Composite material forming system

Abstract

The invention provides a composite material forming system. The composite material forming system comprises a supporting frame, a mold body, a vacuumizing device, a heating device with a cooling mechanism, a cooling device and a locking mechanism. The female die and the male die are each provided with a rectangular cavity, one end of any cavity is provided with a hot medium outlet and a cold medium inlet mechanism with a cold medium inlet, the other end of any cavity is provided with a hot medium inlet and a cold medium outlet mechanism with a cold medium outlet, and a plurality of cooling layers are laid in any cavity through a rectifying plate. Each cooling layer is parallel to the horizontal plane and comprises a plurality of cooling pipes arranged in parallel, one end of each cooling pipe is connected with the cold medium inlet mechanism, the other end of each cooling pipe is connected with the cold medium outlet mechanism, and the sum of the volumes inside all the cooling pipes of any cavity is equal to the volume outside the cooling pipes. Rapid heating and rapid cooling of the mold body can be achieved, so that the molding time of a composite material is shortened, and the production efficiency is effectively improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a composite material forming system and belongs to the technical field of composite material forming. Background Art

[0002] At present, the most commonly used process for curing and molding resin-based composite materials for aerospace is the autoclave process, which uses high-temperature compressed gas inside the autoclave to heat and pressurize the composite prepreg to complete the curing and molding of the composite material.

[0003] The autoclave process heats the composite material from the outside to the inside by heating the air in the tank. Although the air and pressure in the tank are relatively uniform through the cooperation of the heating system, the pressurization system and the blast system, the heat is transferred from the outside to the inside of the composite material during heating and curing, which makes the temperature distribution inside the composite material uneven, and then makes the curing degree of the composite material uneven, affecting its molding quality; the heating rate of the autoclave process is usually 1-5℃ / min, and the cooling rate is usually 0.5-5℃ / min, with low production efficiency and high energy consumption; due to the complex structure and large system of hot pressing, the autoclave is a high-pressure container, so the cost of investing in the equipment of the autoclave process is relatively high. The above shortcomings limit the development of the autoclave molding process and even become a bottleneck for its widespread application in composite material molding. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention provides a composite material molding system which can be quickly heated and quickly cooled and can effectively reduce the manufacturing cost and the operating cost.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a composite material molding system, including a support frame, a mold body arranged on the support frame, a vacuum device, a heating device with a cooling mechanism, a cooling device and a locking mechanism; the mold body includes a female mold and a male mold, the female mold is provided with a rectangular cavity A capable of laying composite materials and vacuum bag films, the male mold is provided with a rectangular cavity B, and the male mold is detachably covered on the female mold; the female mold and the male mold are both provided with a rectangular cavity, after the female mold and the male mold are fixed, the cavity of the female mold is located directly below the cavity A of the female mold, the cavity B of the male mold covers directly above the cavity A of the female mold, and the cavity of the male mold is located directly above the cavity B of the male mold; one end of any of the cavities is provided with a hot medium outlet and a cold medium inlet mechanism with a cold medium inlet, the other end of any of the cavities is provided with a hot medium inlet and a cold medium outlet mechanism with a cold medium outlet, and multiple cooling layers are laid in any of the cavities through a rectifier plate, each cooling layer is parallel to the horizontal plane, and each cooling layer includes a plurality of parallelly arranged cooling layers. The cooling tubes are arranged in a cavity, one end of each cooling tube is connected to the cold medium inlet mechanism, and the other end of each cooling tube is connected to the cold medium outlet mechanism, and the sum of the volumes in all cooling tubes of any cavity is equal to the volume outside the cooling tubes; any hot medium inlet and any hot medium outlet are connected to the heating device through a pipeline, and the hot medium of the heating device flows into the corresponding cavity through the hot medium inlet and flows back to the heating device through the corresponding hot medium outlet; the heating device is an oil temperature machine; any cold medium inlet and any cold medium outlet are connected to the cooling device through a pipeline, and the cold medium of the cooling device flows into the multiple cooling tubes in the corresponding cavity through the cold medium inlet and flows back to the cooling device through the corresponding cold medium outlet; the vacuum device is connected to the vacuum bag film; the locking mechanism fixes the male mold and the female mold together through the locking screw hole; the spacing between two adjacent cooling layers is 7.25mm, the spacing between two adjacent cooling tubes of each cooling layer is 10mm, and each cooling tube is a capillary copper tube, and the inner diameter and outer diameter of the capillary copper tube are 3mm and 5mm respectively.

[0006] In a specific embodiment, the heat medium is oil, and the cooling mechanism includes a cold water tank with cold water in its inner cavity and a water pump, the cold water tank and the water pump are connected by a pipeline, the water pump is connected to the oil temperature machine by a pipeline, the cold water tank and the oil temperature machine are connected by a pipeline, the heat medium inlet of the female mold and the heat medium inlet of the male mold are both connected to the oil outlet of the oil temperature machine, and the heat medium outlet of the female mold and the heat medium outlet of the male mold are both connected to the oil inlet of the oil temperature machine.

[0007] In a specific embodiment, the female mold is provided with a detection hole.

[0008] In a specific embodiment, the vacuum extraction device includes a vacuum pump and a vacuum tank connected to the vacuum pump. The vacuum valve A and the vacuum valve B of the vacuum bag film are connected to the vacuum tank through a vacuum tube after passing through the male mold.

[0009] In a specific embodiment, the cooling device includes a cooling box with a cold medium arranged in the inner cavity and a cooling pump, the cooling pump is connected to the cooling box through a pipeline, the cold medium inlet of the female mold and the cold medium inlet of the male mold are connected to the cooling pump through a pipeline, and the cold medium outlet of the female mold and the cold medium outlet of the male mold are connected to the cooling box through a pipeline.

[0010] In a specific embodiment, the cooling medium is water, oil or ethylene glycol.

[0011] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. The present invention realizes rapid heating and rapid cooling of the composite material through the cooperation of the mold body, the vacuum device, the heating device with the cooling mechanism, the cooling device and the locking mechanism, thereby effectively improving the production efficiency of the composite material.

[0012] 2. The cooling layers of the cavity of the female mold and the cavity of the male mold of the present invention are composed of multiple capillary copper tubes arranged in parallel. The cooling tube in each cavity guides the heat medium so that its flow direction is opposite to the flow direction of the cold medium. During the composite material molding process, the temperature field of the molding surfaces of the female mold and the male mold is evenly distributed, and there is no temperature difference in the composite material, which effectively improves the molding quality of the composite material. During the cooling process, convection heat exchange can be formed, and the heat exchange area can be effectively increased. The heat medium can be effectively cooled down under the action of the cooling mechanism. When the cold medium is water and the hot medium is oil, the cooling rate of the hot medium can reach 10-15k / min, thereby effectively improving the cooling rate of the composite material.

[0013] 3. The cavity of the female mold and the cavity of the male mold of the present invention are divided into a cold medium flow area and a hot medium flow area of ​​equal volume by a cooling layer, and the temperature of the hot medium is controlled by an oil temperature controller. Without affecting the molding quality of the composite material, the accuracy of temperature control is improved, the use of hot medium can be reduced, and the heating rate can be increased.

[0014] 4. The present invention is a purely mechanical structure, which can be placed in various environments for a long time. It has a simple structure, is easy to maintain, easy to install, has low cost and is easy to operate. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of the assembled mold body of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the female mold structure of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the male mold structure of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 5 It is a cross-sectional view of the male mold of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 6 It is a cross-sectional view of the assembled mold body of the present invention.

[0021] Figure markings: cold water tank 1, water pump 2, oil temperature machine 3, mold body 4, support frame 5, vacuum pump 6, vacuum tank 7, cooling pump 8, cooling box 9, female mold 41, cavity A42, cavity 43, cold medium inlet 44, cold medium outlet 45, hot medium inlet 46, hot medium outlet 47, cooling pipe 48, locking screw hole 49, male mold 50, detection hole 51, vacuum valve A61, vacuum valve B62. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the embodiments and drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments and features in the embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0023] refer to Figures 1 to 6 A composite material molding system comprises a support frame 5, a mold body 4 arranged on the support frame 5, a vacuum device, a heating device with a cooling mechanism, a cooling device and a locking mechanism, wherein the locking mechanism applies a suitable pressure to the composite material in the mold body 4, and specifically, the locking mechanism is a screw locking mechanism; The heating device provides heated heat medium during the heating process, provides heat medium at a suitable temperature during the heat preservation process, and provides cooled heat medium during the cooling process.

[0024] During the cooling process, the cooling device provides cold medium and the heating device provides cooled hot medium.

[0025] The vacuum device is used to put the vacuum bag film in a vacuum state.

[0026] The mold body 4 includes a female mold 41 and a male mold 50. The female mold 41 is provided with a rectangular cavity A42 capable of laying the composite material and the vacuum bag film. The male mold 50 is provided with a rectangular cavity B. The male mold 50 is detachably covered on the female mold 41. During the molding process of the composite material, the female mold 41 and the male mold 50 cooperate with each other to limit the shape and position of the composite material.

[0027] The female mold 41 and the male mold 50 are both provided with a rectangular cavity 43. After the female mold 41 and the male mold 50 are fixed, the cavity 43 of the female mold 41 is located directly below the cavity A42 of the female mold 41, and the cavity B of the male mold 50 covers directly above the cavity A42 of the female mold 41. The cavity 43 of the male mold 50 is located directly above the cavity B of the male mold 50. The top surface of the cavity 43 of the female mold 41, the molding surface of the cavity A42 of the female mold 41, the bottom surface of the cavity 43 of the male mold 50 and the molding surface of the cavity B of the male mold 50 are all consistent in size. When the molding surfaces of the female mold 41 and the male mold 50 are heated evenly and the temperature field is evenly distributed, there is no temperature difference in the heating of the composite material.

[0028] One end of any of the cavities 43 is provided with a hot medium outlet 47 and a cold medium inlet mechanism with a cold medium inlet 44, and the other end of any of the cavities 43 is provided with a hot medium inlet 46 and a cold medium outlet mechanism with a cold medium outlet 45, and the cold medium inlet mechanism and the cold medium outlet mechanism are both arranged at the ends of the corresponding cavities 43, and multiple cooling layers are laid in any of the cavities 43 through a rectifying plate, and each cooling layer is parallel to the horizontal plane, and each cooling layer includes multiple cooling pipes 48 arranged in parallel, and one end of each cooling pipe 48 is connected to the cold medium inlet mechanism The other end of each cooling tube 48 is connected with the cold medium outlet mechanism. The cold medium in any cavity 43 flows from one end provided with the cold medium inlet mechanism to one end provided with the cold medium outlet mechanism through multiple cooling tubes 48. The sum of the volumes in all cooling tubes 48 in any cavity 43 is equal to the volume outside the cooling tube 48. Preferably, the spacing between two adjacent cooling layers is 7.25 mm, and the spacing between two adjacent cooling tubes in each cooling layer is 10 mm. Each of the cooling tubes 48 is a capillary copper tube, and the inner diameter and outer diameter of the capillary copper tube are 3 mm and 5 mm, respectively.

[0029] Each layer of capillary copper tubes guides the flow of the heat medium and prevents the heat medium from flowing irregularly in the cavities of the female mold 41 and the male mold 50. During the heating process, the mold body 4 and the composite material can be heated evenly. During the cooling process, the tube walls of the capillary copper tubes in the cavities of the female mold 41 and the male mold 50 can contact the heat medium evenly, so that the heat medium and the composite material are cooled evenly.

[0030] The cavities of the female mold 41 and the male mold 50 are divided into a cold medium flow space and a hot medium flow space of equal volume by cooling pipes. Without affecting the heat transfer uniformity and molding efficiency of the hot medium, the use of the hot medium can be reduced, and the temperature control accuracy can be effectively improved.

[0031] Any heat medium inlet 46 and any heat medium outlet 47 are connected to the heating device through a pipeline. The heat medium of the heating device flows into the corresponding cavity 43 through the heat medium inlet 46 and flows back to the heating device through the corresponding heat medium outlet 47 to form a heat medium circulation loop.

[0032] Any cold medium inlet 44 and any cold medium outlet 45 are connected to the cooling device through a pipeline. The cold medium of the cooling device flows into the multiple cooling pipes 48 in the corresponding cavity 43 through the cold medium inlet 44 and flows back to the cooling device through the corresponding cold medium outlet 45 to form a cold medium circulation loop.

[0033] The vacuum device is connected to the vacuum bag film; the locking mechanism fixes the male mold 50 and the female mold 41 together through the locking screw hole 49 to provide pressure to assist the molding of the composite material.

[0034] Furthermore, the female mold 41 is provided with a detection hole 51 , and the detection hole 49 has a diameter of 1 mm. The detection hole 49 is used to install a fiber grating monitoring device.

[0035] Preferably, the female mold is provided with a placement table for placing the vacuum valve, and the placement table for placing the vacuum valve is separated from the molding surface.

[0036] Preferably, the heating device is an oil temperature machine 3, the heat medium is oil, and the cooling mechanism includes a cold water tank 1 with cold water in the inner cavity and a water pump 2, the cold water tank 1 and the water pump 2 are connected by a pipeline, the water pump 2 is connected to the oil temperature machine 3 by a pipeline, and the cold water tank 1 and the oil temperature machine 3 are connected by a pipeline to form a cold water circulation loop. During the cooling process, the oil in the oil temperature machine is cooled to improve the cooling efficiency; the heat medium inlet 46 of the female mold 41 and the heat medium inlet 46 of the male mold 50 are both connected to the oil outlet of the oil temperature machine 3, and the heat medium outlet 47 of the female mold 41 and the heat medium outlet 47 of the male mold 50 are both connected to the oil inlet of the oil temperature machine 3 to form a circulation loop to circulate oil to the cavity.

[0037] During the heating process of the composite material, the oil temperature machine 3 is set according to actual needs. The oil temperature machine 3 heats the oil. The heated oil enters the corresponding cavity 43 from the heat medium inlet 46 of the female mold 41 and the male mold 50 respectively, and under the guidance of the multiple cooling pipes 48 in the corresponding cavity 43, it flows back to the oil temperature machine 3 from the heat medium outlet 47 of the corresponding cavity 43, thereby forming a circulation loop. The heated oil flows unidirectionally in each cavity 43, and the heat medium transfers heat to the mold body 4. The temperature of the mold body 4 increases, and the mold body 4 transfers heat to the composite material. Under the condition of unchanged heating power, the heating rate of the mold body 4 depends on the specific heat capacity of the heat medium, the total heat exchange area and the medium flow rate, and the heating rate of the composite material depends on the ambient temperature and the heating rate of the mold body.

[0038] When the weight of the mold body is 40-45KG and the heating power is 5KW, the mold body is heated from the starting temperature of 20°C to the final temperature of 120°C. The autoclave process takes 0.5h, while the present invention takes 0.11 hours, and the heating rate reaches 15°C / min. This result can be verified according to the heating power formula of the oil temperature machine. The heating power formula of the oil temperature machine is: ,in is the difference between the initial temperature and the final temperature, C 0 is the specific heat capacity of the mold body, W is the weight of the mold body, T 0 It is the time for the mold body to heat up from the initial temperature to the final temperature.

[0039] The temperature distribution of the cavities of the mold body 4 is uniform and the temperature rise is uniform, which can heat the composite material uniformly, thereby making the composite material molding porosity lower and the molding accuracy higher.

[0040] Preferably, the vacuum extraction device includes a vacuum pump 6 and a vacuum tank 7 connected to the vacuum pump 6. The vacuum valve A61 and the vacuum valve B62 of the vacuum bag film are connected to the vacuum tank 7 through a vacuum tube after passing through the male mold 50. A detection element can be connected to monitor the vacuum degree in real time.

[0041] Optionally, the cooling device includes a cooling box 9 with a cold medium arranged in the inner cavity and a cooling pump 8, the cooling pump 8 is connected to the cooling box 9 through a pipeline, the cold medium inlet 44 of the female mold 41 and the cold medium inlet 44 of the male mold 50 are both connected to the cooling pump 8 through a pipeline, and the cold medium outlet 45 of the female mold 41 and the cold medium outlet 45 of the male mold 50 are both connected to the cooling box 9 through a pipeline to form a cold medium circulation loop to provide circulating cold medium to multiple cooling tubes in the cavity.

[0042] During the cooling process, the water pump 2 is turned on, and the oil temperature machine 3 is set so that it does not heat the oil. The cold water cools the oil under the action of the water pump 2. The cooled oil enters the corresponding cavity 43 from the heat medium inlet 46 of the female mold 41 and the male mold 50 respectively, and under the guidance of the cooling pipe 48 in the corresponding cavity 43, it flows back to the oil temperature machine 3 from the heat medium outlet 47 of the corresponding cavity 43, and the cycle continues. At the same time, the cooling pump 8 is turned on, and the cold medium flows into the cavity of the male mold 50 and the female mold 41 from the cold medium inlet 44 of the female mold 41 and the male mold 50. The multiple cooling pipes 48 in the body 43 then flow back to the cooling box 9 from the corresponding cold medium outlets 45, and the cycle continues like this. The cold medium flows unidirectionally in the cooling pipes 48, and its flow direction is opposite to that of the oil. The two are in convection heat exchange. Therefore, the cooling rate of the mold body 4 and the composite material can be effectively improved. The cooling pipes 48 all adopt capillary copper tubes with an inner diameter of 3mm and an outer diameter of 5mm. The heat transfer coefficient is high. The multiple cooling pipes 48 in each cooling layer are densely arranged in a square shape, which effectively increases the heat exchange area and further improves the cooling efficiency.

[0043] Optionally, the cooling medium is water, oil or ethylene glycol.

[0044] The cooling rate of the heat medium in the oil temperature machine 3 V 1 The speed is 3-5k / min, and the convection heat transfer coefficient between the hot medium and the cold medium is h. According to Newton's cooling law: , then the heat transfer Q is: , the cooling rate of the heat medium under convective heat transfer can be obtained: V 2 =Q / C 1 , then the cooling rate V of the heat medium is: V = V 1 +V 2 , where q is the heat flux per unit area, is the temperature difference between the cold and hot fluids, S is the heat exchange area, and the heat exchange area is the sum of the surface areas of the multiple cooling tubes 48 in each cavity 43, C 1 is the specific heat capacity of the heat medium.

[0045] If water is used as the cooling medium, the convection heat transfer coefficient h between it and the hot medium ranges from 1000 to 15000. If the initial temperature of the water is 10°C (283.15k), the cooling rate of the hot medium can reach 10-15k / min, thereby effectively improving the cooling rate of the composite material.

[0046] The above contents are further detailed descriptions of the present invention in combination with specific preferred embodiments, and it cannot be determined that the specific implementation of the present invention is limited to these descriptions. For ordinary technicians in the technical field to which the present invention belongs, several simple deductions and substitutions can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, which should be regarded as belonging to the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A composite material molding system, characterized in that: It comprises a support frame (5), a mold body (4) arranged on the support frame (5), a vacuum device, a heating device with a cooling mechanism, a cooling device and a locking mechanism; The mold body (4) comprises a female mold (41) and a male mold (50), the female mold (41) being provided with a rectangular mold cavity A (42) capable of laying a composite material and a vacuum bag film, and the male mold (50) being provided with a rectangular mold cavity B, and the male mold (50) being detachably covered on the female mold (41); The female mold (41) and the male mold (50) are both provided with a rectangular cavity (43); after the female mold (41) and the male mold (50) are fixed, the cavity (43) of the female mold (41) is located directly below the mold cavity A (42) of the female mold (41); the mold cavity B of the male mold (50) covers the mold cavity A (42) of the female mold (41); and the cavity (43) of the male mold (50) is located directly above the mold cavity B of the male mold (50); A hot medium outlet (47) and a cold medium inlet mechanism with a cold medium inlet (44) are provided at one end of any of the cavities (43); a hot medium inlet (46) and a cold medium outlet mechanism with a cold medium outlet (45) are provided at the other end of any of the cavities (43); multiple cooling layers are laid in any of the cavities (43) through a rectifying plate; each cooling layer is parallel to a horizontal plane; each cooling layer includes multiple cooling pipes (48) arranged in parallel; one end of each cooling pipe (48) is connected to the cold medium inlet mechanism; the other end of each cooling pipe (48) is connected to the cold medium outlet mechanism; the sum of the volumes in all cooling pipes (48) in any of the cavities (43) is equal to the volume outside the cooling pipes (48); Any heat medium inlet (46) and any heat medium outlet (47) are connected to the heating device through a pipeline, and the heat medium of the heating device flows into the corresponding cavity (43) through the heat medium inlet (46) and flows back to the heating device through the corresponding heat medium outlet (47); the heating device is an oil temperature machine (3); Any cold medium inlet (44) and any cold medium outlet (45) are connected to the cooling device through a pipeline, and the cold medium of the cooling device flows into the plurality of cooling pipes (48) in the corresponding cavity (43) through the cold medium inlet (44) and flows back to the cooling device through the corresponding cold medium outlet (45); The vacuum extraction device is connected to the vacuum bag film; the locking mechanism fixes the male mold (50) and the female mold (41) together through the locking screw hole (49); The distance between two adjacent cooling layers is 7.25 mm, the distance between two adjacent cooling tubes in each cooling layer is 10 mm, and each cooling tube (48) is a capillary copper tube, and the inner diameter and outer diameter of the capillary copper tube are 3 mm and 5 mm respectively.

2. The composite material molding system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heat medium is oil. The cooling mechanism comprises a cold water tank (1) whose inner cavity is filled with cold water and a water pump (2). The cold water tank (1) and the water pump (2) are connected via a pipeline. The water pump (2) is connected to an oil temperature machine (3) via a pipeline. The cold water tank (1) and the oil temperature machine (3) are connected via a pipeline. The heat medium inlet (46) of the female mold (41) and the heat medium inlet (46) of the male mold (50) are both connected to the oil outlet of the oil temperature machine (3). The heat medium outlet (47) of the female mold (41) and the heat medium outlet (47) of the male mold (50) are both connected to the oil inlet of the oil temperature machine (3).

3. The composite material molding system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The female mold (41) is provided with a detection hole (51).

4. The composite material molding system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The vacuum extraction device comprises a vacuum pump (6) and a vacuum tank (7) connected to the vacuum pump (6); a vacuum valve A (61) and a vacuum valve B (62) of the vacuum bag film both penetrate the male mold (50) and are connected to the vacuum tank (7) via a vacuum tube.

5. The composite material molding system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The cooling device comprises a cooling box (9) having a cooling medium arranged in its inner cavity and a cooling pump (8); the cooling pump (8) and the cooling box (9) are connected via a pipeline; the cooling medium inlet (44) of the female mold (41) and the cooling medium inlet (44) of the male mold (50) are both connected to the cooling pump (8) via a pipeline; and the cooling medium outlet (45) of the female mold (41) and the cooling medium outlet (45) of the male mold (50) are both connected to the cooling box (9) via a pipeline.

6. The composite material molding system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The cooling medium is water, oil or ethylene glycol.

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