Method and a system for producing a component or semifinished product with a fibre-reinforced foam core

Abstract

A method for producing a component with a fibre-reinforced foam core has the steps of supplying a foam core having a first main surface and an opposite, second main surface, positioning at least one needle at the first main surface of the foam core, piercing the foam core with the needle, with the result that a needle tip penetrates through the first main surface into the foam core and then through the second main surface, hooking a reinforcing fibre into the needle tip, pulling the needle back, with the result that the reinforcing fibre is pulled through the foam core, and coating the reinforcing fibre with a resin while the needle is being pulled back.

Claims

1. A method for producing a component or semifinished product with a fibre-reinforced foam core, comprising: supplying a flat or three-dimensionally curved/shaped foam core having a first main surface and an opposite, second main surface; positioning at least one needle at the first main surface of the foam core; piercing the foam core with the needle, with the result that a needle tip penetrates through the first main surface into the foam core and then through the second main surface; hooking a reinforcing fibre into the needle tip; pulling the needle back, with the result that the reinforcing fibre is pulled through the foam core; and coating the reinforcing fibre with a liquid or powdered resin while the needle is being pulled back wherein piercing by the needle comprises penetration into a needle hole of a needle plate, on which the foam core is laid, and wherein coating of the reinforcing fibre is carried out by a coating device in the needle hole.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein coating is begun as soon as the reinforcing fibre is in the process of entering the foam core, and wherein coating is ended as soon as the reinforcing fibre has been pulled completely into the foam core.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the coating device has a roll arrangement, through which the reinforcing fibre is passed.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the roll arrangement has at least two calender rolls, configured to be moved into surface contact with the reinforcing fibre for coating and to be moved away from the reinforcing fibre to interrupt coating.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein, to produce the surface contact, the calender rolls are moved up to the reinforcing fibre on two sides to enclose said fibre.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the calender rolls are moved into surface contact with the reinforcing fibre as soon as the needle tip is in the process of leaving the needle hole.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising arranging at least one covering layer on at least one of the first main surface and the second main surface to form a first preform.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further features, advantages and possible uses of the present invention will be found in the following description of the embodiment examples and the figures. Here, all the features described and/or depicted, in themselves and in any desired combination, form the subject matter of the invention, even when considered independently of their combination in the individual claims or the dependency references thereof. In the figures, the same reference signs furthermore stand for identical or similar objects.

(2) FIG. 1a shows a system for producing a component with a fibre-reinforced foam core in a schematic illustration.

(3) FIG. 1b shows a detail view of a needle hole in a needle plate from FIG. 1a.

(4) FIGS. 2 to 9 show successive method steps for the production of a component.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(5) FIG. 1 shows an illustrative embodiment of a system 2 for producing a component with a fibre-reinforced foam core. The system 2 has a substrate 4 in the form of a needle plate, on which a foam core can be laid. The needle plate 4 has a needle hole 6, which, by way of example, is of elliptical design and extends through the entire thickness of the needle plate 4. The needle hole 6 is provided for the purpose of enabling a needle 8, which can be moved at least linearly by a suitably positioned sewing device 10, to pass completely through the needle plate 4. If there is a foam core on the needle plate 4, the needle 8 can pierce the foam core and then enter the needle hole 6.

(6) On an opposite surface (not visible in this illustration) there is a schematically indicated fibre supply device 12, which is designed to hook fibres into a hook 14 at a distal end of the needle 8. In a rearward movement of the needle 8, the hooked-in reinforcing fibre is pulled through the needle hole 6 and then through the foam core located thereon. This process is illustrated in more detail in the figures which follow.

(7) FIG. 1b shows a detail illustration of the elliptical needle hole 6 and a section plane A-A, which serves as a reference for the subsequent illustrations.

(8) FIG. 2 shows the needle plate 4 with a foam core 16 located thereon, which has a first main surface 18 and an opposite, second main surface 20. Purely by way of example and indicated only optionally by dashed lines, the foam core 16 is surrounded by a first covering layer 22 composed of a pre-impregnated sheet-like semifinished fibre product and a second covering layer 24, preferably of the same type. However, since this variant is not essential, the covering layers 22 and 24 are omitted in the figures that follow, although it is always a conceivable variant. The combination of the foam core and the covering layers can be referred to as a first preform 25. In this illustration, the needle 8 is in a position in which the first preform 25 or foam core 16 has been pierced.

(9) A coating device 26 is arranged in the needle hole 6. Purely by way of example, the coating device 26 has a first slide 28 and a second slide 30, which are indicated by movement arrows and can be moved laterally. This means that they can move in the plane of the needle plate 4. By way of example, two calender rolls 32, which can be supplied with a resin via a resin feed device 34, are rotatably arranged on the first slide 28. This is fitted with an injection nozzle, for example. The second slide 30 is fitted with a rotatably mounted calender roll 32, which is arranged between the two calender rolls 32 of the first slide 28 in a vertical direction of the needle plate 4. In this illustration, the calender rolls 32 are spaced apart laterally from the needle 8. Consequently, the coating device 26 is then in a deactivated state.

(10) In FIG. 3, a loop 36 of a reinforcing fibre 38 is guided to the needle 8 by the fibre supply device and hooked into the hook 14 there. The needle 8 is in the process of re-emerging through the needle hole 6 and the foam core 16 and, at the same time, taking the reinforcing fibre 38 along with it.

(11) This is shown further in FIG. 4. The coating device 26 is still in the deactivated state, while the needle 8 now extends only about halfway into the needle hole 6.

(12) In FIG. 5, the needle 8 is in the process of leaving the needle hole 6. From this time, the coating device 26 could be put into the active state.

(13) This has been carried out in FIG. 6. The slides 28 and 30 are set in motion in order to move the individual calender rolls 32 toward one another, with the result that the reinforcing fibre 38 passed through is enclosed between them. Resin from the resin feed device 34 is passed to the calender rolls 32, and these therefore apply the resin to the reinforcing fibre 38. Consequently, a reinforcing fibre 38 coated with resin is pulled through the first preform 25. In FIG. 7, the resin coating is indicated by reference sign 40.

(14) FIG. 8 shows a subsequent transition of the coating device 26 to the deactivated state. The coated reinforcing fibre 38 has been passed completely through the foam core 16, and the coating process can be interrupted.

(15) Finally, in FIG. 9, the cutting to size of the reinforcing fibre 38 is indicated. The cut-to-length reinforcing fibre 38 could be folded over and laid on the main surfaces 18 and 20 of the foam core 16. After this, the previously explained process can be immediately repeated.

(16) For the sake of completeness, it should be noted that “having” does not exclude any other elements or steps and “a” or “an” does not exclude a multiplicity. It should furthermore be noted that features which have been described with reference to one of the above embodiment examples can also be used in combination with other features of other embodiment examples described above. Reference signs in the claims should not be regarded as restrictive.

(17) While at least one exemplary embodiment of the present invention(s) is disclosed herein, it should be understood that modifications, substitutions and alternatives may be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art and can be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. This disclosure is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the exemplary embodiment(s). In addition, in this disclosure, the terms “comprise” or “comprising” do not exclude other elements or steps, the terms “a” or “one” do not exclude a plural number, and the term “or” means either or both. Furthermore, characteristics or steps which have been described may also be used in combination with other characteristics or steps and in any order unless the disclosure or context suggests otherwise. This disclosure hereby incorporates by reference the complete disclosure of any patent or application from which it claims benefit or priority.

REFERENCE SIGNS

(18) 2 system 4 needle plate/substrate 6 needle hole 8 needle 10 sewing device 12 fibre supply device 14 hook 16 foam core 18 first main surface 20 second main surface 22 first covering layer 24 second covering layer 25 first preform 26 coating device 28 first slide 30 second slide 32 calender roll 34 resin feed device 36 loop 38 reinforcing fibre