For more than 20 years, Collins Aerospace has been committed to the development, improvement and production of filament winding products at the "Composite Center of Excellence" located in the Banbury region of the United Kingdom. Filament winding is an automated, highly controllable and repeatable process used to produce high-performance lightweight tubular products. Because of the automated process, the cost of the parts mainly depends on the cost of the resin and fiber, especially when high-toughness prepreg tape is used. The material production is divided into multiple stages, and the cost of the cut prepreg tape will affect the overall cost, which can be as high as 5 times compared with fiber and resin.
Collins Aerospace has been investing in and producing high-toughness belts and prepregs to ensure toughness without affecting the final performance of the parts. The process path of tow prepreg has been developed and optimized, combining high-viscosity resin with the same thickness with dry tow. By applying shearing force and pressure, the resin can reach between the fibers in the tow at one time, and will not cause operational damage to the fibers. This process is very efficient and can quickly commercialize high-toughness prepregs and realize simultaneous impregnation of multiple filament bundles. This continuous process eliminates the need for backing paper and cooling steps. The use of this tow prepreg can save the cost of parts without affecting the mechanical properties of the material and the final product. Using the traditional filament winding process, the material can be used to produce durable transmission shafts, support shafts and tie rods.
To evaluate the damage tolerance, the test piece was wound on a six-axis robotic filament winding device. These tubular samples will be subjected to post-impact compression strength performance evaluation to demonstrate compliance with commercial material requirements. In addition, the scope of mechanical performance testing involves both samples and components, which proves the improvement in tensile strength and stiffness control. The material does not show signs of bending and deformation of the fiber bundle, and has consistency in the thickness of the tow, and the porosity is lower than that of the materials on the market.
This brand-new tow prepreg will be used in evolving applications and will be used to produce a series of tough bearings and supports.