FRP Molding System Using Intermittent Radial Compression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Molding large circular arc-shaped FRP components, such as aircraft fuselages, requires complex and large molds, and conventional methods involve individual molding of skins and members followed by post-processing joining, which complicates the manufacturing process and damages the fibers.
Innovation Solution
An FRP molding system using a portion-pressing device with upper and lower molds that sandwich and intermittently compress the FRP material in a radial direction, combined with a member positioning mechanism and transport device to intermittently move the material, allowing for partial and uniform molding of circular arc-shaped components without a large or complicated mold.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If a large mold and large press machine are used to mold large FRP components, then the component size can be increased, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mold is divided into multiple sections that can be independently positioned and pressed. The pressing device includes multiple pressing units that can apply pressure to different sections of the FRP material simultaneously or sequentially, eliminating the need for a single large complex mold
Solution Approach 2:
The mold and pressing device are designed to be movable and adjustable. The pressing device can move along the FRP material and reposition pressing units dynamically, allowing a smaller device to mold larger components through multiple positioning cycles rather than requiring a fixed large mold
2Manufacturing precision
If pressing is performed in radial direction orthogonal to circular arc to ensure uniformity, then molding precision improves, but mold structure becomes complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The pressing device incorporates curved pressing surfaces that match the circular arc geometry of the FRP component. By using curved rather than flat pressing surfaces, the device can apply radial pressure perpendicular to the circular arc, ensuring uniform thickness and density throughout the molded product while maintaining a relatively simple mold structure
Solution Approach 2:
Different sections of the pressing device have locally optimized pressing surfaces tailored to the specific geometry requirements of different parts of the circular arc. This allows each local region to receive appropriate radial pressure for uniform molding without requiring the entire mold structure to be complex
3Adaptability or versatility
If skins and members are molded individually and joined in post-process, then manufacturing flexibility is maintained, but production time and process complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pressing device is designed to mold multiple components (skins and members) simultaneously in a single pressing operation. By positioning multiple FRP material sections and applying pressure to all required areas at once, the device produces complete assembled structures rather than separate parts requiring post-assembly, significantly improving production efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The FRP material sections and members are pre-positioned in their final assembled configuration before the pressing operation. This preliminary arrangement allows the pressing device to bond all components together during the molding process itself, eliminating the need for separate post-assembly operations
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 uniform molding of large circular arc-shaped FRP components with a member using a small mold, reducing manufacturing complexity and fiber damage, and allowing for the production of large FRP components with improved tensile strength.
Implementation Method 1
heated by using a heating device
Implementation Method 2
the overlapping FRP material and the surface mat are pressed to manufacture an FRP molded product
Data Source
AI summary
An FRP material has a circular arc part, and a member fixed to the circular arc part. The FRP forming system has a portion-pressing device, a member positioning mechanism, and a transport device configured to form the FRP material as a single body of a circular arc-shaped FRP part. The FRP material may comprise a single layer prepreg or a plurality of prepregs that have been layered. The portion-pressing device has upper and lower molds sandwiching a portion of the FRP material in a radial direction orthogonal to the circular arc part, and compresses intermittently a portion of the FRP part. The member positioning mechanism locates the position of the member relatively to the upper or lower mold. The transport device moves the portion of the FRP material that is compressed by the portion-pressing device. The portion-pressing and the transport are repeated to form the FRP part.