Method of producing a fibrous preform
US7520037B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 8, 2004 |
| Grant date | Apr 21, 2009 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 15, 2025 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC D)Textiles; Paper
- CPC primaryD04H18/02
- WIPO fieldTextile and paper machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
Method for producing a fibrous preform, especially by needling a fiber material (e.g., discontinuous pitch-based or PAN-based fiber). A needle-penetrable mold plate (10) having at least one mold cavity (12) therein for receiving the fiber material is provided. The use of a needle-penetrable mold plate allows the mold plate having the fiber material therein to be passed freely through a linear needling device, such as a linear needling loom, without having to take rigorous care to limit a needling path to the discontinuous fiber material, as in the conventional art. The mold plate is moved relative to the needling device one or more times until a desired level of material density (sometimes measured by fiber content percentage) is attained. Preferably, the mold plate is additionally moved and/or allowed to move along a direction generally transverse to the direction along with the mold plate moves relative to the needling device, so as to avoid the conventional problem of needle “tracking” and thereby create a better needling effect.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.