Filament winding device

Abstract

To provide a filament winding device capable of suppressing fluctuations in tension of a fiber bundle wound around a liner.SOLUTION: A filament winding device 1 for manufacturing a tank by winding a fiber bundle 2 on an outer surface of a liner 100 includes: a fiber bundle supplying part 3 that supplies the fiber bundle 2 to the liner 100; and a fiber supplying part 4 that delivers the fiber bundle 2 supplied from the fiber bundle supplying part 3 to the liner 100. The fiber supplying part 4 is disposed at a position closest to the liner 100 and has a rotating roller 41 that pays out the fiber bundle 2 toward the liner 100. The rotating roller 41 is a twist roller in which peaks 42 and valleys 43 are alternately and repeatedly formed in a circumferential direction of the rotating roller 41 and which twists around a central axis of the rotating roller 41.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a filament winding device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, as one such technical field, there is known a filament winding device that manufactures a hydrogen tank by winding a fiber bundle of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) around the outer surface of the liner of the hydrogen tank, as described in Patent Document 1. This filament winding device includes a fiber bundle supplying unit that supplies the fiber bundle, a yarn feeding unit having a rotating roller that sends out the fiber bundle supplied from the fiber bundle supplying unit to the liner, and a motor that rotates the rotating roller, and the rotating roller is formed into a cylindrical or columnar shape. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-056584 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned filament winding device, in order to reduce the tack force between the fiber bundle and the rotating roller, a fluorine-based coating is applied to the outer surface of the cylindrical or columnar rotating roller. Although the tack force can be reduced by the fluorine-based coating, the coating hardness is low, which causes a problem of rapid wear of the rotating roller.

[0005] In order to solve this problem, it has been considered to adopt a ladder roller in which peaks and valleys are alternately and repeatedly formed in the circumferential direction of the rotating roller. However, in the case of a ladder roller, there are places where the fiber bundle is in point contact with the ladder roller (i.e., places where it is in contact with the peaks) and places where it is not in point contact (i.e., parts corresponding to the valleys), and this causes variation in the tack force between the points of point contact and the points where it is not in point contact. This causes a new problem of fluctuation in the tension of the fiber bundle wound around the liner.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve such technical problems, and has an object to provide a filament winding device that can suppress tension fluctuations in the fiber bundle wound around a liner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The filament winding device of the present invention is a filament winding device for manufacturing a tank by winding a fiber bundle around the outer surface of a liner, and is equipped with a fiber bundle supplying section that supplies the fiber bundle to the liner, and a yarn supplying section that sends out the fiber bundle supplied from the fiber bundle supplying section to the liner, wherein the yarn supplying section is arranged at a position closest to the liner and has a rotating roller that pays out the fiber bundle toward the liner, and the rotating roller is a twist roller that has peaks and valleys alternately formed in the circumferential direction of the rotating roller and twists the fiber bundle around the central axis of the rotating roller.

[0008] In the filament winding device according to the present invention, since the twist roller is used as the rotating roller, the tuck phenomenon can be continuously generated, and the occurrence of points of point contact and points of no point contact as occurs with the conventional ladder roller can be prevented, and as a result, the tension fluctuation of the fiber bundle wound around the liner can be suppressed. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress fluctuations in tension of the fiber bundle wound around the liner. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a filament winding device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining the effect of the filament winding device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a filament winding device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The filament winding device 1 of this embodiment is used when manufacturing tanks such as hydrogen tanks, and is a device for forming a reinforcing layer by winding a plurality of fiber bundles 2 around the outer surface of a liner 100 of the tank.

[0012] The liner 100 is a hollow container having a cylindrical body 101 and approximately hemispherical dome sections 102, 103 arranged on the left and right ends of the body 101, as shown in Fig. 1 for example. The liner 100 is integrally formed by a rotational blow molding method using a resin member such as polyethylene or nylon. The liner 100 may be formed by joining a plurality of divided members by injection or extrusion molding or the like, instead of a manufacturing method for integral molding such as the rotational blow molding method. Furthermore, the liner 100 may be formed by a light metal such as aluminum instead of a resin member.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the filament winding device 1 mainly includes a fiber bundle supplying section 3 that supplies a fiber bundle 2 wound around a bobbin section (not shown) toward a liner 100 (see arrow F), and a yarn supplying section 4 that delivers the fiber bundle 2 supplied from the fiber bundle supplying section 3 to the liner 100.

[0014] The bobbin section has a plurality of bobbins around which the fiber bundle 2 impregnated with, for example, resin is wound. Each bobbin is driven by a corresponding electric motor to rotate and unwind the wound fiber bundle 2.

[0015] The resin-impregnated fiber bundle 2 is, for example, a bundle of monofilaments having a diameter of about several μm, which are impregnated with an uncured thermosetting resin. Examples of the monofilaments include glass fibers, carbon fibers, aramid fibers, alumina fibers, boron fibers, steel fibers, PBO fibers, natural fibers, and high-strength polyethylene fibers.

[0016] Examples of the thermosetting resin include epoxy resins, modified epoxy resins such as vinyl ester resins, phenol resins, melamine resins, urea resins, unsaturated polyester resins, alkyd resins, polyurethane resins, and thermosetting polyimide resins.

[0017] In this embodiment, the resin impregnated in the fiber bundle is an uncured thermosetting resin, but the resin impregnated in the fiber bundle may be a thermoplastic resin, for example, if the resin can be heated to a softening point (glass transition point) or higher when being wound around the liner 100. Examples of the thermoplastic resin include polypropylene resin, nylon resin (e.g., 6-nylon resin or 6,6-nylon resin), polyamide resin, polycarbonate resin, acrylic resin, ABS resin, and the like.

[0018] The fiber bundle supplying section 3 is for transporting the fiber bundle 2 wound around the bobbin section to the yarn supplying section 4 side, and is formed of a plurality of rollers, etc. More specifically, the fiber bundle supplying section 3 is configured to have a first direction changing fixed roller 31, a first dancer section 32, a second dancer section 33, a third dancer section 34, a second direction changing fixed roller 35, and a third direction changing fixed roller 36, which are arranged in this order from the bobbin section side to the yarn supplying section 4 side.

[0019] The first dancer section 32, the second dancer section 33 and the second dancer section 33 are formed to correspond to a dynamic variable speed so that a constant tension can be applied to the supplied fiber bundle 2. In other words, these dancer sections constitute a tension stabilizing device for making the tension of the fiber bundle 2 constant. More specifically, the first dancer section 32 has a dancer arm 32a and a dancer roller 32b fixed to one end of the dancer arm 32a. The dancer arm 32a is formed to be swingable left and right as shown by the arrow in the figure so that the tension applied to the fiber bundle 2 is constant.

[0020] The second dancer section 33 has a dancer arm 33a and a dancer roller 33b fixed to one end of the dancer arm 33a. The dancer arm 33a is formed to be able to swing left and right as shown by the arrow in the figure in order to keep the tension applied to the fiber bundle 2 constant. The third dancer section 34 has a dancer arm 34a and a dancer roller 34b fixed to one end of the dancer arm 34a. The dancer arm 34a is formed to be able to swing left and right as shown by the arrow in the figure in order to keep the tension applied to the fiber bundle 2 constant.

[0021] The first dancer portion 32, the second dancer portion 33 and the third dancer portion 34 are arranged so that the fiber bundle 2 successively contacts the lower outer periphery of dancer roller 32b, the upper outer periphery of dancer roller 33b, and the lower outer periphery of dancer roller 34b, and presses the fiber bundle 2 via these dancer rollers.

[0022] The yarn supplying section 4 is a so-called Aikuchi, and sends out the belt-shaped fiber bundle 2 toward the liner 100. The yarn supplying section 4 is disposed at a position closest to the liner 100, and has a rotating roller 41 that pays out the belt-shaped fiber bundle 2 supplied from the fiber bundle supplying section 3 to the liner 100. The rotating roller 41 is driven by a rotating motor (not shown).

[0023] 2, the rotating roller 41 is a twist roller in which peaks 42 and valleys 43 are alternately and repeatedly formed in the circumferential direction of the rotating roller 41 and twisted around the central axis L of the rotating roller 41. In order to increase the wear resistance of the rotating roller 41, at least the outer surface of the rotating roller 41 that comes into contact with the fiber bundle 2 is plated or the like.

[0024] In addition, the rotating roller 41 is formed so as to twist at least one pitch within the width of the fiber bundle 2 with which it comes into contact. In this way, separation between the ridges 42 of the rotating roller 41 and the fiber bundle 2 occurs constantly and continuously within the width of the fiber bundle 2, so that tension fluctuations due to the tack phenomenon can be suppressed. Note that the tack phenomenon here refers to adhesion between the fiber bundle 2 impregnated with uncured thermosetting resin and the rotating roller 41.

[0025] The winding manner of the fiber bundle 2 includes helical winding and hoop winding. Helical winding is a manner in which the fiber bundle 2 is wound helically so that the angle (so-called winding angle) between the central axis of the liner 100 and the winding direction of the fiber bundle 2 is greater than 0° and less than 90°, as shown in FIG. 1. On the other hand, hoop winding is a manner in which the fiber bundle 2 is wound in the circumferential direction of the liner 100 so that the winding angle between the central axis of the liner 100 and the winding direction of the fiber bundle 2 is approximately perpendicular. Here, "approximately perpendicular" means both 90° and an angle of about 90° that can be generated by shifting the winding positions of the fiber bundle 2 so that adjacent fiber bundles 2 do not overlap each other.

[0026] Hereinafter, the action and effect of the filament winding device 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0027] For example, when a high-strength fiber bundle such as CFRP is wound on the outer surface of the liner 100 to form a reinforcing layer, the tension of the fiber bundle 2 at the winding processing point shown in FIG. 1 (i.e., the starting point at which the fiber bundle 2 starts to wind the liner 100) (hereinafter, referred to as the "processing point tension T P Stabilizing the wall (called the "wall gap" in Fig. 1) is important to ensure the strength of the tank that is manufactured.

[0028] Since the filament winding device 1 is provided with a tension stabilizing device (a tension stabilizing device consisting of the above-mentioned first dancer section 32, second dancer section 33, and third dancer section 34), the tension of the supplied fiber bundle 2 is adjusted by the tension stabilizing device. As a result, the fiber bundle 2 is maintained at a constant tension, i.e., an adjusted tension (hereinafter, "adjusted tension T A " (see the black arrow in Figure 1)

[0029] Then, just before the winding point, the tack force when the fiber bundle 2 leaves the rotating roller 41 of the yarn supplying section 4 is the adjusted tension of the fiber bundle 2 (in other words, the “adjusted tension T A That is, when the fiber bundle 2 leaves the rotating roller 41 of the yarn supplying section 4, the fiber bundle 2 is subjected to a tack loss tension T T (See the hatched arrow in Figure 1)

[0030] And the processing point tension T P , adjusted tension T A , and tack loss tension T T The relationship between T P =T A -T T The tension at the processing point T P is one of the causes of the variation in the winding position of the fiber bundle 2 due to the string vibration of the fiber bundle 2. P In order to stabilize the tack force, it is important to stabilize the tack force when the fiber bundle 2 leaves the rotating roller 41 of the yarn supplying section 4.

[0031] As shown on the left side of Figure 3, in the case of a conventional ladder roller, the fiber bundle has points of contact with the ladder roller (i.e., points of contact with the peaks) and points of no contact (i.e., parts corresponding to the valleys), so that the tack force when the fiber bundle leaves the rotating roller varies. This causes the tack loss tension T T Since the tension at the processing point T P As a result, the tension of the fiber bundle wound around the liner fluctuates.

[0032] On the other hand, in the filament winding device 1 according to the present invention, by using a twist roller for the rotating roller 41, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of points of point contact and points of no point contact as occurs with conventional ladder rollers, and it is therefore possible to cause the tack phenomenon to occur continuously. By causing the tack phenomenon to occur continuously, a constant tack force is always applied across the entire width of the fiber bundle 2. Therefore, as shown on the right side of FIG. 3, the tack loss tension T T becomes stable, and the processing point tension T P As a result, the tension fluctuation of the fiber bundle 2 wound around the liner 100 can be suppressed.

[0033] In addition, by using a twist roller for the rotating roller 41, the tack force can be reduced, so that the wear of the rotating roller 41 is reduced and the life of the rotating roller 41 can be extended.

[0034] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various design modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention as described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1: filament winding device, 2: fiber bundle, 3: fiber bundle supply section, 4: yarn supply section, 31: first direction change fixed roller, 32: first dancer section, 33: second dancer section, 34: third dancer section, 32a, 33a, 34a: dancer arm, 32b, 33b, 34b: dancer roller, 35: second direction change fixed roller, 36: third direction change fixed roller, 41: rotating roller, 42: peak portion, 43: valley portion

Claims

[Claim 1] A filament winding device for manufacturing a tank by winding a fiber bundle on the outer surface of a liner, comprising: A fiber bundle supply unit that supplies the fiber bundle to the liner; a yarn supplying section that delivers the fiber bundle supplied from the fiber bundle supplying section to the liner; Equipped with The yarn supplying section is disposed at a position closest to the liner and has a rotating roller that pays out the fiber bundle toward the liner, A filament winding device characterized in that the rotating roller has peaks and valleys alternately formed in a circumferential direction of the rotating roller, and is a twist roller that twists the rotating roller around a central axis of the rotating roller.

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