Deposit Head Pressing Roller Angle Adjustment for Adhesive Uniformity

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current mechanized apparatuses for forming hollow bodies using filament winding technology face challenges such as complex and delicate operations, leading to blisters, contamination, and structural defects due to imprecise winding and pressing of adhesive belts, which result in positioning errors and uneven material distribution, especially when dealing with varying geometrical characteristics of the casing.

Innovation Solution

A forming machine with a deposit head featuring a support frame, motorized supply and guide means, and two pressing rollers, where the second pressing roller is rotatable about an axis forming an angle other than 90° to the feeding path, allowing for precise and uniform distribution of adhesive material along a predefined path, ensuring proper adhesion and compaction on the forming drum.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Force

If a pressing roller acts directly on the adhesive material, then pressing force is applied, but the roller soils itself and causes contamination

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepressing forceVSAvoidcontamination

Core Design Contradiction:

ForceVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a protective strip as an intermediary element between the pressing roller and the adhesive material. The pressing roller presses the protective strip against the adhesive material rather than contacting the adhesive directly, preventing the roller from soils itself and causing contamination while still applying the necessary pressing force for proper adhesion

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Force

If the pressing roller rotates about an axis orthogonal to the feed direction, then pressing is performed, but positioning errors and uneven distribution occur

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepressing actionVSAvoidpositioning precision

Core Design Contradiction:

ForceVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent makes the pressing roller's rotation axis adjustable rather than fixed orthogonal to the feed direction. The axis can be dynamically repositioned to form different angles with the feed direction, allowing optimization of the pressing action for various geometrical characteristics of the casing and improving positioning precision and material distribution uniformity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Ease of operation

If the protective strip is separated before pressing, then adhesive material is exposed, but adhesion difficulties occur with low-adhesiveness materials

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadhesive material exposureVSAvoidadhesion reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs the pressing action while the protective strip is still in place, before separation occurs. The pressing roller presses the protective strip against the adhesive material and reinforcing elements, ensuring proper adhesion is established first. Only after successful adhesion is the protective strip separated, preventing adhesion difficulties with low-adhesiveness materials

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

4Extent of automation

If robotized arms are used for head movement, then automation is achieved, but positioning errors and imprecise movement occur

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveautomationVSAvoidpositioning precision

Core Design Contradiction:

Extent of automationVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the robotized arm mechanical system with a gantry movement structure. The gantry system provides more rigid and precise movement of the deposit head along complex deposit paths, eliminating positioning errors and imprecise movement while maintaining automation through motorized control of the gantry axes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

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

The solution enables precise and uniform application of adhesive material, preventing blisters and contamination, ensuring consistent adhesion and compaction across the casing, even in areas with protrusions or ribbing, and facilitating the use of adhesive materials with low adhesiveness, thus improving the quality and efficiency of the hollow body formation process.

Implementation Method 1

a first pressing roller for pushing said strip and said layer of adhesive material toward a deposit surface of said adhesive material

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectMechanical Force: Mechanical Force

Implementation Method 2

a layer of adhesive material and a protective strip arranged on only one side of the layer of adhesive material

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectAdhesive bonding: Adhesive

Data Source

PatentUS10213971B2Forming machine for forming a hollow body, in particular a casing of a solid propellant engine, and deposit head for such a forming machine

Publication Date: 2019.02.26 AVIO

AI summary

In a machine for forming a hollow body, for example a casing of a solid propellant engine, a tensioned and guided belt comprising a layer of adhesive material and a protective strip is fed from a deposit head, supported by a robot and comprising an unwinding device for unwinding the belt, a winding device for winding the strip, a first pressing roller for pressing the strip and the layer of adhesive material and rotatable about an axis thereof orthogonal to the feed path of the belt and a second pressing roller for pressing the adhesive material and the strip, rotatable about an axis thereof forming an angle other than 90° to the feed path and movable in opposite directions in a direction transversal to feed path.