Complementary Pressure Roller for Uniform Fiber Tow Placement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automated fiber placement systems struggle with applying fiber tows uniformly and effectively on complex, non-uniform surfaces of composite components, leading to overhanging ends and less-than-ideal adhesion, particularly in the formation of components like turbine engine parts.
Innovation Solution
An automated fiber placement assembly with a pressure roller that is shaped complementary to the non-uniform surface, applying pressure uniformly across the component to ensure even adhesion and bonding, using a controller to manage the application process and potentially incorporating interchangeable rollers for larger components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a conventional pressure roller is used on non-uniform surfaces, then the device complexity is low, but the manufacturing precision and adhesion quality deteriorate due to overhanging ends and non-uniform pressure distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The pressure roller is designed with a non-uniform exterior surface that has different geometries in different regions to match the specific non-uniform features of the component surface. This local variation in roller geometry ensures uniform pressure distribution across varying surface topographies, resolving the contradiction between maintaining simple device structure and achieving precise fiber placement on complex surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The pressure roller is designed to be replaceable and interchangeable, allowing the system to adapt dynamically to different component geometries. By selecting appropriate rollers with specific exterior surface geometries for different components, the system maintains manufacturing precision without permanently increasing device complexity through fixed complex structures.
2Reliability
If pressure is applied to non-uniform surfaces with conventional rollers, then the operation is simple, but the adhesion quality worsens due to non-even pressure distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The appropriate pressure roller with the correct exterior surface geometry is selected and positioned in advance before the fiber placement operation begins. This preliminary selection ensures that the roller is pre-configured to match the component's surface characteristics, guaranteeing reliable adhesion without requiring complex real-time adjustments during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the geometric parameters of the pressure roller's exterior surface to match the component surface characteristics. By selecting rollers with different geometries for different components, the system maintains ease of operation through simple replacement while achieving reliable adhesion through parameter matching between roller and component surfaces.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a single pressure roller geometry is used for all components, then the device complexity is low, but the adaptability worsens for large or complex-shaped components
Solution Approach 1:
The pressure roller system achieves universality by using a set of interchangeable rollers, each capable of handling specific component types. Rather than designing one complex roller to handle all geometries, multiple specialized rollers provide universal coverage across different component shapes and sizes, balancing adaptability with manageable device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The overall pressure roller function is segmented into multiple specialized rollers, each optimized for specific geometric conditions. This segmentation allows the system to achieve high adaptability across diverse components while keeping each individual roller relatively simple in design, thereby managing overall device complexity through functional decomposition.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure herein relates to an automated fiber placement assembly for forming a component by the successive layering of strips of fiber tows with a pressure roller. The pressure roller has a rotational axis about which the pressure roller rotates to apply the strip of fiber tows to the component. The pressure roller can be shaped complementary to a non-uniform surface of the component for even application of the strip of fiber tows to the component.