Rubber Liner Manufacturing for Composite Pressure Vessels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for making composite pressure vessels with rubber liners are time-consuming and costly due to the need for precise lathing of sand molds and uneven rubber liner thickness, with the additional waste of dissolving sand molds in water.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a mold with a ring and annular flange, metal socket, vacuum bag, and mandrel to create a rubber liner, followed by filament winding with resin, allowing for precise control and efficient removal of the sand mold, reducing waste and improving liner uniformity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the sand mold is lathed precisely to provide a precise size, then the size precision of the pressure vessel is improved, but the production time and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The sand mold is pre-formed with the exact final dimensions required for the pressure vessel using a mold box and ramming process. The preliminary action of carefully constructing the sand mold to precise dimensions eliminates the need for subsequent time-consuming lathing operations, as the mold itself becomes the final shape-defining tool for the rubber liner and composite structure.
2Manufacturing precision
If the sand mold is lathed precisely to provide a precise size, then the size precision of the pressure vessel is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The sand mold is pre-formed with the exact final dimensions required for the pressure vessel using a mold box and ramming process. The preliminary action of carefully constructing the sand mold to precise dimensions eliminates the need for subsequent time-consuming lathing operations, as the mold itself becomes the final shape-defining tool for the rubber liner and composite structure.
3Ease of manufacture
If the sand mold is dissolved in water and removed, then the mold removal process is simplified, but material waste increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sand mold is designed to be water-soluble, allowing it to be easily removed by dissolving in water after the rubber liner and composite structure have cured. This approach discards the sand mold in a controlled manner, recovering the valuable rubber and composite materials while the sand can be filtered and potentially reused or disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner.
4Ease of manufacture
If the rubber is poured onto the composite and vulcanized while the composite is spun, then the manufacturing process is simplified, but the rubber liner thickness becomes uneven
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing process is segmented into distinct stages: first, the rubber compound is molded into a precise shape within the sand mold under controlled conditions; second, the cured rubber liner is then carefully fitted over the composite structure. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured with optimal precision independently, ensuring uniform rubber liner thickness while maintaining overall process efficiency.
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
This method reduces production time and costs by enabling precise control over the rubber liner thickness and eliminating the need for water-based sand mold removal, while ensuring the composite pressure vessel meets designed pressure and size specifications.
Implementation Method 1
providing a vacuum bag for enclosing the rubber sheets and the mold
Implementation Method 2
heating, pressing and vulcanizing the rubber sheets
Implementation Method 3
dissolving the sand mold embedded in the composite pressure vessel in water and hence removing the sand mold
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a method for making a rubber liner of a composite pressure vessel. At first, rubber is located in a mold. The rubber and the mold are located in a vacuum bag, heated and pressed so that the rubber is vulcanized and molded into a semi-product of the rubber liner. Sand is filled in the semi-product. The sand is tamped and heated so that it is hardened and molded. A reinforcement element in the form of a wire or tape is wound around the semi-product. Two semi-products are brought into contact with each other. An un-vulcanized rubber band is provided around and attached to the semi-products. The rubber liners and the reinforcement elements are heated and vulcanized with composite resin. Finally, the water soluble sand mold is dissolved and removed so that the final product of the rubber liner is made, and so is the composite pressure vessel.