A method for producing a high-pressure tank that can, when forming a reinforcement layer following a previous reinforcement layer using fiber bundles, ensure the strength of the tank by reducing disturbance of the orientation of the fiber bundles. The method is adapted to form each reinforcement layer by winding fiber bundles while holding a preset tension for each layer, and includes a winding start step of stopping rotation of the tank liner upon completion of formation of at least one of the reinforcement layers, and, at the start of forming a following reinforcement layer, winding the fiber bundles at a tension smaller than a preset tension for the following reinforcement layer while alternately repeating rotation of the tank liner in the forward direction and the reverse direction, thereby forming a winding start portion of the following reinforcement layer; and a main winding step of winding the fiber bundles at the preset tension after the winding start step, so as to complete the formation of the following reinforcement layer.

A helical winding unit includes a plurality of guides arrayed in a peripheral direction of a liner, and adapted to guide each of a plurality of fiber bundles supplied to the helical winding unit to the liner, and an opening member arranged downstream of the plurality of guides in a travelling direction of the fiber bundle, and including an inner peripheral surface for forming a hole, through which the plurality of fiber bundles are inserted from one side to the other side in the axial direction. A plurality of opening surfaces on which the plurality of fiber bundles travel while making contact are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the opening member, and a cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the axial direction of each opening surface is linear.

A filament winding device includes a fiber bundle retainer that temporarily retains fiber bundles. The fiber bundle retainer includes: a reel member including an outer peripheral portion having pins movable in the axial direction relative to the fiber bundles supplied through fiber bundle guides and rotatable about the axis of the liner, the reel member capable of winding the fiber bundles onto the outer peripheral portion; a first cutting unit configured to cut a part of each of the fiber bundles in the circumferential direction, the part being between a part of the fiber bundle wound on the outer peripheral portion and a part of the fiber bundle wound on the liner; and a second cutting unit different from the first cutting unit and configured to cut a part of each of the fiber bundles in the axial direction, the part being wound on the outer peripheral portion.

In one embodiment, a breathing circuit component is provided and comprises: an inlet; an outlet; and an enclosing wall defining a gases passageway between the inlet and the outlet, at least a region of the wall comprising a membrane that allows the passage of water vapour without substantially allowing the passage of liquid water or respiratory gases, wherein, said membrane has a thickness of about 35 to 45 micrometers.

In a winding method of a sheet member for winding a sheet member having an inclined side portion 7a inclined with respect to a longitudinal direction at least on one side in the longitudinal direction around a winding cylinder 50 in more than one turn from a tip end of the inclined side portion 7a as a winding start tip, winding of the sheet member is started in a small-diameter portion 51a of the winding cylinder 50 to which a radial difference is given by providing a step 54 to make a diameter smaller on one side in an axial direction and larger on the other side in the axial direction.

An expiratory limb for a breathing circuit includes an enclosing wall defining a flexible singular expiratory flow passage between an inlet and an outlet and bounding the flexible singular expiratory flow passage and ambient air. The expiratory limb includes one or more regions of the enclosing wall that made from a material that allows passage of water vapor without allowing passage of liquid water, thereby forming a water vapor flow path from the flexible singular expiratory flow passage to the ambient air through the material. The expiratory limb is configured to allow diffusion of water vapor along the flexible singular expiratory flow passage and dry the flow of expiratory gases between the inlet and the outlet.

A method for producing a high-pressure tank that can, when forming a reinforcement layer following a previous reinforcement layer using fiber bundles, ensure the strength of the tank by reducing disturbance of the orientation of the fiber bundles. The method is adapted to form each reinforcement layer by winding fiber bundles while holding a preset tension for each layer, and includes a winding start step of stopping rotation of the tank liner upon completion of formation of at least one of the reinforcement layers, and, at the start of forming a following reinforcement layer, winding the fiber bundles at a tension smaller than a preset tension for the following reinforcement layer while alternately repeating rotation of the tank liner in the forward direction and the reverse direction, thereby forming a winding start portion of the following reinforcement layer; and a main winding step of winding the fiber bundles at the preset tension after the winding start step, so as to complete the formation of the following reinforcement layer.

An expiratory limb for a breathing circuit includes an enclosing wall defining a flexible singular expiratory flow passage between an inlet and an outlet and bounding the flexible singular expiratory flow passage and ambient air. The expiratory limb includes one or more regions of the enclosing wall that made from a material that allows passage of water vapor without allowing passage of liquid water, thereby forming a water vapor flow path from the flexible singular expiratory flow passage to the ambient air through the material. The expiratory limb is configured to allow diffusion of water vapor along the flexible singular expiratory flow passage and dry the flow of expiratory gases between the inlet and the outlet.

A helical winding unit includes a plurality of guides arrayed in a peripheral direction of a liner, and adapted to guide each of a plurality of fiber bundles supplied to the helical winding unit to the liner, and an opening member arranged downstream of the plurality of guides in a travelling direction of the fiber bundle, and including an inner peripheral surface for forming a hole, through which the plurality of fiber bundles are inserted from one side to the other side in the axial direction. A plurality of opening surfaces on which the plurality of fiber bundles travel while making contact are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the opening member, and a cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the axial direction of each opening surface is linear.

A helical winding unit includes a plurality of guides arrayed in a peripheral direction of a liner, and adapted to guide each of a plurality of fiber bundles supplied to the helical winding unit to the liner, and an opening member arranged downstream of the plurality of guides in a travelling direction of the fiber bundle, and including an inner peripheral surface for forming a hole, through which the plurality of fiber bundles are inserted from one side to the other side in the axial direction. A plurality of opening surfaces on which the plurality of fiber bundles travel while making contact are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the opening member, and a cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the axial direction of each opening surface is linear.