Tangential Winding of Web-Like Fiber Materials on Curved Shaping Tools
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Solution Overview
Problem
The draping and pre-shaping of curved profiled structural components made from fiber materials, such as those used in aircraft construction, is complex and time-consuming, leading to inefficiencies in mass production due to issues with fiber alignment and crease formation, especially when producing curved geometries.
Innovation Solution
A device with a curved shaping tool and unwinding devices that tangentially wind pre-produced web-like fiber materials under tension onto the shaping tool, accompanied by a fixing device for heat-setting the laminate structure, allowing for efficient production of preforms with precise fiber orientation and reduced creases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If fiber materials are manually draped on shaping tools in traditional processes, then precise fiber alignment can be achieved, but production time and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The fiber materials are pre-produced and pre-aligned in web-like form with the required fiber orientation before being wound onto the shaping tool. This preliminary preparation of fiber alignment in a controlled manner enables both high precision and automated high-speed production, resolving the contradiction between manual precision and automated speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The manual mechanical draping process is replaced with an automated winding system that uses controlled tension and rotation to lay down fiber materials. The winding device with tension control and rotational movement automates the fiber placement while maintaining precision, eliminating the need for manual labor while preserving alignment quality.
2Manufacturing precision
If fiber materials are wound under tension onto curved shaping tools, then crease formation is reduced and fiber alignment is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The winding device integrates multiple functions into a single mechanism: it unwinds the web-like fiber material, applies controlled tension, rotates the shaping tool, and lays down the fibers in the correct orientation. This multi-functional design achieves precise fiber orientation retention without requiring separate complex devices for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The shaping tool itself serves as the winding surface and structural form simultaneously. The curved shaping tool with profiled cross-section automatically guides the fiber material into the correct geometric form while being wound under tension, eliminating the need for additional guiding mechanisms and reducing overall device complexity.
3Reliability
If individual ribs are manually manufactured and temporarily fixed, then quality control is possible, but production efficiency decreases for mass production
Solution Approach 1:
The device enables continuous production by winding multiple layers of fiber material continuously onto the rotating shaping tool without interruption. The laminate structure is formed in one continuous operation and then fixed in one batch operation, eliminating the repeated temporary fixing and quality checking steps required in manual individual manufacturing, thus enabling mass production while maintaining quality.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple manufacturing steps are merged into a single integrated process: fiber unwinding, tensioning, winding onto the shaping tool, layering, and final fixing are all performed in one continuous operation. This consolidation of operations achieves both high production efficiency for mass production and consistent quality control through automated process parameters.
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 quicker and more cost-effective production of high-quality, reproducible profiled structural components by ensuring precise fiber alignment and fixing, thereby improving the efficiency and economy of manufacturing processes for components like aircraft ribs.
Implementation Method 1
the laminate structure, which is sprayed with a bonding material which generally develops its fixing action with the application of heat, is heated in order to set the binding material
Implementation Method 2
a device for performing a relative movement between the shaping tool and the plurality of unwinding devices for tangentially winding the web-like fiber materials onto the curved shaping face under tension
Data Source
AI summary
A device for draping and pre-shaping curved profiled structural components of fiber materials includes at least one shaping tool having a curved shaping face which has a profiled cross-section and which defines the outer contour of the profiled structural component. The device also includes a plurality of unwinding devices each for discharging a web-like fiber material, a device for performing a relative movement between the shaping tool and the plurality of unwinding devices for tangentially winding the web-like fiber materials onto the curved shaping face under tension, and a fixing device for finally fixing the shape of all of the web-like fiber materials wound on the curved shaping face. A method of draping and pre-shaping curved profiled structural components of fiber materials is also disclosed.