U.S. patent application number 14/093750 was filed with the patent office on 2014-03-27 for method and apparatus for making a fiber reinforced article.
This patent application is currently assigned to Ford Global Technologies, LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is Ford Global Technologies, LLC. Invention is credited to Jeffrey Scott Dahl, Raymond Silva.
Application Number | 20140083267 14/093750 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45566369 |
Filed Date | 2014-03-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140083267 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Silva; Raymond ; et
al. |
March 27, 2014 |
Method and Apparatus for Making a Fiber Reinforced Article
Abstract
A method and apparatus for producing an article. The method
includes providing a fiber material, splitting the fiber material
with a splitting roller having a set of grooves that extend
continuously around a circumference of the splitting roller, and
cutting the fiber material to a desired length.
Inventors: |
Silva; Raymond; (Maumee,
OH) ; Dahl; Jeffrey Scott; (Livonia, MI) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Ford Global Technologies, LLC |
Dearborn |
MI |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Ford Global Technologies,
LLC
Dearborn
MI
|
Family ID: |
45566369 |
Appl. No.: |
14/093750 |
Filed: |
December 2, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
12873454 |
Sep 1, 2010 |
8616110 |
|
|
14093750 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
83/39 ; 83/302;
83/408 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B26D 1/1435 20130101;
Y10T 83/0524 20150401; B29C 70/504 20130101; D04H 3/04 20130101;
Y10T 83/4702 20150401; B29C 70/14 20130101; D04H 3/002 20130101;
B26D 1/22 20130101; D04H 3/015 20130101; Y10T 83/2074 20150401;
B26D 9/00 20130101; Y10T 83/0281 20150401; B26D 11/00 20130101;
D04H 3/005 20130101; D04H 3/004 20130101; Y10T 83/6491 20150401;
B26D 1/40 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
83/39 ; 83/302;
83/408 |
International
Class: |
B26D 1/143 20060101
B26D001/143; B26D 11/00 20060101 B26D011/00 |
Claims
1. A method of producing an article, comprising: providing a fiber
material configured as a ribbon that includes a plurality of
fibers; splitting the fiber material with a splitting roller having
a set of grooves that extend continuously around a circumference of
the splitting roller such that the splitting roller engages the
ribbon and separates the ribbon into bundles without cutting the
fiber material; and cutting the fiber material to a desired
length.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of fibers of the
fiber material are arranged generally parallel to each other and
wherein at least some of the fibers are discontinuous with respect
to each other.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein members of the set of grooves are
disposed substantially parallel to each other.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein each member of the set of grooves
extends substantially perpendicular to an axis of rotation of the
splitting roller.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein a tooth is disposed between
adjacent members of the set of grooves, wherein a tip of the tooth
is provided with a continuous curved surface.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the splitting roller does not
rotate against a feed direction of the fiber material.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein a drive roller engages an exterior
surface of the splitting roller to rotate the splitting roller.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein the drive roller engages and
rotates a cutting roller that is spaced apart from the splitting
roller.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the fiber material is carbon
fiber.
10. An apparatus for producing a fiber reinforced article,
comprising: a splitting roller configured to rotate about a first
axis, the splitting roller having a set of grooves that extend
around a circumference of the splitting roller in a substantially
parallel relationship, wherein the splitting roller engages and
separates a ribbon of fiber material into bundles of fibers without
cutting the fibers; a cutting roller spaced apart from the
splitting roller and configured to rotate about a second axis; and
a drive roller configured to rotate the splitting and cutting
rollers about the first and second axes.
11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the first and second axes are
disposed substantially parallel to each other.
12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein a depth of each groove is
greater than a width of each groove.
13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein each groove includes a bottom
surface having a constant radius of curvature.
14. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein each member of the set of
grooves is separated from an adjacent member of the set of grooves
by a tooth that extends continuously around the circumference of
the splitting roller.
15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the tooth includes a tip
having a constant radius of curvature.
16. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein each groove includes a bottom
surface having a flat portion disposed adjacent to a radius of
curvature disposed at a base of the tooth.
17. An apparatus for producing an article, comprising: a splitting
roller having a set of grooves that extend around a circumference
of the splitting roller in a substantially parallel relationship;
and a fiber material that is configured as a ribbon, wherein fibers
of the fiber material are separated into bundles that are received
in the set of grooves when the ribbon engages the splitting
roller.
18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein each member of the set of
grooves extends substantially perpendicular to an axis of rotation
of the splitting roller and a tooth having a tip with a curved
surface is disposed between adjacent members of the set of
grooves.
19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the tip engages the ribbon to
separate the fibers.
20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the tooth extends completely
around the circumference of the splitting roller.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser.
No. 12/873,454, filed Sep. 1, 2010, the disclosure of which is
hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference herein.
BACKGROUND
Technical Field
[0002] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for
making an article having a fiber material.
SUMMARY
[0003] In at least one embodiment a method of producing an article
is provided. The method may include providing a fiber material,
splitting the fiber material with a splitting roller, and cutting
the fiber material to a desired length. The splitting roller has a
set of grooves that extend continuously around a circumference of
the splitting roller.
[0004] In at least one embodiment an apparatus for producing an
article is provided. The apparatus includes a splitting roller, a
cutting roller, and a drive roller. The splitting roller is
configured to rotate about a first axis and has a set of grooves
that extend around a circumference of the splitting roller in a
substantially parallel relationship for splitting a fiber material.
The cutting roller is spaced apart from the splitting roller and
configured to rotate about a second axis. The drive roller is
configured to rotate the splitting and cutting rollers about the
first and second axes.
[0005] In at least one embodiment an apparatus for producing an
article is provided. The apparatus includes a splitting roller and
a drive roller. The splitting roller has a set of grooves that
extend around a circumference of the splitting roller in a
substantially parallel relationship. A fiber material is separated
into bundles by the splitting roller when the splitting roller is
rotated by the drive roller.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 is a side view of an exemplary apparatus for
producing an article.
[0007] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a splitting
roller.
[0008] FIG. 3 is a fragmentary section view of the splitting roller
of FIG. 2.
[0009] FIG. 4 is a fragmentary section view of another embodiment
of a splitting roller.
[0010] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method for producing an
article.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0011] Detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed
herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed
embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be
embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not
necessarily to scale, some features may be exaggerated or minimized
to show details of particular components. In addition, any or all
features from one embodiment may be combined with any other
embodiment. Therefore, specific structural and functional details
disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely
as a representative basis for the claims and/or as a representative
basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the
present invention.
[0012] Referring to FIG. 1, a side view of an apparatus or machine
10 used to make an article 12 is shown. The article 12 may be a
sheet molding compound laminate that may include a resin compound
14 and a plurality of fiber rovings 16. The fiber rovings 16 may be
made from a fiber material 18 that may be carbon fiber, fiberglass,
polymeric fibers, natural fibers, or similar materials that may be
provided to reinforce the article 12.
[0013] The machine 10 may include an apparatus 20 for producing the
fiber rovings 16. The apparatus 20 may include one or more fiber
material sources 22, such as a spool upon which fiber material 18
is wound. The fiber material 18 may be provided in a ribbon
configuration and may include a plurality of fibers or filaments
that may generally extend between ends of the ribbon. As such, the
fibers of the fiber material 18 may be arranged generally parallel
to each other. Moreover, at least some of the fibers may extend
continuously between ends of the fiber material 18 and may be
discontinuous with respect to each other.
[0014] The fiber material 18 may be unwound or fed from the fiber
material source 22 along or across one or more guide rollers 24
that may help orient the fiber material 18 and/or provide a desired
amount of tension upon the fiber material 18. A feed direction 26
of the fiber material 18 is represented by the arrow in FIG. 1.
[0015] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the fiber material 18 may be fed
from the one or more guide rollers 24 to a splitting roller 30. The
splitting roller 30 may be configured to separate the fiber
material 18 into a plurality of bundles 32. The splitting roller 30
may allow material such as large tow carbon fibers to be separated
into smaller bundles or effectively into a smaller tow size as part
of a continuous flow manufacturing process. Such a tow size
reduction may improve material distribution and mechanical
performance in a molded article such as a carbon fiber panel or a
molded laminate. In addition, larger tow fibers may be employed as
a material source instead of more expensive small tow fiber
stock.
[0016] Referring to FIG. 2, one embodiment of a splitting roller 30
is shown in more detail. In FIG. 2, the splitting roller 30 is
fragmented near one end to better show an exemplary cross section.
In addition, only one ribbon of fiber material 18 is shown instead
multiple ribbons for clarity. The splitting roller 30 may be made
of any suitable material, such as a metal like aluminum, steel, or
alloys thereof. Moreover, the splitting roller 30 may be anodized
or provided with a surface coating, such as Teflon.RTM., to reduce
friction between the fiber material 18 and the splitting roller 30
to help the fiber material 18 disengage from the splitting roller
30 after splitting.
[0017] The splitting roller 30 may have a generally cylindrical
body and may be configured to rotate about an axis of rotation 34.
The splitting roller 30 may be sized to accommodate multiple
ribbons or feeds of fiber material 18. In one exemplary embodiment,
the splitting roller 30 may be approximately nine inches (228.6 mm)
long and accommodate multiple feeds of fiber material 18 that are
around one inch (25.4 mm) in width.
[0018] The splitting roller 30 may have an external surface 40. A
portion of the external surface 40 may be provided with a set of
grooves 42. The set of grooves 42 may be spaced apart from opposite
ends of the splitting roller 30 by a pair of flats 44 or ungrooved
surfaces that extend from the ends of the splitting roller 30.
Members of the set of grooves 42 may extend continuously around a
circumference of the splitting roller 30. As such, the members of
the set of grooves 42 may be generally arranged substantially
perpendicular to the axis of rotation 34 and may be disposed in a
substantially parallel relationship (i.e., grooves may be disposed
in substantially parallel planes). A tooth 46 may be disposed
between adjacent grooves 42.
[0019] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, magnified views of a splitting
roller 30 with different embodiments of sets of grooves 42 are
shown. In each embodiment, splitting of the fiber material 18 may
be started upon engagement with the splitting roller 30 and may be
completed before or simultaneously with disengagement from the
splitting roller 30.
[0020] In FIG. 3, the set of grooves 42 is provided in a repeating
arrangement. In this embodiment, the width of each groove 42
(extending in a direction along the axis of rotation 34) is greater
than the width of each tooth 46. For example, each groove 42 may
have a width of around 0.04 inches (1 mm) and each tooth 46 may be
width of around 0.02 inches (0.5 mm), resulting in grooves 42 that
are approximately twice as wide as the teeth 46. The grooves 42 may
be provided with a depth (extending radially from the circumference
of the splitting roller 30 toward the axis of rotation 34) that is
greater than its width. In one exemplary embodiment, the grooves 42
may have a depth of around 0.05 inches (1.27 mm). In at least one
embodiment, the teeth 46 may have the same height as the flats
44.
[0021] Each groove 42 and tooth 46 may be configured without sharp
edges or corners to help separate the fiber material 18 into
bundles while inhibiting or reducing the severing of individual
fibers. For instance, each tooth 46 may have a tip 50 that is
rounded or provided with a continuous radius to help push fibers
into an adjacent groove 42. Similarly, each groove 42 may have a
radius or area of curvature 52 at its bottom proximate a base of a
tooth 46. The radius or area of curvature 52 at the bottom of each
groove 42 may be less than that at the tip 50 of each tooth 46. As
such, the bottom of each groove 42 may include a flat portion 54.
The smaller radii or area of curvature 52 at the bottom of each
groove 42 may be provided to increase the volume or capacity of
each groove 42 and/or to help inhibit bundles from clogging the
grooves 42 while improving the durability and manufacturability of
the teeth 46.
[0022] In FIG. 4, a set of grooves 42' are shown in a repeating
serpentine arrangement. In this embodiment, the width of each
groove 42' is approximately the same as the width of each tooth
46'. For instance, each groove 42' and tooth 46' may have a width
of around 0.02 inches (0.5 mm). As such, the grooves 42' and teeth
46' may generally be configured as mirror images of each other. The
grooves 42' may be configured with a depth that is greater than its
width. For instance, each groove 42' may have a depth of around
0.125 inches (3.175 mm). Each groove 42' and tooth 46' may be
configured without sharp edges or corners to help separate the
fiber material 18 into bundles while inhibiting or reducing the
severing of individual fibers. The tip 50' of each tooth 46' and
the bottom 52' of each groove 42' may be provided with a continuous
radius or area of curvature. These radii may be the same in one or
more embodiments. The continuous radius at the bottom 52' of each
groove 42' may help facilitate the release of a bundle 32 from each
groove 42' to inhibit clogging and improve the durability and
manufacturability of the teeth 46'.
[0023] Referring again to FIG. 1, the apparatus 20 may also include
a drive roller 60 and a cutting wheel or cutting roller 62. The
drive roller 60 may be configured to rotate about axis of rotation
64. The cutting roller 62 may be configured to rotate about axis of
rotation 66. In at least one embodiment, one or more axes of
rotation 34, 64, 66, may be disposed substantially parallel to each
other.
[0024] The drive roller 60 may be configured to engage and rotate
the splitting roller 30 and/or the cutting roller 62. More
specifically, the drive roller 60 may be coupled to an actuator,
such as an electrical, pneumatic, or hydraulic actuator, that may
be adapted to rotate the drive roller 60 about its axis of rotation
64. Rotation of the drive roller 60 may then rotate the splitting
roller 30 and/or cutting roller 62 about their respective axes of
rotation 34 and 66. Such an arrangement may allow the splitting
roller 30 to be placed in close proximity to the cutting roller 62
to reduce the likelihood of tangling or rebundling of the fiber
material 18 after it has been separated into bundles 32. The drive
roller 60 may be configured to rotate the splitting roller 30 in
the same direction as the feed direction 26 of the fiber material
18 to help maintain tension on the fiber material 18 and to help
inhibit clogging of the splitting roller 30 as represented by the
arrow disposed around axis of rotation 34 in FIG. 2.
[0025] The drive roller 60 may include a cover layer 68 disposed
around its outer circumference. The cover layer 68 may be made of a
resilient material like rubber to inhibit wear and to provide a
desired amount of friction against the fiber material 18 to help
pull the fiber material 18 and/or to inhibit slipping with respect
to the splitting roller 30 and/or cutting roller 62. Optionally,
the drive roller 60 or its cover layer 68 may also engage a second
guide roller 70 between which the fiber bundles 32 may be
routed.
[0026] The cutting roller 62 may include a plurality of blades or
teeth that cut the bundles 32 into shorter fiber rovings 16. For
instance the cutting roller 62 may include a plurality of spaced
apart cutting edges that are configured to cut the bundles 32
against the drive roller 60. The cutting edges may be configured to
cut the bundles 32 into any desired length, such as approximately 1
to 2 inches (25.4 mm to 50.8 mm) in length. In addition, cutting
may occur as a dry process without wetting the fiber material 18
with water or another liquid. The resulting fiber rovings 16 may
then be collected or dispensed onto a conveyor belt 80 and
subsequently processed to form the article 12. Alternatively, the
fiber rovings 16 may be dispensed on to a polyethelene film and/or
a resin compound or resin paste 14 without being collected or
dispensed onto a conveyor belt 80. Exemplary equipment and
associated methodologies for making an article with and without a
conveyor belt are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,691,223, which is
assigned to the assignee of the present invention and is hereby
incorporated by reference in its entirety.
[0027] Referring to FIG. 5, a flowchart of an exemplary method of
making an article 12 is shown. At 100, material such as a fiber
material 18 may be provided to an apparatus 20 as previously
described. At 102, the fiber material 18 may be split or separated
into bundles 32 with a splitting roller 30 as discussed above. At
104, the bundles 32 may be cut into fiber rovings 16 having a
shorter length. At 106, a composite material may be made using the
fiber rovings 16. In one exemplary embodiment, the fiber rovings 16
may be placed, transported to, or dispensed on a polyethelene
release film 82 to which a resin paste 14 is applied.
[0028] While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and
described, it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and
describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words
used in the specification are words of description rather than
limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made
without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
* * * * *