Textile Spreading Rollers With Adjustable Pressure for Uniform Thickness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for spreading textile layers, particularly fabrics made of warp and weft threads, struggle to achieve uniform thickness, leading to variations that affect the final mechanical properties and reliability of composite parts, especially when large stacks are used.
Innovation Solution
A method and machine that utilize rotating rollers with adjustable pressure generators, where one roller is flexible and the other is rigid, allowing for axial oscillation and adjustable pressure distribution to ensure uniform pressure across the textile web, reducing thickness variability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional spreading methods are used on fabrics, then the fabric can be processed, but significant variations in thickness occur due to non-uniform pressure distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making one roller flexible and the other rigid, allowing the flexible roller to adapt its surface to the fabric's local thickness variations. This enables different regions of the fabric (edges vs center) to receive appropriate local pressure, correcting the non-uniform thickness without requiring complex overall pressure control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by using a flexible roller that can dynamically adjust its shape and pressure distribution in response to the fabric's actual thickness profile. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to maintain uniform pressure across the fabric width during the spreading process, resolving the contradiction between achieving precision and ease of operation.
2Manufacturing precision
If large diameter rollers are used to limit bending, then thickness homogeneity improves, but inertia increases and energy consumption rises
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of roller flexibility rather than increasing roller diameter. By making one roller flexible, the system achieves the pressure uniformity benefits of large rollers without the increased inertia and energy consumption. The flexible roller can conform to fabric variations while maintaining manageable size and energy requirements.
3Manufacturing precision
If fabric width is limited in relation to roller diameter and length, then uniform pressure can be maintained, but production capacity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible roller enables the system to handle larger fabric widths while maintaining pressure uniformity. The local adaptation capability allows each region of the fabric to receive appropriate pressure regardless of the overall fabric width, thereby increasing productivity without sacrificing manufacturing precision.
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 approach enables the production of fabrics with low thickness variability, achieving surface masses between 40 g/m² and 400 g/m² and standard deviations of thickness as low as 90 μm, resulting in more robust and reliably manufactured composite parts with controlled geometry.
Implementation Method 1
the sheet is passed under pressure between at least one pressure generator of the rollers driven in axial and anti-phase oscillation
Implementation Method 2
rollers driven in axial and anti-phase oscillation
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~5
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention concerns a method for spreading a textile sheet (2) comprising at least warp yarns, wherein: the sheet (2) is made to pass between at least two rotary rollers (5), (6), of which the axes (A) extend parallel to one another and substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel of the sheet; the sheet is made to pass under pressure between at least one pressure generator (Si) of the rollers which are driven so as to oscillate axially and in phase opposition. According to the invention, at least one pressure generator of the rollers (5), (6) is produced with adjustable pressure values along the generator (G1) in order to spread the sheet (2) with a low degree of thickness variability. The invention also concerns a machine suitable for performing this method.