JPS6160372A - Core material for steering wheel and its method of manufacture - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate the winding of fiber impregnated with resin, onto the outer peripheral surface of a spoke part by guiding said fiber impregnated with resin to pass through a fiber guide and rotating a winding jig around the axis of said spoke part centering around its axis while making it move in the axial direction of said spoke part. CONSTITUTION:A bundle of fiber 4 impregnated with resin made of long fiber which is cut to length, is guided to pass through a ring 3 provided on the outside of a winding jig 1 and a ring 2 provided on one end of the winding jig 1, and one end of the bundle of fiber is fixed to the spoke part 6 near a boss metal part 7. Then, the winding jig 1 is rotated while being moved in the axial direction of the spoke part 6 so as to part from the boss metal part 7. Thereby, the bundle of fiber 4 impregnated with resin is delivered from the ring 2 provided on one end of the winding jig 1 which rotatingly moves on the outer peripheral surface of the spoke part 6, and wound around the spoke part 6 near the boss metal part 7.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to a fiber reinforced resin (FRP) steering wheel core material made of continuous filament bundles impregnated with resin, and a method for manufacturing the same.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, polyurethane resin, polypropylene resin, etc. have been used in steering wheels for automobiles to reduce weight, but these resins alone lack strength, so iron rods or iron pipes are usually used as the core material. is filled inside. Therefore, the lightweight effect was small.

However, recently, as described in British Patent Publication No. GB2004855, resin-impregnated fiber bundles in which continuous long fiber bundles such as glass fibers and carbon fibers are impregnated with resins such as unsaturated polyester resins and epoxy resins have been developed. A method has been developed for forming a structure into a predetermined shape by wrapping it around a frame or mold. Since the structure made based on this method has ephemeral strength, if the core material of a steering wheel is similarly made from a long resin-impregnated fiber bundle, it will have the same strength as a conventional iron core material. Since the core material having the above-mentioned properties is obtained, and the density of the resin-impregnated fiber bundle is much lower than that of iron, it is possible to obtain a significantly lighter steering wheel.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, if the ring and spoke parts of a steering wheel are formed using resin-impregnated continuous filament bundles by applying the above-mentioned method as is, when an external force is applied to the steering wheel, a screw will be formed at the branching part between the spoke part and the boss part. 9
), but FRP made of continuous long fibers lacks torsional rigidity and bending rigidity due to the creation of voids at the branching part of the spoke part with the ring part and the joint part with the boss metal fitting. There is a common occurrence that peeling occurs between the fibers constituting the FRP at these branching portions and joint portions.

The present invention provides a lightweight and high-strength FRPfi steering wheel core material made of continuous long fibers reinforced with branched portions, and a method for manufacturing the same.

[Failure to solve the problem]

The steering wheel core material of the present invention is a steering wheel core formed by winding a continuous long fiber bundle impregnated with resin around a predetermined jig and a boss metal fitting, and laminating them to form a ring part and a spoke part connecting the ring part and the boss metal fitting. It is characterized in that a resin-impregnated continuous fiber bundle is wrapped around the spoke part of the material near the boss fitting and the branch part of the ring part.

The method for manufacturing the steering wheel core material involves winding a continuous long fiber bundle impregnated with resin around a predetermined jig and a boss metal fitting, and stacking them to form a ring part and spoke parts connecting the ring part and the boss metal fitting. A cylindrical winding jig having a fiber guide at one end is attached to the spoke part of the steering wheel core material made of plastic, and a resin-impregnated long fiber bundle with one end fixed to the spoke part is inserted through the fiber guide of the winding jig. ,
The method is characterized in that the winding jig is rotated along the outer periphery of the spoke part to wind the resin-impregnated long fibers around the branch part of the spoke part from the ring part and near the boss fitting.

In the present invention, the orientation of the fibers to be wound can be adjusted by appropriately adjusting the ratio of the moving speed of the winding jig in the axial direction of the spoke portion to the speed at which the winding jig is rotated along the outer periphery of the spoke portion.

By rotating the winding jig and moving it back and forth along the axial direction of the spoke to wind the fiber around the outer periphery of the spoke, the fiber can be wound in multiple layers.

The method of the present invention can be applied not only to steering wheels but also to branch parts of rod-shaped structures, and the resin-impregnated fiber bundle can be easily wrapped around the outer periphery of the rod-shaped structure to strengthen that part. can.

The shape of the resin-impregnated fiber bundle to be wrapped is not only thread-like, but also
It may be in the form of a tape.

The wrapping jig used in the present invention may be made of metal or FRP, and may have a shape that can be divided into two on the left and right with respect to the axis of the spoke so that it can be attached to the spoke, and may have a notch in the axial direction. However, it may be a semi-cylindrical body into which the spoke portion can be press-fitted through the slit of this notch.

The continuous long fibers used in the present invention include conventionally known fibers such as glass fibers and carbon fibers, and are not particularly limited. The thickness and number of fibers used are not particularly limited, but for example, glass fibers with a diameter of about 15 to 23 μm, carbon fibers with a diameter of about 7 to 10 μm, and 2000 μm in diameter.
It is preferable to use a bundle of 30,000 to 30,000 pieces.

Further, as the resin to be impregnated into the long fibers, those conventionally used in FRP, such as epoxy resin, unsaturated polyester resin, and phenol resin, can be used.

[Function] As described above, the present invention unwinds a resin-impregnated long fiber bundle from the fiber guide at the end of the pressure wrapping jig, moves the wrapping jig in the axial direction of the spoke portion, and rotates the fiber bundle to the spoke. It can be wrapped spirally around the area. By changing the degree of movement of the spokes in the axial direction, the spacing and orientation of the helically wound fiber bundles can be changed.

The fiber bundles wrapped around the spokes resist screwing and bending, and prevent separation between the FRP fibers that make up the spokes.

〔Example〕

The present invention will be explained by way of embodiments according to the drawings.

Example A two-fiber bundle of resin gold made of long fibers is wound around a steering wheel mold having a boss fitting a predetermined number of times to form a core material for a steering wheel having a boss fitting 7, spoke portions 6, and a ring portion. Next, the vicinity of the boss fitting 7 (boss branching part) K of the spoke part 6 formed by washing as described above, and the ring as a fiber guide provided at one end of the cylindrical winding jig 1 as shown in FIG. Attach it so that 2 is on the boss metal fitting 7 side. This winding jig 1 is shaped to open left and right with respect to the tlIII line of the spoke portion, and is installed with the winding jig 1 open. Then, a resin-impregnated fiber bundle 4 made of long fibers cut to a predetermined length is passed through a ring 3 provided on the outside of the wrapping jig 1 and a groove 2 provided at one end of the wrapping jig 1. One end is fixed to the spoke part 6 near the boss metal fitting 7. Next, the winding jig 1 is rotated while being moved in the axial direction of the spoke part away from the boss metal fitting 7.

The resin-impregnated fiber bundle 4 is let out from a ring 2 provided at one end of a winding jig 1 that rotates on the outer peripheral surface of the spoke part 6, and is wound around the boss fitting 7 (branching part) of the spoke part 6.

Further, the winding jig 1 is rotated while being moved in the axial direction opposite to the tip, and the resin-impregnated fiber is wound around the boss fitting 7 (branching part) of the spoke part B. This is repeated a predetermined number of times, and the resin-impregnated long fibers are similarly wrapped around the branching part of the spoke part 6 from the ring part 8.
As shown in the figure, a core material for a steering wheel is obtained in which the boss branch part and the branch part between the spoke part and the ring part are reinforced.

Note that the orientation of the reinforcing fibers 5 can be changed by adjusting the ratio of the moving speed in the axial direction and the rotational speed of the spoke portions of the winding jig 1.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, the present invention involves attaching a cylindrical winding jig having a fiber guide at one end to a spoke part, passing a resin-impregnated fiber through the guide, and moving the winding jig in the axial direction of the spoke part to By rotating the fiber guide around the axis of the spoke part, the resin-impregnated long fibers are fed out through the fiber guide, and the resin-impregnated long fibers can be easily wrapped around the outer circumferential surface of the spoke part. It is possible to produce a steering wheel made of FRP made of long iso fibers, which is reinforced and has excellent bending strength and screw strength. As a result, even when force is applied to the long-fiber FRP snap steering wheel, the FRP at the branching portion does not separate between the fibers.

Furthermore, by adjusting the ratio of the axial movement speed and rotational speed of the winding fitting, the orientation of the fibers to be wound can be adjusted, and strength for a desired orientation can be obtained.

Furthermore, the method of the present invention can be applied not only to branch parts but also to other parts, and the resin-impregnated fiber can be easily wrapped around other parts, thereby strengthening that part, so it has a wide range of applications. It is something.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a boss branch of a steering wheel core material according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of a steering wheel in which the υ branch is reinforced according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1... Winding jig 2, 3... Ring 4... Resin gold 3-fiber bundle 5... Reinforcing fiber 6... Spoke part 7... Boss metal fitting 8... Ring Patent applicant: Toyota Motor Corporation and one other person Figure 1, Figure 2

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) The spoke part of the steering wheel core material is made by winding a resin-impregnated continuous long fiber bundle around a predetermined jig and a boss metal fitting and laminating them to form a ring part and a spoke part connecting the ring part and the boss metal fitting. A steering wheel core material characterized in that a resin-impregnated continuous fiber bundle is wound around the vicinity of the boss fitting and the branching part of the ring part. (2) A steering wheel core material made by winding a continuous long fiber bundle impregnated with resin around a predetermined jig and a boss metal fitting and laminating them to form a ring part and a spoke part connecting the ring part and the boss metal fitting. A cylindrical winding jig having a fiber guide at one end is attached to the spoke part, a resin-impregnated long fiber bundle with one end fixed to the spoke part is inserted through the fiber guide of the winding jig, and the winding jig is attached to the spoke part. 1. A method for manufacturing a steering wheel core material, which comprises rotating the resin-impregnated long fibers along the outer periphery of the spoke part and wrapping the resin-impregnated long fibers around the branch part of the spoke part from the ring part and near the boss fitting.