GB1062451A - Improvements in or relating to the continuous production of curved sheets of fibre-reinforced resin - Google Patents

Abstract

1,062,451. Moulding fibre resin sheets; laminating. COMPAGNIE DE SAINT-GOBAIN. March 16, 1964 [March 15, 1963], No. 11009/64. Headings B5A and B5N. A sheet of fibre-reinforced resin is bent into an arcuate shape by feeding the sheet on to a suitable shaped moving surface, heating the sheet thereon until it has set hard, removing the sheet and finally cutting it into required lengths. The sheet may have longitudinal corrugations or ribs &c. which may be formed before the sheet is applied to the moving surface. A glass fibre-mat, formed at 1, is fed on to a sheet 2 of cellophane on to which a polymerizable resin 4 has been applied. A top sheet 5 of cellophane is then applied between rollers 6 and 7, the edges of the cellophane sheets being welded together. The sheet 8 then formed is then drawn over a series of corrugating rollers 9 on to the shaped rim 10 of a rotating spoked wheel 11 and passes through ovens 14, 14a-f in which the polymerizable resin is fully hardened. The hardened sheet is prised from the rim 10 over rollers (63), (64) and member (62) (see Fig. 8, not shown), its edges being trimmed by saw 17, and is then guided on to the arcuate surface of a trolley 46. The sheet is guided over the arcuate surface by rolls (43) and strikes a microswitch (51) which actuates a transverse saw 18 to cut a length from the sheet. At the end of its stroke the saw actuates another microswitch to connect suckers (49) to a vacuum to firmly hold the severed length. The trolley is then retracted along rails 48, the upper frame member 45 pushed sideways by rams (52) (53) and the lengths deposited on to a suitable take-off device. The sheet is drawn over the wheel by means of releasable suction cups carried by endless bands located at station 15. The rim 10, corrugated as in Fig. 5 (not shown) is carried upon end cross-members of the spokes by perforate flanges (23a), (23) and imperforate flanges (22, 22a, in Fig. 3, not shown), a cavity (25) being formed between the rim, flanges (23), (23a) and a cylindrical sheet (26), coaxial with the wheel of a heat insulating material. The ovens co-operate with the flanges (23), (23a), as in Fig. 5, the heated air f1 passing through perforate plate (32) directly on to the sheet 8, the air f2 being additionally heated at (33) and passing through plates (23), (23a) to heat the undersurface of the rim 10 and thus the undersurface of the sheet.