JP2011245780A - Tension control unit, filament winding system, and method for manufacturing of pressure vessel - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a filament winding system in which a plurality of prepreg fibers can be wound around a liner in parallel while maintaining appropriate tension, and an increase in installation space can be suppressed.
A tension control unit 52 includes a tension control mechanism 50a for controlling the tension of a prepreg fiber 10 delivered from a prepreg fiber guide 44a. The tension control mechanism 50 a is measured by a tension roller 56 that applies tension to the prepreg fiber 10, a load sensor 60 for measuring a load received from the prepreg fiber 10 stretched on the tension roller 56, and the load sensor 60. The arm 58 extends and contracts in the direction perpendicular to the liner axis according to the load, and a plurality of arms 58 are provided so as to be arranged in the direction perpendicular to the liner axis.
[Selection] Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a tension control unit, a filament winding system, and a pressure vessel manufacturing method.

  As a container for storing a large volume of gas, such as oxygen or nitrogen, at normal temperature and pressure at a high density and a small capacity, a pressure container that is compressed by a predetermined pressure and stored as a liquid or gas is used. . Traditionally, pressure-resistant steel and other metal pressure vessels have been used, but in recent years, a technology has been developed for mounting pressure vessels that store natural gas, hydrogen gas, etc. on mobile vehicles and using them as fuel. As a performance required for the pressure vessel, the weight reduction of the vessel has become an important issue as well as the pressure resistance and durability capable of increasing the density.

  On the other hand, pressure vessels using fiber reinforced resin (FRP) such as carbon fiber reinforced resin (CFRP) and glass fiber reinforced resin (GFRP) are known. Since the pressure vessel made of FRP is generally lighter than the metal pressure vessel, it is advantageous for mounting on a moving body such as a vehicle, and is a conventional steel vessel for use as a hydrogen pressure vessel. Since there are few concerns about hydrogen embrittlement and other concerns, it has attracted particular attention.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the outline of the configuration of a general FRP pressure vessel. The pressure vessel 30 shown in FIG. 4 is made of, for example, a nylon resin such as 6-nylon (also referred to as nylon 6) or 6,6-nylon (also referred to as nylon 66) or a thermoplastic resin having a high gas barrier property such as a polypropylene resin. A hollow liner 32 configured by adding an elastomer as necessary, and a fiber reinforced resin layer (FRP layer) 34 covering the outer peripheral portion of the liner 32 are configured. The pressure vessel 30 also has at least one base 36. The base 36 is configured to be connectable with a valve (not shown), and the flow of the high-pressure fluid into and out of the pressure vessel 30 can be adjusted by operating the valve.

  The fiber reinforced resin layer 34 is generally a fiber bundle (filament) made of, for example, glass fiber, carbon fiber, Kevlar fiber, etc., which is a bundle of a plurality of long and continuous thread-like fibers. A so-called prepreg fiber made of resin, impregnated with resin having fluidity, and dried and / or semi-cured as necessary is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the liner (filament winding (FW) step), and then the resin is used. It can be formed by curing. At this time, in addition to the material and / or thickness of the liner 32, for example, by adjusting the thickness and the number of turns of the fiber or fiber bundle constituting the fiber reinforced resin layer 34, and adjusting the thickness of the fiber reinforced resin layer 34, The pressure resistance performance and other design strengths of the pressure vessel 30 can be controlled.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a general filament winding system. The filament winding system shown in FIG. 5 includes a transport unit 14 that transports the prepreg fibers 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d unwound from the unwind bobbins 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d in parallel, and the prepreg fibers 10a and 10b. , 10c, and 10d by applying appropriate pressure to widen rollers 16 and 17 for widening and adjusting the width and direction of feeding the prepreg fibers 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d, and guiding them to an appropriate position of a liner (not shown) And a prepreg fiber guide 18 for use. The transport unit 14 may include a tension roller 20, an active dancer 22, a tension relief mechanism such as an accumulator (not shown) and other transport assist mechanisms, and each device or mechanism may be disposed at an appropriate location as necessary. Can do.

  In this way, in order to improve the performance of the pressure vessel, etc., in the filament winding (FW) process, by winding the prepreg fiber while adjusting the tension of the prepreg fiber, the tight filament with less winding unevenness is obtained. It is known to perform winding (for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3).

  Patent Document 1 discloses that in a filament winding (FW) process, a tension applying roller disposed so as to be movable up and down is applied in order to adjust the pressure applied to the fiber bundle and keep it substantially constant. Yes.

  Patent Document 2 discloses adjusting the tension of a resin-impregnated fiber bundle using a powder brake or a permanent torque configured to apply a load to a support shaft by eddy current.

  Patent Document 3 discloses a filament including a tension roller that stretches a resin-impregnated fiber on the outer periphery and applies an appropriate tension, and a load measuring device that measures a reaction force applied to the tension roller by the resin-impregnated fiber stretched on the tension roller. A winding device is disclosed.

JP 2004-188869 A JP 2004-148777 A JP 2007-190697 A

  Conventional filament winding is generally carried out by a so-called single yarn feeder that uses a single prepreg fiber that can be wound around a liner at a time. On the other hand, in order to shorten the time required for filament winding, so-called multi-feeding equipment capable of winding a plurality of prepreg fibers around a liner at a time has been developed.

  However, when trying to produce a multi-feeding device with a filament winding system applied to a single-feeding device, it is necessary to arrange a plurality of components for each prepreg fiber to be wound at the same time, which increases installation space. There was concern.

  The present invention is a multi-filament filament winding system in which a plurality of prepreg fibers can be wound around a liner in parallel while maintaining appropriate tension, and an increase in installation space can be suppressed. The purpose is to provide.

  The configuration of the present invention is as follows.

  (1) A prepreg fiber guide for guiding the feeding direction of a prepreg fiber impregnated with resin into a fiber bundle constituted by bundling a plurality of continuous thread-like fibers so as to be wound around the outer peripheral surface of a hollow liner, In a filament winding system comprising a plurality of prepreg fiber guide units arranged so as to be spaced apart from the liner in a direction perpendicular to the liner axis, the tension of the prepreg fiber fed from the prepreg fiber guide is increased. A tension control unit having a tension control mechanism for controlling the tension control mechanism, wherein the tension control mechanism applies a tension to the prepreg fiber to be conveyed, and a load received from the prepreg fiber stretched on the tension roller. Load sensor for measuring and load measured by the load sensor In response, an arm for stretching in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the liner, thus provided a plurality so as to be arranged in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the liner, the tension control unit.

  (2) A filament winding system for winding a prepreg fiber impregnated with a resin into a fiber bundle formed by bundling a plurality of continuous thread-like fibers on the outer peripheral surface of a hollow liner, and delivering the prepreg fiber to be conveyed A plurality of prepreg fiber guide units provided so that a prepreg fiber guide for guiding the direction so as to be wound around the liner is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the liner axis and spaced from the liner; A tension roller that applies tension to the conveyed prepreg fiber, a load sensor for measuring a load received from the prepreg fiber stretched on the tension roller, and the liner according to the load measured by the load sensor Arm extending and contracting in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the prepreg fiber guide A plurality of tension control mechanisms for controlling the tension applied to the prepreg fiber are provided in a direction perpendicular to the liner axis so as to correspond to the prepreg fiber guide, and the prepreg fiber guide unit A filament winding system comprising: a tension control unit arranged coaxially;

  (3) The prepreg fiber guide unit is configured to wind the prepreg fiber while being inclined with respect to the liner axis with respect to the liner supported to rotate about the liner axis. The filament winding system according to (2), wherein the filament winding system is a helical unit capable of moving back and forth in the axial direction.

  (4) Filament winding step of winding a prepreg fiber impregnated with a resin into a fiber bundle formed by bundling a plurality of continuous filamentous fibers around the outer peripheral surface of a hollow liner, and reinforcing the resin by curing the resin A method of manufacturing a pressure vessel, wherein the filament winding system according to (2) or (3) is applied to the filament winding step.

  A plurality of prepreg fibers having appropriate tension can be wound around the liner without increasing the installation space.

It is a figure for demonstrating the outline of the structure about an example of the filament winding system in embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which looked at the prepreg fiber guide unit 46 of FIG. 1 from the A direction. It is the figure which looked at the tension control unit 52 of FIG. 1 from the B direction. It is a figure which shows an example of tension control of the prepreg fiber by the tension control mechanism 50a. It is a figure which shows the outline of a structure of a pressure vessel. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of the filament winding by a single yarn supply equipment.

  Hereinafter, it explains in detail using a drawing.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an outline of a configuration of a filament winding system according to an embodiment of the present invention. A filament winding system 100 shown in FIG. 1 has a prepreg fiber guide unit 46 for guiding the unwinding direction of the prepreg fiber wound around the outer periphery of the liner 32, and the tension of the prepreg fiber unwound from the prepreg fiber guide unit 46. A tension control unit 52 for controlling. The unwinding bobbin for unwinding the prepreg fiber as exemplified in FIG. 5 and the widening roller that can be applied as necessary can be configured in the same manner as in the prior art, but not shown. Is omitted.

  The liner 32 includes a cylindrical straight body portion 38 having a substantially uniform cross-sectional diameter, and dome portions 40 and 41 connected to both ends of the straight body portion 38 and having caps 36 and 37 at the tops thereof. The filament winding system 100 is provided with support portions (not shown) for supporting both ends of the liner 32. The support portion is configured to be attachable to and detachable from both ends of the liner 32, for example, the caps 36 and 37, and can support the liner 32 so as to be rotatable around the axis 70 of the liner 32. A motor (not shown) is connected to the support portion, and the liner 32 can be rotated in one direction around the shaft 70 by the rotation of the motor.

  The prepreg fiber guide unit 46 is disposed so as to be substantially perpendicular to the axis 70 of the liner 32 supported by a support portion (not shown). As shown in FIG. 2A, the prepreg fiber guide unit 46 includes a plurality of prepreg fiber guides 44a, 44b, 44c, 44d, 44e, 44f, 44g, and 44h (hereinafter referred to as 44a to 44h) spaced from the liner 32. And a holding member 42 for fixing and holding the prepreg fiber guides 44a to 44h. In the embodiment, the holding member 42 is configured as an annular member that holds the prepreg fiber guides 44a to 44h at intervals in the circumferential direction, and more specifically, at substantially equal intervals. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, it may be a polygonal shape having apexes where the prepreg fiber guides 44a to 44h are arranged.

  The prepreg fiber guides 44a to 44h can independently adjust their feeding directions in order to wind the prepreg fiber 10 conveyed from an unillustrated unwinding bobbin (see FIG. 5) around an appropriate portion of the liner 32. It is configured as follows. The prepreg fiber guide unit 46 advances and retreats along the shaft 70 so that the prepreg fibers 10 fed from the prepreg fiber guides 44a to 44h can be guided and wound more appropriately around the rotating liner 32. It is configured to be possible. For this reason, the prepreg fiber guide unit 46 of the present embodiment is preferably applied as a so-called helical unit capable of performing helical winding in which the prepreg fiber 10 is wound in a direction inclined with respect to the axis 70 of the liner 32. Can do. As another embodiment, a hoop unit capable of performing hoop winding for winding the prepreg fiber 10 in a direction perpendicular to the shaft 70 can be applied instead of the helical unit.

  In the embodiment, each of the prepreg fiber guides 44 a to 44 h is arranged on the outer peripheral portion of the holding member 42, but there is no restriction on the arrangement place, for example, even if arranged on the inner peripheral portion of the holding member 42. Good. Moreover, as illustrated in FIG. 2A, the number of prepreg fiber guides 44a to 44h is not limited to eight, and may be seven or less or nine or more.

  The tension control unit 52 is arranged so as to be substantially perpendicular to the axis 70 of the liner 32, that is, to be substantially parallel to the prepreg fiber guide unit 46. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2B, the tension control unit 52 includes a plurality of tension control mechanisms 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d, 50e, 50f, 50g, and 50h that are spaced from the shaft 70 of the liner 32. And 50n to 50h) and a holding member 48 for fixing and holding the tension control mechanisms 50a to 50h. In the embodiment, the holding member 48 is configured as an annular member that holds the tension control mechanisms 50a to 50h at intervals in the circumferential direction, and more specifically, at substantially equal intervals. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be a polygonal shape having apexes where the tension control mechanisms 50a to 50h are arranged.

  The holding member 48 of the tension control unit 52 is disposed coaxially with the holding member 42 of the prepreg fiber guide unit 46. Further, the same number of tension control mechanisms 50a to 50h are provided so as to correspond to the prepreg fiber guides 44a to 44h, respectively.

  The tension control mechanisms 50a to 50h are arranged between the unwinding bobbin (not shown) and the prepreg fiber guides 44a to 44h, and appropriately adjust the tension of the prepreg fiber 10 unwound from the prepreg fiber guides 44a to 44h. It is configured so that it can be controlled. In the embodiment, the holding member 48 of the tension control unit 52 can be fixed at a predetermined position between the unwind bobbin (not shown) and the liner 32, but as another embodiment, A movable member that moves along the shaft 70 in conjunction with the movement of the prepreg fiber guide unit 46 may be used.

  Next, an example of tension control of the prepreg fiber by the tension control mechanism will be described. FIG. 3 illustrates a state in which the prepreg fiber 10 fed out from the prepreg fiber guide 44a among the prepreg fiber guides 44a to 44h shown in FIG. 2A is tension-controlled using the tension control mechanism 50a corresponding to the prepreg fiber guide 44a. It is a thing. The tension control mechanism 50a shown in FIG. 3 includes a tension roller 56, an arm 58, and a load sensor 60.

  The tension roller 56 is configured to apply a tension to the conveyed prepreg fiber 10 and to receive a load received from the prepreg fiber 10 as a reaction force. The load sensor 60 is configured to measure the tension received by the prepreg fiber 10 based on the reaction force received from the prepreg fiber 10 stretched around the tension roller 56. As the load sensor 60 having such a configuration, for example, a load cell can be applied.

  The arm 58 expands and contracts in the direction perpendicular to the axis 70 (see FIG. 1) of the liner 32 according to the tension applied to the prepreg fiber 10 measured by the load sensor 60, and the prepreg fiber fed from the prepreg fiber guide 44a. 10 can be controlled. When the tension applied to the prepreg fiber 10 exceeds a predetermined value, a part or all of the arm 58 is accommodated in the arm accommodating portion 54 and the prepreg fiber guide 44a and the tension roller 56 are accommodated as shown in FIG. The tension can be reduced by shortening the distance. On the other hand, when the tension applied to the prepreg fiber 10 is reduced below a predetermined value, the prepreg fiber guide 44a and the tension roller 56 are extended by extending the arm 58 so as to have an appropriate length as shown in FIG. Thus, the tension can be applied to the prepreg fiber 10.

  As the tension control mechanism 50a including such an arm 58, for example, a telescopic cylinder that can be expanded and contracted by a known method such as a hydraulic type or an air type can be applied. The arm 58 may have any structure as long as it has high responsiveness that can rapidly expand and contract in response to an output signal from the load sensor 60. For example, an air cylinder is preferable. is there.

  In FIG. 3, although the aspect which controls the tension | tensile_strength of the prepreg fiber 10 sent out from the prepreg fiber guide 44a by the tension control mechanism 50a was demonstrated with respect to the axis | shaft 70 of the liner 32 similarly by another tension control mechanism 50b-50h. The tension of the prepreg fiber 10 fed from the prepreg fiber guides 44b to 44h can be appropriately controlled by adjusting the arm that can be expanded and contracted in the vertical direction and moving the tension roller.

  Thus, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the prepreg fiber 10 delivered from the prepreg fiber guide is changed by changing the positional relationship between the prepreg fiber guide and the tension control mechanism in accordance with the tension applied to the prepreg fiber 10. It is possible to appropriately adjust the tension of the wire 32 and wind it around an appropriate portion of the liner 32.

  Further, according to the embodiment of the present invention, by applying a tension control unit including a plurality of tension control mechanisms, the liner is controlled in parallel while controlling the tension of the plurality of prepreg fibers without increasing the installation space. Can be wrapped around.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for manufacturing a pressure vessel made of FRP including a FW process for winding a prepreg fiber.

  10, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d Prepreg fiber, 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d Unwinding bobbin, 14 Conveying section, 16, 17 Widening roller, 18, 44a, 44b, 44c, 44d, 44e, 44f, 44g, 44h Pre-preg fiber guide, 20 tension roller, 22 active dancer, 30 pressure vessel, 32 liner, 34 fiber reinforced resin layer, 36, 37 base, 38 straight body part, 40, 41 dome part, 42, 48 holding member, 46 prepreg fiber Guide unit, 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d, 50e, 50f, 50g, 50h Tension control mechanism, 52 Tension control unit, 54 Arm housing part, 56 Tension roller, 58 arm, 60 Load sensor, 70 axis, 100 Filament winding system .

Claims (4)

A prepreg fiber guide for guiding the feeding direction of a prepreg fiber impregnated with a resin into a fiber bundle formed by bundling a plurality of continuous thread-like fibers so as to be wound around the outer peripheral surface of a hollow liner, In a filament winding system comprising a plurality of prepreg fiber guide units arranged to be spaced apart from the liner in a direction perpendicular to an axis, for controlling the tension of the prepreg fiber delivered from the prepreg fiber guide A tension control unit comprising a tension control mechanism of
The tension control mechanism applies tension to the prepreg fiber to be conveyed, a load sensor for measuring a load received from the prepreg fiber stretched on the tension roller, and a load measured by the load sensor And a tension control unit comprising a plurality of arms that extend and contract in a direction perpendicular to the liner axis, and are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the liner axis. . A filament winding system for winding a prepreg fiber impregnated with a resin into a fiber bundle formed by bundling a plurality of continuous thread-like fibers on the outer peripheral surface of a hollow liner,
A plurality of prepreg fiber guides for guiding the feeding direction of the prepreg fiber to be conveyed so as to be wound around the liner are provided in a direction perpendicular to the liner axis and spaced from the liner. Prepreg fiber guide unit,
A tension roller that applies tension to the conveyed prepreg fiber, a load sensor for measuring a load received from the prepreg fiber stretched on the tension roller, and the liner according to the load measured by the load sensor An arm that expands and contracts in a direction perpendicular to the axis, and a tension control mechanism for controlling the tension applied to the prepreg fiber fed from the prepreg fiber guide corresponds to the prepreg fiber guide, A plurality of tension control units provided in a direction perpendicular to the liner axis and arranged coaxially with the prepreg fiber guide unit;
A filament winding system characterized by comprising:   In the axial direction of the liner, the prepreg fiber guide unit winds the prepreg fiber while being inclined with respect to the liner axis with respect to the liner supported to rotate about the axis of the liner. The filament winding system according to claim 2, wherein the filament winding system is a helical unit that can be advanced and retracted. A filament winding step of winding a prepreg fiber impregnated with a resin into a fiber bundle formed by bundling a plurality of continuous thread-like fibers around the outer peripheral surface of a hollow liner;
A curing step of curing the resin to form a fiber-reinforced resin layer;
Including
The method for manufacturing a pressure vessel, wherein the filament winding system according to claim 2 or 3 is applied to the filament winding step.

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