Estimation of the winding tension to manufacture full section parts with robotized filament winding technology

Abstract

Winding tension is a very critical parameter to be controlled during the manufacturing of composite parts by robotized filament winding technology. In fact, the winding tension influences directly the defects and the mechanical properties of composite parts.The nominal value of the winding tension that has been set in order to obtain a good roving alignment and compactness inside the composite part is not equal to the actual value acting on roving during the winding. The difference between the nominal and actual value of the winding tension is due both to the typology of the winding trajectory that has been set and to the agents that are external to the technological process and consequently hardly controllable. Therefore, once the value of the nominal winding tension has been set and the geometry of the part to be wound has been fixed, it is necessary to act on the geometric parameters of the winding trajectory in order to guarantee that tension acting on the roving during the winding is as near as possible to the nominal value. The present work shows how using a unique parameter, the actual trajectory angle characterizing the planned winding trajectory, it is possible to estimate quickly and easily the average value of the tension acting on the roving once the nominal winding tension and the geometry of the part to be wound have been chosen. In this way it is possible to decide which winding trajectory typology is prefereable in order to manufacture a composite part of good quality.

Keywords:

• WINDING TENSION ESTIMATION
• WINDING TRAJECTORY
• FILAMENT WINDING
• ROBOTIZED CELL
• FULL SECTION PARTS