Woven Preform Flange Transition Guide
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manufacturing annular or semi-annular composite components with flanges face challenges in efficiently forming non-developable profiles using woven fibre reinforcement materials, as they tend to resist deformation and require complex application techniques to avoid wrinkling and defects.
Innovation Solution
A manufacturing apparatus comprising a loom for weaving a woven preform, a rotatable mandrel, and a guide that transitions the woven preform from a planar to a flanged profile, allowing for differential warp tow supply rates to accommodate varying circumferential dimensions, and a method involving multiple layers with varying weave properties to ease preform expansion and prevent defects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If woven structures of fibre reinforcement material are used to form flanged composite components, then structural integrity is improved, but the material resists deformation to non-developable surfaces causing manufacturing difficulty
Solution Approach 1:
The woven preform is manufactured in advance with a planar profile and specific weave properties before being applied to the mandrel. The preform is prepared with varying weave characteristics in different regions (base vs flange) to anticipate and accommodate the deformation requirements during the forming process, rather than attempting to deform a rigid preform in-situ.
Solution Approach 2:
The woven preform is designed with different weave properties in different regions: the base region has a first weave pattern optimized for stability, while the flange region has a second weave pattern optimized for expandability. This local differentiation allows each region to have the appropriate mechanical properties for its specific function during forming.
2Shape
If the circumferential dimension increases along the radial extent of the flange, then the flanged profile is achieved, but the woven preform requires differential tow supply rates increasing process complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The loom is configured in advance to supply warp tows at different rates during the weaving process itself, creating the appropriate preform geometry before application. This preliminary differentiation of tow supply rates during manufacturing of the preform eliminates the need for complex differential supply mechanisms during the forming process.
Solution Approach 2:
The weave properties of the preform are varied in different regions by changing parameters during the weaving process. The loom adjusts warp tow spacing and tension to create regions with different structural characteristics, allowing the preform to naturally accommodate the flanged profile without requiring complex adjustments during forming.
3Productivity
If the woven preform is drawn onto the rotatable mandrel under tension, then efficient manufacturing is achieved, but wrinkling and defects may occur without proper guide configuration
Solution Approach 1:
A guide is introduced as an intermediary component between the preform and the mandrel. The guide has a specific profile that matches the near-net shape of the component and provides controlled engagement with the preform during drawing onto the mandrel. This intermediary element distributes tension evenly and prevents localized buckling that would cause wrinkling.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide is pre-configured with the appropriate profile and engagement characteristics before the forming process begins. The guide path and engagement points are designed in advance to ensure that tension is applied optimally during the drawing process, preventing defects before they occur.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for manufacturing an annular or semi-annular composite component having a circumferentially-extending base and a flange, the apparatus including: a loom for weaving a woven preform of fibre reinforcement material for the composite component; a rotatable mandrel configured to receive and draw the woven preform through the loom for weaving; and a guide disposed between the loom and the rotatable mandrel, configured so that a woven preform drawn by the rotatable mandrel along a guide path under tension engages the guide to transition to a flanged profile at a lip of the guide before being received on the mandrel.