Yarn combing device and prepreg handling system

Abstract

The application relates to a yarn combing device and a prepreg processing system, the yarn combing device comprising at least two yarn combing rollers parallel to each other, the at least two yarn combing rollers being arranged in a vertical direction, and the outer circumferential surface of each yarn combing roller being provided with a plurality of yarn combing grooves for the passing of fiber tows, each yarn combing groove extending along the circumferential direction of the yarn combing roller, the plurality of yarn combing grooves being arranged in the axial direction of the yarn combing roller, and the yarn combing grooves on adjacent yarn combing rollers being arranged in a staggered manner. The yarn combing device of the application improves the uniformity of fiber tow arrangement by arranging the yarn combing grooves on adjacent yarn combing rollers in a staggered manner, avoids fiber tow folding and misplacement, and improves the processing yield of fiber tows.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of prepreg technology, specifically to a combing device and a prepreg processing system. Background Technology

[0002] The prepreg processing system significantly enhances the wettability of the resin matrix to the fibers by optimizing fiber arrangement and distribution, thereby improving the overall mechanical properties of the prepreg, such as strength, stiffness, and toughness. At the same time, it reduces defects in the processing and allows for the design of prepreg parameters to meet the special performance requirements of different fields, thus promoting the application and development of prepregs in multiple industries such as aerospace, automotive manufacturing, and sporting goods.

[0003] In related technologies, during the preparation of prepregs, fiber bundles are prone to folding and misalignment, leading to processing defects. Utility Model Content

[0004] In order to overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings of the prior art, this application aims to provide a yarn combing device and a prepreg processing system.

[0005] According to a first aspect of this application, a yarn combing device is provided, the yarn combing device including at least two parallel yarn combing rollers, the at least two yarn combing rollers being arranged at intervals in the vertical direction, each of the outer peripheral surfaces of the yarn combing rollers being provided with a plurality of yarn combing grooves, the yarn combing grooves being used for the passage of fiber bundles, each of the yarn combing grooves extending circumferentially along the yarn combing roller, the plurality of yarn combing grooves being arranged at intervals along the axial direction of the yarn combing roller, and the yarn combing grooves on adjacent yarn combing rollers being staggered.

[0006] In one possible implementation, the outer peripheral surface of the combing roller is provided with a plurality of inwardly recessed grooves, which constitute the combing groove; or, the outer peripheral surface of the combing roller is fitted with a plurality of partition plates, which are spaced apart along the axial direction of the combing roller, and the gap between adjacent partition plates constitutes the combing groove.

[0007] In one possible implementation, the spacing between adjacent combing rollers in the vertical direction is greater than or equal to 20 mm.

[0008] In one possible implementation, in the vertical direction, at least two of the combing rollers are located on the same straight line.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the combing device further includes a support, on which at least two of the combing rollers are disposed.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the support includes two fixed rods arranged opposite each other, with the two ends of the combing roller respectively disposed on the two fixed rods.

[0011] In one possible implementation, each of the two fixed rods is provided with an adjustment hole, the two adjustment holes are opposite to each other and both adjustment holes extend along the vertical direction, and the two ends of the combing roller are respectively inserted through the two adjustment holes, so that the fixed position of each combing roller is adjustable.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the bracket further includes a base to which both of the fixing rods are fixed, the base being used to fix the bracket in a pre-installation position.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the bracket further includes a support portion at both ends connected to the base and the fixing rod, respectively.

[0014] According to a second aspect of this application, a prepreg processing system is provided, including a yarn spreading device and a yarn combing device as described in the first aspect, the yarn combing device being located upstream of the yarn spreading device along the direction of travel of the fiber bundle.

[0015] The advantages of this application are as follows: The carding device in this application, by setting at least two carding rollers arranged at intervals in the vertical direction, and the outer circumferential surface of each carding roller is provided with multiple carding grooves, each carding groove corresponding to a single fiber bundle, guides the traveling direction of the fiber bundle, avoiding the problems of fiber bundle misalignment and mutual adhesion. The multiple carding grooves are arranged at intervals along the axial direction of the carding roller, which can separate different fiber bundles and prevent misalignment or stacking of adjacent fiber bundles due to contact friction. The carding grooves of adjacent carding rollers are staggered in the vertical direction so that the fiber bundles passing through different carding rollers are staggered in the vertical direction, which improves the uniformity of fiber bundle arrangement, ensures that the fiber bundles maintain an independent and orderly state during processing, thereby avoiding the problems of fiber bundle folding and misalignment, and improving the processing yield of fiber bundles.

[0016] Other features and advantages of this application will be set forth in the following description and will be apparent in part from the description or learned by practicing the application. The purposes and other advantages of this application may be realized and obtained by means of the structures particularly pointed out in the description, claims and drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present application. In these drawings, similar reference numerals are used to identify similar elements. The drawings described below are some embodiments of the present application, but not all embodiments. Other drawings can be obtained from these drawings by those skilled in the art without inventive effort.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a front view of a yarn-carding device shown according to an exemplary embodiment; Figure 2 This is a side view of a yarn-carding device shown according to an exemplary embodiment; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a carding roller according to an exemplary embodiment; Figure 4 This is a top view of a yarn-carding device according to an exemplary embodiment; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the movement of a combing device according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0019] Figure label: 1. Yarn combing device; 11. Yarn combing roller; 111. Yarn combing groove; 112. Groove; 113. Separator; 114. First yarn combing roller; 115. Second yarn combing roller; 12. Bracket; 121. Fixing rod; 1211. Adjustment hole; 122. Base; 1221. Mounting hole; 123. Support part; 2. Yarn spreading device; 3. Fiber bundle. Detailed Implementation

[0020] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and feature vectors in the embodiments of this application can be arbitrarily combined with each other.

[0021] Prepreg processing systems can significantly enhance the wettability of the resin matrix to the fibers by optimizing fiber arrangement and distribution, thereby improving the overall mechanical properties of the prepreg, such as strength, stiffness, and toughness. At the same time, they can reduce defects in the processing process. The parameters of the prepreg can be designed to meet the special performance requirements of different fields, thus promoting the application and development of prepregs in multiple industries such as aerospace, automotive manufacturing, and sporting goods.

[0022] In related technologies, during the preparation of prepregs, fiber bundles are prone to folding and misalignment, leading to processing defects.

[0023] To address the aforementioned problems, this application provides a yarn combing device comprising at least two parallel yarn combing rollers arranged at intervals in the vertical direction. Each yarn combing roller has multiple yarn combing grooves on its outer circumferential surface. By staggering the yarn combing grooves on adjacent yarn combing rollers, the fiber bundles passing through different yarn combing rollers are staggered in the vertical direction, improving the uniformity of fiber bundle arrangement and ensuring that the fiber bundles remain independent and orderly during processing. This avoids fiber bundle folding and misalignment problems, thereby improving the processing yield of the fiber bundles.

[0024] An exemplary embodiment of this application provides a yarn combing device, see [link to example]. Figure 1 The yarn-carding device 1 includes at least two parallel yarn-carding rollers 11, which are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction. For example, the axial direction of the yarn-carding rollers 11 is parallel to the horizontal direction. The number of yarn-carding rollers 11 can be two or more. The arrangement of the yarn-carding rollers 11 can be such that all the yarn-carding rollers 11 are arranged at intervals along the same straight line in the vertical direction, or that at least one yarn-carding roller 11 is not located on the same straight line as the other yarn-carding rollers 11. The outer circumferential surface of each yarn-carding roller 11 is provided with multiple yarn-carding grooves 111. The yarn-carding grooves 111 are used for the passage of fiber bundles 3. Each yarn-carding groove 111 contains a corresponding fiber bundle 3, and the fiber bundles 3 are placed in the yarn-carding grooves 111 to guide each fiber bundle 3. Each combing groove 111 extends circumferentially along the combing roller 11, surrounding the periphery of the combing roller 11. Multiple combing grooves 111 are spaced apart along the axial direction of the combing roller 11, such that the fiber bundles 3 placed within the combing grooves 111 are separated, and the combing grooves 111 on adjacent combing rollers 11 are staggered. That is, in the vertical direction, the combing grooves 111 on adjacent combing rollers 11 are staggered relative to each other. For example, the fiber bundles 3 can be configured as carbon fiber bundles 3.

[0025] In this embodiment, at least two combing rollers 11 are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction. The outer circumferential surface of each combing roller 11 is provided with multiple combing grooves 111. Each combing groove 111 corresponds to a single fiber bundle 3. The combing grooves 111 guide the traveling direction of the fiber bundle 3, avoiding the problems of misalignment and mutual adhesion of the fiber bundle 3. The multiple combing grooves 111 are arranged at intervals along the axial direction of the combing roller 11, which can separate different fiber bundles 3 and prevent misalignment or stacking of adjacent fiber bundles 3 due to contact friction. The combing grooves 111 of adjacent combing rollers 11 are staggered in the vertical direction so that the fiber bundles 3 passing through different combing rollers 11 are staggered in the vertical direction, which improves the uniformity of the fiber bundle 3 arrangement and ensures that the fiber bundles 3 maintain an independent and orderly state during processing, thereby avoiding the problems of fiber bundle 3 folding and misalignment, and improving the processing yield of fiber bundles 3.

[0026] In some embodiments, see Figure 3 The outer peripheral surface of the carding roller 11 is provided with a plurality of inwardly recessed grooves 112, which constitute the carding groove 111. The inwardly recessed grooves 112 can constrain the traveling direction of the fiber bundle 3, prevent the fiber bundle 3 from moving in the axial direction of the carding roller 11, and ensure the stability of the traveling path of the fiber bundle 3.

[0027] In some embodiments, see Figure 3 The outer circumferential surface of the carding roller 11 is fitted with a plurality of partition plates 113, which are spaced apart along the axial direction of the carding roller 11. The gaps between adjacent partition plates 113 form carding grooves 111. For example, the spacing between adjacent partition plates 113 is equal, which makes the groove width of the carding grooves 111 equal, thereby making the arrangement of the fiber bundles 3 after being guided by the carding grooves 111 more uniform. This design makes the sidewalls of the partition plates 113 act as a blocking surface to restrict the axial movement of the fiber bundles 3, preventing the fiber bundles 3 from moving in the axial direction of the carding roller 11 and ensuring the stability of the fiber bundles 3's travel path.

[0028] In some embodiments, the vertical spacing between adjacent combing rollers 11 is greater than or equal to 20 mm, which helps to increase the force exerted by the combing rollers 11 on the fiber bundles 3, so that the combing rollers 11 can tighten the fiber bundles 3, prevent the fiber bundles 3 from drooping due to their own weight, avoid local wavy or wrinkled appearance in the direction of travel of the fiber bundles 3, and improve the processing yield of the fiber bundles 3.

[0029] In some embodiments, at least two carding rollers 11 are located on the same straight line in the vertical direction. For example, when the number of carding rollers 11 is three, all three carding rollers 11 are located on the same straight line in the vertical direction. This design makes the structural layout between the carding rollers 11 more compact, which helps to reduce the space occupied by the carding rollers 11 and reduce the size and cost of the carding device 1.

[0030] In some embodiments, see Figures 1-2 The carding device 1 also includes a support 12, on which at least two carding rollers 11 are disposed. The support 12 supports the carding rollers 11, and the at least two carding rollers 11 are respectively fixedly connected to the support 12. Exemplarily, the support 12 can be a welded rigid frame. This design avoids the problem of the carding rollers 11 shifting circumferentially due to rotation, thereby ensuring that the carding grooves 111 on adjacent carding rollers 11 always maintain their initial misalignment relationship, thus guaranteeing the uniformity and stability of the fiber bundles 3 passing through the carding grooves 111.

[0031] In some embodiments, see Figures 1-2The support 12 includes two fixed rods 121 arranged opposite to each other. The two ends of the carding roller 11 are respectively set on the two fixed rods 121. The two fixed rods 121 together support the carding roller 11. The extension direction of the two fixed rods 121 corresponds to the arrangement direction of the carding roller 11. The two fixed rods 121 are arranged in parallel so that the two ends of the carding roller 11 are symmetrically stressed. This prevents the carding roller 11 from tilting due to uneven stress on the two ends of the carding roller 11. It also prevents the fiber bundle 3 from folding or the slot position of the carding groove 111 from shifting due to the tilt of the roller. This helps to ensure that the carding groove 111 on adjacent carding rollers 11 always maintains the initial misalignment accuracy and provides a stable guiding reference for the fiber bundle 3.

[0032] In some embodiments, see Figures 1-2 Each of the two fixed rods 121 is provided with an adjustment hole 1211. The two adjustment holes 1211 are positioned opposite each other and extend vertically. For example, the two adjustment holes 1211 are set as vertical elongated holes. The two ends of the carding roller 11 are respectively passed through the two adjustment holes 1211. The fixed position of each carding roller 11 can be adjusted by adjusting the connection position between the two ends of the carding roller 11 and the adjustment holes 1211. For example, the two ends of the carding roller 11 are provided with external threads. Nuts are respectively fitted on the two ends of the carding roller 11 to fix the carding roller 11 in a suitable position in the adjustment hole 1211. The nuts abut against the fixed rods 121, and the friction between the nuts and the fixed rods 121 locks the carding roller 11 onto the fixed rods 121. This design allows the fixed position of each combing roller 11 to be adjustable, so that the tension of the combing roller 11 on the fiber bundle 3 can be adjusted according to actual needs. The tension of the fiber bundle 3 can be increased by increasing the distance between adjacent combing rollers 11, so as to avoid wrinkles and stacking caused by insufficient tension of the fiber bundle 3. Alternatively, the tension of the combing roller 11 on the fiber bundle 3 can be reduced by decreasing the distance between adjacent combing rollers 11, so as to prevent excessive tension from causing the fiber bundle 3 to break or surface damage, thereby improving the processing yield of the fiber bundle 3.

[0033] In some embodiments, see Figure 4 The bracket 12 also includes a base 122, and two fixing rods 121 are fixed to the base 122. The base 122 is used to fix the yarn combing device 1 in the pre-installation position, thereby improving the stability of the yarn combing device 1. The base 122 may be provided with mounting holes 1221. The base 122 is fixed in the pre-installation position by means of bolts or expansion screws and other connecting parts, thereby improving the operational reliability of the yarn combing device 1.

[0034] In some embodiments, see Figures 1-2The bracket 12 also includes a support portion 123. The two ends of the support portion 123 are respectively connected to the base 122 and the fixing rod 121. The support portion 123 is provided at the connection between the two fixing rods 121 and the base 122. The support portion 123 can be set in the form of a triangular rib. By setting the support portion 123, it is beneficial to improve the connection strength between the base 122 and the fixing rod 121, further avoid stress concentration at the connection between the fixing rod 121 and the base 122 due to long-term bearing of the tension of the filament bundle, and reduce the risk of cracking at the connection between the fixing rod 121 and the base 122.

[0035] In some embodiments, the number of combing grooves 111 on adjacent combing rollers 11 is equal, the groove width of combing grooves 111 on adjacent combing rollers 11 is equal, and the groove spacing of combing grooves 111 on adjacent combing rollers 11 is equal. This design ensures that the spacing of the fiber bundles 3 passing through the combing grooves 111 is more uniform, increases the uniformity of the fiber bundles 3 arrangement after passing through the combing device 1, prevents the fiber bundles 3 from folding and misaligning, and improves the processing yield of the fiber bundles 3.

[0036] In some embodiments, the number n of the combing grooves 111 on the combing roller 11 can be calculated using the following formula: n=(W·A) / (2T) Where n is the number of comb grooves 111, W is the target yarn width, A is the target yarn surface density, and T is the fiber bundle surface density.

[0037] The groove spacing m of the carding roller 11 can be calculated using the following formula: m=(W-(k·n)) / (n+1) Where m is the groove spacing, W is the target yarn width, k is the fiber bundle width, and n is the number of comb grooves 111.

[0038] For example, when preparing a 300mm wide 194gsm carbon fiber sheet using T800 grade 24K carbon fiber, based on the target yarn width W of 0.3m, the target yarn areal density A of 194gsm, the fiber bundle areal density T of 0.9g / m, and the fiber bundle width k of 8mm, the calculated number of combing grooves 111, n, is 32.3. The number of grooves n is rounded to an integer of 33, and the groove spacing m is 1.05mm. In this case, the groove width of the combing grooves 111 on the combing roller 11 can be set to 8mm, and the lateral misalignment distance between adjacent combing rollers 11 can be set to 4.3mm.

[0039] In this embodiment, the number of slots n and the slot spacing m required for the carding roller 11 are calculated based on different target yarn width W, target yarn surface density A and fiber bundle surface density T. This facilitates the selection of the corresponding carding roller 11 for replacement, eliminating the need to redesign the carding device 1. Only the carding roller 11 with the corresponding number of slots and slot spacing needs to be replaced according to the calculation results. This helps to reduce the processing cost of the fiber bundle 3 and improve the processing efficiency of the fiber bundle 3.

[0040] In some embodiments, see Figure 5 Two carding rollers 11 can be configured, namely a first carding roller 114 and a second carding roller 115. The first carding roller 114 and the second carding roller 115 are respectively arranged vertically, one above the other. The first carding roller 114 is located above the second carding roller 115. Part of the fiber bundle 3 passes through the upper side of the first carding roller 114 and is inserted into the carding groove 111 of the first carding roller 114. Another part of the fiber bundle 3 passes through the lower side of the second carding roller 115 and is inserted into the carding groove 111 of the second carding roller 115. The first carding roller 114 supports the fiber bundle 3 located on the upper side of the first carding roller 114 upwards, and the second carding roller 115 supports the fiber bundle 3 located on the lower side of the second carding roller 115 downwards, so as to avoid wrinkles caused by insufficient tension of the fiber bundle 3 and prevent the fiber bundle 3 from sticking and stacking, which would affect the processing yield.

[0041] An exemplary embodiment of this application provides a prepreg processing system; see [link to example]. Figure 5 The prepreg processing system includes a yarn spreading device 2 and a yarn combing device 1 as described above. Along the direction of travel of the fiber bundle 3, the yarn combing device 1 is located upstream of the yarn spreading device 2.

[0042] In this embodiment, after the fiber bundle 3 passes through the combing device 1, the uniformity of the fiber bundle 3 arrangement is improved, thereby making the density and thickness of the fiber bundle layer formed after the fiber bundle 3 enters the spreading device 2 more uniform. This is beneficial to improving the impregnation effect of the fiber bundle layer and the bonding strength between the resin liquid and the fiber bundle 3 in the fiber bundle layer. It can avoid the problem of reduced mechanical properties of the prepreg due to uneven impregnation in the subsequent prepreg processing.

[0043] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising..." does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0044] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit it. The application has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments. Those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical solutions of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of this application, and all such modifications and substitutions should be covered within the scope of the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A yarn combing device, characterized in that, The combing device includes at least two combing rollers that are parallel to each other and are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction. Each combing roller has a plurality of combing grooves on its outer circumferential surface. The combing grooves are used for the passage of fiber bundles. Each combing groove extends along the circumference of the combing roller. The plurality of combing grooves are arranged at intervals along the axial direction of the combing roller, and the combing grooves on adjacent combing rollers are staggered.

2. The yarn combing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer circumferential surface of the carding roller is provided with a plurality of inwardly recessed grooves, which constitute the carding grooves; or, The outer circumferential surface of the combing roller is fitted with a plurality of partition plates, which are spaced apart along the axial direction of the combing roller, and the gap between adjacent partition plates forms the combing groove.

3. The yarn combing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The distance between adjacent combing rollers in the vertical direction is greater than or equal to 20 mm.

4. The combing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the vertical direction, at least two of the carding rollers are located on the same straight line.

5. The yarn combing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The combing device further includes: A support, on which at least two of the carding rollers are disposed.

6. The yarn combing device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The support includes two fixed rods arranged opposite each other, and the two ends of the combing roller are respectively disposed on the two fixed rods.

7. The combing device according to claim 6, characterized in that, Both of the fixed rods are provided with adjustment holes, the two adjustment holes are opposite each other and both adjustment holes extend along the vertical direction, and the two ends of the combing roller are respectively inserted through the two adjustment holes so that the fixed position of each combing roller is adjustable.

8. The yarn combing device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The support also includes: The base, to which both of the fixing rods are fixed, is used to fix the base in a pre-installation position.

9. The yarn combing device according to claim 8, characterized in that, The bracket also includes a support portion at both ends that are respectively connected to the base and the fixing rod.

10. A prepreg processing system, characterized in that, It includes a yarn spreading device and a yarn combing device as described in any one of claims 1-9, wherein the yarn combing device is located upstream of the yarn spreading device along the direction of travel of the fiber bundle.

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