Method of forming reusable seamless mandrels for the fabrication of hollow fiber wound vessels
US5817203A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 13, 1995 |
| Grant date | Oct 6, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 13, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB29C53/824
- WIPO fieldHandling
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A method for fabricating, and a resulting structure for, a seamless, reusable and collapsible mandrel suitable for forming a plurality of seamless and hollow fiber wound vessels upon is disclosed. A destructible mandrel is used to form the seamless reusable mandrel. The destructible mandrel is preferably formed from a material which can be destroyed by dissolving, for example, materials such as foam or plaster. The seamless, collapsible, and reusable mandrel includes a plurality of different layers including a gas impermeable layer, a continuous fiber wound layer, and a release surface forming the outermost layer of the seamless, collapsible, and reusable mandrel. The resulting seamless, reusable and collapsible mandrel has advantages over mandrels which include a seam. Such advantages include a longer useful life and consistently high quality fiber wound vessels at a relatively low cost.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.