Terminal terminal attachment method and its division device

Abstract

A method for attaching a terminal to a solid carbon rod (1) includes the steps of: (a) preparing a carbon rod (1) cut to a predetermined length; (b) dividing the carbon rod (1) into several cable sections (3) along predetermined division lengths in the longitudinal direction of the carbon rod (1); and (c) dividing the divided cable sections (3) into cable sections with a cross-sectional size of 5 mm or less. 2 Less than 2 mm 2 Less than 1 mm 2 c) separating the divided cable portions (3) from each other in the cross-sectional radial direction of the carbon rod (1) to form a desired conical-shaped terminal portion (2) from the cable portion (3), and d) attaching terminal terminals (4, 5, 6) to the branched terminal portions. The dividing device includes a centering clamp unit (9), a movable blade holder (7), and one or more blades (8), and the movable blade holder (7) is located on the opposite side of the centering clamp unit and is slidable along the longitudinal axis of the carbon rod (1) held by the centering clamp unit (9) and rotatable about the longitudinal axis.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for attaching an end terminal to a solid carbon rod having a single internal structure, and further to a dividing device applicable for carrying out the method of the present invention. [Background technology]

[0002] The process by which conical terminals can be fitted to stranded steel cables, wire ropes and Bowden cables involves separating the cable strands, bending them so that their configuration corresponds to the cone angle of the conical terminal, and filling the spaces between them with adhesive. The socketing solution described and sold by SocktLock, for example, works on this principle. This technical solution has the drawback that the strands are only mechanically connected to each other by a form-fitting connection; for example, in the case of steel wire, the strands are wound together, so this connection solution cannot be applied to solid carbon rods.

[0003] Another prior art technical solution is described in WO2015071858A1, which discloses a terminal for a cable containing unidirectional fibers with high tensile strength and high modulus of elasticity, and which comprises two main elements as a connection mechanism: an outer socket and an inner spike. Both main elements are elongated, radially symmetrical members. The socket has a tapered bore defining a tapered inner surface, and the spike has a tapered outer surface, which are cooperatively formed. When assembled together, the annular space between these surfaces has a substantially uniform cross-sectional area along their respective lengths, confining the yarn along the entire length of the spike and socket.

[0004] In the case of known technical solutions, particularly in the field of application of carbon rods, the ends of the strands are configured so that multiple parallel strands are applied in order to provide a stable attachment of the ends, the known connection strategies not allowing a similar attachment to be achieved by applying a single solid carbon rod. Summary of the Invention

[0005] It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for locating and attaching end terminals to solid carbon rods in a simpler, faster and more practical manner than existing methods for attaching end terminals.

[0006] Another object of the present invention is to provide a dividing device that can be applied to easily and quickly carry out the dividing work required for this method.

[0007] Both the method and the dividing device according to the present invention can, under appropriate circumstances, separate anisotropic materials, such as carbon fiber reinforced composites with an epoxy resin matrix, into several segments by mechanical means, preferably by dividing, without causing substantial damage to the carbon fibers. Such dividing operations can easily divide unidirectional fiber reinforced composites in the direction of the fibers by taking advantage of the low interlaminar shear strength properties of the composite material. In the case of structures containing unidirectional fibers, this creates the possibility, unexpected even to those skilled in the art, of dividing the structure into very small parts along the fibers by applying a knife or blade, without causing substantial damage to the fibers.

[0008] The object of the present invention is achieved by providing a method for attaching an end terminal to a solid carbon rod having a single internal structure, the method comprising at least the following steps: a) Prepare a solid carbon rod cut to the appropriate length; The carbon rod (1) is held by the centering clamp unit (9) by abutting the end terminal (4) having the inner hollow portion (41) against the centering clamp unit (9) so that the length of the cable portion (3) extending from the end terminal (4) is at least a length that can be machined by the movable blade holder (7). b) Dividing the carbon rod into several smaller cable sections between the carbon fibers contained along a predetermined division length in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the carbon rod and the parallel carbon fibers without substantially damaging the individual carbon fibers, wherein the cross-sectional size of the smaller cable sections obtained by division is 5 mm 2 is less than c) separating the divided cable portions from each other in the radial direction of the cross section of the carbon rod, and forming the desired conical end portion from the cable portion thus obtained; d) Attach the terminal to the branched end. 、 The end terminal (4) has an inner cavity (41) implemented as a conical hole, and the cone angle of the inner cavity (41) is 1° to 10°.

[0009] In the process of separating and spacing out smaller cable sections, it is not essential that the fiber distribution be perfectly regular; the intention is simply to provide an appropriately large coupling surface so that the space-filling material can perform its role in the form-fitting connection.

[0010] In a preferred implementation of the method according to the invention, step d) comprises the following steps: d1) pulling the end terminal onto the end portion so that the bifurcated end portion, preferably having a conical shape, forms a unit that substantially matches the internal spatial configuration of the end terminal; d2) Filling the internal volume defined by the end terminal with a liquid phase matrix material, such as a thermosetting adhesive, preferably a synthetic resin, followed by solidification of the matrix material to effect a form-fitting connection.

[0011] In another preferred realisation of the method according to the invention, step d) comprises the following steps: d1) A spike part integral with the terminal terminal is fixed by adhesive to the branched end part between the divided cable parts (3), d2) Apply a wrapping process onto the surface of the spike portion around the cable portion of the split carbon rod attached to the spike portion to form a form fitting connection.

[0012] In a further preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the division is carried out in one or more steps applying one or more blades arranged alongside one another.

[0013] In a further preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, following method step d), the part of the bifurcated, preferably cone-shaped, end portion that extends beyond the end terminal attached thereto is removed.

[0014] In a preferred realization of the method according to the invention, the matrix material is a thermosetting or thermoplastic matrix material.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the matrix material is an epoxy resin.

[0016] The present invention further relates to a dividing device for carrying out the method according to the present invention, comprising a centering clamp unit, a movable blade holder, and one or more blades held by the movable blade holder, the movable blade holder being located opposite the centering clamp unit and configured to be slidable along the longitudinal axis of the carbon rod held by the centering clamp unit and rotatable around the longitudinal axis of the held carbon rod. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] The method according to the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Figure 1a] FIG. 1a shows the fiber arrangement of a solid carbon rod. [Figure 1b] FIG. 1b is a diagram showing a state in which the end of the carbon rod shown in FIG. 1a is split and branched. [Figure 2a]FIG. 2a shows a preferred embodiment of a splitting device adapted to carry out the method and illustrates a preferred way of carrying out the splitting step according to the invention. [Figure 2b] FIG. 2b shows a preferred embodiment of a splitting device adapted to carry out the method and illustrates a preferred way of carrying out the splitting step according to the invention. [Figure 2c] FIG. 2c shows a preferred embodiment of a splitting device adapted to carry out the method and illustrates a preferred way of carrying out the splitting step according to the invention. [Figure 2d] FIG. 2d shows a preferred embodiment of a splitting device adapted to carry out the method and illustrates a preferred way of carrying out the splitting step according to the invention. [Figure 3a] FIG. 3a is a cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of a terminal that includes a conical internal bore. [Figure 3b] FIG. 3b shows the application of the end terminal of FIG. 3a placed on the solid carbon rod of FIGS. 1a and 1b. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows an end terminal configured as a spike according to another preferred embodiment, which is disposed within the solid carbon rod of FIGS. 1a and 1b. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 shows a plate-type end terminal according to a further preferred embodiment, which is disposed within the solid carbon rod of FIGS. 1a and 1b. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] In the first step of the method, a solid carbon rod 1 is provided. Figure 1a shows the fiber arrangement of the solid carbon rod 1. The solid carbon rod 1 is a carbon rod made by impregnating a single oriented carbon fiber.

[0019] The preferred carbon rod 1 is made by impregnating several unidirectional carbon fibers while providing controlled fiber tension. The impregnated carbon fibers are compressed by a winding process or another type of compression bonding, for example, by applying heat-shrink braids that compress the impregnated carbon fibers while the matrix material becomes cross-linked after the shrinking process.

[0020] The diameter of the carbon rod 1 selected depends on the load the cable must withstand and can therefore be varied depending on the intended application. Terminals of different diameters and geometric configurations can be attached to carbon rods 1 of different thicknesses.

[0021] In the next step of the method, the carbon rod 1 is split along its length. This splitting is carried out in such a way that parallel fibres are separated but the continuity of the individual fibres is not interrupted, or only a few fibres are interrupted by this splitting. Such splitting can be carried out in various ways.

[0022] 3a shows a preferred configuration of the terminal. The terminal 4 comprises an external thread 44 adapted to make / retain the form-fitting connection described above, and an inner cavity 41 preferably implemented as a conical bore with a diameter increasing in the direction from the insertion end 42 to the protruding end 43. The terminal 4 is configured so that the diameter of the insertion end 42 is substantially the same as the diameter of the carbon rod 1 (with a loose tolerance fit), while the inner cavity 41 is preferably a cone with a cone angle of less than 10°. The exact value of the cone angle is selected to match the preferred matrix material; for example, for an epoxy resin matrix material, a suitable angle is approximately 4°.

[0023] 3b shows the installation of such an end terminal. The carbon rod 1 is pulled through the inner cavity 41 of the end terminal 4 from the insertion end 42 toward the protruding end 43. The splitting step described above is then performed, and the open form-fitting connection is attached to the free end, thereby forming a bifurcated, preferably conical, end portion 2 of the carbon rod 1. The inner cavity 41 of the end terminal 4 is then pulled over the conically bifurcated end portion 2 so that the temporary adhesive or temporary ring at the end of the end portion 2 is located outside the inner cavity 41 of the end terminal 4. Finally, the end terminal in the inner cavity is filled with a matrix material, which is then hardened by an applicable known hardening / solidification method (e.g., heating).

[0024] To carry out the exemplary preferred method, a dividing device can be applied (see FIGS. 2a to 2d), which comprises a centering clamp unit 9, a movable blade holder 7, and one or more blades 8 held by the one or more movable blade holders 7. The movable blade holder 7 is located opposite the centering clamp unit 9 and is configured so as to be able to slide along the longitudinal axis of the carbon rod 1 held by the centering clamp unit 9. This is preferably possible, for example, by applying a rail or guide system known per se in the art of lathes for supporting the movable blade holder.

[0025] Furthermore, the movable blade holder 7 is configured to be rotatable about its own axis and to be able to stop at a predetermined angular position, or in certain embodiments at a freely selectable angular position, so that the dividing surface of the held blade(s) 8 is / are provided by the movable blade holder 7 to be positioned at an angle relative to the previously applied dividing surface.

[0026] The carbon rod 1 is inserted into and held in the centering clamp unit 9. After this, an end terminal 4 with an inner cavity is placed on the carbon rod 1 from the direction of the free end of the held carbon rod 1. The carbon rod 1 is held in the centering clamp unit 9 by abutting the end terminal 4 with an inner cavity against the centering clamp unit 9 so that the length of the cable portion extending from the end terminal 4 is at least a length that can be machined by the movable blade holder 7. Figure 2a shows such a holding configuration.

[0027] The carbon rod 1 is split longitudinally along a predetermined split length L1 by dynamically or statically displacing (applying a constant pressure) the movable blade holder 7 along the longitudinal axis of the carbon rod 1 (see FIG. 2b). This allows the blade 8 to penetrate into the matrix material of the carbon rod 1 along the predetermined split length and between the carbon fibers that form the longitudinal strands of the carbon rod 1. The movable blade holder 7 is then removed from the carbon rod 1 along the axis of the held carbon rod 1 (see FIG. 2c).

[0028] The maximum displacement of the movable blade holder 7 is set, for example, by applying a stop piece, although other solutions known per se, for example numerical or computer control, are also suitable for this purpose.

[0029] To achieve the desired results in the course of this method, the two steps of the process can be repeated several times by rotating the movable blade holder 7 about its own axis. Thus, the movable blade holder 7 can be rotated about its own axis and fixed at a selectable angular position.

[0030] For carbon rods 1 with different load capacities, specially configured end terminals can be applied in different ways to match different load values, i.e., different division patterns are accommodated for carbon rods 1 with different diameters.

[0031] After the dividing step has been carried out in the required manner, the cable portions 3 of the carbon rod 1 provided by the dividing step are fixed at intervals. These cable portions can be spaced apart from one another, for example, by applying conical spikes that are inserted into the movable blade holder 7 instead of blades, so that the cable portions 3 spaced apart in a uniform manner by the spikes are fixed to one another by applying a temporary adhesive to each of them.

[0032] In the next step of the method (see FIG. 2d), the terminal terminal 4 is pulled on the terminal portion 2 thus formed.

[0033] In this process, the division must be performed so that the cross-sectional area of ​​each divided cable portion 3 is sufficiently small, and the fibers are bent appropriately to uniformly arrange the fibers within the terminal 4. Therefore, the cross-sectional size of the small cable portion 3 obtained by division is 5 mm. 2 Less than 2 mm, preferably 2 Less than 1mm, preferably 2 It is advantageous that:

[0034] As an example, the process of splitting a solid carbon rod 1 with a diameter of 7 mm is described. In this case, a splitting device consisting of five blades evenly spaced along the width of the device (7 mm) is applied, and the splitting process can be carried out in four steps. Between the four splitting steps, the splitting device is rotated by substantially 45° or a multiple of 45° corresponding to the pattern. The pattern thus obtained forms cable portions 3 with different cross-sectional sizes, but with a uniform cross-sectional size of 1 mm. 2 is smaller than.

[0035] It should be noted that in the process carried out according to the exemplary method, the degree of rotation of the splitting device, the number of splitting steps and the configuration of the splitting device are not limited to the parameters described in the exemplary method, i.e., this step of the method can also be carried out applying different settings.

[0036] In Figure 3b, the angle of the conical wall of the inner cavity 41 is configured to correspond to the matrix material applied for this process, thus ensuring proper bonding. The inner cone angle is preferably between 1° and 10°. For the epoxy resin applied in the preferred embodiment, it is, for example, preferably 4°.

[0037] If the required coupling length of the end terminal 4 according to Figures 3a and 3b is known, the other parameters of the inner cone angle of the end terminal can be determined in a manner known to those skilled in the art based on the diameter of the applied carbon rod 1 as well as the inner cone angle.

[0038] 3a and 3b show a preferred embodiment of the terminal 4 in which the inner cavity 41 has a conical shape, it should be noted that the method can also be applied to terminals of different shapes. For example, it is conceivable that the inner cavity into which the terminal portion 2 is inserted has a different geometric configuration that provides a suitable form fit and / or frictional connection.

[0039] After splitting, the individual cable portions 3 are spaced apart from one another in the radial direction of the cross section of the carbon rod 1, thereby providing a branched, preferably conical, geometric configuration at the end of the carbon rod 1.

[0040] The conical shape is preferably formed by applying a conical spike that is inserted (driven) between the divided cable portions 3 while being centered in the axial direction of the carbon rod 1. When the conical spike is inserted in the center, the divided cable portions 3 are uniformly bent outward along the cone. The uniformly bent cable portions must be bent outward so that they diverge at a predetermined cone angle α inside the cone of the applicable terminal. For example, for the terminal with the above-mentioned 4° inner cone angle, this means a maximum cone angle of 4°. Because precise fit is not required and the cable portions 3 are not perfectly straight when bent outward, the cone angle α of the cable portions 3 is usually approximately the same as the cone angle of the inner cone.

[0041] After forming the outward bend in the cable section 3, the cable section 3 is fixed in the desired position and the conical spike is subsequently removed. A preferred solution for fixing the cable sections is to apply adhesive to the ends of the bifurcated, preferably conical, terminal section 2. After the adhesive has dried, the cable sections 3 are temporarily held in the desired position relative to each other.

[0042] However, it should be noted that the cone angle can also be formed by other means, for example by inserting a spacer ring or other spacer member with holes, or by inserting a wedge-shaped internal cone member between the cable portions 3 (the wedge-shaped cone member then remains between the cable portions).

[0043] In the next step of the method, the temporarily fixed and bifurcated (preferably conically bifurcated) terminal portion 2 is placed into the internal cavity, preferably the bore, of the corresponding terminal terminal and the remaining free space is filled with matrix material.

[0044] The void areas between the fiber portions disposed within the internal cavity can be filled, for example, by gravity (with the end terminals positioned vertically) or by high pressure injection.

[0045] After this, if the split fiber portion extends beyond the conical portion of the end terminal, the excess portion is removed, which can be removed by applying a process known per se, for example by cutting.

[0046] 4 shows another possible configuration of the terminal 5. The terminal 5 shown includes a threaded portion 51 and a spike portion 52. In the case of the terminal 5 shown, the method of the present invention involves inserting the terminal into the branched end portion 3 of the carbon rod 1, and then attaching it by applying a matrix material around the spike portion 52 to provide an adhesive bond. To provide a secure attachment, an outer jacket 53 is formed around the cable portion 3 of the branched carbon rod 1 by a wrapping process, for example, by heat-shrink braids that compress the impregnated carbon fibers, causing the matrix material therebetween to crosslink after the shrinking process.

[0047] 5 shows a further possible configuration of the end terminal 6. In this case, the end terminal 6 is assembled from a number of end terminal plates 6', whereby parallel cuts are made simultaneously or successively in the carbon rod 1 to increase the adhesive surface area of ​​each plate, and the end terminal plates 6' are inserted into the cuts and attached with adhesive.

[0048] To provide a secure attachment, the cable portions 3 of the split carbon rods 1 are optionally compressed by a winding process, for example by heat-shrink braids that compress the impregnated carbon fibers, so that the matrix material between them becomes cross-linked after the shrinking process.

[0049] The material applied for the final bond can be, for example, the same synthetic resin, preferably an epoxy resin, that constitutes the matrix material of the carbon rod 1, but other matrix materials with suitable technical parameters can also be applied. The liquid-phase thermosetting adhesive is solidified by applying a suitable heat treatment, thereby providing a form-fitting connection and / or adhesive bond to the conical terminal.

[0050] A major advantage of this method is that the end termination can be applied to a carbon rod 1 (instead of a cable with multiple parallel strands), reducing the total cross-sectional area for the same tensile strength, or in the case of unidirectional fibers under tensile load, achieving a higher tensile strength for the same cross-sectional area.

[0051] Another advantage of this method over existing solutions is that carbon rods made from carbon fiber of various thicknesses can be pre-manufactured so that the required terminations for the application can be attached after manufacturing. This feature of the method significantly increases manufacturing flexibility and further expands the application possibilities of carbon fiber technology.

[0052] The carbon rods applied in this way have a higher carbon fiber content compared to fiber-containing cables applied with prior art technical solutions, and therefore the technical parameters of the carbon rods with end terminations are improved compared to cables with end terminations according to existing technical solutions.

[0053] A further advantage of this method is that it provides a new mode for attaching terminal terminations, which is faster than existing technical solutions and has more favorable technical parameters from the point of view of the end product. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 1-carbon rod 2-Terminal part 3-Cable section 4-Terminal Terminal 41-Inner cavity 42-insertion end 43-Protruding end 44-male thread 5-Terminal 51-Threaded part 52-Spike part 53-Outer jacket 6-Terminal Plate 7-Moving blade plate 8-blade 9-Centering clamp unit α-cone angle L1 - division length

Claims

1. A method for attaching an end terminal (4) to a solid carbon rod (1) having a single internal structure, characterized in that it comprises at least the following steps: a) preparing a solid carbon rod (1) cut to a predetermined length; The carbon rod (1) is held by the centering clamp unit (9) by abutting the end terminal (4) having an inner hollow portion (41) against the centering clamp unit (9) so that the length of the cable portion (3) extending from the end terminal (4) is at least a length that can be machined by the movable blade holder (7). b) Dividing the carbon rod (1) into several smaller cable portions (3) between the carbon fibers contained along a predetermined division length (L1) in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the carbon rod (1) and the carbon fibers parallel to the carbon fibers without damaging the individual carbon fibers, wherein the cross-sectional size of the cable portions (3) obtained by division is 5 mm ２ is less than c) separating the divided cable portions (3) from each other in the radial direction of the cross section of the carbon rod (1), and forming a desired conical terminal portion (2) from the cable portion (3) thus obtained; d) attaching the terminal terminal (4) to the branched terminal portion; The end terminal (4) comprises the inner cavity (41) implemented as a conical hole, the cone angle of the inner cavity (41) being between 1° and 10°.

2. Step d) comprises the steps of: d1) pulling the end terminal (4) onto the end portion (2) so that the bifurcated end portion (2) having a conical shape forms a unit that matches the inner cavity (41) of the end terminal (4); d2) filling the internal volume defined by said end terminals (4) with a liquid matrix material, followed by connection by solidification of said liquid matrix material.

3. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the dividing is performed in one or more steps by applying one or more blades arranged next to each other.

4. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, following step d) of the method, the portion of the bifurcated cone-shaped end portion (2) extending beyond the end terminal (4) mounted thereon is removed.

5. The method described in claim 2, wherein the liquid phase matrix material is a thermosetting or thermoplastic matrix material.

6. The method described in claim 2, wherein the liquid phase matrix material is an epoxy resin.

7. A dividing device for the method described in any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising the centering clamp unit (9), the movable blade holder (7), and one or more blades (8) held by the movable blade holder (7), wherein the movable blade holder (7) is positioned opposite the centering clamp unit (9) and is configured to be slidable along the longitudinal axis of the carbon rod (1) held by the centering clamp unit (9) and rotatable around the longitudinal axis of the held carbon rod (1).

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