Glossary of Filament-Winding Terms

This appendix is a compilation of terms and definitions related to composite filament winding.

Filament Winding—Introduction and Overview

Most filament winding machines now have computer controls and at least three axes. Winding with four axes is increasingly common because the shapes of the products have evolved to include more complexity. The automation used on the winding machine and ancillary components does not eliminate the need for proper fiber handling. This chapter is a primer on modern filament winding equipment and its use, starting with an overview of machine control and then discussing the design and structural analysis of filament wound components such as pressure vessels, pipes, grid structures, deep sea oil platform drill risers, high-speed rotors, and filament-wound preforms.

Fiber Trajectories on Shells of Revolution—An Engineering Approach

This chapter outlines a method for mathematically describing fiber trajectories on a shell of revolution. After a short outline of the basic geometry of shells of revolution, the focus shifts to fiber trajectories and their characteristic metrics, angles, and vectors. Next, the chapter focuses on the determination of various kinds of curvatures that eventually lead to the derivation of (non-) geodesic fiber trajectories according to a predetermined coefficient of friction. It concludes with the analysis of nongeodesics on conical segments, annuli, and cylinders.

Automated Filament Winding Systems

This chapter reviews the development of filament winding systems and the automated processes used in state-of-the-art filament winding facilities. It first provides a description on the early stages of modern filament winding, followed by brief information on the advances of filament winding in the computer age. Then, the chapter discusses the requirements for filament winding in manufacturing oil and gas industry components and in high-volume production of sporting goods, propane tanks, and curing ovens. The chapter concludes with examples of the versatility of filament winding in producing complex parts.

Integral Design for Filament Winding—Materials, Winding Patterns, and Roving Dimensions for Optimal Pressure Vessels

This chapter outlines a methodology for the design of cylindrical pressure vessels, with emphasis on the establishment of winding patterns and the interaction between the real fiber bed geometry (finite roving dimensions) and the theoretical one. To highlight the materials-shape/pattern-roving interaction, an outline of the basic principles of pressure vessel design is provided. After a short section on laminate thickness approximation techniques (essential for establishing a range of acceptable roving dimensions), the chapter concludes with an example demonstrating the methodology from an initial set of design parameters up to the final stage, including patterns, roving dimensions, and production time minimization.

Programming Techniques, Computer-Aided Manufacturing, and Simulation Software

This chapter discusses the ways in which the evolution of filament winding software systems has capitalized on the inherent flexibility of computer numerical controlled winding machines and enhanced their productivity. It provides a detailed discussion on different types of geometries that can be wound, from the simple to the highly complex, with insight into the limitations, advantages, and challenges of each. Components covered include classic axisymmetric parts (rings, pipes, driveshafts, pipe reducers, tapered shafts, closed-end pressure vessels, and storage tanks), nonround sections (aeromasts, airfoils, box sections, and fuselage sections), curved-axis parts (elbows, ducts), and special applications (tees). Basic winding concepts, such as band pattern, are discussed and explained, and some simple predictive formulae are introduced. The chapter also provides examples of programming various geometries using advanced software tools and discusses how various materials, such as rovings, tow-preg, prepreg tape, and woven materials, affect winding program generation.

Filament Winding Technology Learned

The technology of fabricating composite hardware and structures by filament winding has evolved empirically through the development and manufacturing of specific components. This chapter reviews areas of technology used in building composite parts and discusses the processes from which the current technology was derived. The discussion covers quality control requirements for composite fabrication technology and cleanliness standards in the workplace. It describes technology developed for specific components, including satellites struts, aircraft hydraulic cylinders, drill pipe, drive shafts, couplings, and cryogenic tubing.

Specifications and Designations of Fibers and Resins

This appendix lists the designations, commercial sources, and suppliers of different types of fibers and resins.

Static Mechanical Tests for Filament-Wound Composites

The objective of mechanical testing of an engineered material is to provide data necessary for the analysis, design, and fabrication of structural components using the material. The testing of filament-wound composite materials offers unique challenges because of the special characteristics of composites. This chapter describes suitable static mechanical test techniques for characterizing laminated composite materials. The approach is to provide recommended techniques, based on consensus opinions of fabricators and users of filament-wound composites, and to survey available techniques that have been used successfully in the field. The chapter describes the effects of various factors on the properties of composite constituents, including fibers, resins, and unidirectional plies. Some aspects of specimen selection are also described. The chapter provides information on pressure bottles and tubular parts that have been developed as standard test specimens for combined load testing of composites.

Pressure Vessel Design, Fabrication, Analysis, and Testing

The necessity of developing the lightest-weight structures with sufficient strength was the driving factor for the development of filament-wound composite pressure vessels. This chapter presents a brief history of the development of rocket motor cases (RMCs), followed by a comparison of the advantages of composites over metals for RMCs. A discussion on a typical design, analysis, and manufacturing operation follows. The chapter introduces the basic design approach and shows some sizing techniques along with example calculations. It discusses the processes involved in the testing of the composite pressure vessel.