JPH01260045A - Weaving of three-dimensional fibrous structure and unit therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the title unit of smaller scale, so designed that plural yarn-wound bobbins and a means to deliver yarns from woven forms or said bobbins are set up in the front and rear of a weaving drive and a carrier through which said yarns are penetrated is moved. CONSTITUTION:Yarns delivered from bobbins 7 are introduced, via a converging guide 8, into the holes on a carrier 3 in a weaving drive 2. The carrier 3 is then alternately moved in the biaxial direction through guides 47, 48 rectangular to each other to form a three-dimensional fiber structure 4, 5 on the both sides of said carrier 3. Thence, a full length of the resultant structure 4 is delivered by a grip-conveying means 10 followed by gripping the end of said structure 4. Said carrier 3 is then moved so that the structure 5 on the upstream side of the weaving drive 2 get loose to make said structure 5 come loose, and concurrently with this, a structure in the direction opposite to the above- mentioned one is formed on the downstream side. The above processes are repeated, thus obtaining the objective three-dimensional structure of continuous length.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a conventional torsion lace method for weaving a three-dimensional woven body and improvement of a weaving device, and more specifically, a continuous weaving method with high weaving efficiency, This invention relates to a weaving device that is smaller in size and lower in cost.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, carbon a! was mainly used as a reinforcing means for plastics or metals. A method has been adopted in which so-called prepreg, which is a flat layer of reinforcing fibers such as fibers, glass fibers, or metal fibers, is laminated in multiple layers and embedded in a material to be reinforced, such as a plastic material.

However, in the structure of reinforcing fibers created by this method, it is relatively difficult to use a large amount of reinforcing fibers because the fibers are not arranged in a three-dimensional direction. There was a problem that the shear strength was low and the strength of the fiber-reinforced molded body was not sufficiently improved.

In order to solve this problem, it has been proposed to use a braided string or a braided structure that is an extension of this, that is, a "three-dimensional fiber structure" to reinforce plastics, metals, and the like.

The weaving method for forming this three-dimensional fiber structure has already been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,312,261,
This weaving method is one of the methods called the torsion lace method.

This weaving method involves arranging a large number of carriers carrying bobbins in a fixed array within a limited plane, and attaching the carriers to each side of the carrier using the driving force of an electromagnetic solenoid provided on the outer periphery of the plane. By moving the carriers arranged in a line vertically or horizontally as a group using magnets and changing the positions of the bobbins, the fiber molded body is made three-dimensional by the intertwining of the yarns.

In addition, the present inventors have repeatedly developed the technology for this three-dimensional weaving method in order to miniaturize the weaving apparatus and improve the weaving speed, and have filed the resulting invention as Japanese Patent Application No. 1982-230635.

The outline of this invention is as follows.

In a method for weaving a three-dimensional fiber structure in which a plurality of fibers to be woven are woven into a three-dimensional structure by a weaving drive device having a plurality of carriers, a tension applying device is provided on both sides of the weaving drive device, and a tension applying device is provided on both sides of the weaving drive device, A three-dimensional structure characterized by simultaneously weaving two three-dimensional structures by stretching fibers from one tensioning device to the other tensioning device via a carrier of the driving device and moving the carrier. A method of weaving a fiber structure. Furthermore, in a three-dimensional fiber structure weaving device that weaves a plurality of fibers to be woven into a three-dimensional structure using a weaving drive device that includes a plurality of carriers and a drive means for moving the carriers in biaxial directions, the weaving drive This is a weaving device for a three-dimensional fiber structure, characterized in that tension applying devices are provided on both sides of the device for applying tension to the fibers to be woven stretched through a carrier of the weaving drive device.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, the method of weaving a three-dimensional fiber structure disclosed in the above-mentioned US patent requires a large-sized device to move the bobbin around which the fibers to be woven are wound. Therefore, there is a problem that the weaving speed cannot be increased.

On the other hand, the method of weaving a three-dimensional fiber structure proposed by the present inventors does not move the bobbin directly as in the conventional method, but instead uses a small Since weaving is carried out by moving the carrier, it is possible to downsize the device and increase the weaving speed, but since the ends of both products are cut each time a woven product of the required length is obtained on both sides of the carrier, it is difficult to re-weave. Again, there is a problem in that threading the carrier requires manipulation and is inefficient.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and to provide a weaving method and a weaving apparatus that can continuously obtain a three-dimensional fiber structure with the bobbin fixed in a predetermined position. That is.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The method for weaving a three-dimensional fiber structure of the present invention for solving the above problems is as follows.

That is, (a) a method of passing a plurality of fibers to be woven through a convergence guide for the fibers and each through hole of a plurality of carriers;
By gripping the ends of the plurality of fibers to be woven by the gripping and transferring means, and (b) moving the plurality of carriers alternately in the direction of the two wheels in a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of the fibers to be woven. , weaving a three-dimensional fiber structure with opposite weaving directions on both sides of the plurality of carriers; (c) then transporting the three-dimensional fiber structure on the gripping and transporting means side for a certain length; ) Thereafter, by driving the plurality of carriers in a direction opposite to the weaving driving direction of the carriers, a weaving direction opposite to the weaving direction of the three-dimensional fiber structure already woven on the gripping and transferring means side is then driven. At the same time as weaving the three-dimensional fiber structure, the three-dimensional fiber structure on the bobbin side is unwound to enable threading from the bobbin to the plurality of carriers; By conveying the three-dimensional structure on the means side for a certain length and repeating the operations (b) to (e) above, a certain length of interweaving structure is alternately woven in the forward and reverse directions on the gripping and transporting means side. This is a method for weaving a three-dimensional fiber structure.

Moreover, the weaving apparatus for the three-dimensional fiber structure of the present invention is as follows.

That is, (a) a plurality of bobbins around which fibers to be woven are wound; (b) a focusing guide for converging the fibers to be woven; and (c) a plurality of bobbins having through holes for supporting each of the fiber shafts to be woven. A three-dimensional fiber structure is weaved by a carrier and a moving means that arranges the carrier close to the plane substantially perpendicular to the fiber axis to be woven and moves the carrier alternately in two axial directions within the plane. This is a weaving device for a three-dimensional fiber structure, comprising a weaving drive device, and (d) a gripping and transporting means for gripping and transporting the interwoven three-dimensional fiber structure in this order.

[Function] The fibers to be woven supplied from the bobbin are extruded in the weaving drive device while being guided by a plurality of carriers, and are mixed and woven by moving in the longitudinal and lateral directions. At this time, fiber structures are created on the bobbin side and on the gripping/transferring means side, which are interwoven in opposite directions with the weaving drive device as a boundary.

Next, the gripping and transferring means picks up a certain length of the fiber structure, and the gripping and transferring means fixes the end of the interwoven part to prevent it from unraveling. Here, when the carrier is driven again in the opposite direction, the fiber structure on the bobbin side is unwound and each fiber to be woven becomes parallel, and at the same time, the fiber structure on the bobbin side is moved in the opposite direction to the previous one. A interwoven fiber structure is formed.

By sequentially repeating the above-mentioned operations, fiber structures in which the weaving directions are alternately reversed are continuously woven on the gripping and transferring means side.

[Example] One embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side view of the three-dimensional weaving apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the weaving drive device of FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 is a front view of the weaving drive device of FIG.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the carrier shown in FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the relationship between the carrier and the guide shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the dummy carrier of FIG. 7.

In FIG. 1, the three-dimensional weaving device has a weaving drive device 2 in the center, and in front of the device 2, bobbins 7 on which the fibers to be woven 1 are wound are arranged on the bobbin side 71. The bobbin 7 is provided with a tensor device (not shown), whereby tension is constantly applied to the fibers 1 to be woven. Furthermore, a focusing guide 8 for once focusing the respective weaving fibers 1 taken out from the bobbin 7 is provided between the bobbin 7 and the weaving drive device 2.

In the weaving drive device 2, as shown in FIG. 5 when the device is viewed in the longitudinal direction of the fiber lft1, carriers 3 are regularly arranged vertically and horizontally inside a housing 21, and on the four sides of the outer periphery, carriers 3 are arranged regularly.
A rod 4 for moving the carrier 3 in the vertical and horizontal directions.
6, and drive devices 41 to 44 equipped with a plurality of drive devices 45 such as cylinders and solenoids for sliding the rod 46.

The weaving drive device 2 is also provided with guides 47 and 48 that serve to guide the carrier 3 when it moves, and a plurality of comb-shaped guide rods 49 arranged in parallel.
It consists of And these guides 47 and 48 are
As shown by the guides 48, they can be slid forward and backward in the vertical direction of the figure from the position indicated by the two-dot chain line to the position indicated by the broken line using a drive device (not shown). The length of the guide rod 49 is longer than the total length of at least one group of carrier rows in the same row. Further, the number of guide rods 49 is also set to be the number arranged between all the carrier rows.

Further, the guide rod 49 has a rectangular cross-sectional shape as shown in FIG. 7, and is inserted into the recess S of the carrier 3. Therefore, the carrier rows are guided by guide rods 49 inserted between each row.

Furthermore, the thickness of the guide rods 49 (the dimension in the direction in which the guide rods 49 are arranged) is the same as or slightly higher than the height of the space created by the recess S of the adjacent carrier 3, which serves as a passage for the guide rods. Value dimensions. Therefore, the moving carrier rows move not on the contact surfaces T of adjacent carrier rows, but on the guide rods.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8, a dummy carrier 6 that presses the serial carrier 3 is provided at the end of the rod 46 that drives the carrier row. It is the length. The aforementioned guide rod 49 is inserted into the recess R of the dummy carrier 6.

The carrier 3 of the weaving drive device 2 is provided with a through hole 3a as shown in FIG. 6, and the fibers 1 to be woven are held therethrough.

As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of presser rollers 10 are installed behind the weaving drive device 2 as a gripping and transferring means for preventing the woven three-dimensional fiber structure 4 from unraveling. ,
Further behind it, a feed device 11 for conveying the three-dimensional fiber structure 4 is disposed. The feed device 11 is composed of a feed roller group 12 and a drive motor (not shown) for driving the feed roller group 12. Note that the gripping and transferring means may be divided into a holding roller 10 mainly used for gripping and a foot device mainly used for transferring, as in this embodiment, or the holding roller 10 may be used as a holding and transferring means that serves as both.

Further, a reed device 9 is provided between the presser roller 10 and the weaving drive device 2 for tightening the woven structure at the interwoven portion M of the fibers 1 to be woven. This reed device is configured so that the limbs 91 can rotate in the direction of an arrow and at the same time be movable between the presser roller 10 and the weaving drive device 2. This limb 91 may be, for example, comb-shaped or pipe-shaped. Preferably, the surface thereof is coated or covered with a material having a low coefficient of friction, such as a tetrafluoroethylene resin.

When the above-mentioned reed device 9 is provided, a weaving force is applied to the fibers 1 to be woven at the weaving point M, and the tightening force of the weaving part is improved.As a composite material, the fiber volume content increases and the strength increases. This is preferable because it improves the performance. However, the reed device 9 does not need to be provided when the tightening force of the interwoven part M may be weak or when the structure of the interwoven part does not require uniformity.

Next, three-dimensional 1 in the present invention! The weaving method will be explained based on FIGS. 1 to 4, 9 and 10.

(1) First, as shown in FIG. 1, the fibers 1 to be woven are pulled out from the bobbin 7, pass through the carrier 3 disposed in the weaving drive device 2, and pass through the convergence guide 8 and the presser roller for preventing unwinding. It is stretched between 10 and 10.

Note that the three-dimensional fiber structures 4 and 4' are those that have already been woven.

(2) In the state shown in Fig. 1, the weaving drive device 2 operates, and the carrier 3 moves in two axial directions according to the torsion lace method to perform the weaving operation, so there is a three-dimensional fiber structure on both sides of the weaving drive device 2. A body 4-15 is formed, resulting in the state shown in FIG. In addition, during the weaving operation, the weave is tightened by reeding the cross-woven portion M with the limbs 91 of the reeding device 9 provided between the presser roller 10 and the weaving drive device 2.

On the other hand, if the beating is omitted between the focusing guide 8 and the weaving drive device 2, the presser roller 10 and the weaving drive device 2
A three-dimensional fiber structure 4 with a tight texture is woven between the focusing guide 8 and the weaving drive device 2, but a three-dimensional fiber structure with a loose texture is woven between the focusing guide 8 and the weaving drive device 2. A "temporary woven body 5"> is woven.

Further, the movement locus of the carrier 3 in the above-mentioned weaving is such that, for example, a certain carrier 30 in FIG. 9 moves in the direction of the arrow (this is taken as the forward direction), and as shown in FIG. It is assumed that when the three-dimensional fiber structure 4 is woven, it reaches the carrier 31'. After that, the woven length L is fed by the feed device 11 by the arrow shown in Fig. 2 (left side).
New fibers to be woven are also drawn out from the bobbin 7, resulting in the state shown in FIG.

(3) In FIG. 3, the weaving end portion (the position of the interwoven portion M in the figure) is pressed and fixed by the presser roller 10.

In this state, weaving is carried out by moving the carrier 3 of the weaving drive device 2 in the completely opposite direction to the previous time, as shown in FIG. 10, according to the torsion lace method. That is, in the figure, the carrier 31 moves in the direction of the arrow and reaches the position of the carrier 30. By moving this carrier 3 in the opposite direction,
The temporary woven body 5 that has been woven between the focusing guide 8 and the weaving drive device 2 is completely unraveled. However, the three-dimensional fiber structure 4 between the weaving device 2 and the presser roller 10 is
Since the weaving end portion is constantly pressed by the presser roller 10, it is not unwound, and a new three-dimensional fiber structure 4- is woven without tissue tightening by the reed device, resulting in the state shown in FIG. 4. . However, the three-dimensional fiber structure 4 that has already been woven
and the newly woven three-dimensional fiber structure 4- is the carrier 3
Since the loci of movement are in completely opposite directions, the weave structure is completely symmetrical. Note that the boundaries between these three-dimensional fiber structures 4 and 4- may be slightly loosened or unraveled depending on the material of the fibers to be woven, but for example, thermal fusion, wrapping with adhesive tape, binding with string, etc. It is preferable to carry out unwinding and spinning each time using the following means.

(4> When the three-dimensional fiber structure 4' woven as shown in FIG. 4 is conveyed by the length in the direction of the arrow by the feed device 11, it becomes the state shown in FIG. 1. At this time, the three-dimensional fiber structure 4' Similarly, the weaving end portion of - is pressed by the presser roller 10 to prevent unraveling.

(5) Thereafter, by repeating the operations (1) to (4) above, the weave structure is reversed symmetrically in units of the required length L, but the three-dimensional $1Ii11 is continuously transformed into a structure. Can be woven.

As shown in the front view of the weaving drive device in FIG. Press the carrier 3 to move it. beside(
Drives 42, 44 act in the left/right direction.

Next, the operation of the guides 47 and 48 at this time will be explained.

As mentioned above, the carrier 3 moves the same row in the vertical or horizontal direction as a group, but when moving in the horizontal direction,
The guide 47 is inserted into the group of carriers 3, its tip reaches the dummy carrier 6 facing the guide 47, and the other vertical guide 48 is pulled back downward in the figure and taken out of the carrier group. . Then, the carrier 3 is pressed in the left-right direction by the dummy carrier 6. Next, when moving the carrier 3 in the vertical direction in the figure, insert the vertical guide 48 into the group of carriers 3, let the tip reach the dummy carrier 6 facing the guide 48, and the other guide 47 Pull it back to the right and take it out of the carrier group. Then move carrier 3 vertically to dummy carrier 6.
Press to move it.

Furthermore, the torsion lace method in the present invention is such that a three-dimensional fiber structure is formed by alternately moving the carrier 3 in two axial directions. That is, the locus of the carrier 3 moved by the drive devices 41 to 44 installed vertically and horizontally within the same plane is as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 9. That is, the driving of the carrier 3 consists of the following four steps. For example, one carrier 30 among the carriers 3 follows the trajectory shown by the arrow in the figure by repeating the following four steps.

FIG. 9 shows only the carrier 3 and dummy carrier 6 in FIG. 5, where A-I indicates the column of carriers in the vertical direction, and a-1 indicates the row of carriers in the horizontal direction. .

First step: Rows B, D, F, and H move downward, and rows C, E, and G move upward one step at a time.

2nd step: c, e, g rows to the left, b, d.

Rows f and h take one step each to the right. Moving.

Third step: Rows B, D, F, and H move upward, and rows C, E, and G move downward one step at a time.

Fourth step: C, e, g rows to the right, b, d.

Rows f and h take one step each to the left. Moving.

Here, one step indicates the length of an integer number of carriers. Furthermore, the carrier may be moved two or more steps in one step.

The above carrier movement procedure is for the case of carrier movement in the forward direction from FIG. 1 to FIG. 2.

On the other hand, the procedure for moving the carrier in the reverse direction from FIG. 3 to FIG. 4 is based on repeating the following four steps. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10, the carrier 31 follows a movement trajectory as indicated by an arrow and returns to the position of the carrier 30.

1st step; rows c, e and g go leftward, b and d.

Rows f and h take one step each to the right. Moving.

Second step: Rows B, D, F, and H move upward, and rows C, E, and G move downward one step at a time.

3rd step; c, e, g rows to the right, b, d.

Rows f and h take one step each to the left. Moving.

Fourth step: 8. The D, F, and H columns move downward, and the C, E, and G columns move upward one step at a time.

As described above, the step of moving the carrier in the reverse direction is a movement step that is completely opposite to the step of moving the carrier in the forward direction described above.

The dummy carriers 6 are used not only to directly press and move the carriers 3, but also to support the carriers 3 arranged one by one, such as in column A, column 1, row a, and row i as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. To enable smooth movement of adjacent rows of carriers 3, rows A, 1, and i
It also plays the role of holding adjacent upper carriers 3 like rows.

As each of the above-mentioned four steps is repeated, the fibers 1 to be woven intersect with each other, and are woven with interwoven portions M as boundaries. Since tension is applied to each fiber 1 by the tensor device of the bobbin 7, there is a certain degree of weaving force, but in practical use 1, if the tightness of the weaving part is low with the weaving force due only to the tension, the weaving drive device A weaving force is applied by the reed device 9 moving between the weaving roller 2 and the presser roller 10. That is, the interwoven part M is positively pressed by the limbs 91, and the tightness of the interwoven part is improved. Specifically, the inclination angle of the woven material ylAN1 with respect to the horizontal axis after interweaving becomes more than twice that before the addition of interweaving force by the reed device. It is desirable that the action on the interwoven part M of the limb be performed at least once in each of the four steps.

The types of fibers to be woven include inorganic fibers such as metal fibers, carbon fibers, and alumina fibers, various organic fibers, and hybrid fibers of inorganic fibers and organic fibers, which are selected depending on the application. be done.

Furthermore, the fiber form is not limited to monofilament, but also multifilament twisted or braided fibers, as well as hollow or irregular cross-sections, depending on the application.

The three-dimensional fiber structure 4.4- made of the woven fibers 1 woven according to the present invention can be used as a reinforcing fiber structure for composite materials such as FRP, FRM, and C/C composite materials.
It can be used as a functional material such as filters, heat insulating materials, soundproofing materials, vibration absorbing materials, and ground backing, as well as for belts and clothing.

[Effects of the Invention] The present invention provides a weaving method for a three-dimensional fiber structure in which a plurality of fibers to be woven are weaved into a three-dimensional structure by a weaving drive device equipped with a plurality of carriers. A plurality of bobbins around which fibers to be woven are wound, and a gripping and transporting means for drawing out and conveying the woven three-dimensional fiber structure and the fibers to be woven wound around the bobbins are provided. The present invention provides a method and apparatus for weaving a three-dimensional fiber structure by moving a carrier through which woven fibers are penetrated, so that the following excellent effects are achieved.

(1) Compared to conventional bobbin transfer type devices, the device of the present invention is smaller and has lower equipment costs. In addition, it can be easily applied to a three-dimensional weaving apparatus for large-sized fiber structures. In other words, the expandability of the device is extremely large.

(2) Since the carrier is small and lightweight, the driving energy of the carrier is extremely reduced, and the moving speed of the carrier, that is, the weaving speed is increased, and the productivity is greatly improved.

(3) While achieving the effects of (1) and (2) above, three-dimensional fiber structures can be produced continuously! ! Because it can be woven,
The manufacturing cost of three-dimensional fiber structures is significantly reduced.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 4 are side views for explaining the manufacturing process of the three-dimensional weaving device of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a front view of the weaving drive device shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, and FIG. is a sectional view of the carrier in FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the relationship between the carrier and the guide, FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the dummy carrier in FIG. 7, and FIGS. 9 and 10 are , is an explanatory diagram showing a moving state of the carrier in FIG. 5; 1: Fiber to be woven 2: Weaving drive device 3: Carrier 4: Three-dimensional fiber M structure 5: Temporary woven body
6: Dummy carrier 7 Nibobin 8: Focusing guide 9: Renovation @ 10: Press roller 11: Feed device 12: Feed roller 21: Housing 30. 31: Carrier 32 Ni guide 4
1 to 44: Drive device 45: Drive equipment 46 2 lots 47: Guide guide (left and right direction) 48 2 Guide (vertical direction) 49 2 guide rod 91: Limbs Figure 5 Figure 9 ABCDEFGHI

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) (A) After passing a plurality of fibers to be woven through a focusing guide for the fibers and each through hole of a plurality of carriers, the ends of the plurality of fibers to be woven are gripped by a gripping and transferring means. (b) By alternately moving the plurality of carriers in biaxial directions in a plane substantially perpendicular to the fiber axis to be woven, weaving directions are opposite to each other on both sides with the plurality of carriers as a boundary. (c) Next, the three-dimensional fiber structure on the side of the gripping and transporting means is transported for a certain length; (d) After that, the plurality of carriers are weaved in the weaving driving direction of the carriers. By driving the 3D fiber structure in the opposite direction to the weaving direction of the 3D fiber structure already woven on the gripping and transferring means side, at the same time, the 3D fiber structure on the bobbin side is unwinding the original fiber structure to enable threading from the bobbin to the plurality of carriers; (e) further transporting the three-dimensional structure on the gripping and transporting means side for a certain length; ) A method for weaving a three-dimensional fiber structure, in which a constant length of mixed weave is alternately woven in forward and reverse directions on the gripping and transferring means side by repeating the operations (b) to (e) above. (2) (A) A plurality of bobbins around which the fibers to be woven are wound; (B) A focusing guide for converging the fibers to be woven; (C) A through hole for supporting each of the fibers to be woven. A three-dimensional fiber structure is interwoven by a plurality of carriers and a moving means that arranges the carriers close to each other in a plane substantially perpendicular to the fiber axis to be woven and moves the carriers alternately in two axial directions in the plane. A weaving device for a three-dimensional fiber structure, comprising, in this order, a weaving drive device for carrying out the weaving process; and (d) a gripping and transporting means for gripping and conveying the interwoven three-dimensional fiber structure. (3) The weaving device for a three-dimensional fiber structure according to claim 2, further comprising a reed device provided between the weaving drive device and the gripping and transferring means.