Apparatus for forming fiber preforms

Abstract

Abstract A machine for fabricating fibrous preforms which may be used in molding fiber-reinforced plastic articles by impregnating the preform with a suitable thermosetting resin. The preform is a unitary, seamless, porous cylinder having a closed bottom and comprises short lengths of fibers which are bonded together by a cured resin binder. The machine according to this invention includes a screen form which defines the shape of the preform to be formed. The form has an open mouth, a cylindrical sidewall, and a closed opposite end and is mounted for rotation about its horizontal axis. The outside surface of the screen form is substantially enclosed by a chamber, and an exhaust fan is provided in the chamber to draw air through the form from the inside to the outside thereof. A fiber dispenser, which comprises a tube, extends into the screen form and includes a chopper at one end for chopping continuous filaments into short lengths. The chopped filaments are blown through the tube and are deposited on the screen as the screen is rotated. The tube is mounted on a carriage and is movable from an initial position wherein its discharge mouth is located closely adjacent the center of the closed end of the screen, to a position which is closely spaced from the sidewall of the screen, and then along the sidewall to the open mouth of the screen. A binder resin dispenser is provided adjacent the discharge mouth of the tube so that the binder resin is deposited on the fibers as they are deposited on the screen.

Inventors

• 👤 R Damon
• 👤 A Wiltshire

Bibliographic Details