“A fiber reinforced structure is formed through a filament winding method by a reinforcement layer wound around a circumferential surface of a hollow mandrel.  In most cases, the mandrel includes a middle cylindrical part continuing to dome parts at both left and right ends of the cylindrical part.  A fiber bundle is wound around the cylindrical part and the left and right dome parts to form the reinforcement layer.  The fiber bundle is supplied to the mandrel by way of numerous guide bodies (see, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-314550). The guide body is arranged on an array head that slides in a reciprocating manner along an axis center of the mandrel, and is arranged in a dispersed manner around the mandrel. The fiber bundle is moved and guided by the guide body, and is supplied to the mandrel by way of a fiber-spreading ring that is concentric with the mandrel. During the operation of the winding apparatus, the array head is reciprocated while rotatably driving the mandrel, so that the fiber bundle supplied from the guide tube is wound around the mandrel, thereby forming the reinforcement layer.” (Uozumi and Tanigawa, US Patent 7,815,141; 10/19/2010)

Composites Processing
Filament Winding   
Processing    

Recent US Patents

10/19/2010
7,815,141
Filament winding apparatus

Uozumi and Tanigawa of Murata Machinery, Japan has developed a filament winding apparatus that efficiently, quickly and orderly winds a fiber bundle with respect to a mandrel.  The helical winding head includes a group of guide tubes radially arranged on a circumferential surface of a guide ring, and a tube operation mechanism that reciprocates the guide tube along a tube axis center direction.  (RDC 1/17/2011)

10/12/1010
7,810,754
Filament winding automated system

Uozumi et al has developed a machine for winding and installing cut sections onto a mandrel for pressure tanks or pipes.  (RDC 1/6/2011)

7,810,753
Filament winding method and apparatus

The winding machine is based on  two guides for producing patterns at different angles quickly.  (RDC 1/6/2011)