US4631101A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus and method for filament winding cylindrical bodies with closed end
Assignee: UK Secretary of State for Defence
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Filing: 1985-02-14
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Granted: 1986-12-23
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Expires: 2005-02-14
Abstract
Abstract A filament winding machine suitable for winding a hollow closed fibre-reinforced body such as a radome comprises a rotateable former 1, an annular spider 3 supporting a plurality of asymmetrically spaced filament guides 19 movable so as to be able to traverse the length of the former to a position beyond the closed end thereof, and an array of circumferentially spaced spigots 26 at or near the closed end of the body to retain laid fibres such that there is no slippage of fibres as they are laid over the closed end of the body.
Inventors
- 👤 Clifford Rix
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 09:34
CPC Classifications
B; B29; B29C; B29C53/00; B29C53/80; B29C53/8008; B29C53/8016; B29C53/56; B29C53/58; B29C53/60; B29C53/602; B29C53/62; B29C53/66; B29C53/665; B29C53/8066; B29K; B29K2105/00; B29K2105/06; B29K2105/08; B29L; B29L2025/00
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
130 words
A method of filament winding a hollow body with a closed end characterised in that there are included the following steps: a. supporting a former at one end; b. providing circumferentially spaced filament retainers near the opposed end of the former; c. rotating the former about its longitudinal axis; and d. laying at least one filament on the former by a filament guide means which traverses the former parallel to the longitudinal axis between the supported end of the former and a position axially spaced beyond the end of the former; the rotation of the former and the traversing of the filament guide means being selected for controlling the lay angle of the filament on the former up to the filament retainers and also over the end of the former.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
130 words
A method of filament winding a hollow body with a closed end characterised in that there are included the following steps: a. supporting a former at one end; b. providing circumferentially spaced filament retainers near the opposed end of the former; c. rotating the former about its longitudinal axis; and d. laying at least one filament on the former by a filament guide means which traverses the former parallel to the longitudinal axis between the supported end of the former and a position axially spaced beyond the end of the former; the rotation of the former and the traversing of the filament guide means being selected for controlling the lay angle of the filament on the former up to the filament retainers and also over the end of the former.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
29 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the curing time of the resin is selected to be greater than the time taken to wind the complete hollow body.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
44 words
A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the filament retainers are upstanding spigots and upon completion of winding the body and before curing of the resin, circumferential rovings are wound on one or both sides of the spigots and the spigots then removed.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
42 words
A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein the body is rotated after removal of the spigots until curing of the resin is substantially complete, such that resin migration fills the holes left by the spigot removal in a substantially uniform manner.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
40 words
A method as claimed in claim 4 wherein after curing of the resin a recess groove is formed along the line of the spigots and then the groove is filled by winding in further filaments as a guard against porosity.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
167 words
A filament winding machine for winding cylindrical bodies closed at one end thereof, said machine comprising means to support a former, filament guide means to guide at least one filament in spaced relationship to the former, means to reversibly move the filament guide means relative to the former such that the filament guide means traverses the length of the former and means to rotate the former relative to the filament guide means about an axis parallel to the traversing movement, wherein the improvement lies in that: the former is secured to a support at one axial end, the remote end being free; a circumferential array of filament retainers is attached to the periphery of the former near said remote end to limit slippage of the filament as it is laid between pairs of adjacent filament retainers; and the means to move the filament guide means traverses to a position beyond said remote end of the former whereby the filament is wound over the end of the former.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
167 words
A filament winding machine for winding cylindrical bodies closed at one end thereof, said machine comprising means to support a former, filament guide means to guide at least one filament in spaced relationship to the former, means to reversibly move the filament guide means relative to the former such that the filament guide means traverses the length of the former and means to rotate the former relative to the filament guide means about an axis parallel to the traversing movement, wherein the improvement lies in that: the former is secured to a support at one axial end, the remote end being free; a circumferential array of filament retainers is attached to the periphery of the former near said remote end to limit slippage of the filament as it is laid between pairs of adjacent filament retainers; and the means to move the filament guide means traverses to a position beyond said remote end of the former whereby the filament is wound over the end of the former.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
38 words
A filament winding machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the filament guide means comprises an annular spider supporting a plurality of circumferentially spaced filament guides whereby a plurality of filaments can be wound simultaneously onto the former.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
19 words
A filament winding machine as claimed in claim 7 wherein the filament guides are distributed asymmetrically around the spider.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
17 words
A filament winding machine as claimed in claim 8 wherein each filament guide includes a tensioning device.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
18 words
A filament winding machine as claimed in claim 9 wherein each filament guide comprises a non-rotating satin-finished fairlead.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
40 words
A filament machine as claimed in claim 10 wherein there is included a resin bath and means to splay out individual fibres of each multi-fibre filament to improve the resin loading of the filaments prior to laying on the former.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
17 words
A filament winding machine as claimed in claim 6 wherein each filament guide includes a tensioning device.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
19 words
A filament winding machine as claimed in claim 12 wherein the filament guide comprises a non rotating, satin-finished fairlead.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
41 words
A filament winding machine as claimed in claim 13 wherein there is included a resin bath and means to splay out individual fibres of each multi-fibre filament to improve the resin loading of the filaments prior to laying on the former.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1989-12-22 | 1990-06-23 | 1990-12-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1993-12-22 | 1994-06-23 | 1994-12-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1997-12-22 | 1998-06-23 | 1998-12-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |