JP4743422B2 - Filament winding method and apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a filament winding method and apparatus for winding a fiber bundle impregnated with a resin around a member to be wound.

  For example, in order to reduce the weight of hydrogen tanks used in fuel cell systems, the surface of the tank body is often covered with a fiber reinforced plastic layer (FRP layer) to form a composite structure. Conventionally, in order to manufacture a hydrogen tank having such a composite structure, as shown in FIG. 6, a fiber bundle (hereinafter referred to as “tank wound member” 1) impregnated with a resin while rotating the tank body (member to be wound) 1. A filament winding method in which 2) is simply used is generally used. In this case, the helical winding shown in FIG. 1A and the hoop winding shown in FIG. 1B are alternately performed, and the fiber bundle 2 is wound around the tank body 1 in multiple layers (for example, 70 layers). The helically wound FRP layer is subjected to axial stress, and the hoop-wrapped FRP layer is subjected to radial stress to ensure a desired pressure strength.

  By the way, in this type of filament winding method, as the number of stacked fiber bundles increases, that is, as the winding diameter increases, problems such as orientation disorder and buckling tend to occur in the lower fiber bundle, in order to avoid this, Control is performed to reduce the tension according to the winding diameter (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the helical winding described above (FIG. 6A), there is a large difference between the winding speed of the tank body 1 and the winding speed of the folded end portion. Control is performed to adjust the feeding amount of the fiber bundle according to the part (for example, see Patent Document 2).

JP 2001-260240 A JP 2005-255359 A

  On the other hand, in order to secure a desired strength by this type of filament winding method, it is necessary to wind the fiber bundle around the member to be wound without any gap. However, in the filament winding method, the fiber bundle is fed out through a winding roller in the winding apparatus in which the fiber bundle is guided through various rollers from the unwinding apparatus to the winding apparatus and moves relative to the member to be wound. Therefore, the width of the fiber bundle changes for some reason. When the width of the fiber bundle becomes narrower than the specified width, for example, in the above-described hydrogen tank, as shown in FIG. 7, holes 4 are formed in the FRP layer 3 on the tank body 1 that is a member to be wound. These holes 4 are a major cause of reducing the strength (pressure strength) of the hydrogen tank.

  Therefore, conventionally, after the hydrogen tank is manufactured, a pressure resistance test (destructive test) is performed by sampling to determine whether the quality is good or bad. However, such a pressure test has a problem that a large facility is required and the test itself takes a lot of time and a cost burden for the test is large. In addition, since it is a sampling test, when a defective product occurs, it is judged as defective for each rod including a non-defective product, and the cost burden required for quality control as a whole is extremely large.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and the problem is that the quality can be accurately judged without relying on a destructive test, and is required for quality control. An object of the present invention is to provide a filament winding method and apparatus that greatly contributes to a reduction in cost burden.

  In order to solve the above problems, a filament winding method according to the present invention is a filament winding method in which a fiber bundle impregnated with a resin is wound around a member to be wound, in the vicinity of the feeding of the fiber bundle to the member to be wound. The width of the fiber bundle is continuously measured, and the quality is judged based on the fiber bundle width diagram in which the measurement result is recorded.

  In the filament winding method performed in this way, the width of the fiber bundle closely related to the pores having a significant influence on the strength is measured, and the quality is checked on the fiber bundle width diagram in which the measurement result is recorded. Since the determination is made, the destructive test becomes unnecessary. Further, since the width of the fiber bundle is measured in the vicinity of the feeding of the fiber bundle with respect to the member to be wound, sufficiently accurate measurement data is obtained, and the reliability with respect to the quality determination on the fiber bundle width diagram is It will be high enough.

  The method of the present invention continuously measures the unwinding amount of the fiber bundle in addition to determining the quality on the fiber bundle width diagram in which the measurement result of the width of the fiber bundle described above is recorded. The quality is judged based on the unwinding amount diagram in which the result is recorded, or the tension of the fiber bundle is continuously measured, and the quality is judged based on the tension diagram in which the measurement result is recorded. In this case, the reliability for quality assurance is further improved.

  On the other hand, the filament winding apparatus according to the present invention for solving the above problems is a filament winding apparatus for winding a fiber bundle impregnated with a resin around a member to be wound while controlling the unwinding amount and tension. A sensor for detecting the width of the fiber bundle is arranged around the winding roller provided in a winding head for winding the fiber bundle around the member to be wound so as to be movable integrally with the winding roller. It is characterized by that.

  In the filament winding apparatus configured as described above, a sensor is provided around the winding roller for feeding out the fiber bundle so as to be movable integrally with the winding roller. Therefore, a fiber bundle width diagram for quality control is provided. It can be determined accurately.

  According to the filament winding method and apparatus according to the present invention, quality control is performed on the fiber bundle width diagram obtained by measurement in the vicinity of the feeding of the fiber bundle with respect to the member to be wound. Cost burden is significantly reduced. In addition to the fiber bundle width diagram, when quality control is performed on the unwinding amount diagram or tension diagram, the reliability for quality assurance is further improved.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration of a filament winding apparatus according to the present invention. The present embodiment is applied to the manufacture of the hydrogen tank for a fuel cell system described above (FIG. 6). The unwinding device 10 for unwinding the fiber bundle 2 impregnated with the resin from the bobbin 11 and the fiber bundle 2 Is wound around the tank main body (member to be wound) 1.

  In addition to the bobbin 11, the unwinding device 10 includes a motor (servo motor) 12 that rotationally drives the bobbin 11, and a tension that applies a predetermined tension to the fiber bundle 2 unwound from the bobbin 11 via the dancer roll 13. Control means 15 for controlling the position of the applying means 14 and the dancer roll 13 is provided.

  The tension applying means 14 includes an air cylinder 17 that supports the dancer roll 13 and presses the dancer roll 13 against the fiber bundle 2 between the pair of support rollers 16 and 16. A predetermined air pressure is supplied to the air cylinder 17 from the air source 18 via the pressure control valve 19, and the tension applying means 14 performs a dancer with a pressing force corresponding to the internal pressure of the air cylinder 17. A predetermined tension is applied to the fiber bundle 2 by pressing the roll 13 against the fiber bundle 2. The control means 15 also includes a lever 20 having one end connected to the support shaft of the dancer roll 13, a gear pair 21 connected to the other end of the lever 20, and a rotation angle for detecting the rotation angle of the gear pair 21. A sensor (encoder) 22 and a control circuit 23 that receives a signal from the rotation angle sensor 22 and controls the motor 12 for the bobbin 11 are included. The control circuit 23 takes in the positional information of the dancer roll 13 from the rotation angle sensor 22, and controls the rotation of the motor 12 to control the rotation of the motor 12 when the position of the dancer roll 13 is displaced beyond a predetermined range. The unwinding amount (speed) of the fiber bundle 2 is adjusted. As a result, the dancer roll 13 always maintains a fixed position within the operating range of the air cylinder 17, and as a result, given tension is guaranteed to the fiber bundle 2.

 On the other hand, the winding device 30 feeds the fiber bundle 2 fed from the unwinding device 10 toward the tank body 1 and the work support means 31 that supports the tank body 1 and rotates and moves in the axial direction. Means 32. The work support means 31 is slidably mounted on a guide rail 34 disposed on a guide frame 33, and a clamp unit 35 that detachably holds the tank body 1 from both ends, and a motor (servo motor) 36 as a drive source. The tank main body operates with a feeding mechanism (ball screw mechanism) 37 and a motor (servo motor) 38 that actuate and reciprocately move the clamp unit 35 along the guide rail 34. 1 and a rotating mechanism 39 for rotating 1.

  The fiber feeding means 32 operates with a winding head 41 slidably mounted on a guide frame 40 extending parallel to the guide frame 33 of the work support means 31 and a motor (servo motor) 42 as a drive source. The feeding head (ball screw mechanism) 43 reciprocally moves the winding head 41 along the guide frame 40.

  As shown well in FIG. 2, the winding head 41 includes a head main body 44 that slides along the guide frame 40 and a guide bar 45 that extends from the head main body 44 in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction. A pair of support plates 46 attached to the tip of the guide plate, a hollow guide 49 rotatably disposed in a casing 47 integral with the support plate 46 via a bearing 48, and a pair of tips at the tip of the hollow guide 49. A winding roller (winding jig) 51 is rotatably supported via a bracket 50 (one side is not shown). The fiber bundle 2 is drawn onto the winding roller 51 through the opening 44 a provided on the side surface of the head main body 44 and the inside of the hollow guide 49. Here, the support plate 46 that supports the winding roller 51 is driven back and forth by a linear motion member 52 that linearly moves using a motor (servo motor) (not shown) disposed in the head body 44 as a drive source. It has become. The hollow guide 49 is rotationally driven by a gear mechanism 53 that operates with a motor (servo motor) (not shown) disposed in the head body 44 as a drive source. That is, the winding roller 51 is mounted on the head main body 44 so as to be movable back and forth and turnable.

  In the traveling path of the fiber bundle 2 between the unwinding device 10 and the winding device 30, the unwinding amount for measuring the unwinding amount of the fiber bundle 2 from the unwinding device 10 as shown in FIG. Measuring means 60 and tension measuring means 61 for measuring the tension generated in the fiber bundle 2 are arranged. The unwinding amount measuring means 60 includes a rotating roller 62 that rotates in contact with the fiber bundle 2 and a rotation sensor (encoder) 63 that detects the unwinding amount of the fiber bundle 2 from the number of rotations of the rotating roller 62. The tension measuring means 61 is a tension roller 65 that applies a pressing force in one direction to the fiber bundle 2 between the pair of guide rollers 64, and a tension sensor that detects the tension of the fiber bundle 2 from the biasing force applied to the pressing roller 65. 66.

  On the other hand, the winding head 41 in the winding device 30 is mounted with a width sensor (optical sensor) 67 for measuring the width of the fiber bundle 2 fed from the winding roller 51 as well shown in FIG. ing. The width sensor 67 includes a light emitting portion 67a and a light receiving portion 67b. The light emitting portion 67a and the light receiving portion 67b are attached to a pair of upper and lower parts bridged between a pair of brackets 50 that support the winding roller 51. It is arranged opposite to the plate 68. Therefore, the width sensor 67 moves integrally with the winding roller 51 (reciprocating movement, back-and-forth movement, and turning).

  In the present embodiment, signals from the rotation sensor 63 in the unwinding amount measuring means 60, the tension sensor 66 in the tension measuring means 61, and the width sensor 67 provided in the winding head 41 are sent to the control device 70. It has become. In addition to the function of numerically controlling (NC) the motor 12 in the unwinding device 10, the pressure control valve 19 of the tension applying means 14, the various motors 36, 38, 42, etc. in the winding device 30, the control device 70 It has a function of storing the measurement results obtained by the sensors 63, 66, and 67. Further, the control device 70 is provided with a recording device 71 for recording the measurement results obtained by the sensors 63, 66, and 67 with time.

  Hereinafter, a filament winding method using the filament winding apparatus configured as described above will be described.

  In carrying out the filament winding method, the tank body 1 as a member to be wound is supported by the clamp unit 35 of the work support means 31 in the winding device 30 and then impregnated with resin from the bobbin 11 in the unwinding device 10. The fiber bundle 2 is unwound, the fiber bundle 2 is guided to the winding head 41 in the winding device 30 through the tension applying means 14, and further drawn out onto the winding roller 51, and the tip portion thereof is stored in the tank. It is fixed to a predetermined part of the main body 1.

  Then, after the above preparation is completed, the operation of the motor 12 in the unwinding device 10 and the motors 36, 38, and 42 in the winding device 30 is started by a winding instruction from the control device 70. Then, the tank main body 1 rotates and moves in the axial direction, and the winding head 41 having the winding roller 51 moves relative to the tank main body 1 (parallel movement), whereby the fiber bundle 2 is wound around the tank main body 1. . At this time, since both ends of the tank main body 1 are formed in a throttle shape, the winding roller 51 moves back and forth and turns to adjust the winding distance and winding angle when winding the both ends. As a result, the fiber bundle 2 is gradually laminated on the tank body 1 in the helical winding and hoop winding pattern shown in FIG. 6, and the winding of the tank body 1 is repeated by repeating this winding until the predetermined number of laminations. A hydrogen tank having a composite structure in which the surface is covered with the FRP layer 3 (FIG. 7) is completed.

  During the winding of the fiber bundle 2 around the tank body 1 described above, the unwinding amount, tension, and width of the fiber bundle 2 are continuously measured by the rotation sensor 63, the tension sensor 66, and the width sensor 67, respectively. The measurement result is recorded in a recording device 71 attached to the control device 70. In the present embodiment, after the hydrogen tank is completed as described above, quality is determined based on the diagram recorded in the recording device 71.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of a recording diagram (fiber bundle width diagram) of the width of the fiber bundle 2 measured by the width sensor 67. The width of the fiber bundle 2 is related to the holes 4 generated in the FRP layer 3 on the tank body 1 as described above with reference to FIG. In the fiber bundle width diagram of FIG. 3, the portion P <b> 1 where the width of the fiber bundle 2 is lowered (narrower) than the standard level is such that the strength (pressure strength) of the hydrogen tank is lower than the standard. This shows that the holes 4 (FIG. 7) are generated. In the present embodiment, the relationship between the width of the fiber bundle 2 and the state of occurrence of the holes 4 is grasped by a prior investigation, and the width of the fiber bundle 2 is compared with the standard level on the fiber bundle width diagram of FIG. If it is narrower than a predetermined value, it is determined that the quality is poor. In this case, the accuracy of the measurement data by the width sensor 67 becomes a problem, but in this embodiment, the width is measured immediately after the fiber bundle 2 is fed from the winding roller 51 and moved together with the winding roller 51. Since the width is measured by the width sensor 67, the measurement data with sufficiently high accuracy is obtained, and the reliability for quality determination on the fiber bundle width diagram is sufficiently high.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of a recording diagram (unwinding amount diagram) of the unwinding amount of the fiber bundle 2 measured by the rotation sensor 63. When the fiber bundle 2 is hoop-wound and helically wound on the tank body 1 described above (FIG. 6), the unwinding amount of the fiber bundle 2 is kept small in the vicinity of the turn-up of both ends of the tank body 1, and therefore shown in FIG. Thus, the unwinding amount diagram shows a tendency to gradually increase while drawing a large wave. In the present embodiment, an ideal unwinding amount diagram (indicated by a broken line) is grasped in advance, and there is a portion P2 where the difference between the actual unwinding amount and the ideal unwinding amount becomes larger than a certain value. In such a case, it is judged that the quality is poor because there is a concern about a decrease in strength.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of a recording diagram (tension diagram) of the tension of the fiber bundle 2 measured by the tension sensor 66. As described above, in the filament winding method, control is performed to reduce the tension in accordance with the winding diameter of the fiber bundle. Therefore, as shown in the figure, the tension diagram gradually decreases with time. In the present embodiment, on the tension diagram, it is grasped whether or not there is a portion P3 in which the tension greatly changes with respect to the standard level. Since there is a concern about strength reduction, it is determined that the quality is poor.

  In this way, in the present embodiment, during the execution of the filament winding method, the width, unwinding amount, and tension of the fiber bundle 2 that has a significant effect on the quality are recorded, and the quality of the quality is confirmed on these recording diagrams. The pressure resistance test for the manufactured hydrogen tank can be omitted, and the cost burden required for quality control is significantly reduced.

  In the above embodiment, the winding roller 51 is used as a winding jig for feeding the fiber bundle 2 from the winding head 41. However, the type of the winding jig is arbitrary, and a roller pair. Or eye.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the fiber bundle 2 impregnated with resin was unwound from the bobbin 11, as a filament winding method, the fiber bundle 2 between the unwinding apparatus 10 and the winding apparatus 30 is used. There is also a method of impregnating the fiber bundle with resin in the course of the traveling path, and the present invention naturally includes such a method of filament winding.

  Furthermore, although the example applied to manufacture of the hydrogen tank for fuel cell systems was demonstrated in the said embodiment, the kind of to-be-wrapped member made into winding object by this invention is arbitrary, Other structures other than a tank It may be a thing. Further, the present filament winding method may be applied to the manufacture of a structure with a single FRP layer. In this case, the member to be wound becomes a mandrel instead of the tank body 1.

1 is a system diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of a filament winding apparatus according to the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the principal part structure of the winding head with which this filament winding apparatus is equipped. It is a graph which shows an example of the measurement recording of the width | variety of the fiber bundle obtained with the filament winding method which concerns on this invention. It is a graph which shows an example of the measurement recording of the unwinding amount of the fiber bundle obtained by this filament winding method. It is a graph which shows an example of the measurement recording of the tension | tensile_strength of the fiber bundle obtained by this filament winding method. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a winding state of a fiber bundle when a hydrogen tank is manufactured by a filament winding method, where (A) shows a helical winding state and (B) shows a hoop winding state. It is a schematic diagram which shows the generation | occurrence | production state of the void | hole by the winding defect of the fiber bundle by a filament winding method.

Explanation of symbols

1 Tank body (member to be wrapped)
2 Fiber bundle impregnated with resin 10 Unwinding device 11 Bobbin 14 Tension applying device 30 Winding device 31 Work support means 32 Fiber unwinding means 41 Winding head 51 Winding roller (winding jig)
63 Rotation sensor (unwinding amount measuring means)
66 Tension sensor 67 Width sensor (optical sensor)
70 Control device 71 Recording device

Claims (4)

  In a filament winding method in which a fiber bundle impregnated with resin is wound around a member to be wound, the width of the fiber bundle is continuously measured in the vicinity of the feeding of the fiber bundle with respect to the member to be wound, and the measurement result is obtained. A filament winding method, wherein quality is determined based on a recorded fiber bundle width diagram.   The filament winding method according to claim 1, wherein the unwinding amount of the fiber bundle is continuously measured, and the quality is determined based on the unwinding amount diagram in which the measurement result is recorded.   2. The filament winding method according to claim 1, wherein the tension of the fiber bundle is continuously measured, and the quality is determined based on a tension diagram in which the measurement result is recorded. In a filament winding apparatus for winding a fiber bundle impregnated with a resin around a member to be wound while controlling an unwinding amount and a tension, the fiber bundle is equipped in a winding head for winding the fiber bundle around the member to be wound. A filament winding apparatus characterized in that a sensor for detecting the width of the fiber bundle is arranged around the winding roller so as to be movable integrally with the winding roller.

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