Composite Preform Adhesive Density Control via Airflow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current composite material manufacturing techniques using adhesive application on entire surfaces of reinforced base materials fail to efficiently mold preforms without wrinkles or kinks and facilitate rapid resin impregnation, limiting production time and flexibility.
Innovation Solution
A method and device utilizing unactivated powdered adhesive applied to reinforced base material sheets, where airflow is used to create regions with varying adhesive density, allowing for controlled activation and resin impregnation, thereby preventing wrinkles and kinks during preform molding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If adhesive is applied to the entire surface of the reinforced base material, then the preform can be formed with basic structural integrity, but wrinkles and kinks occur and production time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies adhesive only to specific local regions rather than the entire surface. The adhesive application unit selectively deposits adhesive in areas where it is needed for bonding, while leaving other areas adhesive-free to allow smooth resin flow and prevent wrinkles and kinks during molding.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the adhesive application process into multiple zones with different adhesive densities. By controlling the adhesive content distribution (high density in some regions, low or zero density in others), the process optimizes both structural integrity and resin impregnation efficiency.
2Stability of the object's composition
If adhesive is applied to the entire surface of the reinforced base material, then the preform maintains basic structural integrity, but shape design freedom is limited especially in regions with large curvatures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses localized adhesive application to maintain structural integrity only where needed, while leaving curvature-prone areas adhesive-free or with reduced adhesive content. This enables complex shapes with large curvatures to be formed without wrinkles or kinks, significantly improving shape design freedom.
3Stability of the object's composition
If adhesive is applied uniformly across all regions, then the preform achieves consistent bonding, but resin impregnation is hindered especially in regions with large curvatures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates regions with different adhesive densities: areas requiring strong bonding receive higher adhesive content, while curvature regions receive reduced or no adhesive to facilitate smooth resin flow and complete impregnation without defects.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of applying adhesive uniformly across the entire surface, the patent applies adhesive partially only to specific regions where it is truly needed, reducing overall adhesive content and eliminating interference with resin impregnation in critical areas.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the formation of composite materials with improved shape design freedom and reduced production time by facilitating resin impregnation and suppressing wrinkles and kinks, especially in regions with large curvatures, while maintaining the structural integrity of the preform.
Implementation Method 1
A portion of the powdered adhesive that is applied between the layers of the laminate is removed by means of an airflow that flows with respect to the laminate in the lamination direction of the reinforced base material from one surface to the other surface
Implementation Method 2
a heating unit for activating the powdered adhesive
Data Source
AI summary
According to a manufacturing method and device for manufacturing a composite material having reinforced base materials with a resin impregnated in the reinforced base materials. An unactivated powdered adhesive is applied to at least one surface of a plurality of carbon fiber sheets. The carbon fiber sheets are laminated to form a laminate. At least a portion of the unactivated powdered adhesive that is applied between layers of the laminate is removed using an airflow that flows from one exterior surface of the laminate to an opposite exterior surface of the laminate to form a preform having a first region in which the activated adhesive is impregnated in the laminate, and a second region in which a content density of the activated adhesive is less than that in the first region.