GB2064413A - Fibre-reinforced Synthetic Plastics Articles - Google Patents

Abstract

Fibre-reinforced articles e.g. for sport, are produced using cross- linkable synthetic plastics material as matrix material 11. Reinforcing fibres prone to surface damage, such as carbon fibres, are withdrawn from storage containers 7 and are contactlessly set into mechanical fibration by air or gas impulses produced at vibrators 8. This improves impregnation of the fibres by the material 11 when the fibres are transported over large diameter rollers 3 of impregnating devices 4. Excess material 11 is removed at guide rollers 5 and the fibres are combined, profiled at 12, and cured at 13. Layers of other fibres, e.g. glass fibres, may be wound on from conventional impregnating devices 4a, 4b, 4c. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Method of Producing Fibre-reinforced Synthetic Plastics Articles The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for the production of fibre-reinforced articles from cross-linkable, especially polymerisable, polycondensable or polyaddition cross-linkable synthetic plastics materials as matrix material or binding agent, especially from resins having one or more double bonds, preferably from unsaturated resins such as polyesters, polyurethane, acrylic resin or equally epoxy resin or the like, which contain reinforcing fibres and/or fillers and/or colouring substances and/or hardeners and/or accelerators and/or sensitisers and which, in accordance with the winding, centrifuging or drawing process, are transported discontinuously or continuously, preferably in vertical direction, to a processing centre and on the way there and/or there are brought into intimate bond and at the same time and/or thereafter consolidated preferably into sections, for example hollow, solid or flat sections, especially for appliances for high-performance sport, for example ski sticks, racing paddle shafts, sculls, masts, boat straps, skis and the like, or for electrical engineering and electronics, mechanical engineering or the like.

Discontinuously or continuously working horizontal and vertical winding, centrifuging and drawing methods and apparatuses are known with which fibre-reinforced articles are produced from matrix materials and fibres of various kinds.

Here the fibres or the fibre lengths, fibre bands or the like are taken from appropriate storage containers, transported by way of impregnating devices and thence to the processing centre and on this way and/or there brought into intimate bond and at the same time and/or thereafter shaped preferably into sections, for example hollow, solid or flat sections or tubes, and then consolidated.

As reinforcing fibres there are used all known fibres or filaments, including those in strand or strip form, as fabric or the like, for example of glass, metal, boron, carbon, amide, polyamide, asbestos or the like, even in combination. These fibres, filaments, strands or the like are drawn from the said storage containers, then brought into contact with the matrix material, preferably by way of roller and/or vibrator and/or injection impregnating devices, possibly then conducted by way of refulling devices consisting of several volts or rollers to improve the impregnating and wetting action and thus impregnated and wetted, and at the same time and/or subsequently reversed and/or brought together. Any excess matrix material may then or subsequently be removed and the necessary article or section is shaped by means of drawing moulds or nozzles.

The shaping of the article can also be effected by placing of the impregnated and wetted reinforcing materials on winding cores or in centrifugal moulds. To increase the strength the reinforcing materials are applied to the surfaces of the said cores or into the moulds at various angles, for example radially and/or axially and/or in crossing form.

For the production of the said articles it is further known to use different fibres or fibre types known as mixed laminates, and to apply them at different angles to the said surfaces. Then setting is effected. This is effected by the addition of hardeners and accelerators to the matrix material (cold hardening), by the application of heat (hot hardening) or by the addition of sensitisers to the matrix material with subsequent irradiation of the shaped article or section by electro-magnetic waves in the stated wave range, that is in the light wave range and here especially the ultra-violet or infra-red range.

The use of mixed laminates has proved advantageous for the increasing of the strength.

If surface-sensitive fibres, especially carbon fibres, are to be processed alone or as mixed laminate by the above-stated methods and with the stated apparatuses, especially with conventional filament-guidance and impregnation systems, this is possible only with heavy fibre damage, if at all. This fibre damage already occurs in transporting over rollers or reversing rollers or on direct contact with surfaces of bolts or rollers of refulling devices, drawing moulds, winding cores or the like, and can lead to the destruction of the individual or elementary fibres, which can then be the origin of failure of the entire article.

For the above-stated reasons, working of these carbon fibres, which are inherently dear but have strength and temperature stability higher by powers of ten than all other fibres, is neither sensible nor effective and therefore technically and economically unacceptable.

There is also the fact that due to the stated damage the finished article has at maximum the same strength values, but usually lower, as if the cheap glass fibres were used in place of the stated expensive carbon fibres.

The above statements are valid irrespective of whether the articles are produced from carbon fibres alone or with carbon fibres. In the case of mixed laminates using carbon fibres the other type or types of fibres have additional surfacedamaging effects upon the carbon fibres. For this reason the processing of mixed laminates with carbon fibres according to the above-mentioned methods and with the stated apparatuses is fully ineffective, and should be rejected.

There is yet a further disadvantage, because in the processing of the above-mentioned other fibres, especially glass or polyamide fibres with the above-stated apparatuses, especially with drawing or winding apparatuses, pockets of finishing material occur which again have a fibredamaging effect upon the carbon fibres in the case of mixed laminates of both kinds of fibre (carbon fibres and the other fibres). In the feed of the fibres, strands or the like at different feed angles, to these disadvantages yet a further disadvantage is added.This consists in that for the formation of the various angles of feed or winding the fibres are subjected to additional deflections and thus fibre damage and different tensions which generate different stresses in the laminate, especially the mixed laminate, whereby the quality of the wetting is reduced, additional bubbles are worked into the laminate, the strength values fall off and delamination phenomena occur under loading, which can again lead to the destruction of the articles.

The aim and problem of the invention consist in eliminating the disadvantage of the abovestated methods and apparatuses and producing a method and an apparatus which, not only in the production of articles from pure surface-sensitive fibres, but especially in the production of articles from mixed laminates with the above-mentioned surface-sensitive fibres, especially carbon fibres, transfer the high strength values of carbon fibres to the produced article, so that even mixed laminates possess, beside the high strength values of the carbon fibres, additionally the favourable properties of the former mixed laminates, that is to say they bring about not only an addition of positive characteristic values but a multiplication of these values, to the advantage of the properties of the articles.

A further problem of the invention consists in improving the quality of the wetting and avoiding bubbles in the impregnation and wetting, especially at the limit surface between matrix material and reinforcing fibre, thus producing a better bond and substantially reducing friction especially between the surface-sensitive fibres or their surfaces and the surfaces of the said rollers and/or bolts, especially in looping around.

The object is also to be achieved that the above effects are achieved by minimum possible modification of conventional equipment so that with equal strength not only can up to about 50% material (matrix material and reinforcing materials) be saved, but in substantially shorter times articles can be produced with hitherto unachievable technical properties (for example high buckling and transverse strengths and bending rigidity, compression and/or tension loading (alternating loading), higher temperature stability, substantially higher modulus of elasticity, extremely low weight and wall thicknesses in the case of hollow sections, and the like).

It is also advantageous that by the new method, as with no other method hitherto, it is possible to produce solid and hollow sections from glass fibres and from mixed laminates on one and the same installation, and that new fields of use for articles of the stated material combinations are opened up, for example in the field of high-performance sport, control and regulating technology, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and electronics, in the aircraft industry and space travel, where very high physical (mechanical and thermal) or equally chemical properties and the like are necessary.

In the method according to the invention the above-stated problem is solved in that surfacesensitive reinforcing fibres, especially carbon fibres, for the impregnation and wetting, for regulation of tension and reduction of friction and the like, are first contactlessly set in mechanical vibrations by air or gas impulses and then transported over rollers of impregnating devices and/or preferably rotatably arranged bolts of refulling devices which are made larger, preferably many times larger, in diameter than the rollers and/or bolts of the impregnating and/or refulling devices serving likewise for wetting, tension regulation, friction reduction and the like for at least one other type of fibres, for example for glass fibres, in that there the looping for the surface-sensitive fibres is effected at an angle which is preferably smaller than that for the other kind of fibres, especially smaller than 900 and preferably lies between 450 and zero degrees (tangent), in that then the impregnated and wetted fibres or the like run, for pre-profiling, change of direction and for squeezing off the excess matrix material, through especially profiled squeezer and/or guide rollers or nozzles of preferably extensible or resilient configuration and then at least one fibre type is transported on the one hand in at least one, preferably in two or more, possibly crossing directions and on the other hand at least one other fibre type is likewise transported in at least one, preferably in two or more, possibly crossing directions, but with angles differing from the first type of fibres, to the processing centre for the article to be produced and/or along this centre and/or around it, once or more times or in layers or in strand form, and in this way produce at least a three-dimensional, preferably a four-dimensional fibre/matrix interlaced bond, preferably with simultaneous discontinuous, especially continuous, heating by heating devices and/or irradiation by irradiation devices by means of suitable electro-magnetic waves, especially in the light wave range and here for example in the short and long-wave ultraviolet range.

In the apparatus according to the invention the stated problem is solved in that the diameter of the rollers and/or bolts of the roller impregnating and/or refulling devices for the surface-sensitive fibres amount to at least 50 mm. and the diameter for at least one other fibre type amounts to less than 50 mm., especially only a part thereof, in that the looping angle on the rollers and/or bolts for the surface-sensitive fibres is preferably less than that for the other fibre type, especially less than 900 and preferably lies between 450 and zero degrees (tangent), in that the feed angle for the feed of the fibres to the processing centre for the one fibre type lies between 20 and 15 , preferably 30 and 7 , in that the angle of feed to the processing centre for the other fibre type differs from that for the first fibre type and amounts to between zero and 20 or 1 50 to 900, preferably zero degrees or 900, in that between the storage containers and the impregnating devices there are arranged several mechanical and/or pneumatic vibrators, especially adapted in number to the storage containers, for reinforcing materials, and in that in the vicinity of the processing centre at least one heating and/or irradiation device in each case, allocated especially to the different fibre types and/or feed devices, is arranged for the emission of heat and/or electro-magnetic waves of suitable wave length and dosage.

The operation of the apparatus for the production of solid sections is as follows:~ The fibre reinforcing materials, withdrawn simultaneously and/or successively from storage containers, are impregnated with matrix materials or binding agents and transported, in the necessary direction in each case, for example perpendicularly, over deflector rollers and/or squeezer and/or guide rollers and/or nozzles and profiled and then hardened on this path. Now according to need, upon this section containing perpendicular fibres or fibre strands or reinforcing materials there are wound successively, for example radially and/or unilaterally or bilaterally obliquely (diagonally), several said fibres or fibre strands or the like reinforcing materials, impregnated and wetted with matrix material.

Profiling and hardening are effected after the application of each above-mentioned winding.

After the application of the last winding the article to be produced is bandaged preferably by a transparent foil, then surface-smoothed preferably with a smoothing vibrator, next hardened out and in a continuous process the generated section is cut in each case to the requisite length.

The function of the apparatus for producing hollow sections is the same as that for producing solid sections, but with the difference that for this purpose mandrels or winding cores coated with parting agents, to produce the cavity in the section, are brought preferably successively into the processing centre of the fibres or fibre strands or the like transported by the guide rollers, nozzles and/or profiling devices. In this way the fibres and/or strands or the like apply themselves to the mandrels or cores. Then either hardening is effected or further strata or layers are applied to the first stratum or layer with subsequent hardening in each case and the like. Finally before the severing of the section the respective mandrel or winding core is removed.

The advantages of the invention, in summary, consist in that not only surface-sensitive fibres, especially carbon fibres, as reinforcing materials, but also mixed laminates with surface-sensitive fibres are processed without damage and the above-mentioned properties of these fibres and of the mixed laminates with these fibres can be optimally exploited, which was not possible hitherto. Moreover the invention opens up new fields of application for these fibres and mixed laminates, the production times are considerably reduced with simultaneous high saving of material, and the product or article can be made substantially cheaper despite the very expensive carbon fibres.

The advantages are decisive for a wide application for the said fibres and mixed laminates for heavily stressed constructions, for example for ski sticks, vaulting poles, rotor blades for helicopters, turbine blades, and even in rocketry.

The invention is to be explained in greater detail below by an example of execution and a drawing.

The Figure shows a vertically arranged combined drawing and/or winding installation in principle for the discontinuous and continuous production of articles fibre reinforced in one or more axes, especially solid sections, preferably for the processing of surface-sensitive fibres, especially carbon fibres, and also of mixed laminates of the above-stated fibres with at least one other fibre type, for example glass fibres or aromatic polyamide fibres.

According to the Figure the apparatus according to the invention consists of a fixed chassis 6 and three further rotatable chassis 20a, 20b and 20c arranged vertically one below the other around a processing centre 10.

In the chassis 6, 20a, 20b and 20c there are situated in the upper part a number of storage containers 7 (not shown in the Figure for 20a, 20b and 20c) for the reinforcing material 1, 2a, 2bond 2c, a middle part with mechanical or pneumatic vibrators 8 allocated to the individual storage containers 7 which vibrators act and transmit mechanical vibrations directly or indirectly upon the reinforcing material 1, 2a, 2b and 2c, and an upper part having at least one preferably annular impregnating device or several impregnating devices, 4, 4a, 4b and 4c of tank form.

To the surface-sensitive fibres, especially the carbon fibres 1, for contactly vibration transmission there are allocated several pneumatic vibrators 8 with air or gas connections 9, and to the other fibre types 2a, 2b, 2c there are allocated vibrators 8 which are either likewise pneumatic or mechanical and directly coupled to the reinforcing materials. The pneumatic vibrators 8 are fed by intermittent blowing and/or suction air or gas currents which are directed on to the carbon fibres 1 and set these in mechanical vibrations, preferably in chambers.

The mechanical vibrators coupled directly to the fibres of the other fibre types 2a, 2b and 2c consist either of vibrating rollers or roller pairs or shakers, over or between which the fibres are transported while being set into mechanical vibrations, whereby a tension regulation, a complete bubble-free impregnation and wetting of the reinforcing fibres and a friction reduction is carried out between the said rollers or the rollers 3, 3a, 3b and 3c and the fibres 1, 2a, 2b and 2c already wetted with matrix material 11.

The rollers 3, 3a, 3b and 3c are mounted in stirrup members, mechanically connected with one another and also connected, for example through cross-pieces, with the associated chassis 6, 20a, 20b and 20c.

The first roller 3, 3a, 3b and 3c, arranged in the direction of transport of the fibres 1, 2a, 2b and 2c in the respective impregnating device 4, 4a, 4b and 4c can be formed as vibrator, whereby the wetting operation is promoted.

The impregnating devices 4, 4a, 4b and 4c are filled continuously or discontinuously with matrix material or binding agent 11.

Squeezer and/or guide rollers or nozzles 5 of pivotable and resilient, especially profiled formation are fitted, preferably by means of articulations, on the impregnating devices 4, 4a, 4b and 4c in the vicinity of the processing centre, over or between which rollers or nozzles the reinforcing fibres 1 and/or 2a, 2b and 2c are conveyed to the processing centre 10.

Furthermore the impregnating devices 4, 4a, 4b and 4c are followed by profiling devices 12 and heating and/or irradiation devices 13, which are movable in the transport direction and towards and away from the processing centre.

In the Figure the profiling devices 12 are formed as profiled rollers for the production of a circular section, however, they can also be of different profile, according to requirement, for the section to be produced.

The heating devices 13 can be conventional heaters and the irradiation devices 13 are especially radiation emitters which emit electromagnetic waves, preferably in the light wave range and especially in the short or long-wave ultraviolet range. When wooden devices are used the binding agent 11 should contain hardeners or accelerators.

If electro-magnet waves in the light wave range are used, the binding agent 1 1 must contain sensitisers.

Since carbon fibres 1 and also other fibre types are impermeable or only partially permeable to electro-magnetic waves in the stated range, a combination of heaters and radiation elements will have to be arranged.

Between the impregnating device 4c and the lowermost or last, in the transport direction, heating and/or irradiation device 13 there is arranged a foil bandaging device with supply spools 14 for the bilateral supply of the bandaging foil strips 15, which device is likewise mounted in a rotatable chassis (not illustrated in the Figure).

This foil bandaging device 14 is followed by a smoothing vibrator 16 consisting of several parts, which is adapted to the surface of the section to be produced and encloses it wholly or in overlapping manner and/or the parts of which are arranged vertically staggered in relation to one another in the case of overlap.

Of course the vibrator parts can also be assembled as independent vibrators. This vibrator 16 preferably vibrates with a frequency above 16 kHz, preferably in the ultrasonic range with small amplitude, whereby a high surface quality and density (fine layer) are achieved. The lowermost or last heating and/or irradiation device 13 is preferably followed by a chain withdrawal device 17 of regulable withdrawal speed and a severing device 18 for severing the continuously produced sections or fibre-reinforced profiled articles 19, which devices are likewise secured in chassis not shown in the Figure.

For the production of a fibre-reinforced article 19 in the form of a solid section the corresponding reinforcing fibres 1, 2a, 2b and 2c are taken from the storage containers 7, transported between or over the pneumatic and/or mechanical vibrators 8 and then into the respective impregnating device 4, 4a, 4b and 4c, conducted over the appropriate rollers or bolts 3, 3a, 3b and 3c, the rollers or nozzles 5 and through the profiling devices 12 (which can also be assembled as elastic nozzles) and there profiled, and then hardened by the associated heating and/or irradiation device 13 in each case.

The chain withdrawal device 17, which is also responsible for the speed of transport or production, takes over the continuous transport.

During the production the impregnating device 4 is stationary. The impregnating device 4a conducts glass fibres for example, perpendicularly to the transport device, and in doing so is rotated to the right around the processing centre 10.

The impregnating device 4b supplies for example aromatic polyamide fibres obliquely from the left, and in doing so is rotated to the left around the processing centre.

The impregnating device 4c supplies for example glass fibres again or boron fibres or another kind of fibre 2a, 2b or 2c obliquely from the right, and in doing so is rotated to the right around the processing centre 10.

Which fibre type 1, 2a, 2b and 2c is supplied in which direction and sequence to or along the processing centre or in it depends upon the properties of the article 19 to be produced, and should be adapted in each case to these properties.

Of course articles can also be produced solely from one fibre type 1 or from the fibre types 1 and 2c or the like. Other combinations are also possible. Moreover the fibres 2a can also be supplied at the same time in a second direction (shown in chain lines in the Figure).

Furthermore if necessary, refulling devices can be arranged between the impregnating devices 4, 4a, 46. 4c and the rollers or nozzles 5. There is no necessity in the use of the vibrators 8 or the vibrating rollers 3, 3a, 3b and 3c.

If fibre-reinforced articles 19 are to be produced as hollow sections, mandrels or winding cores coated with parting agent are to be introduced successively into the processing centre 10, especially between the fibres 1 and the rollers 5, and then are transported through the entire apparatus and successively removed or withdrawn before the severing of the hollow profiled articles 19. These mandrels or cores must also possess the profile to be produced.

Of course the speed of drawing and the speed of rotation or rotation rates of the severing devices 2a, 2b and 2c and of the foil bandaging device must be put into accord with one another and adapted to the corresponding temperature and/or dosage of the irradiation.

Since the angles of feed or winding are influenced or determined with the speed of drawing, transport or production, the rotation rate must be adapted thereto, and must be at the maximum especially in the case of feed perpendicularly to the direction of transport.

It has proved that it is of especial advantage, and the most favourable properties of the articles 1 9 are achieved, if the rollers 3 for the surfaceactive fibres are substantially larger in diameter than the rollers 3a, 3b and 3c for the other fibres and if the rollers 3 amount to at least 50 mm., and if at the same time the looping angle on the rollers 3 for the surface-sensitive fibres is smaller than that for the other fibre type, and this angle preferably lies between 450 and zero degrees.

If here moreover the feed angle for the surfacesensitive fibres amounts especially to between 30 and 70 and the feed angles to the processing centre 10 for the other fibre type differs therefrom and preferably amounts to 0 to 900, the abovementioned special properties of the article 19 are achievable.

With the apparatus according to the invention thus it is possible to produce not only drawn or wound solid or hollow sections, but also sections from carbon fibres and especially from mixed laminates with carbon fibres, the manner of the production being adaptable from the outset to the stressing of the article in each case.

Claims (11)

Claims

1. Method for the production of fibrereinforced articles from cross-linkable, especially polymerisable, polycondensable or polyadditioncross-linkable synthetic plastics materials as matrix material or binding agent, especially from resins with one or more double bonds, polyurethane, acrylic resin or epoxy resin or the like, which contain reinforcing materials and/or fillers and/or colouring substances and/or hardeners and/or accelerators and/or sensitisers and which, in accordance with the winding, centrifuging or drawing process, are transported discontinuously or continuously, preferably in vertical direction, to a processing centre and/or to the centre of the article to be produced and on the way there and/or there are brought into intimate bond and at the same time and/or thereafter shaped preferably into sections, such for examples as hollow, solid or flat sections, and then consolidated, where as reinforcing materials there are used all known fibres or filaments, even in strand or strip form, as fabrics or the like, for example of glass, metal, boron, carbon, amide, polyamide, asbestos or the like, even in combination, and the same or different fibres and the like are withdrawn from stationary or moving, for example rotating, storage containers, then impregnated and wetted with the matrix material, preferably over rollers and/or vibration and/or injection impregnating devices, possibly each with a refulling device consisting of several bolts, and at the same time and/or thereafter reversed and/or brought together, any excess matrix material is removed and according to the configuration of the article to be produced the materials are shaped into the article and consolidated, possibly with use of winding cores, centrifugal or drawing moulds or nozzles and the like, characterised in that surface-sensitive reinforcing fibres, especially carbon fibres, are firstly contactlessly set into mechanical vibrations by air or gas impulses for the impregnation and wetting, for tension regulation and friction reduction and the like, and then transported over rollers of impregnating devices and/or preferably rotatably arranged bolts of refulling devices which are made larger, preferably many times larger, in diameter than the rollers and/or bolts, likewise serving for impregnation and wetting, tension regulation, friction reduction and the like, of the impregnating and/or refulling devices for at least one other fibre type, for example for glass fibres, in that here the looping for the surface-sensitive fibres is carred out at an angle which is preferably smaller than that for the other fibre type, especially smaller than 900, and preferably lies between 450 and 0 (tangent), in that thereafter the impregnated and wetted fibres or the like, for pre-profiling, direction variation and for squeezing out the excess matrix material, run through especially profiled squeezer and/or guide rollers or nozzles of preferably extensible or resilient formation, and then at least one fibre type on the one hand is transported in at least one direction, preferably two or more directions, even crossing directions, and on the other hand at least one other fibre type is transported likewise in at least one direction, preferably in two or more, even crossing, directions, but with angles differing from the first fibre type, to the processing centre for the article to be produced and/or along this centre and/or around it, once or repeatedly or in stratum or layer manner or in strand form, and in this way produce at least a three-dimensional, preferably a four-dimensional, fibre/matrix interlaced bond, preferably with simultaneous discontinuous, especially continuous, heating by heating devices and/or irradiation by irradiation devices by means of suitable electro-magnetic waves, especially in the light wave range and here by way of example in the short and long-wave ultra-violet range.

2. Method according to Claim 1, characterised in that mechanical oscillations or vibrations, for example in the range between 10 Hz and 2 kHz, especially at 50 Hz, are imparted preferably in at least one direction, especially perpendicularly to the respective surface, to the still dry reinforcing materials and/or to the rollers and/or bolts and/or to the winding cores, centrifugal or drawing moulds, nozzles or the like used for shaping and serving as profiling devices, during their feed, rotating movement and/or shaping, for tension regulation of the reinforcing materials, for the complete and bubble-free wetting of the reinforcing materials with the matrix materials and for reduction of the friction between the surfaces of the rollers and/or bolts and the reinforcing materials.

3. Method according to Claims 1 and 2, characterised in that the transport of the fibres or reinforcing materials and/or of the matrix materials and/or the shaping are effected over flexible, preferably light-permeable foils and the consolidation takes place during the radiation permeation of the said foils.

4. Method according to Claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the smoothing of the surface of the article to be produced is effected by at least one mechanical smoothing vibrator which during the production or during the transport of the article exerts vibration impulses with a frequency between 50 Hz and 200 kHz and an amplitude preferably between 0.1 and 1 mm. upon the still unconsolidated article or article still in the gel condition, directly or through a possibly transported or circulating foil.

5. Method according to Claims 1 to 4, characterised in that for the purpose of tension regulation and for complete wetting the vibration transmission to the still dry reinforcing materials transported to the impregnating device is carried out contactlessly by intermittent blowing and/or suction air currents or corresponding gas impulses of regulable pressure value and/or frequency, and/or by direct contact with the aid of correspondingly regulated mechanical oscillators or vibrators and/or by at least one, preferably the first, impregnating roller arranged in the impregnating device and preferably imparting eccentric rotating movements.

6. Apparatus or carrying out the method according to Claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the diameter of the rollers and/or bolts of the roller impregnating devices and/or refulling devices for the surface-sensitive fibres amounts to at least 50 mm. or a multiple thereof and the diameter for at least one other fibre type amounts to less than 50 mm., especially only a part thereof, in that the looping angle on the rollers and/or bolts for the surface-sensitive fibres is preferably less than that for the other fibre type especially less than 900 and preferably lies between 450 and 0 (tangent), in that the feed angle for the feed of the fibres to the processing centre for the one fibre type lies between 20 and 150, preferably between 30 and 70, in that the feed angle to the processing centre for the other fibre type differs from that of the first fibre type and amounts to between 0 and 20 or 1 50 to 900, preferably 0 to 900, in that between the storage containers and the impregnating devices there are arranged several mechanical and/or pneumatic vibrators, especially adapted in number to the storage containers for direct or indirect (contactless) contact with the reinforcing materials, and in that in the vicinity of the processing centre there is arranged at least one, in each case, heating and/or radiation device allocated especially to the different fibre types and/or feed devices, for the emission of heat and/or electro-magnetic waves of suitable wave lengths and dosage.

7. Apparatus according to Claim 6, characterised in that at least one roller and/or a bolt and/or the winding core serving for shaping and/or the profiling device formed as centrifugal or drawing mould or nozzle or the like is, at one end at least, provided with an unbalance for generating the said mechanical oscillations or vibrations and/or shaped slightly oval and/or rigidly coupled at at least one suitable point with mechanical vibrators.

8. Apparatus according to Claims 6 and 7, characterised in that the foil bandaging device with supply spools for the foil strip is followed by an especially multi-part smoothing vibrator, arranged around the article to be produced, with preferably vertically mutually staggered and/or circu mference-corresponding and/or mutually overlapping component vibrators.

9. Apparatus according to Claims 6 to 8, characterised in that the contact surfaces of the rollers and/or bolts and/or of the smoothing vibrators are provided with a surface layer of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).

10. A method as claimed in claim 1, substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.