Shaping method, shaping device, and shaped article

Abstract

The present invention provides a shaping method that minimizes the formation of wrinkles caused by excess fiber. This shaping method is for shaping, with a shaping mold (10), a sheet body (20) having one fiber sheet or a plurality of laminated fiber sheets. The shaping mold (10) has a first mold surface (11) having a convex cross-sectional shape in a cross section intersecting a first direction, and a second mold surface (12) which intersects the first direction, is connected to the first mold surface (11), and forms a mold corner part (13) together with the first mold surface (11). The fiber sheet includes a plurality of fibers (25) arranged substantially in parallel. The sheet body (20) is placed on the first mold surface (11) in an orientation such that the direction in which the plurality of fibers included in the fiber sheet are arranged is substantially aligned with the first direction. A portion of the sheet body (20) extending beyond the first mold surface (11) is bent toward the second mold surface (12) at the mold corner part (13), and the plurality of fibers (25) included in the fiber sheet of the sheet body (20) overlaid on the second mold surface (12) are shaped into a convex shape going away from the mold corner part (13).

Description

Shaping method, shaping device, and shaped product

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a shaping method, a shaping device, and a shaped product.

[0002] For example, composite materials are used for aircraft parts such as the fuselage and wings of an aircraft. Members made of composite materials that make up aircraft parts have an arbitrary cross-sectional shape. One method of manufacturing such a member is to laminate a plurality of fiber sheets to produce a flat laminate of fiber sheets (also referred to as a "charge"), and to shape this laminate using a shaping die to give an arbitrary cross-sectional shape (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for shaping a laminate on a non-planar surface and then forming it into a target shape (final shape), making it difficult for wrinkles to occur in areas where fibers are lacking.

[0004] U.S. Patent No. 9,440,401

[0005] However, in the method disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is a possibility that wrinkles may occur due to excess or taut fibers contained in the laminate during shaping. Also, the method disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not consider fiber excess.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a shaping method, a shaping device, and a shaped product in which wrinkles caused by fiber excess are unlikely to occur.

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the shaping method, shaping device, and shaped product of the present disclosure employ the following means.

[0008] A forming method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a forming method for forming a sheet body made of multiple laminated fiber sheets using a forming die, wherein the forming die has a first mold surface having a convex cross-sectional shape at a cutting surface intersecting a first direction, and a second mold surface that intersects the first direction, is connected to the first mold surface, and together with the first mold surface forms a mold corner, the fiber sheet contains a plurality of fibers arranged substantially parallel to each other, the sheet body is placed on the first mold surface in a position in which the direction in which the plurality of fibers contained in the fiber sheet are arranged substantially coincides with the first direction, the sheet body that extends beyond the first mold surface is bent toward the second mold surface at the mold corner, and the plurality of fibers contained in the fiber sheet of the sheet body superimposed on the second mold surface are made into a convex shape away from the mold corner.

[0009] A shaping apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an insertion portion that is inserted between two adjacent fibers among the plurality of fibers, and a moving mechanism that moves the insertion portion away from the mold corner.

[0010] An attached product according to one aspect of the present disclosure is an attached product of a sheet body formed by laminating a plurality of fiber sheets containing fibers, comprising: a first sheet body portion having a convex cross-sectional shape at a cut surface intersecting a first direction; and a second sheet body portion intersecting the first direction, connected to the first sheet body portion, and together with the first sheet body portion forming a sheet body corner, wherein the plurality of fibers contained in the fiber sheet in the first sheet body portion are arranged parallel to each other in the first direction, and the plurality of fibers contained in the fiber sheet in the second sheet body portion have a convex shape that moves away from the sheet body corner.

[0011] According to this disclosure, it is possible to provide a shaping method, a shaping apparatus, and a shaped product that are less likely to cause wrinkles due to excess fiber.

[0012] This is a perspective view showing the shaping mold and the sheet. This is a perspective view showing the shaping mold and the sheet placed on the first mold surface of the shaping mold. This is a perspective view showing the shaping mold and the sheet folded toward the second mold surface of the shaping mold. This is a front view of the shaping mold and the sheet as seen from the direction of arrow A4 in Figure 3. This is a diagram showing the insertion part inserted between the fibers. This is a cross-sectional view along the cutting line VI-VI shown in Figure 5. This is a diagram showing the detour (amount of detour). This is a diagram showing the shaping device. This is a side view of the shaping device as seen from the direction of arrow A9 in Figure 8. This is a side view of the shaping device as seen from the direction of arrow A10 in Figure 8.

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the forming method, forming apparatus, and forming product relating to this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the vertical direction is assumed to coincide with the Z-axis direction, the front-to-back direction perpendicular to the vertical direction is assumed to coincide with the X-axis direction (first direction), and the left-to-right direction perpendicular to the vertical and front-to-back directions is assumed to coincide with the Y-axis direction. However, the orientation of the system defined by these three axes is not limited to this and may be changed as appropriate.

[0014] In this embodiment, a preform (intermediate material) is manufactured by overlapping a sheet body 20 having one fiber sheet or multiple laminated fiber sheets onto a mold 10 and shaping it.

[0015] [Regarding the shaping mold] As shown in Figure 1, the shaping mold 10 has a first mold surface 11 and a second mold surface 12.

[0016] The first mold surface 11 is the upper surface of the forming mold 10 in Figure 1. The cross-sectional shape of the first mold surface 11 in a cutting plane perpendicular to the X-axis direction (see the hatched area in Figure 1) is an upward convex shape. That is, the first mold surface 11 is an upward convex bent surface. However, the first mold surface 11 may be an upward convex curved surface. The approximate center of the first mold surface 11 in the Y-axis direction is the apex (hereinafter referred to as "mold apex 11a"). The mold apex 11a is, for example, a linear shape extending along the X-axis direction.

[0017] The second mold surface 12 is the surface connected to the first mold surface 11 and is the front surface of the shaping mold 10 in Figure 1. The second mold surface 12 is the surface that intersects with the X-axis direction and is connected to the edge of the first mold surface 11 in the X-axis direction. Together with the first mold surface 11, the second mold surface 12 forms a mold corner 13. The mold corner 13 is also the boundary between the first mold surface 11 and the second mold surface 12. The mold corner 13 may be a sharp corner or a rounded corner.

[0018] In a cross-section perpendicular to the Y-axis direction, the angle between the first mold surface 11 and the second mold surface 12 is, for example, 90 degrees. However, this angle may be greater than 90 degrees or less than 90 degrees.

[0019] [About the sheet before shaping] The sheet 20 before shaping is in the form of a flat sheet. The sheet 20 is made of a single fiber sheet, or is made by laminating multiple fiber sheets. The fiber sheet contains multiple fibers 25 (reinforcement fibers) arranged to be substantially parallel to each other. Examples of fibers 25 include carbon fibers and glass fibers. When the sheet 20 is made of multiple laminated fiber sheets, the fiber direction (the direction in which the fibers 25 extend) included in the fiber sheet is not limited to one direction (one angle). For example, the sheet 20 may be made by alternately laminating 0-degree layers and 90-degree layers, or by alternately laminating 0-degree layers, 45-degree layers, and 90-degree layers. The fiber sheet may or may not be impregnated with resin. That is, the sheet 20 may be a prepreg or a dry material. Examples of resins include thermosetting resins (epoxy resins, polyimides, polyurethanes, unsaturated polyesters, etc.) and thermoplastic resins (PEEK, PAEK, PPS, PEKK, etc.).

[0020] By placing the sheet body 20 configured in this way onto the mold 10, the sheet body 20 is shaped to conform to the shape of the mold 10.

[0021] [Regarding the shaping method] As shown in Figure 1, the sheet body 20 is placed on the first mold surface 11 of the shaping mold 10, as shown in Figure 2, in a position where the fibers 25 contained in the fiber sheet belonging to a predetermined angle layer are aligned substantially parallel to the X-axis direction (in other words, the fiber direction is aligned to the Y-axis direction). Here, the fiber sheet belonging to a predetermined angle layer refers to that single fiber sheet if the sheet body 20 is composed of a single fiber sheet, and if the sheet body 20 is composed of multiple fiber sheets, it refers to at least one fiber sheet belonging to the same angle layer (for example, the 0-degree layer). The portion of the sheet body 20 placed on the first mold surface 11 is referred to as the first sheet body portion 21.

[0022] The first sheet portion 21 deforms to conform to the convex shape of the first mold surface 11. As the first sheet portion 21 deforms, a fold (sheet top portion 21a) appears on the first sheet portion 21 that corresponds to the top portion 11a of the first mold surface 11.

[0023] The length of the sheet body 20 in the X-axis direction is longer than the length of the first sheet body portion 21 in the X-axis direction. Therefore, a portion of the sheet body 20 protrudes from the first mold surface 11 in the X-axis direction. The portion of the sheet body 20 that protrudes from the first mold surface 11 is designated as the second sheet body portion 22.

[0024] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the second sheet portion 22 is folded toward the second mold surface 12 and overlapped with the second mold surface 12. As the second sheet portion 22 is folded, a crease (sheet body corner portion 23) appears on the sheet body 20, corresponding to the mold corner portion 13 of the shaping mold 10. The sheet body corner portion 23 is also the boundary between the first sheet portion 21 and the second sheet portion 22.

[0025] The lower edge of the second sheet body portion 22 superimposed on the second mold surface 12 is defined as the edge 22a. The edge 22a of the second sheet body portion 22 is also the lower edge of the sheet body 20. The direction in which the edge 22a extends roughly coincides with the Y-axis direction.

[0026] As shown in Figure 4, when viewed from the front in the X-axis direction, the multiple fibers 25 contained in the fiber sheet of the sheet body 20 (second sheet body portion 22) superimposed on the second mold surface 12 have a convex shape that moves away from the sheet body corner portion 23 / mold corner portion 13. The convex shape is, for example, a smoothly curved shape.

[0027] In this way, by making the fibers 25 convex in shape so that they move away from the sheet body corner 23 / mold corner 13, the fibers 25 included in the fiber sheet belonging to a predetermined angle layer of the second sheet body 22 are bypassed. Here, bypassing means bypassing a virtual line Lv that connects the ends 25a and 25b of a single fiber 25 and is approximately parallel to the sheet body corner 23, as shown in Figure 7. The length by which the fiber 25 bypasses the virtual line Lv (the difference between the length of line Lv and the length of the fiber 25) is defined as the amount of bypassing. In Figure 7, the area where the bypassed fibers 25 exist is enclosed by a dashed line. By bypassing the fibers 25, excess fiber is eliminated, making it less likely for wrinkles to occur in the second sheet body 22.

[0028] The convex shape of such fibers 25 is formed, for example, as follows. That is, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, at least one insertion portion 51 is inserted between two adjacent fibers 25 from among a plurality of fibers 25. Each insertion portion 51 is a component thin enough to be inserted between the fibers 25, for example, a needle. With the insertion portion 51 inserted between the fibers 25, the insertion portion 51 is moved in a predetermined direction. Details of the moving mechanism 52 that enables the movement of the insertion portion 51 will be described later.

[0029] The maximum amount of movement of the insertion portion 51 is greater for fibers 25 that are closer to the edge 22a, for example. In other words, the amount of movement away from the mold corner portion 13 is greater for fibers 25 that are closer to the edge 22a. To put it another way, the amount of detour is greater for fibers 25 that are closer to the edge 22a. By increasing the amount of detour for fibers 25 that are closer to the edge 22a, the excess fiber that increases as it approaches the edge 22a can be appropriately eliminated.

[0030] [About the shaping device] The shaping device 50 is a device for moving and rerouting the fibers 25. As shown in Figures 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10, it comprises an insertion section 51 and a moving mechanism 52.

[0031] As described above, the insertion portion 51 is a component thin enough to be inserted between the fibers 25, and is, for example, a needle.

[0032] The moving mechanism 52 is a mechanism for realizing the movement of the insertion portion 51. As shown in Figures 8, 9, and 10, the moving mechanism 52 includes, for example, a rack 52a, a pinion 52b, a shaft 52c, a worm wheel 52d, and a worm 52e.

[0033] An insertion section 51 is connected to the rack 52a. When the rack 52a moves in a direction that intersects (orthogonal to) the Y-axis direction, the insertion section 51 also moves in a direction that intersects (orthogonal to) the Y-axis direction.

[0034] The pinion 52b is a gear whose center of rotation is the axis X1 extending in the Y-axis direction, and it meshes with the rack 52a. As the pinion 52b rotates around the axis X1, the rack 52a, which is meshed with the pinion 52b, moves in a direction that intersects (is perpendicular to) the Y-axis direction.

[0035] The shaft 52c is an axial member extending along the axis X1. One end of the shaft 52c is connected to the pinion 52b. The other end of the shaft 52c is connected to the worm wheel 52d. In other words, the shaft 52c is connected coaxially to the pinion 52b and the worm wheel 52d.

[0036] The worm wheel 52d is a gear whose center of rotation is the axis X1 extending in the Y-axis direction, and it meshes with the worm 52e.

[0037] The worm 52e is a rod-shaped member with a threaded shaft that rotates around an axis X2 that intersects (is perpendicular to) axis X1, and it meshes with the worm wheel 52d. As the worm 52e rotates around axis X2, the worm wheel 52d rotates around axis X1.

[0038] A drive unit (not shown) is connected to the worm 52e. The drive unit rotates the worm 52e around axis X2. In other words, in the moving mechanism 52, the worm 52e is the input and the rack 52a is the output.

[0039] The amount of movement of the rack 52a (the amount of movement of the insertion portion 51) may be adjusted by the amount of rotation of the worm 52e, the gear ratio of the rack and pinion, and the gear ratio of the worm gear. For example, if multiple pinions 52b are connected to the same shaft 52c, the amount of movement of each rack 52a (the amount of movement of the insertion portion 51) can be adjusted by the gear ratio of the rack and pinion. For example, if multiple worms 52e are connected to the same drive unit, and / or if multiple worm wheels 52d are meshed with the same worm 52e, the amount of movement of each rack 52a (the amount of movement of the insertion portion 51) can be adjusted by the gear ratio of the worm gear.

[0040] [Effects] The present disclosure provides the following effects:

[0041] The fibers 25 contained in the fiber sheet of the sheet body 20 superimposed on the second mold surface 12 are made into a convex shape that moves away from the mold corner 13, so that the fibers 25 of the sheet body 20 superimposed on the second mold surface 12 are bypassed by the convex shape. As a result, excess fibers are eliminated, and wrinkles are less likely to occur.

[0042] Since the fibers 25 closest to the edge 22a of the sheet body 20 (second sheet body portion 22) superimposed on the second mold surface 12 move further away from the mold corner portion 13, excess fibers that increase as they approach the edge 22a can be appropriately eliminated.

[0043] The moving mechanism 52 has a rack 52a connected to the insertion part 51, a pinion 52b meshing with the rack 52a, a shaft 52c with one end connected to the pinion 52b, a worm wheel 52d connected to the other end of the shaft 52c, and a worm 52e meshing with the worm wheel 52d. Since the rotation of the worm 52e is taken as the input and the movement of the rack 52a is taken as the output, the insertion part 51 can be moved by rotating the worm 52e. Also, the movement amount of the insertion part 51 can be easily adjusted according to the gear ratio of the rack and pinion and the gear ratio of the worm gear.

[0044] [Modification Example] When considering the shape of the preform after shaping, it is preferable to set the first mold surface 11 as the reference surface in the shaping mold 10 such that the area of the first sheet body part 21 is larger than the area of the second sheet body part 22. Thereby, the fiber excess of the second sheet body part 22 can be reduced. Therefore, the movement amount of the fiber 25 for eliminating the fiber excess can be reduced.

[0045] [Supplementary Note] The shaping method, shaping device, and shaped product according to the present embodiment described as above are grasped as follows, for example.

[0046] The shaping method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure is a shaping method for shaping a sheet body (20) having one fiber sheet or a plurality of laminated fiber sheets with a shaping mold (10). The shaping mold has a first mold surface (11) whose cross-sectional shape in a cross-section intersecting the first direction is a convex shape, and a second mold surface (12) intersecting the first direction, connected to the first mold surface, and forming a mold corner part (13) together with the first mold surface. The fiber sheet includes a plurality of fibers (25) arranged substantially in parallel. The sheet body is placed on the first mold surface in a posture such that the direction in which the plurality of fibers included in the fiber sheet are arranged substantially coincides with the first direction. The sheet body protruding from the first mold surface is bent toward the second mold surface at the mold corner part, and the plurality of fibers included in the fiber sheet of the sheet body overlapped on the second mold surface are made into a convex shape away from the mold corner part.

[0047] Since a plurality of fibers included in the fiber sheet of the sheet body superposed on the second mold surface are formed into a convex shape that moves away from the mold corner, the fibers of the sheet body superposed on the second mold surface are deflected by the convex shape. As a result, fiber excess is eliminated, so that wrinkles are less likely to occur.

[0048] In the shaping method according to the second aspect of the present disclosure, in the first aspect, fibers closer to the edge of the sheet body superposed on the second mold surface have a larger amount of movement away from the mold corner.

[0049] Since fibers closer to the edge of the sheet body superposed on the second mold surface have a larger amount of movement away from the mold corner, fiber excess that increases as the edge is approached can be appropriately eliminated.

[0050] In the shaping method according to the third aspect of the present disclosure, in the first aspect or the second aspect, the area of the sheet body superposed on the first mold surface is larger than the area of the sheet body superposed on the second mold surface.

[0051] Since the area of the sheet body superposed on the first mold surface is larger than the area of the sheet body superposed on the second mold surface, compared with the case where the area of the sheet body superposed on the second mold surface is larger than the area of the sheet body superposed on the first mold surface, the fiber excess of the sheet body superposed on the second mold surface can be reduced.Therefore, the amount of movement of the fibers for eliminating the fiber excess can be reduced.

[0052] The shaping device according to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure is a shaping device (50) for the shaping method described in any one of the first aspect to the third aspect, including an insertion part (51) inserted between two adjacent fibers among the plurality of fibers, and a moving mechanism (52) for moving the insertion part so as to move away from the mold corner.

[0053] Since it includes an insertion part inserted between two adjacent fibers among the plurality of fibers and a moving mechanism for moving the insertion part so as to move away from the mold corner, the fibers can be moved away from the mold corner by the movement of the insertion part.

[0054] In the shaping apparatus according to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure, in the fourth aspect, the moving mechanism includes a rack (52a) connected to the insertion part, a pinion (52b) meshed with the rack, a shaft (52c) with one end connected to the pinion, a worm wheel (52d) connected to the other end of the shaft, and a worm (52e) meshed with the worm wheel, wherein the rotation of the worm is the input and the movement of the rack is the output.

[0055] The moving mechanism includes a rack connected to the insertion part, a pinion meshed with the rack, a shaft with one end connected to the pinion, a worm wheel connected to the other end of the shaft, and a worm meshed with the worm wheel. The rotation of the worm is the input, and the movement of the rack is the output, so the insertion part can be moved by rotating the worm. Furthermore, the amount of movement of the insertion part can be easily adjusted by changing the gear ratio of the rack and pinion and the gear ratio of the worm gear.

[0056] In the sixth aspect of this disclosure, the forming apparatus is configured such that the amount of movement increases as the insertion portion is closer to the edge of the sheet body superimposed on the second mold surface, in the fourth or fifth aspect.

[0057] Since the insertion portion closer to the edge of the sheet body superimposed on the second type surface is configured to have a larger amount of movement, excess fiber can be properly eliminated even at the edges of the sheet body where excess fiber is large.

[0058] An attached product according to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure is an attached product of a sheet body (20) having one fiber sheet or a plurality of laminated fiber sheets, comprising: a first sheet body portion (21) having a convex cross-sectional shape at a cut surface intersecting a first direction; and a second sheet body portion (22) intersecting the first direction, connected to the first sheet body portion, and together with the first sheet body portion forming a sheet body corner portion (23), wherein the fiber sheet contains a plurality of fibers, the plurality of fibers contained in the fiber sheet in the first sheet body portion are arranged parallel to each other in the first direction, and the plurality of fibers contained in the fiber sheet in the second sheet body portion have a convex shape that moves away from the sheet body corner portion.

[0059] 10 Forming mold 11 First mold surface 11a Mold top 12 Second mold surface 13 Mold corner 20 Sheet body 21 First sheet body portion 21a Sheet body top 22 Second sheet body portion 22a Edge 23 Sheet body corner 25 Fiber 25a End portion 25b End portion 50 Forming device 51 Insertion portion 52 Moving mechanism 52a Rack 52b Pinion 52c Shaft 52d Worm wheel 52e Worm Lv Virtual line X1 Axis X2 Axis

Claims

1. A method for shaping a sheet body having one fiber sheet or a plurality of laminated fiber sheets using a shaping mold, wherein the shaping mold has a first mold surface having a convex cross-sectional shape at a cutting surface intersecting a first direction, and a second mold surface intersecting the first direction, connected to the first mold surface, and forming a mold corner together with the first mold surface, the fiber sheet contains a plurality of fibers arranged substantially parallel to each other, the method for placing the sheet body on the first mold surface in a position in which the direction in which the plurality of fibers contained in the fiber sheet are arranged substantially coincides with the first direction, the method for shaping the sheet body that extends beyond the first mold surface toward the second mold surface at the mold corner, and the method for shaping the sheet body superimposed on the second mold surface so that the plurality of fibers contained in the fiber sheet of the sheet body are convex away from the mold corner.

2. The shaping method according to claim 1, wherein the fibers closer to the edge of the sheet body superimposed on the second mold surface move further away from the mold corner.

3. The shaping method according to claim 1, wherein the area of ​​the sheet body superimposed on the first mold surface is greater than the area of ​​the sheet body superimposed on the second mold surface.

4. A shaping apparatus for the shaping method described in claim 1, comprising: an insertion portion inserted between two adjacent fibers among the plurality of fibers; and a moving mechanism for moving the insertion portion away from the mold corner.

5. The shaping device according to claim 4, wherein the moving mechanism comprises a rack connected to the insertion portion, a pinion meshed with the rack, a shaft with one end connected to the pinion, a worm wheel connected to the other end of the shaft, and a worm meshed with the worm wheel, the rotation of the worm being the input and the movement of the rack being the output.

6. The shaping device according to claim 4, wherein the amount of movement of the insertion portion is greater the closer it is to the edge of the sheet body superimposed on the second mold surface.

7. A shaped product for a sheet body having one fiber sheet or a plurality of laminated fiber sheets, comprising: a first sheet body portion having a convex cross-sectional shape at a cut surface intersecting a first direction; and a second sheet body portion intersecting the first direction, connected to the first sheet body portion, and together with the first sheet body portion forming a sheet body corner, wherein the fiber sheet contains a plurality of fibers, the plurality of fibers contained in the fiber sheet in the first sheet body portion are arranged substantially parallel to each other in the first direction, and the plurality of fibers contained in the fiber sheet in the second sheet body portion have a convex shape that moves away from the sheet body corner.

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