Method and apparatus for making hollow elongated articles of fiber reinforced resin material

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR MAKING ELONGATED ARTICLES COMPOSED OF THE FIBER REINFORCED RESIN MATERIAL, COMPRISING FEEDING A CORE STRUCTURE THROUGH A FORMING PASSAGE, THE CORE STRUCTURE BEING OF SMALLER OUTSIDE DIMENSION THAN THE FORMING PASSAGE TO PROVIDE A CHANNEL OF ANNULAR SHAPE ADAPTED TO RECEIVE RESIN IMPREGNATED FIBER REINFORCEMENT, DELIVERING A LAYER OF HEAT HARDENABLE LIQUID RESIN MATERIAL TO THE SURFACE OF THE CORE STRUCTURE IN ADVANCE OF THE ENTRANCED END OF THE FORMING PASSAGE, LAYING FIBER RESINFORCEMENT ON THE RESIN CARRYING SURFACE OF THE CORE STRUCTURE TO EFECT RESIN IMPREGNATIONOF THE REINFORCEMENT AND FEEDING THE IMPREGNATED REINFORCEMENT ALONG WITH THE CORE STRUCTURE INTO THE ENTRANCE END OF THE FORMING PASSAGE, THE QUANTITY OF LIQUID RESIN FED TO THE CORE BEING IN EXCESS OF THAT NEEDED TO IMPREGNATE THE REINFORCEMENT AND FILL SAID ANNULAR CHANNEL, COLLECTING SAID EXCESS RESIN AT THE ENTRANCE END OF THE FORMING PASSAGE AND RECIRCULATING THE COLLECTED EXCESS RESIN TO SAID LAYER OF RESINON THE CORE STRUCTURE, HEATING THE RESIN THE FORMING PASSAGE TO SOLIDIFY THE ARTICLES THEREIN, AND PULLING ON THE SOLIDIFIED ARTICLE AND CORE BEYOND THE DISCHARGE END OF THE FORMING PASSAGE TO ADVANCE THE CORE AND MATERIALS INTO AND THROUGH THE FORMING PASSAGE.