Body section manufacturing equipment

Abstract

To provide a manufacturing apparatus for barrel split body that can suppress bulging at welding points.SOLUTION: A manufacturing apparatus 1 has a mandrel 20 and a welding block 40. An outer circumferential surface 21 of the mandrel 20 is a holding surface that holds a sheet member 70 so that it becomes cylindrical. The welding block 40 welds two ends 71, 72 of the sheet member 70 along an axial direction of the mandrel 20 by heating and pressurizing them from outer peripheral side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a manufacturing device for a body section. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a hydrogen gas storage tank to be mounted on an automobile or the like. This hydrogen gas storage tank is configured by laminating an inner layer and an outer layer made of fiber-reinforced plastic. The inner layer is produced by molding or the like. The outer layer is produced by a known winding method. The outer layer is produced by continuously winding a continuous long fiber bundle around a rotating inner layer. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-291944 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a pressure vessel such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1, a method of manufacturing the vessel by combining a body section and a dome section is known. A possible method of manufacturing the body section is to use a sheet material and to utilize the method disclosed in Patent Document 1. That is, a cylindrical body section can be manufactured by winding the sheet material around a mandrel to form a cylindrical shape and welding both ends of the sheet material.

[0005] However, in the body sectional body produced in this manner, the thickness of the welded parts (both ends of the sheet member) is thicker than other parts due to the overlapping parts of the sheet member. Therefore, there is a need for a body sectional body manufacturing device that can suppress the bulging of the welded parts.

[0006] The present invention was developed in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a body section manufacturing device that can suppress bulging of welded parts. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The manufacturing apparatus for a body section of the present invention comprises: 1. A manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a body section for a pressure vessel, the body section being configured by combining a body section and a dome section, comprising: a mandrel having an outer peripheral surface serving as a holding surface for holding the sheet member into a cylindrical shape; a welding block for welding both ends of the sheet member along the axial direction of the mandrel by applying heat and pressure from the outer circumferential side; Equipped with. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, the welding block applies pressure to both ends (welding points) of the sheet member along the axial direction of the mandrel from the outer periphery, thereby sandwiching the welding points between the welding block and the mandrel. The welding block then heats the welding points, thereby forming the sheet member into a tubular member. At this time, because the welding block applies pressure to both ends of the sheet member from the outer periphery, bulging of the welding points can be suppressed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a pressure vessel of a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state in which a sheet member is wound around a mandrel. [Diagram 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] 11 is a plan view showing a state in which a welding block is brought into contact with a sheet member wound around a mandrel. FIG. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 5 taken along line B-B. [Figure 7] 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 5, showing a state in which welding of the sheet members has been completed. [Figure 8] 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 5, showing a state in which welding of the sheet members has been completed. [Figure 9] 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which welding of a sheet member wound around a mandrel has been completed by a welding block different from that of Example 1. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] In the present invention, it is preferable that a heat insulating portion is provided in a region of the holding surface of the mandrel that corresponds to the welding block, the heat insulating portion being interposed between the welding portion of the sheet member and the mandrel, thereby making it possible to suppress the loss of heat from the welding portion of the sheet member to the mandrel.

[0011] The present invention preferably includes a pair of stoppers for pressing a portion of the sheet member different from the portion pressed by the welding block against the mandrel. The pair of stoppers is preferably integral with the welding block. The pair of stoppers is preferably arranged only on both sides of the welding block in the axial direction of the mandrel. According to this configuration, the pair of stoppers press the non-welded portion (non-heated portion) of the sheet member against the mandrel, so that the portion sandwiched between the stoppers and the mandrel is not crushed or melted, and a constant thickness (thickness of the sheet member) can be maintained. Since the stoppers are integral with the welding block, the welding block can also press the sheet member so as to maintain a constant thickness. In addition, since the pair of stoppers are arranged only on both sides of the welding block in the axial direction of the mandrel, the sheet member is more easily pressed toward the radial inside than in a configuration in which the stoppers are arranged on both sides of the welding block in the circumferential direction of the mandrel. Therefore, wrinkles are less likely to form in the sheet member.

[0012] <Example 1> A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 9. In the following description, the up-down direction is defined as the upward and downward directions shown in Figures 3, 4, and 6 to 9. The front-rear direction is defined as the left and right directions shown in Figures 1, 2, 4, and 5. The left-right direction is defined as the left and right directions shown in Figures 3, 4, and 6 to 9.

[0013] (Body section manufacturing equipment) The manufacturing apparatus 1 of this embodiment is an apparatus for manufacturing a barrel section 11 of a pressure vessel 10 shown in Fig. 1. The pressure vessel 10 is mounted, for example, on a vehicle and used as a vessel filled with high-pressure hydrogen gas. The pressure vessel 10 has a cylindrical capsule shape. One example of a material that can be used for the pressure vessel 10 is a mixed resin of high density polyethylene (HDPE) and ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin (EVOH).

[0014] The pressure vessel 10 comprises a body section 11 and a pair of dome section sections 12. The pressure vessel 10 is formed by combining the body section 11 and the pair of dome section sections 12.

[0015] The body section 11 is cylindrical and long in the axial direction (direction along the axis L1). The inner diameter of the body section 11 is constant over the entire length from the front end to the rear end, and the outer diameter is also constant over the entire length from the front end to the rear end. The dome section 12 is a semi-spherical portion connected to the longitudinal end of the body section 11. The dome section 12 decreases in diameter as it moves away from the body section 11. A nozzle portion 13 is provided at the top of the dome section 12.

[0016] The manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a mandrel 20 and a heat insulating section 30 shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, and a welding block 40 and a pair of stoppers 50 shown in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the mandrel 20 is cylindrical and long in the axial direction (direction along the axis L2). The mandrel 20 is formed of, for example, a metal material. The outer peripheral surface 21 of the mandrel 20 is a holding surface that holds the sheet member 70 so that it is cylindrical. The outer diameter dimension of the outer peripheral surface 21 is constant over the entire length from the front end to the rear end. The sheet member 70 is a base material of the trunk section 11. The sheet member 70 is formed of a material such as a mixed resin of high density polyethylene (HDPE) and ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin (EVOH).

[0017] 2 and 3, the mandrel 20 is provided with a groove 22. A heat insulating portion 30, which will be described later, is attached to the groove 22. The groove 22 is recessed from the outer circumferential surface 21 toward the axis L2.

[0018] The heat insulating part 30 is attached to the mandrel 20 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The heat insulating part 30 has a shape close to a rectangular parallelepiped. The upper surface 31 of the heat insulating part 30 is curved so as to be convex upward. The curvature of the upper surface 31 is the same as that of the outer peripheral surface 21. The heat insulating part 30 is fitted into the groove 22. The heat insulating part 30 is in close contact with the wall surface of the groove 22. The heat insulating part 30 is provided in a region of the outer peripheral surface 21 of the mandrel 20 that corresponds to a welding block 40 described later. As shown in Fig. 6, the heat insulating part 30 is provided in the mandrel 20 at a position where it overlaps with the welding block 40 described later in the vertical direction. The heat insulating part 30 is formed of a material (such as a ceramic material) having a lower thermal conductivity than the mandrel 20.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, the heat insulating section 30 extends parallel to the axis L2 of the mandrel 20. The heat insulating section 30 is provided in the longitudinal center portion of the mandrel 20 (excluding both longitudinal ends). The left-right size of the heat insulating section 30 is smaller than the left-right size (diameter) of the mandrel 20 as shown in FIG. 2. The left-right size of the heat insulating section 30 is, for example, about one-third the left-right size of the mandrel 20. When the heat insulating section 30 is assembled to the mandrel 20, an upper surface 31 of the heat insulating section 30 is exposed. The upper surface 31 of the heat insulating section 30 is flush with the outer circumferential surface 21 of the mandrel 20.

[0020] 3, in a state where the sheet member 70 is wound around the outer peripheral surface 21 of the mandrel 20, both end portions 71, 72 of the sheet member 70 along the axis L2 overlap in the up-down direction. The both end portions 71, 72 are located above the axis L2 and the insulating portion 30. The end portion 71 is in contact with the upper surface 31 of the insulating portion 30.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 4, the welding block 40 and the pair of stoppers 50 are integral and form a welding unit 60. The welding block 40 welds both ends 71, 72 of the sheet member 70 by applying heat and pressure from the outer periphery (the side opposite the central axis in the radial direction of the mandrel 20). The welding block 40 is heated, for example, by a heater (not shown). The welding block 40 has a shape close to a rectangular parallelepiped that extends along the front-rear direction. The sizes of the welding block 40 in the left-right and front-rear directions are approximately the same as the sizes of the insulation section 30 in the left-right and front-rear directions.

[0022] As shown in Fig. 4, the lower surface 41 of the welded block 40 is curved so as to be convex upward. The lower surface 41 is a curved surface that has a constant height from the front end to the rear end. The curvature of the lower surface 41 is smaller than the curvature of the outer peripheral surface 21 by one thickness of the sheet member 70. In other words, the radius of curvature of the lower surface 41 is larger than the radius of curvature of the outer peripheral surface 21 by one thickness of the sheet member 70.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 4, the stoppers 50 are arranged only on both sides (front and rear) of the welding block 40 in the axial direction (front-rear direction) of the mandrel 20. Each of the pair of stoppers 50 is connected to the front and rear of the welding block 40. The pair of stoppers 50 press a portion of the sheet member 70 other than the portion pressed by the welding block 40 against the mandrel 20. The portion of the sheet member 70 other than the portion pressed by the welding block 40 is a portion (hereinafter referred to as a stopper region 73) adjacent in the front-rear direction to the portion pressed by the welding block 40. The stoppers 50 are not heated by a heater or the like, and are not transferred with heat from the welding block 40.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 4, both stoppers 50 have the same shape. The lower surface 51 of the stopper 50 is curved so as to be convex upward. The lower surface 51 is a curved surface that has a constant height along the front-rear direction. The curvature of the lower surface 51 is smaller than the curvature of the lower surface 41 of the welded block 40. The curvature of the lower surface 51 is smaller than the curvature of the outer peripheral surface 21 by twice the thickness of the sheet member 70. In other words, the radius of curvature of the lower surface 51 is larger than the radius of curvature of the outer peripheral surface 21 by twice the thickness of the sheet member 70. The left-right size of the stopper 50 is approximately the same as the left-right size of the welded block 40.

[0025] 4, a step 45 is provided between the lower surface 41 of the welded block 40 and the lower surface 51 of the stopper 50. The lower surface 41 of the welded block 40 is provided at a higher position than the lower surface 51 of the stopper 50. The height of the step 45 (the vertical distance between the lower surface 41 of the welded block 40 and the lower surface 51 of the stopper 50) is, for example, the thickness of one sheet member 70.

[0026] (Manufacturing process of the body section) Next, a manufacturing process of the body section 11 using the manufacturing apparatus 1 will be described. First, as shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, the sheet member 70 is wound around the outer peripheral surface 21 of the mandrel 20. Both end portions 71, 72 of the sheet member 70 along the axis L2 are overlapped above the heat insulating section 30. The sheet member 70 has both end portions 71, 72 extending parallel to the axis L2. Both end portions of the sheet member 70 in the front-rear direction are arranged to protrude outside the heat insulating section 30 (on both the front and rear sides) as shown in Fig. 2.

[0027] Next, as shown in Fig. 5, the welding unit 60 is brought into contact with both ends 71, 72 of the sheet member 70 from the outer circumferential side (the side opposite the central axis in the radial direction of the mandrel 20). At this time, the welding block 40 is arranged so as to overlap the insulation section 30 in the vertical direction. As shown in Fig. 6, before welding, the welding block 40 is in contact with the end 72 of the sheet member 70. The pair of stoppers 50 are not in contact with the stopper region 73 but are located above the stopper region 73.

[0028] 7, the welding block 40 applies heat and pressure to some of the welding locations (hereinafter referred to as welding regions 74) of both end portions 71, 72 of the sheet member 70. By applying pressure to the welding region 74 from the outer periphery side by the welding block 40, the welding region 74 can be sandwiched between the welding block 40 and the mandrel 20 (specifically, the heat insulating section 30). The welding block 40 presses the welding region 74 from above toward the central axis (axis line L2) of the mandrel 20. As a result, both end portions 71, 72 of the sheet member 70 are crushed and welded, and the sheet member 70 becomes cylindrical. Since the heat insulating section 30 is interposed between the welding region 74 of the sheet member 70 and the mandrel 20, it is possible to suppress the escape of heat from the welding region 74 to the mandrel 20.

[0029] When welding the welding region 74, as shown in FIG. 8, the stopper 50 comes into contact with the stopper region 73 and presses down the stopper region 73. The stopper 50 is not heated by the heater, and therefore does not weld the stopper region 73. Therefore, the stopper 50 does not move further downward in a state where it is in contact with the stopper region 73 (more specifically, the end portion 72) (as shown in FIG. 8). That is, the stopper 50 comes into contact with the stopper region 73 while maintaining a thickness of two sheets of the sheet member 70. In addition, since the stopper 50 is integrated with the welding block 40, the crushing of the welding region 74 by the welding block 40 can be stopped midway. That is, when the height of the step 45 is the thickness of one sheet member 70, the welding region 74 is crushed to the thickness of one sheet member 70 as shown in FIG. 7. This makes it possible to form a cylindrical sheet member 70 without a bulge on the outer circumferential surface.

[0030] For example, as a configuration of the welding unit, a configuration in which stoppers 250 are provided on both the left and right sides of the welding block 240 as shown in FIG. 9 is also conceivable. However, in such a configuration, the stoppers 250 exert a force (see the arrows in FIG. 9) on the sheet member 70 in the circumferential direction of the mandrel 20. Therefore, the portion of the sheet member 70 pressed by the stoppers 250 becomes slippery with respect to the mandrel 20, and the sheet member 70 becomes easily wrinkled. On the other hand, in this embodiment, since a pair of stoppers 50 is disposed in front of and behind the welding block 40, the sheet member 70 is easily pressed toward the radial inside (toward the axis L2 of the mandrel 20) compared to the configuration shown in FIG. 9. Therefore, the sheet member 70 is less likely to be wrinkled. In the above-mentioned manner, the trunk section 11 using the sheet member 70 as a base material is manufactured.

[0031] (Effects of this embodiment) The effects of the present embodiment 1 will be described below. According to the manufacturing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment 1, the welding block 40 applies pressure to the welding points (welded regions 74) of both ends 71, 72 of the sheet member 70 along the axial direction of the mandrel 20 from the outer periphery side. Therefore, both ends 71, 72 (welded regions 74) can be sandwiched between the welding block 40 and the mandrel 20. Then, by heating both ends 71, 72 (welded regions 74) with the welding block 40, the sheet member 70 can be formed into a cylindrical member. At this time, since the welding block 40 applies pressure to both ends 71, 72 of the sheet member 70 from the outer periphery side, it is possible to suppress the bulging of the welding points.

[0032] Furthermore, the manufacturing apparatus 1 of this Example 1 is provided with a heat insulating section 30 extending along the axial direction of the mandrel 20 in a region of the outer circumferential surface (holding surface) 21 of the mandrel 20 that corresponds to the welding block 40. By providing the heat insulating section 30 between the welding region 74 of the sheet member 70 and the mandrel 20, it is possible to suppress the escape of heat from the welding region 74 of the sheet member 70 to the mandrel 20.

[0033] The manufacturing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment 1 also includes a pair of stoppers 50 that press a portion of the sheet member 70 other than the portion pressed by the welding block 40 against the mandrel 20. The pair of stoppers 50 are integral with the welding block 40. The pair of stoppers 50 are arranged only on both sides of the welding block 40 in the axial direction of the mandrel 20. The pair of stoppers 50 press the non-heated portion (stopper area 73) of the sheet member 70 that is not the welding portion (welding area 74) against the mandrel 20. Therefore, the portion sandwiched between the stopper 50 and the mandrel 20 is not crushed or melted, and a constant thickness (thickness of the sheet member 70) can be maintained. Since the stopper 50 is integral with the welding block 40, the welding block 40 can also be pressed against the sheet member 70 so as to maintain a constant thickness. The pair of stoppers 50 are also arranged only on both sides of the welding block 40 in the axial direction of the mandrel 20. Therefore, it is easier to press the sheet member 70 radially inward, compared to a configuration in which the welding blocks 40 are disposed on both sides in the circumferential direction of the mandrel 20. This makes it difficult for wrinkles to form in the sheet member 70.

[0034] <Other Examples> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings, and the following embodiments are also included within the technical scope of the present invention. (1) In the above-described first embodiment, the welding block 40 moves (moves downward) relative to the mandrel 20, thereby pressing the sheet member 70 against the mandrel 20. However, the mandrel 20 may move (moves upward) relative to the welding block 40, or the mandrel 20 and the welding block 40 may move together. (2) In the above embodiment 1, the welded block 40 contacts the mandrel 20 from above via the welded region 74, but the welded block 40 may contact the mandrel 20 from another direction. For example, the welded region 74 and the insulating portion 30 may be disposed at the lower end of the mandrel 20, and the welded block 40 may contact the mandrel 20 from below via the welded region 74. (3) In the above-mentioned first embodiment, the sizes of the welded block 40 in the left-right direction and the front-back direction are approximately the same as those of the heat insulating section 30 in the left-right direction and the front-back direction, but are not limited to such a configuration. For example, the size of the welded block 40 in the left-right direction may be larger than the size of the heat insulating section 30 in the left-right direction. (4) In the above embodiment 1, the mandrel is cylindrical, but it may be cylindrical. (5) In the above-described first embodiment, a pair of stoppers 50 are provided at the front and rear of the welding block 40. However, a configuration in which only one stopper 50 is provided may also be used. (6) In the first embodiment, a heat insulating member may be provided between the welding block 40 and the stopper 50. (7) In the first embodiment, the pair of stoppers 50 are connected to the welding block 40 at the front and rear, respectively. However, the stoppers 50 may be adjacent to the welding block 40 at the front and rear via another member. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1... Manufacturing equipment (body section manufacturing equipment) 10...Pressure vessel 11...Body section 12...Dome section division body 20…Mandrel 21…Outer peripheral surface (holding surface) 30…Insulation section 40…Welded block 50…Stopper 60…Welding unit 70...Sheet member 71, 72...End 73...Stopper area 74…Welded area (welded location)

Claims

1. 1. A manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a body section for a pressure vessel, the body section being configured by combining a body section and a dome section, comprising: a mandrel having an outer peripheral surface serving as a holding surface for holding the sheet member into a cylindrical shape; a welding block that heats and presses both ends of the sheet member along the axial direction of the mandrel from the outer circumferential side to weld them; a pair of stoppers for pressing a portion of the sheet member, which is different from a portion pressed by the welding block, against the mandrel; Equipped with The pair of stoppers are integral with the welding block, A body section manufacturing device, wherein the pair of stoppers are arranged only on both sides of the welding block in the axial direction of the mandrel.

2. 2. The body section manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a heat insulating portion extending along the axial direction of the mandrel in an area of ​​the holding surface of the mandrel that corresponds to the welding block.

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