3D Woven Fiber Preform Markers Without Usable-Zone Disruption
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fiber preforms in composite material manufacturing face issues with tracer filaments disrupting matrix formation and leading to non-conformities due to their different nature, affecting the mechanical properties of the final component.
Innovation Solution
A fiber preform with three-dimensional weaving and tracer filaments only present in edge zones, forming textile markers for precise alignment, allowing identification of directions without disrupting the usable zone's densification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If tracer filaments of different nature are used to mark preform directions, then visual identification is improved, but matrix formation around the tracer filaments deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The tracer filaments are extracted from the usable zone and placed only in the edge zones of the preform. This separation allows the tracer filaments to perform their identification function through textile markers without interfering with matrix formation in the critical usable zone, thus resolving the contradiction between direction identification and matrix formation quality
Solution Approach 2:
The preform is divided into different zones with different functions: edge zones containing tracer filaments for identification, and usable zones free of tracer filaments for high-quality matrix formation. This local differentiation allows each zone to optimize its specific function without compromising the other
2Manufacturing precision
If tracer filaments are present in the usable zone, then alignment precision is improved, but component conformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Tracer filaments are extracted from the usable zone and relocated to edge zones only. The textile markers they create extend into the usable zone to provide alignment reference, but the physical presence of tracer filaments is eliminated from areas where they would compromise component conformity
Solution Approach 2:
The preform is segmented into edge zones containing tracer filaments and usable zones free of tracer filaments. This segmentation allows the tracer filaments to serve alignment purposes through their markers while preventing them from causing conformity issues in the usable zone
Data Source
AI summary
A fiber preform for manufacturing a component made of composite material, the fiber preform exhibiting three-dimensional weaving and having a usable zone extending between two edge zones, the fiber preform further including at least two tracer filaments woven in the one same, weft or warp, direction and belonging to two different layers of weft filaments or warp filaments, each one being present in a distinct edge zone, the tracer filaments having a second composition different from the first composition, each tracer filament creating at least one textile marker on the surface of the fiber preform, a textile marker being created by the appearance of the tracer filament on the surface of the preform.