200 includes two opposing lifting plates 5 for connecting the material rack 100; referring to Figure 5, a filament-feeding mechanism and a filament-cutting mechanism are provided between the two lifting plates 5; the two lifting plates 5 are also connected to a filament-laying roller 4;

[0055] Referring to Figure 16, the pre-formed filaments are fed to the mold via the filament feeding mechanism, and the filament-laying roller 4 presses them onto the mold 400 with a certain pressure. As the filament-laying head 200 moves, the filament-laying roller 4 rolls to lay the pre-formed filaments on the surface of the mold 400. When pressed to the edge of the mold 400, the filament-cutting mechanism actuates to cut the filaments. The filament-laying head 200 returns to its original position, and the next pressing and laying process continues.

[0056] The preformed yarns are continuously pressed onto the mold 400 to avoid defects such as overlap and bending. The resin in the preformed yarns coats the outside of the fiber filaments. During the yarn feeding and pressing process, the resin is rolled out, avoiding the problem of uneven resin penetration into the fiber.

[0057] The shape of the mold 400 conforms to the shape of the product to be produced. The pre-formed filaments are sequentially pressed onto the mold 400 by the filament-laying roller 4 of the laying equipment of this invention, and the product is finally obtained. This method replaces the existing production method of blades, improves production efficiency, eliminates the defects of the existing production method, and improves product quality.

[0058] Referring to Figure 6, as a preferred embodiment, a slide rail 51 is fixedly provided on the outer side of the lifting plate 5; a rail groove 31 that slides and engages with the slide rail 51 is fixedly provided on the material rack 100; and a vertical cylinder 3 that connects to the lifting plate 5 is also provided on the material rack 100.

[0059] The height of the filament-laying head 200 can be adjusted by the vertical cylinder 3, so that the filament-laying roller 4 can be adapted to the structural undulations of the mold surface 400.

[0060] As a preferred embodiment, a hot air gun 55 is also provided on the outer side of the hanging plate 5, and the hot air gun 55 is connected to the air outlet pipe 56;

[0061] During the filament laying operation, hot air is blown onto the surface of the mold 400 through the air outlet 56 to preheat it, thereby increasing its temperature and softening the resin. This allows the pre-made filaments to be better laid on the mold 400, improving the filament laying quality.

[0062] Referring to Figures 7 and 8, as one embodiment, the wire feeding mechanism includes a wire feeding wheel plate 8 and a pressure wheel assembly;

[0063] Referring to Figures 11 and 12, the wire feeding wheel plate 8 is provided with at least one wire feeding wheel 82; the wire feeding wheel 82 is connected to the wire feeding motor 53.

[0064] Referring to Figure 10, the pressure roller assembly includes a pressure roller plate 7 disposed opposite to the wire feeding roller plate 8; a pressure roller cylinder 71 is provided on the pressure roller plate 7, the pressure roller cylinder 71 is connected to the pressure roller frame, and a pressure roller 72 is provided on the pressure roller frame; the pressure roller 72 is disposed directly opposite to the wire feeding roller 82; both the wire feeding roller plate 8 and the pressure roller plate 7 are provided with wire passage grooves 6;

[0065] The wire feeding wheel plate 8 and the wire passage groove 6 of the pressure wheel plate 7 are matched to form the wire path of the pre-made wire. The pre-made wire is straightened in the wire path, which facilitates flattening and subsequent pressing operations.

[0066] Even better, the number of wire grooves 6 is the same as the number of pre-made wires.

[0067] The pressure roller cylinder 71 pushes the pressure roller 72 forward to press the pre-formed filament onto the feed roller 82; the feed roller 82 rotates and cooperates with the pressure roller 72 to generate a pulling force on the pre-formed filament, guiding it to the mold 400 below the lay-up roller 4. During the conveying process, the pre-formed filament is squeezed into a strip shape by the feed roller 82 and the pressure roller 72, which is beneficial for laying on the mold 400.

[0068] The rotational speeds of the wire feeding motor 53 and the wire guiding motor 21 of the present invention are matched so that the tension on the pre-formed wire is appropriate, neither too great to cause breakage nor too small to cause folding.

[0069] Optionally, the wire feeding mechanism has two sets of wire feeding wheels 82 on the wire feeding wheel plate 8, one set of wire feeding wheels 82 being connected to the wire feeding motor 53; the pressure roller assembly consists of two sets; each set of wire feeding wheels 82 corresponds to one pressure roller 72; the pre-made wire is stretched straight during the flattening process, resulting in uniform thickness and preventing bending.

[0070] As one embodiment, a scraper 63 is provided below both the wire feeding wheel 82 and the pressure wheel 72; the scraper scrapes off the resin residue adhering to the wire feeding wheel 82 and the pressure wheel 72 in real time to prevent it from sticking to the pre-formed wire and affecting the subsequent pressing quality.

[0071] As one embodiment, the feeding mechanism of the present invention consists of four sets; the wire feeding mechanism consists of two sets, and each set of wire feeding mechanism has two wire feeding grooves 6 on the wire feeding wheel plate 8 and the pressure wheel plate 7.

[0072] Optionally, the wire feeding wheel 82 is mounted on a wheel axle 83; a transmission gear 54 is sleeved on the wheel axle 83; the transmission gears 54 of the two wheel axles 83 mesh with each other; the wire feeding motor 53 is connected to one of the wheel axles 83 to realize the synchronous rotation of the two wire feeding wheels 82 at the same speed, so that the wire feeding speed of the four pre-made wires is the same, ensuring the pressing quality.

[0073] Optionally, the lower end of the wire feeding wheel plate 8 overlaps with a wire exit plate 81, and the wire exit plate 81 is provided with a wire passage groove 6; after the pre-made wire is flattened, it is guided from the wire exit plate 81 to the mold 400.

[0074] Optionally, the bottom of the wire feeding groove 6 is provided with an air blowing hole 61; cold air is blown into the wire feeding groove 6 from the air blowing hole 61 to separate the flattened pre-made wire from the wire feeding groove 6, so as to prevent its resin from adhering to the groove wall and hindering the feeding of the pre-made wire.

[0075] Referring to Figure 9, the shredding mechanism includes a shredding cylinder 62, which is connected to a blade 64. A shredding blade 65 is fixed at the end of the blade 64 and can extend into the shredding groove 6. The blade 64 extends to cut the pre-made shredding.

[0076] The number of slicing blades 65 is the same as that of the wire-passing grooves 6, and each slicing blade 65 cuts one pre-made wire.

[0077] The filament-laying roller 4 of the present invention is a rubber roller, whose surface can be deformed under pressure, resulting in a good filament-laying effect.

[0078] Because the surface of the mold 400 has an uneven structure, the deformation of the surface of the filament laying roller 4 is limited in the recessed areas. The pre-laid filaments in these areas cannot be fully adhered to the mold 400, which reduces the pressing effect.

[0079] Referring to Figures 13-15, to address this problem, the present invention provides an embodiment of a yarn-laying roller 4, wherein the yarn-laying roller 4 includes two oppositely arranged roller shaft plates 41, and a roller skin 42 is connected between the two roller shaft plates 41; the roller skin 42 and the two roller shaft plates 41 form a roller cavity.

[0080] Preferably, the roller skin 42 is made of rubber.

[0081] The roller plate 41 is fixedly connected to the roller 43; the roller 43 is provided with a main air pipe 44 at its center; the roller 43 is also provided with multiple branch air pipes 45 that connect the main air pipe 44 and the roller chamber; each branch air pipe 45 is also connected to a volume adjustment shaft provided in the roller chamber.

[0082] The volume adjustment shaft includes an air cylinder 47; one end of the air cylinder 47 is provided with a vent 471 that connects to the air distribution pipe 45, and the other end is connected to an air bag 48.

[0083] During operation, gas is introduced into the air cylinder 47 at the recessed position of the mold, the air bag 48 expands, the volume of the roller cavity increases, and under the downward pressure of the filament laying head 200, the volume of the roller cavity is automatically distributed, causing the roller skin 42 located at the recessed position to expand outward and fill the recessed position on the mold 400, thereby improving the pressing force of the pre-made filament at this position, ensuring the pressing effect, and avoiding the problem of insufficient pressing at this position.

[0084] Optionally, the roller cavity is filled with silicone oil to ensure uniform pressing force of the roller skin 42 on the surface of the mold 400.

[0085] As one embodiment, the airbag 48 can be hemispherical;

[0086] As one embodiment, the airbag 48 is corrugated and can extend and retract along the axial direction of the air cylinder 47. When inflated, it pushes against the roller skin 42 from the inside to provide pressing force.

[0087] In one embodiment, one end of the main air pipe 44 is connected to an air source via a rotary joint 46, and the other end is connected to a control valve via a rotary joint 46. During the pressing and laying of the raised structure, air is released through the control valve to regulate the air pressure within the roller chamber.

[0088] As a preferred embodiment, the fiber placement head 200 of the present invention is also equipped with a lidar. Before the fiber placement operation, the fiber placement head 200 scans the surface of the mold 400 according to the fiber placement path and sends the scan data to the control unit. During the fiber placement operation, based on the scan data, the roller chamber is pre-inflated or deflated to adjust the pressure inside the roller chamber in a timely manner, so as to ensure uniform pressure during the pressing process and guarantee the pressing quality.

[0089] In summary, this invention provides a composite material placement equipment that sequentially presses pre-formed filaments onto a mold using a filament placement roller to ultimately produce the product. This replaces existing blade production methods, improves production efficiency, eliminates the shortcomings of existing methods, and enhances product quality.

[0090] Of course, the present invention may have other various embodiments. Without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, those skilled in the art can make various corresponding changes and modifications according to the present invention, but these corresponding changes and modifications should all fall within the protection scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A composite material laying equipment, characterized in that, The device includes a material rack and a filament-laying head connected below the material rack; the material rack is equipped with at least one set of feeding mechanisms; the feeding mechanism includes a material roll shaft, a guide roller, and a take-up shaft; the material rack is also equipped with a transition wheel assembly and a filament-guiding assembly; the filament-laying head includes two opposing lifting plates for connecting the material rack; a filament-feeding mechanism and a filament-cutting mechanism are provided between the two lifting plates; the two lifting plates are also connected to filament-laying rollers; the filament-laying roller includes two opposing roller shaft plates, with a roller skin connected between the two roller shaft plates; the roller skin and the two roller shaft plates form a roller cavity; the roller cavity is filled with silicone oil; the roller shaft plates are fixedly connected to the roller shaft; a main air pipe is provided at the center of the roller shaft; multiple branch air pipes connecting the main air pipe and the roller cavity are also provided inside the roller shaft; each branch air pipe is also connected to a volume adjustment shaft provided inside the roller cavity; the volume adjustment shaft includes an air cylinder; one end of the air cylinder is provided with a vent hole connected to the branch air pipe, and the other end is connected to an air bag.

2. The composite material laying equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The feeding mechanism has its guide roller and take-up shaft located on both sides of the roll shaft.

3. The composite material laying equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The transition wheel assembly includes multiple transition wheels.

4. The composite material laying equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The wire guide assembly includes a wire guide drive wheel and two reversing wheels; the wire guide drive wheel is connected to the two reversing wheels via a synchronous belt drive; the wire guide assembly also includes two guide wheels; the wire guide drive wheel is connected to a wire guide motor.

5. The composite material laying equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, A slide rail is fixed to the outer side of the lifting plate; a rail groove component that slides with the slide rail is fixed to the material rack; and a vertical cylinder that connects to the lifting plate is also provided on the material rack.

6. The composite material laying equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The wire laying head is also equipped with a hot air gun, which is connected to an air outlet pipe.

7. The composite material laying equipment as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The wire feeding mechanism includes a wire feeding wheel plate and a pressure roller assembly; the wire feeding wheel plate is provided with at least one wire feeding wheel; the wire feeding wheel is driven and connected to a wire feeding motor; the pressure roller assembly includes a pressure roller plate disposed opposite to the wire feeding wheel plate; the pressure roller plate is provided with a pressure roller cylinder, the pressure roller cylinder is connected to a pressure roller frame, and a pressure roller is disposed on the pressure roller frame; the pressure roller and the wire feeding wheel are disposed directly opposite each other; both the wire feeding wheel plate and the pressure roller plate are provided with wire guide grooves; and both the wire feeding wheel and the pressure roller are provided with scrapers below them.

8. The composite material laying equipment as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The feeding mechanism consists of four sets; the wire feeding mechanism consists of two sets, and each set of wire feeding mechanism has two wire feeding grooves on the wire feeding wheel plate and pressure wheel plate.

9. The composite material laying equipment as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The shredding mechanism includes a wire-breaking cylinder, which is connected to a blade rod. A shredding blade that can extend into the wire-passing groove is fixed at the end of the blade rod.

10. The composite material laying equipment as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The wire feeding mechanism has two sets of wire feeding wheels on its wire feeding wheel plate, one of which is connected to the wire feeding motor; the pressure wheel assembly consists of two sets; each set of wire feeding wheels corresponds to one pressure wheel.

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