Laminate shaping method, composite component production method, shaping die, and shaping jig

Abstract

A laminate shaping method according to the present invention involves shaping a laminate of a plurality of prepregs that include a resin and reinforcing fibers in order to use the laminate as a constituent material to produce a composite component that has a curved portion. The shaping method involves preparing a die and a shaping jig that includes an installation surface that is to be attached to the die and a contact surface that is to be in contact with the laminate, attaching the installation surface of the shaping jig at a prescribed position on the die to produce a shaping die for the laminate, placing the laminate on the shaping die, applying pressure to the laminate on the shaping die, and causing the laminate to come into surface contact with the die and the contact surface to shape the laminate.

Description

Method for shaping a laminate, method for manufacturing a composite material part, shaping mold, and shaping jig

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method for shaping a laminate and a method for manufacturing a composite material part for manufacturing a composite material part using a laminate including a reinforcing fiber and a resin as a constituent material, and a shaping mold or a shaping jig used in these methods.

[0002] For example, as described in Patent Document 1, there is known a method in which a prepreg obtained by impregnating a reinforcing fiber with a resin is shaped into a desired three-dimensional shape using a molding die, and after shaping, it is heated and pressurized to obtain a composite material part. When shaping, wrinkles may occur in the prepreg. The same applies when shaping the laminate of the prepreg. In particular, wrinkles are likely to occur in the curved portion of the composite material part. When wrinkles occur, the strength of the composite material part decreases. In Patent Document 1, by making a cut in the prepreg and overlapping the portions on both sides of the cut, the occurrence of wrinkles is prevented.

[0003] However, in the method of Patent Document 1, even if the occurrence of wrinkles can be suppressed, the portion where the portions on both sides of the cut are overlapped thickens unintentionally. That is, in the molded composite material part, an unnecessary portion that thickens unavoidably due to manufacturing convenience may occur. In addition, since the reinforcing fiber is cut when a cut is made in the prepreg, the strength of the molded composite material part may decrease.

[0004] Japanese Patent No. 5017040

[0005] By applying the present disclosure to the manufacturing process of the composite material part, an operator can disperse and generate wrinkles of an arbitrary size at an arbitrary position in the laminate during shaping, instead of relatively large wrinkles that generally occur at unintentional sizes and positions. That is, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a method for shaping a laminate, a method for manufacturing a composite material part, a shaping mold, and a shaping jig that can control the size and generation position of wrinkles and mold a composite material part having a desired shape and excellent strength.

[0006] A method for shaping a laminate according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a method for manufacturing a composite material part having a curved portion using a plurality of laminates of prepregs containing reinforcing fibers and resin as constituent materials, the method comprising: preparing a mold and a shaping jig including an installation surface to be attached to the mold and a contact surface to contact the laminate; attaching the installation surface of the shaping jig to a predetermined position on the mold to create a shaping mold for the laminate; forming the laminate in a state where it is placed on the shaping mold; applying pressure to the laminate on the shaping mold to shape the laminate by bringing it into contact with the mold and the contact surface.

[0007] A method for manufacturing a composite material part relating to another aspect of the present disclosure is a method for manufacturing a composite material part having a curved portion using a plurality of laminates of prepregs containing reinforcing fibers and resin as constituent materials, wherein a mold and a shaping jig including an installation surface to be attached to the mold and a contact surface to contact the laminate are prepared, the installation surface of the shaping jig is attached to a predetermined position in the mold to create a shaping mold for the laminate, the laminate is placed on the shaping mold, a first treatment including a first pressurizing treatment is applied to the laminate on the shaping mold, the laminate is shaped by bringing it into contact with the mold and the contact surface, the shaping jig is removed, the shaped laminate is placed on the final mold, a second treatment including a second pressurizing and heating treatment is applied, and the portion of the processed laminate after the second treatment corresponding to the contact surface of the shaping jig is cut off.

[0008] A shaping mold relating to yet another aspect of the present disclosure is a shaping mold for a laminate, for manufacturing a composite material part having a curved portion using a plurality of laminates of prepregs containing reinforcing fibers and resin as constituent materials, comprising: a mold including a shaping surface that contacts the laminate; and a projection disposed on the shaping surface and including a contact surface with the laminate, wherein the projection has a longitudinal direction, and in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the cross-sectional area gradually decreases toward one end in the longitudinal direction.

[0009] A shaping jig relating to yet another aspect of the present disclosure is a shaping jig used when shaping a laminate for manufacturing a composite material part having a curved portion using a laminate of multiple prepregs containing reinforcing fibers and resin as constituent materials, comprising a jig body having a contact surface with the laminate, and an installation surface for attaching the jig body to a mold for shaping the laminate.

[0010] According to this disclosure, it is possible to provide a method for shaping a laminate, a method for manufacturing a composite material part, a shaping mold, and a shaping jig that can control the size and location of wrinkles and form a composite material part with a desired shape and excellent strength.

[0011] Figure 1 is a perspective view of an example of a composite material part and a diagram showing the constituent materials of the composite material part. Figure 2 is a diagram showing a method for shaping a laminate used as a constituent material of a conventional composite material part and the state of the laminate after shaping. Figure 3 is a perspective view showing a mold and shaping jig according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4 is a perspective view showing a shaping mold according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5 is a perspective view showing another example of a shaping jig, with cross-sections of each part in the longitudinal direction indicated. Figure 6 is a process chart showing a first embodiment of a method for manufacturing a composite material part. Figure 7 is a diagram showing the execution status of a part of the process chart of the first embodiment. Figure 8A is a diagram showing the execution status of a part of the process chart of the first embodiment. Figure 8B is a diagram showing a shaping device added to the cross-section along the line VIII-VIIIB in Figure 8A. Figure 9 is a diagram showing the execution status of a part of the process chart of the first embodiment. Figure 10 is a perspective view of a composite material part manufactured by the manufacturing method of the second embodiment. Figure 11 is a perspective view showing the implementation status of the manufacturing method of a composite material part according to the second embodiment. Figure 12 is a perspective view showing the implementation of the second embodiment of the method for manufacturing composite material parts. Figure 13 is a process chart showing the second embodiment of the method for manufacturing composite material parts.

[0012] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. This disclosure includes a method for manufacturing a composite material component comprising a laminate of a plurality of prepregs, a method for shaping the laminate which is an intermediate molded product of the composite material component, a shaping mold and a shaping jig used in the shaping method. The prepreg comprises reinforcing fibers and a resin. The resin is preferably a thermosetting resin, but may also be a thermoplastic resin. The manufactured composite material component includes curved parts such as mountain folds or valley folds, concave or convex dome-shaped curved surfaces, flat curved surfaces, or composite parts thereof. Specific examples of composite material components include frames, plates, beams, or exterior materials for structures having curved parts. The composite material component is used, for example, as a component of a structure such as an aircraft, railway vehicle, or automobile.

[0013] [Structure and Manufacturing Challenges of Composite Material Parts] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a beam part 1A as an example of a composite material part. The beam part 1A includes a flat plate portion 11, a first bent portion 12, and a second bent portion 13, and has a C-shaped cross-section. The first bent portion 12 is connected to one side of the flat plate portion 11 in the longitudinal direction, and the second bent portion 13 is connected to the other side of the flat plate portion 11 in the longitudinal direction. Between the flat plate portion 11 and the first bent portion 12, there is a first corner portion 121 which is a curved portion bent at a right angle. Between the flat plate portion 11 and the second bent portion 13, there is a second corner portion 131 which is a curved portion bent at a right angle. The second bent portion 13 has a curved portion 132 which bends in a direction approaching the first bent portion 12. In the curved portion 132, the second corner portion 131 has a curved portion which bends along the bend shape of the second bent portion 13.

[0014] Figure 1 shows the layer structure of beam component 1A. Beam component 1A is manufactured using a laminate 2 made by stacking multiple sheet-like prepregs 21 as its constituent material. After the final heat and pressure treatment following the shaping of the laminate 2, the layers of the prepregs 21 are welded together. The prepreg 21 contains reinforcing fibers 22 and resin 23. Examples of prepregs 21 include a prepreg in which short or long fibers as reinforcing fibers 22 are mixed with a thermosetting resin, a fiber array in which continuous fibers are arranged in a predetermined direction, or a prepreg made by impregnating a woven fabric of continuous fibers with a thermosetting resin.

[0015] Examples of reinforcing fibers 22 include carbon fibers, glass fibers, ceramic fibers, metal fibers, or organic fibers. Examples of resins 23 include epoxy resins, phenolic resins, melamine resins, urea resins, unsaturated polyester resins, alkyd resins, silicone resins, polyurethanes, and thermosetting polyimides.

[0016] Figure 1 illustrates the first prepreg 21A, the second prepreg 21B, and the third prepreg 21C, which are parts of a plurality of prepregs 21 forming the laminate 2. The reinforcing fibers 22 contained in the first prepreg 21A, the second prepreg 21B, and the third prepreg 21C are continuous fibers. The first prepreg 21A is a sheet in which a large number of continuous fibers are arranged in a predetermined arrangement direction, and a thermosetting resin is impregnated into this arrangement to form a unified sheet. The second prepreg 21B and the third prepreg 21C are sheets similar to the above. However, the arrangement directions of the continuous fibers in the first prepreg 21A, the second prepreg 21B, and the third prepreg 21C are different from each other. In this way, by laminating three types of sheets with the arrangement directions of the continuous fibers as reinforcing fibers 22 in three different axial directions in a multilayer structure, a laminate 2 having pseudo-isotropy or desired anisotropy can be obtained.

[0017] When forming a composite material part such as a beam part 1A having corners 121, 131 and curved parts 132, using a substantially flat laminate 2 made by stacking multiple prepreg sheets 21 as a constituent material, it is difficult to directly form the laminate 2 from its substantially flat shape to the final shape. The difficulty in forming is due to the fact that when a laminate 2 made by stacking two-dimensional prepreg sheets 21 is processed into a curved shape, wrinkles caused by localized stretching and shrinking occur in the prepreg 21 of each layer. Therefore, a method is employed to form the laminate 2 in two steps: intermediate forming and final forming. Intermediate forming is a process in which a shaping die is used to shape the laminate 2 into a shape that approaches the final shape. Final forming is a process in which the laminate 2 shaped in the intermediate forming is heated and pressurized using a final forming die to obtain a composite material part in the final shape.

[0018] Figure 2 shows a conventional method for shaping a laminate 2 and the arrangement of prepreg 21 within the laminate 2 after shaping. The laminate 2, placed on a mold 3 which serves as the shaping mold, is subjected to pressure treatment and, if necessary, heat treatment, so that the laminate 2 comes into contact with the mold 3 and is shaped. This heat treatment is applied, for example, when the thickness of the laminate 2 is relatively thick and it is difficult to shape the laminate 2 with pressure alone. Of course, for laminates 2 that are relatively thin, both pressure and heat treatment may be applied. Even in shaping to alleviate the difficulty of molding, wrinkles may occur in the prepreg 21 of the laminate 2 when molding into a complex shape.

[0019] Figure 2 shows that although the outer surface of the laminate 2 is flat, wavy wrinkles Wr are occurring in the prepreg 21 inside. Wrinkles Wr tend to occur in the first bent portion 12 and the second bent portion 13, which are bent by the first corner portion 121 and the second corner portion 131, respectively. In particular, large wrinkles Wr tend to occur in the second bent portion 13 where the second corner portion 131 and the curved portion 132 are combined. In the areas where wrinkles Wr occur, the reinforcing fibers 22 become wavy and distorted, resulting in uneven fiber density, which ultimately leads to a decrease in the strength of the beam component 1A after final molding. If a method is adopted in which the worker manually shapes and laminates the prepreg 21 one sheet at a time on the mold 3, the occurrence of wrinkles Wr can be suppressed to some extent even in parts with complex shapes. However, the manual lamination of prepreg 21 requires skilled workers and involves a relatively large amount of labor, making it unsuitable for composite material parts that require mass production.

[0020] In view of the above circumstances, this disclosure allows for the formation of wrinkles Wr in the shaping of the laminate 2, but employs means to generate the wrinkles Wr in a manner that conforms to the operator's intentions regarding their location, number, and size. For example, the means according to this disclosure generates small wrinkles Wr in a dispersed manner without generating large wrinkles Wr. These small wrinkles Wr are of a degree that does not affect the strength of the final composite material part. In order to form the composite material part into its final shape, it may be necessary to cut off a portion of the composite material part after heating and pressurizing the laminate 2 using a final molding die. In this case, the wrinkles Wr are induced to concentrate in the portion to be cut off. In the following description, the former will be described as the first embodiment and the latter as the second embodiment.

[0021] [Description of the shaping mold] Figure 3 is a perspective view showing a mold 3 and a shaping jig 4 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4 is a perspective view of a shaping mold 5 with the shaping jig 4 attached to the mold 3. In Figure 3, for simplification, a simple rectangular parallelepiped mold 3 is shown, having a corner portion 31 that bends at a right angle and being longitudinal in the X direction. The mold 3 has a shaping surface 30 that is in contact with the laminate 2. The shaping surface 30 has a surface shape for shaping the laminate 2 into the required shape. The shaping surface 30 shown in Figures 3 and 4 includes a part of the top surface 301 of the mold 3 and a part of the side surface 302 that is connected to the top surface 301 via the corner portion 31. The laminate 2 to be shaped is placed on the shaping surface 30.

[0022] The shaping jig 4 is attached to the mold 3 to create dispersed small wrinkles Wr in the prepreg 21 of the laminate 2. When attached to the mold 3, the shaping jig 4 becomes a projection positioned on the shaping surface 30. The shaping jig 4 has a shape with a longitudinal direction. The shaping jig 4 includes a jig body 40 and an installation surface 42.

[0023] The jig body 40 is the part involved in shaping the laminate 2. The jig body 40 has a contact surface 41 with respect to the laminate 2. In Figure 3, a dome-shaped contact surface 41 with a semicircular cross-section is shown as an example. The cross-sectional shape of the contact surface 41 may be a triangle, trapezoid, a polygon with four or more sides, or a semi-ellipse. The width and height of the contact surface 41 may be appropriately determined according to the wrinkles Wr to be generated. The width and height of the contact surface 41 may differ, for example, in the longitudinal direction of the jig body 40, or they may be the same as in the example in Figure 3. The mounting surface 42 is the surface for attaching the jig body 40 to the shaping surface 30 of the mold 3. The mounting surface 42 is provided on the opposite side of the contact surface 41, sandwiching the jig body 40. The surface shape of the mounting surface 42 is such that it closely conforms to the surface shape of the shaping surface 30 to which it is attached.

[0024] The shaping jig 4 is attached to the jig installation position 3P, which is a predetermined position on the molding die 3, when the shaping die 5 is manufactured. The jig installation position 3P is set at a location where relatively large wrinkles Wr are expected to occur in the laminate 2 when the laminate 2 is pressed for shaping. Specifically, the jig installation position 3P is set at a position on the molding die 3 that corresponds to the curved portion of the composite material part. Note that the occurrence of relatively large wrinkles Wr in the laminate 2 can occur not only when pressing for shaping, but also when heating is applied. In a composite material part made of a laminate 2 of multiple prepregs 21, the curved portion is a part where particularly large wrinkles Wr are likely to occur. By setting the jig installation position 3P at a position corresponding to the curved portion, the occurrence of large wrinkles Wr can be suppressed.

[0025] In the example shown in Figure 3, the laminate 2 is placed so as to hang down from the top surface 301 to both side surfaces 302. In this case, wrinkles Wr are less likely to occur in the portion of the laminate 2 that is in contact with the top surface 301. However, wrinkles Wr are more likely to occur in the portion of the laminate 2 that is in contact with the side surfaces 302, because the laminate 2 is bent at the corners 31. In particular, when the corner 31 includes a curved portion, as in the example of the curved portion 132 in Figure 2, large wrinkles Wr are more likely to occur in the portion of the laminate 2 that is in contact with the side surfaces 302. In view of the above, Figure 3 shows an example in which the jig installation position 3P is set in an area close to the corner 31 of the side surface 302.

[0026] When attaching the shaping jig 4 to the mold 3, the longitudinal direction of the shaping jig 4 is attached in a direction that intersects with the extending direction of the corner portion 31. In the mold 3 of Figure 3, the extending direction of the corner portion 31 is the X direction. In Figure 3, the Y direction is defined as the direction perpendicular to the X direction. The width direction of the mold 3 of Figure 3 is the Y direction. The shaping jig 4 is attached to the jig installation position 3P with its orientation directed in the Z direction, which is perpendicular to both the X and Y directions. The upper end of the shaping jig 4 is located close to the corner portion 31. Wrinkles Wr tend to occur in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the corner portion 31. By arranging the shaping jig 4 perpendicular to the extending direction of the corner portion 31, dispersed small wrinkles Wr can be generated on the laminate 2 near the corner portion 31 in a direction approximately perpendicular to the extending direction of the corner portion 31. In other words, by devising the arrangement of the shaping jigs 4, the worker can generate small wrinkles Wr of the size and position on the laminate 2 as intended by the worker. The longitudinal direction of the shaping jig 4 does not have to coincide with the Z direction, and the longitudinal direction may be inclined with respect to the Z direction. The number of shaping jigs 4 installed at the jig installation position 3P, the installation pitch, etc., are appropriately determined according to the characteristics of the wrinkles Wr that the worker intends to generate, such as the size of the wrinkles Wr in the laminate 2, the position on the laminate 2, and the degree of dispersion.

[0027] Figure 5 is a perspective view showing a shaping jig 4A according to another example. The shaping jig 4A has a shape with the Z direction shown in Figure 5 as its longitudinal direction. Here, the direction perpendicular to the Z direction is defined as the Y direction in Figure 5. The direction perpendicular to both the Z and Y directions is defined as the X direction in Figure 5. Figure 5 includes XY cross-sections of each part of the shaping jig 4A with respect to its longitudinal direction. The shaping jig 4A has a base portion 43 at one end in the longitudinal direction and a tip portion 44 at the other end. The base portion 43 is the part of the shaping jig 4A where the width W in the X direction and the height H in the Y direction are maximum. The tip portion 44 is the part where the width W and height H are minimum. One side between the base portion 43 and the tip portion 44 is the contact surface 41A with the laminate 2. The back side of the contact surface 41A is the mounting surface 42A to be attached to the mold 3. The height H is the cross-sectional width in the direction away from the installation surface 42A.

[0028] In a cross-section in the X direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the shaping jig 4A has a tapered shape in which the cross-sectional area gradually decreases from one end to the other in the longitudinal direction. In other words, in a cross-section in the X direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the shaping jig 4A has a gradually decreasing cross-sectional area from the base 43 to the tip 44. In the example in Figure 5, the base 43 has a rectangular cross-section with width W and height H. The contact surface 41A has an inclined surface in which both corners of the rectangular cross-section are cut at an angle. The width of the angled cut at the corners gradually increases from the base 43 to near the midpoint toward the tip 44. The flat surface of the contact surface 41A in the XZ plane is triangular in shape in which the width in the X direction gradually narrows toward the midpoint. From the midpoint to the tip 44, the cross-section of the shaping jig 4A is triangular. That is, the width W and height H gradually decrease toward the midpoint toward the tip 44.

[0029] For example, when the shaping jig 4A is attached to the mold 3 in Figure 4, the tip 44 is located near the corner 31, and it is attached so that its longitudinal direction is perpendicular to the corner 31. When attaching the shaping jig 4A to the mold 3, the tip 44 may reach the corner 31. Also, when attaching it, the longitudinal direction of the shaping jig 4A may be inclined with respect to the Z direction in Figure 4. When the shaping jig 4A is attached to the mold 3, the laminate 2 can be brought into contact with the contact surface 41A at a gentle incline, which is suitable for forming small wrinkles Wr within an acceptable range that does not affect strength.

[0030] [First Embodiment] Figure 6 is a process chart showing a first embodiment of a method for manufacturing a composite material part. Figures 7 to 9 are diagrams showing the execution status of a part of the process chart of the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, an example is shown in which the object to be manufactured is the beam part 1A illustrated in Figure 1. When manufacturing the beam part 1A, a molding die 3 and a shaping jig 4A illustrated in Figure 5 are used. The molding die 3 includes a corner portion 31 and a curved surface portion 32. The corner portion 31 shapes the first corner portion 121 and the second corner portion 131 of the laminate 2 shown in Figures 1 and 2. The curved surface portion 32 exclusively shapes the curved portion 132.

[0031] In process S1, the worker involved in the manufacture of the beam component 1A prepares the mold 3 and the required number of shaping jigs 4A. The mold 3 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and includes a top surface 301 and side surfaces 302. The jig installation position 3P is set on the side surface 302 of the mold 3 where a corner 31 and a curved surface 32 are combined. The jig installation position 3P is a position on the side surface 302 that corresponds to a place where relatively large wrinkles Wr are likely to occur in the laminate 2 when it comes into contact with the laminate 2 during shaping. A part of the top surface 301 of the mold 3 and the upper part of the side surface 302 near the corner 31 are the shaping surfaces 30 that are applied to the laminate 2.

[0032] In step S2, as shown in Figure 7, the worker attaches the shaping jig 4A to the jig installation position 3P of the mold 3 to create the shaping mold 5. The worker attaches the installation surface 42A of the shaping jig 4A to the surface of the jig installation position 3P. The shaping jig 4A can be attached to the jig installation position 3P by methods such as applying adhesive to the installation surface 42A, attaching an adhesive sheet, or using tape. The size and number of shaping jigs 4A are selected so that the geometrically estimated amount of excess material in the part of the laminate 2 that is in contact with the jig installation position 3P, i.e., the estimated amount of wrinkles Wr, is equal to the sum of the perimeters of the installation surface 42A that protrudes from the jig installation position 3P.

[0033] In parallel with steps S1 and S2, the laminate 2 is manufactured in step S3. As illustrated in Figure 1, the laminate 2 is manufactured by stacking the required number of prepregs 21, which are made by impregnating reinforcing fibers 22 with a thermosetting resin 23. At the stage of step S3, the resin 23 of the prepreg 21 has not hardened. That is, at the stage of step S3, the prepreg 21 and the laminate 2 are flexible.

[0034] In the following explanation of steps S3 and S4, please refer to Figures 8A and 8B. In Figures 8A and 8B, the longitudinal direction of the mold 5 is the X direction, the direction perpendicular to the X direction and the horizontal plane is the Y direction, and the direction perpendicular to both the X and Y directions is the Z direction. The Y direction is the width direction of the mold 5, and the Z direction is the height direction of the mold 5. In step S4, as shown in Figure 8A, the worker places the laminate 2 made in step S3 on the forming surface 30 of the mold 5 made in step S2. Alternatively, the laminate 2 may be formed by laminating multiple prepreg 21 on the mold 5. The method is not limited to any particular method, as long as the state in which the laminate 2 is placed on the mold 5 is achieved. The central region of the laminate 2 in the width direction of the mold 5 abuts against the top surface 301 by its own weight. The side portion of the laminate 2 hangs downward from the corner portion 31 and faces or contacts the side surface 302 and the contact surface 41 of the shaping jig 4A.

[0035] In step S5, shaping is performed. More specifically, in step S5, pressure is applied to the laminate 2 on the shaping mold 5, and the laminate 2 is brought into contact with the molding die 3 and the contact surface 41A to be shaped. Figure 8B shows the shaping process, and is a diagram in which the shaping apparatus has been added to the cross section along line VIIIIB-VIIIIIB of Figure 8A. The shaping apparatus shown is a base 61 and a rubber sheet 62. Depending on the requirements of the part to be manufactured, heating may be performed during shaping. For example, in step S5, pressure and heating may be applied to the laminate 2 on the shaping mold 5, and the laminate 2 may be brought into contact with the molding die 3 and the contact surface 41A to be shaped. This type of shaping method is generally called HDF (Hot Drape Forming) shaping.

[0036] The base 61 is the base on which the mold 5 on which the laminate 2 is placed is installed. The base 61 includes a vacuum hole 63 that penetrates the base 61 in the thickness direction. The rubber sheet 62 completely covers the mold 5 on which the laminate 2 is placed from above, and has a size such that the peripheral area is in contact with the base 61. The space SP inside the rubber sheet 62 is vacuumed through the vacuum hole 63. Vacuuming improves the adhesion of the laminate 2 to the mold 5. In particular, vacuuming allows the laminate 2 to adhere well to the uneven shape formed by the contact surface 41A of the molding jig 4A. Alternatively, instead of the rubber sheet 62, a molding upper mold equipped with a cavity having a relief portion for the molding jig 4A may be used.

[0037] Subsequently, the laminate 2 on the shaping mold 5 is pressurized by performing the vacuum evacuation. Through these steps, the laminate 2 can be shaped into the required shape, and voids within the laminate 2 can be eliminated. Furthermore, in the portion of the laminate 2 facing the jig installation position 3P, multiple laterally protruding protrusions 2W are formed due to contact and close contact with the contact surface 41A. If a shaping process involving heating, such as HDF shaping, is used instead of this process, the operator further places an infrared heater or the like outside the rubber sheet 62 and operates it to pressurize and heat the laminate 2.

[0038] Next, steps S6 to S9 are performed to perform final molding on the laminate 2 to obtain the beam component 1A as a composite material component. In this embodiment, the mold 3 used to shape the laminate 2 is used as the final mold. When performing the final molding of the laminate 2, a mold prepared separately from the mold 3 may also be used as the final mold.

[0039] In step S6, the worker removes the shaping jig 4A from the shaping mold 5, as shown in the upper diagram of Figure 9. Specifically, the shaping jig 4A, which is sandwiched between the side surface 302 of the mold 3 and the side of the laminate 2, is pulled downwards. Wrinkles Wr are formed in the prepreg 21 inside the protruding ridge 2W. The arrangement and size of these wrinkles Wr are formed to the arrangement and size intended by the worker, depending on the placement of the shaping jig 4A on the mold 3 and the shape of the shaping jig 4A. If a mold different from the mold 3 is to be used as the final mold, the shaped laminate 2 is placed on top of the final mold.

[0040] In step S7, bagging is performed on the formed laminate 2. Bagging is a process of covering the laminate 2 with a bagging film and vacuuming the inside of the bagging film. Step S7 may be performed in the same manner as illustrated in Figure 8B. However, as the bagging film, a sheet with superior hardness to the rubber sheet 62, such as a nylon sheet, is used in order to achieve high-precision molding.

[0041] In step S8, the bagged laminate 2 is pressurized and heated in an autoclave. The heating in step S8 is performed at a temperature that cures the thermosetting resin 23 of the prepreg 21. By performing step S8, the laminate 2 is formed into the final shape of the beam component 1A. That is, the uneven areas where the protrusions 2W of the laminate 2 were formed are molded into a smooth state. Multiple wrinkles Wr of the prepreg 21 remain inside the areas where the protrusions 2W existed. However, the remaining wrinkles Wr are small in size and do not substantially affect the strength of the beam component 1A. In other words, instead of large wrinkles Wr, small wrinkles Wr remain dispersed inside the beam component 1A, with their location and size being the size and arrangement intended by the operator through the attachment of the shaping jig 4. Therefore, the wrinkles Wr created by the shaping jig 4 do not lead to a reduction in the strength of the beam component 1A.

[0042] In step S9, the molded beam component 1A is demolded. The operator removes the beam component 1A from the mold 3 after cooling and removes the bagging film. By executing the above steps S1 to S9, a beam component 1A including a flat plate portion 11, a pair of bent portions 12, 13, a pair of corner portions 121, 131, and a curved portion 132 as shown in the lower figure of FIG. 9 is manufactured.

[0043] [Second Embodiment] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a frame component 1B produced by the manufacturing method of the composite material component according to the second embodiment. The frame component 1B is an arc-shaped frame used for strengthening the strength of walls partitioning, for example, a cylindrical space, a semi-circular or dome-shaped roof, etc. The frame component 1B includes an arc flat plate portion 14, a first arc bending portion 15, a second arc bending portion 16, and a notch 17.

[0044] The arc flat plate portion 14 is a portion where a strip-shaped flat plate is curved at a predetermined curvature in the in-plane direction of the flat plate. The first arc bending portion 15 is a portion where the side portion on the inner diameter side of the arc flat plate portion 14 is bent at a right angle at the corner portion 151. The second arc bending portion 16 is a portion where the side portion on the outer diameter side of the arc flat plate portion 14 is bent at a right angle at the corner portion 161. The bending direction of the second arc bending portion 16 is opposite to that of the first arc bending portion 15. The notch 17 is a portion where a part of the arc flat plate portion 14 and the second arc bending portion 16 is cut off after final forming for weight reduction or preventing interference with other components. In the second embodiment, during shaping, in the laminate, wrinkles Wr are concentrated and generated in the portion to be cut off as the notch 17, and an example of cutting off the wrinkles Wr in the forming process of the notch 17 after final forming is shown.

[0045] FIGS. 11 and 12 are perspective views showing the implementation status of the manufacturing method of the frame component 1B. The frame component 1B is manufactured using a laminate 2A formed by laminating a plurality of fan-shaped prepregs 21 as a constituent material. In the laminate 2A shown in FIG. 11, the portion indicated by the dotted line is the excess 17A. The excess 17A is a region corresponding to the notch 17 after final forming. The shaping die 5A used for shaping the laminate 2A includes a molding die 3A and a shaping jig 4B.

[0046] The forming die 3A includes a fan-shaped surface 33, a small-diameter arc surface 34, and a large-diameter arc surface 35. The fan-shaped surface 33 is a flat surface of a fan shape. A portion of the laminate 2A corresponding to the arc flat portion 14 of the frame part 1B abuts against the fan-shaped surface 33. The small-diameter arc surface 34 is an arc circumferential surface connected to the arc flat portion 14 via the valley-fold corner 31A. The bending angle of the corner 31A is a right angle, and the small-diameter arc surface 34 and the fan-shaped surface 33 are surfaces orthogonal to each other. The small-diameter arc surface 34 shapes a portion of the laminate 2A corresponding to the first arc bending portion 15 of the frame part 1B. The large-diameter arc surface 35 is an arc circumferential surface connected to the arc flat portion 14 via the mountain-fold corner 31B. The bending angle of the corner 31B is a right angle, and the large-diameter arc surface 35 and the fan-shaped surface 33 are surfaces orthogonal to each other. The large-diameter arc surface 35 shapes a portion of the laminate 2A corresponding to the second arc bending portion 16.

[0047] The shaping jig 4B has a longitudinal direction and includes a tapered shape portion in a cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, the cross-sectional area gradually decreasing toward the tip. The shaping jig 4B includes a contact surface 41B that contacts the laminate 2A and an installation surface 42B that is attached to the forming die 3A. The shaping jig 4B is attached to a position on the large-diameter arc surface 35 where the excess 17A abuts. The shaping jig 4B is attached to the large-diameter arc surface 35 such that the longitudinal direction of the shaping jig 4B is orthogonal to the extending direction of the corner 31B.

[0048] The shaping jig 4B may have the same shape as the shaping jig 4A illustrated in FIG. 5. However, it is desirable to set the size of the shaping jig 4B to be equal to the total size of the wrinkles Wr generated in the laminate 2A in the opposing region of the large-diameter arc surface 35 when the shaping jig 4B is not attached to the forming die 3A. A plurality of shaping jigs 4B may be respectively arranged at portions corresponding to the excess 17A.

[0049] Figure 12 shows the shaping process of the laminate 2A placed on the shaping mold 5A. Under pressure, the laminate 2A is shaped to conform to the shape of the shaping surface of the shaping mold 5A. That is, the laminate 2A is shaped to have portions corresponding to the arc flat portion 14, the first arc bent portion 15, and the second arc bent portion 16 of the frame part 1B, and a raised ridge portion 2WA is formed at the contact point with the shaping jig 4B. Wrinkles Wr of the prepreg 21 are generated inside the raised ridge portion 2WA. In other words, the arrangement of the shaping jig 4B guides the wrinkles Wr to concentrate on the excess 17A. This allows the operator to generate wrinkles Wr at the intended location. After the final molding of the laminate 2A, the portion corresponding to the hardened excess 17A is cut off to form a notch 17, thereby manufacturing a frame part 1B without wrinkles Wr. Therefore, a frame part 1B with superior strength and suppressed wrinkle Wr generation can be obtained. In addition, even in the excipient formulations described here, heating-inducing excipient formulations such as HDF formulation may be used as needed.

[0050] Figure 13 is a process chart showing a second embodiment of a method for manufacturing composite material parts. The object to be manufactured in the second embodiment is the frame part 1B illustrated in Figure 10. The process chart of the second embodiment includes steps S11 to S20. Steps S11 to S19, excluding the final step S20, are similar to steps S1 to S9 of the first embodiment.

[0051] In process S1, an operator involved in the manufacture of frame component 1B prepares a mold 3A and the required number of shaping jigs 4B. In process S12, the operator attaches the shaping jigs 4B to a predetermined position on the mold 3A to create the shaping mold 5A. The predetermined position is a position on the mold 3A that corresponds to the excess 17A of the laminate 2A during shaping. In parallel with processes S11 and S12, the laminate 2A is manufactured in process S13. The laminate 2A is manufactured by stacking the required number of prepregs 21, which are made by impregnating reinforcing fibers 22 with thermosetting resin 23, as illustrated in Figure 1.

[0052] In step S14, as shown in Figure 11, the worker places the laminate 2A made in step S13 on the mold 5A made in step S12. Alternatively, the laminate 2A may be formed by laminating multiple prepreg 21 on the mold 5A. The method is not limited to any particular method, as long as the laminate 2A is placed on the mold 5A.

[0053] In step S15, a first process, including a first pressurizing treatment, is performed, i.e., shaping. That is, as shown in Figure 12, pressure is applied to the laminate 2A on the shaping mold 5A, and the laminate 2A is brought into contact with the molding die 3A and the contact surface 41B to be shaped. For this shaping, a shaping apparatus including the base 61 and rubber sheet 62 illustrated in Figure 8B is used. The point that the pressurizing is performed while vacuuming is performed is the same as in the first embodiment. The shaped laminate 2A includes a raised ridge portion 2WA. Wrinkles Wr of the prepreg 21 are present inside the raised ridge portion 2WA.

[0054] In step S16, the worker removes the shaping jig 4B from the mold 3A. In other words, the mold 3A from which the shaping jig 4B has been removed is used as the final mold for the frame part 1B. If the mold 3A is not used as the final mold, the final mold is prepared in step S161, which follows step S15. In step S162, the worker places the shaped laminate 2 on top of the final mold.

[0055] In step S16 or step S162, once the shaped laminate 2A is placed on the final mold, bagging of the laminate 2A is performed in step S17. Specifically, the laminate 2A is covered with a bagging film, and the inside of the bagging film is vacuumed. In step S18, as a second process including a second pressurization and heat treatment, the bagged laminate 2A is pressurized and heated in an autoclave. The processed laminate 2A that has undergone the pressurization and heat treatment is molded into the final shape of the frame part 1B, except for the notched portion 17. In step S19, the processed laminate 2A is demolded. The worker removes the processed laminate 2A from the mold 3A after it has cooled, and removes the bagging film.

[0056] In step S20, the worker cuts off the hardened excess 17A portion of the processed laminate 2A to form a notch 17. This cut completes the frame part 1B shown in Figure 10. Wrinkles Wr accumulate in the portion corresponding to the excess 17A that is cut off to form the notch 17, guided by the shaping jig 4B. By cutting off this portion, a frame part 1B from which the wrinkles Wr have been removed can be manufactured.

[0057] [Summary of this disclosure] The specific embodiments described above include disclosures having the following configurations.

[0058] A method for shaping a laminate according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a method for manufacturing a composite material part having a curved portion using a plurality of laminates of prepregs containing reinforcing fibers and resin as constituent materials, the method comprising: preparing a mold and a shaping jig including an installation surface to be attached to the mold and a contact surface to contact the laminate; attaching the installation surface of the shaping jig to a predetermined position on the mold to create a shaping mold for the laminate; forming the laminate in a state where it is placed on the shaping mold; applying pressure to the laminate on the shaping mold to shape the laminate by bringing it into contact with the mold and the contact surface.

[0059] According to the first embodiment, the worker does not simply place the prepreg laminate on the mold to shape it, but shapes it using a shaping mold with a shaping jig attached to a predetermined position on the mold. The contact surface of the shaping jig on the laminate becomes a part that bulges outward in the processed laminate after pressurization. This bulging part corresponds to a wrinkle that occurs at the mounting position of the shaping jig, depending on the size of the shaping jig. In other words, the worker can control the location and size of the wrinkles by installing the shaping jig in the appropriate place on the mold. For example, the worker installs a predetermined number of shaping jigs in areas of the composite material part where the occurrence of large wrinkles is expected, so as to generate small wrinkles that do not affect the strength of the composite material part. That is, the worker generates multiple small wrinkles corresponding to large wrinkles, distributed at predetermined locations. Therefore, the worker can shape composite material parts that include shapes that are prone to generating large wrinkles during shaping, without causing unnecessary bulges, and while suppressing a decrease in strength.

[0060] The second embodiment of the method for shaping a laminate is the method for shaping a laminate according to the first embodiment, wherein the predetermined position of the mold is the position corresponding to the curved portion of the composite material part.

[0061] In composite material parts made of laminates of multiple prepregs, curved sections are particularly prone to the occurrence of large wrinkles. According to the second embodiment, a shaping jig is positioned at a location corresponding to the curved section. Therefore, the worker can shape the curved section without causing large wrinkles.

[0062] A third embodiment of the method for shaping a laminate is the method for shaping a laminate according to the first or second embodiment, wherein the shaping jig has a longitudinal shape, the mold has corners for shaping the curved portion, which is a mountain fold or valley fold, into the composite material part, and in the manufacture of the shaping mold, the shaping jig is attached to the mold in a direction in which the longitudinal direction intersects with the extending direction of the corners.

[0063] In forming the corners of composite material parts, wrinkles occur in a direction intersecting the direction of extension of the corner. According to the third embodiment, the size and location of the wrinkles are controlled by the operator at such corners. Therefore, the operator can easily disperse the large wrinkles that would occur at the corners without the use of shaping jigs into smaller wrinkles.

[0064] A fourth embodiment of the method for manufacturing a composite material part is a manufacturing method for manufacturing a composite material part having a curved portion using a plurality of laminates of prepregs containing reinforcing fibers and resin as constituent materials, wherein a mold and a shaping jig including an installation surface to be attached to the mold and a contact surface to contact the laminate are prepared, the installation surface of the shaping jig is attached to a predetermined position in the mold to create a shaping mold for the laminate, the laminate is placed on the shaping mold, a first treatment including a first pressurizing treatment is applied to the laminate on the shaping mold, the laminate is shaped by bringing it into contact with the mold and the contact surface, the shaped laminate is placed on a final mold, a second treatment including a second pressurizing and heating treatment is applied, and the portion of the processed laminate after the second treatment corresponding to the contact surface of the shaping jig is cut off.

[0065] According to the fourth embodiment, the worker shapes a prepreg laminate using a molding die with a shaping jig attached to a predetermined position in the molding die. By placing the shaping jig in the appropriate place in the molding die, the worker can control the location of wrinkle formation during the shaping of the laminate by the first process. In the processed laminate by the second process, the area corresponding to the contact surface of the shaping jig becomes the area where wrinkles are concentrated due to the guidance of the shaping jig. By cutting off the aforementioned area, a composite material part without wrinkles can be manufactured. Therefore, the worker can manufacture a composite material part with superior strength and suppressed wrinkle formation.

[0066] The manufacturing method for composite material parts according to the fifth embodiment is as follows: In the manufacturing method according to the fourth embodiment, after the first processing, the shaping jig is removed and the molding die is used as the final molding die.

[0067] According to the fifth embodiment, the worker uses the mold from which the shaping jig has been removed as the final mold. As a result, the worker can increase manufacturing efficiency and reduce the number of molds used.

[0068] A shaping mold according to the sixth embodiment is a shaping mold for a laminate to manufacture a composite material part having a curved portion using a plurality of laminates of prepregs containing reinforcing fibers and resin as constituent materials, comprising: a mold including a shaping surface that contacts the laminate; and a projection disposed on the shaping surface and including a contact surface with the laminate, wherein the projection has a longitudinal direction, and in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the cross-sectional area gradually decreases toward one end in the longitudinal direction.

[0069] According to the sixth embodiment, the shaping mold is provided with projections on its shaping surface, including a contact surface with the laminate. When an operator uses the shaping mold to shape a prepreg laminate, wrinkles can be generated at the location of the projections. In other words, the operator can control the location and size of the wrinkles. Furthermore, since the projections have a shape in which the cross-sectional area gradually decreases toward one end in the longitudinal direction, the operator can bring the laminate into contact with the contact surface at a gentle incline.

[0070] The seventh embodiment of the shaping type is the shaping type of the sixth embodiment in which the projection has a mounting surface, and the mounting surface is attached to the shaping surface.

[0071] According to the seventh embodiment, the operator can attach the protrusions to the shaping surface of the mold at any position. Furthermore, the operator can retrofit the protrusions to the shaping surface, such as by adding more protrusions to the mold.

[0072] The eighth shaping jig is used when shaping a laminate for manufacturing a composite material part having a curved portion, using a laminate of multiple layers of prepreg containing reinforcing fibers and resin as constituent materials, and comprises a jig body having a contact surface with the laminate, and an installation surface for attaching the jig body to a mold for shaping the laminate.

[0073] According to the eighth aspect, the worker can attach a shaping jig to a mold used for shaping the laminate. By shaping the prepreg laminate using the mold to which the shaping jig is attached, the worker can create wrinkles at the attachment point of the shaping jig. In other words, the worker can control the location and size of the wrinkles.

[0074] The shaping jig according to the ninth embodiment is the shaping jig according to the eighth embodiment, wherein the shaping jig has a longitudinal shape. According to the ninth embodiment, the worker can generate wrinkles along the longitudinal direction of the shaping jig in the laminate. Furthermore, the worker can easily arrange multiple shaping jigs closely together in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, which is advantageous for distributing the generation of wrinkles.

[0075] The shaping jig according to the tenth embodiment is a shaping jig according to the eighth or ninth embodiment, which includes a tapered portion in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, where the cross-sectional area gradually decreases toward one end in the longitudinal direction.

[0076] According to the tenth embodiment, the shaping jig has a tapered shape in which the cross-sectional area gradually decreases toward one end in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, the worker can bring the laminate into contact with the contact surface at a gentle incline.

[0077] The shaping jig according to the 11th embodiment is the shaping jig according to the 8th to 10th embodiments, wherein in the tapered portion, in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the cross-sectional width in the direction away from the installation surface gradually decreases toward one end in the longitudinal direction.

[0078] According to the eleventh embodiment, the contact surface has a tapered surface in which the protruding height gradually decreases toward one end in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, the worker can bring the laminate into contact with the contact surface at an even gentler incline.

[0079] 1A Beam component (composite material component) 1B Frame component (composite material component) 121, 131 First corner, second corner (curved section) 132 Curved section 151, 161 Corner (curved section) 17 Excess 2, 2A Laminate 21 Prepreg 22 Reinforcement fiber 23 Resin 3, 3A Molding die 30 Shaping surface 3P Jig installation position (predetermined position) 4, 4A, 4B Shaping jig (projection) 40 Jig body 41, 41A, 41B Contact surface 42, 42A, 42B Installation surface 5, 5A Shaping die Wr Wrinkle H Height (cross-sectional width in the direction away from the installation surface)

Claims

1. A method for shaping a laminate for manufacturing a composite material part having a curved portion, using a laminate of multiple layers of prepreg containing reinforcing fibers and resin as constituent materials, comprising: preparing a mold and a shaping jig including an installation surface to be attached to the mold and a contact surface to contact the laminate; attaching the installation surface of the shaping jig to a predetermined position on the mold to create a shaping mold for the laminate; forming the laminate in a state where it is placed on the shaping mold; applying pressure to the laminate on the shaping mold to shape the laminate by bringing it into contact with the mold and the contact surface.

2. A method for shaping a laminate according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined position of the mold is a position corresponding to the curved portion of the composite material part.

3. A method for shaping a laminate according to claim 2, wherein the shaping jig has a longitudinal shape, the mold has corners for shaping the curved portion, such as a mountain fold or a valley fold, on the composite material part, and in the manufacturing of the shaping mold, the shaping jig is attached to the mold in a direction in which the longitudinal direction intersects with the extending direction of the corners.

4. A manufacturing method for a composite material part having a curved portion, using a plurality of laminates of prepregs containing reinforcing fibers and resin as constituent materials, comprising: preparing a mold and a shaping jig including an installation surface to be attached to the mold and a contact surface to contact the laminate; attaching the installation surface of the shaping jig to a predetermined position on the mold to create a shaping mold for the laminate; forming the laminate in a state where it is placed on the shaping mold; applying a first treatment including a first pressurizing treatment to the laminate on the shaping mold, shaping the laminate by bringing it into contact with the mold and the contact surface; forming the shaped laminate in a state where it is placed on a final mold, and applying a second treatment including a second pressurizing treatment and a heat treatment; and cutting off the portion of the processed laminate after the second treatment that corresponds to the contact surface of the shaping jig.

5. A method for manufacturing a composite material part according to claim 4, wherein, after the first treatment, the shaping jig is removed and the molding die is used as the final molding die.

6. A shaping mold for manufacturing a composite material part having a curved portion, using a plurality of laminates of prepregs containing reinforcing fibers and resin as constituent materials, comprising: a mold including a shaping surface that contacts the laminate; and a projection disposed on the shaping surface and including a contact surface with the laminate, wherein the projection has a longitudinal direction, and in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the cross-sectional area gradually decreases toward one end of the longitudinal direction.

7. A shaping mold according to claim 6, wherein the projection has a mounting surface, and the mounting surface is attached to the shaping surface.

8. A shaping jig used when shaping a laminate, for manufacturing a composite material part having a curved portion using a laminate of multiple prepregs containing reinforcing fibers and resin as constituent materials, the shaping jig comprising: a jig body having a contact surface with the laminate; and an installation surface for attaching the jig body to a mold used for shaping the laminate.

9. The shaping jig according to claim 8 has a shape with a longitudinal direction.

10. The shaping jig according to claim 9, wherein in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the shaping jig includes a tapered portion in which the cross-sectional area gradually decreases toward one end in the longitudinal direction.

11. A shaping jig according to claim 10, wherein the tapered portion has a cross-sectional width in the direction away from the installation surface that gradually decreases toward one end in the longitudinal direction, in a cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

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