RU211088U1 - DEVICE FOR APPLICATION OF POWDER BINDER ON CONTINUOUS CARBON MATERIAL - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model relates to mechanical engineering, namely to devices for applying a powdered binder (binder) to a continuous carbon material in the manufacture of prepregs, and can be used in aerospace, automotive, shipbuilding and other industries. A device for applying a powdered binder to a continuous carbon material contains a housing in which a hopper is located. Said bunker has front and rear walls with doctor blades fixed in their lower part. A metering shaft is mounted under the hopper for rotation and contact with the squeegees, which is made with recesses evenly spaced along its working cylindrical surface. At the output of the dosing shaft from the hopper zone, a brush shaft is placed, which is mounted with the possibility of rotation in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the dosing shaft, with an angular speed of rotation greater than the angular speed of rotation of the dosing shaft and in contact with the recesses of the dosing shaft. The specified device also contains a turner placed in the hopper. The device preferably comprises a lid hinged in the housing above the hopper, on which the agitator and two adjustable sidewalls are mounted. Also in the housing under the metering and brush shafts can be placed pallet with the possibility of extension. Thus, the above-described device for applying a powdered binder to a continuous carbon material will ensure a continuous and uniform supply of a powdered binder to a continuous carbon material without sticking particles of a powdered binder in the recesses of the metering roll, and also save powdered binder. 3 w.p. f-ly, 7 ill.

Description

The utility model relates to mechanical engineering, namely to devices for applying a powdered binder (binder) to a continuous carbon material in the manufacture of prepregs, and can be used in aerospace, automotive, shipbuilding and other industries.

A device for applying a powdered binder to a continuous carbon material is intended for use as part of a plant for the production of prepregs based on carbon fiber fabrics or tapes. By means of this installation, at the unwinding unit 1, the continuous carbon material is unwound, then, by means of the device 2 for applying the powdered binder, the powdered binder is dosed and evenly applied to the material being processed, then the applied powdered binder is heated to the specified values by means of the heating device 3, the crimping device 4 is carried out flattening the applied binder and applying a protective film on the material being processed, cutting device 5 - longitudinal cutting of the material into tapes of a given width and uniform winding of the processed material into a roll by means of a winding unit 6 (Fig. 1).

From the prior art, a device is known for applying powder to a web of material (CH 691352, VS 19/04, 07/13/2001), which contains a housing with a supply hopper located in it, under which, but above the transport path S of the material web, for metered supply and distribution of the powder on the web of the material to be coated, a dosing shaft in the form of a rotating needle shaft and a vibrating brush are placed, while doctor blades are fixed on both sides of the lower opening of the supply hopper above the needle shaft. The powder is unloaded from the hopper onto the needles of the needle shaft, dosed with a doctor blade; a vibrating brush reciprocating in a horizontal plane shakes the powder from the needles so that the powder separates from the needles and falls onto the moving web to be coated. In a further direction of rotation of the needle shaft, on the other side thereof, a cleaning brush is located, which is in contact with the needle shaft and rotates in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the needle shaft. The cleaning brush is designed to clear the needle roller of any powder that may be stuck between the needles before the needles reach the storage hopper area again.

The disadvantage of this device is that the metering shaft rotates, and the vibrating brush reciprocates in a horizontal plane parallel to the axis of rotation of the metering shaft. Such an implementation does not provide uniform dispersion of the powder on the material web, which leads to a deterioration in the quality of the finished web. At the same time, during the operation of this device, the vibrating brush operates with a relatively small penetration of the bristles between the needles of the dosing shaft, the vibrating brush and the cleaning brush do not completely remove the powder between the needles of the needle shaft, so the needle shaft quickly becomes clogged, it becomes necessary to periodically stop the operation of the device and forcibly clean needle dosing shaft.

Also known from the prior art is a device for applying powder to a web of material (RU 2329874, VS 19/04, 07/27/2008), which contains a feed hopper, a cylindrical metering shaft, and a cleaning brush; at the same time, the dosing shaft has a smooth surface with recesses evenly spaced along this surface, and is mounted on rotation supports under the supply hopper and in contact with it, the supply hopper at the outlet of the dosing shaft from the zone of contact with the supply hopper has a plate located tangentially to the inside bunker section of the contour of the cross-section of the metering shaft; and the cleaning brush is fixed on rotation supports, located relative to the metering shaft from the side of its exit from the zone of contact with the supply hopper, and the angular speed of rotation of the cleaning brush is greater than the angular speed of rotation of the metering shaft.

The disadvantage of the device described in patent RU 2329874 is that when a powdered binder is applied to a continuous material, the powdered binder inside the hopper is caking, which prevents a continuous and uniform supply of the powdered binder to the metering shaft. This also causes sticking of particles of powdered binder in the recesses of the metering shaft. And, since the cleaning brush is mounted relative to the metering roller in such a way that an air gap is provided between the surfaces of the cleaning brush and the metering roller, when the metering roller exits the feed hopper, the powdered binder particles will not be completely removed by the cleaning brush from the recesses of the metering roller.

The objective of the claimed utility model is to develop a device for applying a powdered binder (binder) on a continuous carbon material that eliminates the above disadvantages.

The technical result is achieved by the fact that the device for applying a powdered binder to a continuous carbon material contains a housing in which a hopper is located, having front and rear walls with squeegees fixed in their lower part, a turner installed for placement in the hopper, a dosing shaft made with recesses evenly spaced along its working cylindrical surface and installed in the housing under the hopper with the possibility of rotation and in contact with the doctor blades, and the brush shaft installed in the housing on the side of the output of the metering shaft from the hopper zone with the possibility of rotation in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the metering shaft, with the angular speed of rotation is greater than the angular speed of rotation of the metering shaft, and is in contact with the recesses of the metering shaft.

At the same time, in the preferred embodiment, the specified device is provided with a cover hinged in the housing above the hopper, on which the agitator and two adjustable sidewalls are mounted.

Also, the specified device can be equipped with a pallet placed in the housing under the metering and brush shafts with the possibility of extension.

Also, said device can be provided with at least one guide roll mounted in the housing below the metering shaft.

Such an embodiment of the device for applying a powdered binder to a continuous carbon material ensures a continuous and uniform supply of a powdered binder to the metering roll, and, consequently, to a continuous carbon material without sticking particles of the powdered binder in the recesses of the metering roll. At the same time, the presence of a cover over the hopper prevents spraying of the powdered binder from the hopper. Two adjustable sidewalls mounted on the lid allow powdered binder to be applied to continuous carbon material of varying widths with minimal wastage. Also, the presence in the body of the pallet placed under the dosing and brush shafts with the possibility of extension, allows you to collect the powdered binder spilled during the operation of the proposed device and return it to the hopper, which saves the powdered binder.

The above features and advantages of the design of the proposed device for applying a powdered binder to a continuous carbon material will be clear from the following description of a preferred embodiment with reference to the attached figures, in which the same positions are used to represent the same elements:

in fig. 1 shows a diagram of a plant for the production of prepregs based on carbon fiber fabrics or tapes, which uses a device for applying a powdered binder (binder) to a continuous carbon material, in accordance with the proposed utility model;

in fig. 2 shows a general view in axonometric projection of a device for applying a powdered binder on a carbon tape, with an open hopper cover, in accordance with the proposed utility model;

in fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section of a device for applying a powder binder to a carbon tape in axonometric projection, in accordance with the proposed utility model;

in fig. 4 is an axonometric perspective view of a device for applying a powder binder to a carbon tape from the side opposite to that of the device shown in FIG. 2, with the tray in the extended position and the hopper cover open, in accordance with the proposed utility model;

in fig. 5 - dosing shaft, in accordance with the proposed utility model;

in fig. 6 - fragment A on an enlarged scale of the surface of the metering roller (preferred embodiment with honeycomb recesses);

in fig. 7 - section B-B of Fig. 6 (preferred embodiment of a metering roll with honeycomb recesses).

A device 2 for applying a powdered binder (binder) to a continuous carbon material 7, such as fabric or carbon fiber tape, includes a housing 8 having racks 9 and 10 rigidly connected to each other.

In the upper part of the body 8 there is a hopper 11 for placing the powdered binder. The hopper 11 has front 12 and rear 13 walls, which are attached to the posts 9, 10 of the body 8.

On the front 12 and rear 13 walls of the hopper 11, doctor blades 14 and 15 are fixed in their lower part.

Cover 16 is pivotally mounted in housing 8 above bin 11.

To prevent caking of the powdered binder inside the hopper 11, a stirrer 17 is mounted on the lid 16 of the hopper 11, which, when the lid 16 is lowered, i.e. when closing the bin 11 from above, it sinks into the bin 11. The agitator 17 is driven, for example, by a servomotor through a belt drive (not shown in the figures).

On the cover 16 of the hopper 11, two adjustable sidewalls 18 and 19 are installed, limiting the width of the zone of spraying the powdered binder onto the continuous carbon material 7. In this case, these adjustable sidewalls 18 and 19 serve as intermediate supports for the agitator shafts 17.

In the housing 8 under the hopper 11, a dosing shaft 20 is installed with the possibility of rotation, designed for uniform dosing and supply of a powdered binder to a continuous carbon material 7.

The dosing roller 20 is made of metal (eg steel or aluminium) and coated with a thin ceramic layer 21 (thickness h). On the cylindrical working surface 22 of the metering shaft 20 in the ceramic layer 21, recesses 23 are made, which are evenly distributed over the entire working surface 22 of the metering shaft 20. The shape of the recesses 23 can be different, for example, round, triangular, trapezoidal, tetrahedral, hexagonal.

The dosing shaft 20 is installed in such a way that its working surface 22 is in contact with doctor blades 14 and 15 located on the front 12 and rear 13 walls of the bin 11. Doctor blades 14 and 15, made of rectangular shape, the long sides of which are parallel to the axis of rotation of the dosing shaft 20 , prevent spontaneous spillage of the powdered binder, located in the hopper 11, outside the zone of contact with the metering shaft 20. At the same time, the squeegee 15, located at the outlet of the metering shaft 20 from the area of the hopper 11, during the operation of the device 2 also cleans the working surface 22 of the metering shaft 20 , leaving the powdered binder only in the recesses 23 of the metering shaft 20, thereby metering it.

The metering shaft 20 is driven, for example, by an electric motor through a gearbox and a belt drive, which are placed in one of the racks 9 (10) of the housing 8 (not shown in the figures).

In the housing 8, on the side of the exit of the dosing shaft 20 from the zone of the hopper 11, a brush shaft 24 is placed, designed to remove particles of powdered binder from the recesses 23 of the dosing shaft 20 and its dosed uniform application to the continuous carbon material 7.

The brush shaft 24 is installed in the housing 8 on rotation bearings so that its axis of rotation is parallel to the axis of rotation of the metering shaft 20. The brush shaft 24 is mounted for rotation in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the metering shaft 20, with an angular speed of rotation greater than the angular speed of rotation of the metering shaft 20. The brush shaft 24 is driven, for example, by an electric motor through a gearbox and a belt drive, which are placed in a free rack 10 (or 9) of the housing 8 (not shown in the figures).

In this case, the brush shaft 24 is located in such a way that it is in constant contact with the metering shaft 20, namely, with the bottom of the recesses 23 of the metering shaft 20. That is, the distance between the axis of rotation of the metering shaft 20 and the axis of rotation of the brush shaft 24 is less than the sum of the radii dosing 20 and brush 24 shafts.

The required amount of applied powdered binder is provided by adjusting the speed of rotation of the dosing 20 and brush 24 shafts.

To collect excess powdered binder, spilled during the operation of the device 2, in the housing 8 under the dosing 20 and 24 brush shafts there is a pallet 25 installed with the possibility of extension.

In the housing 8 in front of the 20 metering and 24 brush shafts between the 20 metering shaft and the pallet 25, a guide roller 26 can be placed to support the continuous carbon material 7 as it moves during the operation of the specified device 2. In this case, the device 2 for applying powdered binder to the continuous carbon the material 7 can also be made without a guide roll 26. In this case, in the prepreg machine, before the device 2 for applying the powdered binder to the continuous carbon material 7, a corresponding supporting roll assembly is located.

Device 2 for applying a powdered binder on a continuous carbon material 7 operates as follows.

A continuous carbon material 7, such as a fabric or a tape made of carbon fiber, for dosed application of a powdered binder (binder) is placed with the ability to move at a constant speed under the dosing 20 and brush 24 shafts above the pallet 25 supported by the guide roller 26 or the roller assembly prepreg manufacturing plants.

The dosing roller 20 can be an anilox roller, which is commonly used in flexo printing presses for transferring ink onto the material.

Figures 5, 6, 7 show an example of a metering shaft 20, which is made of metal coated with a ceramic layer 21 with a thickness h of approximately 300 μm. On the working surface 22 of the metering shaft 20, for example, by laser engraving, recesses 23 of a hexagonal shape (in the form of honeycombs), separated by jumpers 27.

Before the start of operation of the device 2, the cover 16 of the bin 11 is opened. Adjustable sidewalls 18, 19 on the cover 16 of the bin 11 are installed depending on the width of the continuous carbon material 7 located under the metering shaft 20. Powdered binder is poured into the hopper 11. In this case, if a continuous carbon material 7 of maximum width is filled into the device 2, the adjustable sidewalls 18, 19 are installed in such a way that they divide the hopper 11 in width into approximately three equal compartments, the powdered binder is poured over the entire width of the hopper 11, in this case, when lowering the lid 16, it appears in all three compartments of the hopper 11, and the indicated adjustable sidewalls 18, 19 serve as intermediate supports for the agitator shaft 17. its width located above the continuous carbon material 7.

Squeegees 14 and 15 in the lower part of the front 12 and rear 13 walls of the hopper 11 prevent the powder from spilling out of the hopper 11 beyond its contact zone with the dosing shaft 20, and the adjustable sidewalls 18, 19, when applying a powder binder to a narrower continuous carbon material 7, limit it spraying during operation throughout the hopper 11.

The cover 16 is turned, closing the hopper 11 from above. In this case, the agitator 17 is immersed in the powdered binder located in the hopper 11. The cover 16 in the lowered position on the hopper 11 prevents the powdered binder from being sprayed from the hopper 11 during the operation of the agitator 17.

Then, the rotation speeds of the dosing 20 and brush 24 shafts are adjusted depending on the amount of powdered binder applied to the continuous carbon material 7 established by the technological regulations.

To ensure automatic alignment of the edge of the continuous carbon material 7 by the unwinding unit 1, the device 2 for applying a powdered binder to the continuous carbon material 7 is equipped with an optical material edge sensor 29 located on one of the two adjustable brackets 30, 31. The bracket 31 is used when processing a continuous carbon material 7 is the maximum allowed width.

After that, when moving the continuous carbon material 7, the rotation drives of the dosing 20 and brush 24 shafts, as well as the agitator 17, are turned on.

The actuators of the device 2 can be controlled by the programmable logic controller (PLC) of the prepreg machine. In this case, the rotation speeds of the dosing 20 and brush 24 shafts are coordinated with the speed of movement of the continuous carbon material 7 using the encoder 28.

The powdered binder, when it is constantly loosened by the agitator 17, through the hole in the lower part of the hopper 11 falls on the working surface 22 of the rotating dosing shaft 20 located inside the hopper 11 and fills the recesses 23 on this section of the working surface 22. Squeegee 15 mounted on the rear wall 13 of the hopper 11, that is, at the exit of the metering shaft 20 from the hopper 11, removes excess powdered binder from the working surface 22, thereby dosing the amount of powdered binder transferred from the hopper 11. When the working surface 22 of the dosing shaft 20 exits the zone of the hopper 11, the powdered binder placed in the recesses 23 is removed by the brush shaft 24 and evenly falls on the moving continuous carbon material 7.

Excess applied powdery binder is poured into the tray 25 located under the continuously moving carbon material 7. To empty the tray 25, it is pulled out along the guides in the direction of movement of the continuous carbon material 7 (see Fig. 4), and the powdered binder contained in it can be returned to bin 11 for further use.

Thus, the above-described device for applying a powdered binder to a continuous carbon material will provide a continuous supply of a powdered binder and its distribution over the width of a continuous carbon material of various widths without sticking particles of a powdered binder in the recesses of the metering roll, as well as removing excess powder from the surface of the web and collecting the powder that fell outside the width of the canvas, which will save the powdered binder.

It should be noted that the claimed utility model is not limited to particular cases of its implementation disclosed in the description. Other forms of execution of the considered device are also possible in the scope of the essential features of the claimed utility model.

Claims (4)

1. A device for applying a powdered binder to a continuous carbon material, containing a housing in which a hopper is located, having front and rear walls with squeegees fixed in their lower part, a turner installed for placement in the hopper, a metering shaft made with evenly spaced its working cylindrical surface with recesses and installed in the housing under the hopper with the possibility of rotation and in contact with the doctor blades, and the brush shaft installed in the housing on the side of the output of the metering shaft from the hopper zone with the possibility of rotation in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the metering shaft, with an angular speed of rotation more than the angular speed of rotation of the metering shaft, and in contact with the recesses of the metering shaft. 2. The device according to claim. 1, characterized in that it is provided with a lid hinged in the housing above the hopper, on which the agitator and two adjustable sidewalls are mounted. 3. The device according to claim. 1, characterized in that it is equipped with a tray placed in the housing under the metering and brush shafts with the possibility of extension. 4. The device according to claim. 1, characterized in that it is equipped with at least one guide roller installed in the housing below the metering shaft.

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