A winding section of a filament winding apparatus winds a fiber bundle around a filament-wound member. A tension acquisition part acquires a detected winding-tension value. A supply-speed acquisition part acquires a detected supply-speed value. A storage part stores correlation information in which an allowable determination range of winding tension is set in relation to the supply speed. A determination part determines whether the winding of the fiber bundle is successful or unsuccessful by comparing detected-value information, including the detected winding-tension value and the detected supply-speed value associated with each other, with the correlation information.

The present disclosure provides a high-efficiency filament helical winding device, which includes a frame body and a plurality of multi-filar guides. The frame body is provided with a through-hole, the plurality of multi-filar guides distributed in a circumference along a center of the through-hole are rotationally connected to the frame body and filament is extended out from each multi-filar guide in the plurality of multi-filar guides, and the frame body is provided with a first driving mechanism that drives each multi-filar guide to rotate.

A pressure vessel includes a liner including a cylinder part and side parts provided at both ends of the cylinder part, each side part having a dome shape, and a carbon fiber layer including a first hoop layer surrounding a part of an outer circumferential surface of the cylinder part and second hoop layers surrounding other parts of the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder part, each of the second hoop layers having a thickness different from a thickness of the first hoop layer.

An inner mandrel for forming a variable taper component includes a plurality of interlocking pieces and a brace. Each interlocking piece defines opposed tapered edge faces, a first surface, and a tapered second surface opposite the first surface. One of the edge faces defines a locking feature and another of the edge faces defines a receiving feature engaging the locking feature of an adjacent interlocking piece. The first surface defines a variable taper and a plurality of recesses. The brace secures the plurality of interlocking pieces to each other in a concentric arrangement about a central axis. A maximum width of each of the interlocking pieces is smaller than a minimum width of an end portion of the variable taper component. A central portion of the variable taper component is wider than the end portions.

An inner mandrel for forming a variable taper component includes a plurality of interlocking pieces and a brace. Each interlocking piece defines opposed tapered edge faces, a first surface, and a tapered second surface opposite the first surface. One of the edge faces defines a locking feature and another of the edge faces defines a receiving feature engaging the locking feature of an adjacent interlocking piece. The first surface defines a variable taper and a plurality of recesses. The brace secures the plurality of interlocking pieces to each other in a concentric arrangement about a central axis. A maximum width of each of the interlocking pieces is smaller than a minimum width of an end portion of the variable taper component. A central portion of the variable taper component is wider than the end portions.

Inflatable medical devices and methods for making and using the same are disclosed. The devices can be medical invasive balloons, such as those used for transcutaneous heart valve implantation, such as balloons used for transcatheter aortic-valve implantation. The balloons can have high strength, fiber-reinforced walls.

Inflatable medical devices and methods for making and using the same are disclosed. The devices can be medical invasive balloons, such as those used for transcutaneous heart valve implantation, such as balloons used for transcatheter aortic-valve implantation. The balloons can have high strength, fiber-reinforced walls.

A step of forming a low-angle helical layer on an outer surface of at least part of each liner dome portion and an outer surface of a liner cylindrical portion, a step of forming an inner hoop layer on an outer surface of the low-angle helical layer on the liner cylindrical portion, and a step of forming a mixed layer by alternately laminating a low-angle helical layer and an outer hoop layer on an outer surface of the inner hoop layer and low-angle helical layer on each liner dome portion. Then, on the liner cylindrical portion, 90% or more of the sum of the thickness of the inner hoop layer and the thickness of the outer hoop layer in the mixed layer is arranged within the range of 75% of the fiber reinforced plastics layer adjacent to the liner in a thickness direction of the fiber reinforced plastics layer.

Apparatus and methods are provided for making catheters having relatively larger distal and proximal regions and/or including intermediate layers that minimize or eliminate gaps during manufacturing, and to catheters or other tubular devices made using such apparatus and methods.

A manufacturing method for manufacturing a tank includes: a step of forming a structural body constituted by a liner and a fiber reinforced resin layer placed on the outer periphery of the liner, the structural body including a cylindrical portion and dome portions provided in opposite ends of the cylindrical portion in the axial direction of the cylindrical portion; a step of winding a heat insulating sheet around the fiber reinforced resin layer after the step of forming the structural body, the heat insulating sheet having notches in dome forming portions provided to correspond to the dome portions; and a step of covering the dome portions with the dome forming portions.