An apparatus and method for splitting a high filament count carbon fiber tow into a set of tows with reduced filament counts. The apparatus is comprised of an electrolyte bath assembly and a splitting assembly comprised of at least one blade. The preferred embodiment of the blades being Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). The splitting assembly being positioned within the electrolyte bath or adjacent to the exit of the electrolyte bath.

A FW apparatus includes a bobbin driving unit, a winding device, and a tension applying device. A FW method using the FW apparatus includes a temporary suspending step of temporarily suspending operation of the winding device in the middle of winding the fed-out fiber portion around the workpiece. In the temporary suspending step, the length of the feeding path is increased by moving the pressing member while causing the pressing member to press against the fed-out fiber portion in a state of continuing to feed out the fed-out fiber portion from the fiber roll portion.

A method of producing a partially separated fiber bundle wherein, while a fiber bundle includes a plurality of single fibers travels along a lengthwise direction of the fiber bundle, a separator provided with a plurality of projected parts is penetrated into the fiber bundle to create a separation-processed part, and entangled parts, where the single fibers are interlaced, are formed at contact parts with the projected parts in at least one separation-processed part, thereafter the separator is removed from the fiber bundle, and after passing through an entanglement accumulation part including the entangled parts, the separator is penetrated again into the fiber bundle, characterized in that a separation processing time t1 during being penetrated with the separator and a time t2 from being removed with the separator to being penetrated again into the fiber bundle satisfy Equation (1): 0.03≤t2/(t1+t2)≤0.5.

A jointed strand includes a superposed portion in which a first strand end in which fibers are oriented in one direction and a second strand end in which fibers are oriented in one direction are superposed; and a joint portion in which fibers of the first strand and the second strand are interlaced at the superposed portion, wherein the joint portion has a slit extending in a fiber orientation direction and a joint spot adjacent to the slit at one location or a plurality of locations aligned in a direction orthogonal to the fiber orientation direction, and monofilaments of the first strand and the second strand are interlaced at the joint spot.

Provided is a useful improvement in a manufacturing method of a CF-SMC using a partially split continuous carbon fiber bundle. The manufacturing method of an SMC of the present invention includes (i) a step of drawing out a continuous carbon fiber bundle (10) from a package, the continuous carbon fiber bundle (10) having a filament number of NK and partially split into n sub-bundles in advance, (ii) a step of chopping the continuous carbon fiber bundle (10) drawn out from the package with a rotary cutter (234) into chopped carbon fiber bundles (20), and (iii) a step of depositing the chopped carbon fiber bundles (20) on a carrier film (41) traveling below the rotary cutter (234) to form a carbon fiber mat (30). In the manufacturing method, due to a fragmentation processing, in which at least some of the chopped carbon fiber bundles before being deposited on the carrier film (41) are fragmented by being brought into contact with a rotating body, a distribution of the filament number of the chopped carbon fiber bundles in the carbon fiber mat (30) is made different from that when the fragmentation processing is not performed.

A manufacturing method and an apparatus enable high productivity. A method for manufacturing an oxidized fiber bundle includes joining an upstream precursor fiber bundle and a downstream precursor fiber bundle together with a joining fiber bundle, and oxidizing the joined precursor fiber bundles by feeding the joined precursor fiber bundles through an oxidization furnace. The joining includes applying an oiling agent to a joint area of a joining target precursor fiber bundle before joining the joining target precursor fiber bundle and the joining fiber bundle together. A quantity of the oiling agent adhering to the joint area is 0.15 to 0.85 wt %.

A partially separated fiber bundle includes a separated fiber section and an unseparated fiber section, being configured to give a ratio A.sub.max/A.sub.min of 1.1 or larger and 3 or smaller, when the number of fiber bundles contained in the width direction of the partially separated fiber bundle (fiber separating number: N.sub.n) measured at a freely selected point P.sub.n (where, n represents an integer of 1 to 100, and freely selected points P.sub.n and P.sub.n+1, excluding n=100, being 50 cm or more away from each other), is divided by a full width of W.sub.n of the partially separated fiber bundle, to calculate the fiber separating number per unit width A.sub.n, and assuming its maximum value as A.sub.max and its minimum value as A.sub.min.

Systems include a creel assembly supporting a plurality of spools containing at least one cord having an indeterminate length such that a plurality of cords are supported on the creel assembly. A tensioner assembly operative to tension approximately equal predetermined lengths of the plurality of cords received from the creel assembly. A building mandrel supported for rotation and translation. A head assembly supported in fixed relation to the building mandrel. The head assembly is positioned co-axially such that the building mandrel can pass through an opening in the head assembly during translation. Methods of manufacture are included, as are flexible spring members and gas spring assemblies.

A spindle unit includes a support shaft, an electromagnetic air-gap brake, a spindle member, and a coupler. The support shaft is attached to the stationary frame of a creel. The brake is connected to the front end of the support shaft. The spindle member is rotatably supported by the support shaft in a state in which the support shaft and the brake are inserted in the spindle member. The coupler couples the spindle member and the brake shaft.

A guiding device for a material to be wound for a winding machine includes at least one blade guiding unit comprising two fiber guiding blades, which are rotationally drivable in opposite directions and are configured for feeding a material to be wound to a carrier of material to be wound of the winding machine, and the at least one blade guiding unit is configured for conveying a material to be wound which is implemented of inorganic fibers.

The blade guiding unit comprises at least one fiber guiding blade tip, which has an at least semi-oval exterior geometry, and the blade guiding unit comprises at least one fiber directing element, which is implemented at least partly of an inorganic-fiber compatible material and comprises at least one rounded fiber guiding edge.