Abstract:
Owing to research and development on materials, modern manufacturing has shifted
from the use of traditional materials like metals and ceramics to composites. Composites
are synthetic materials made from two or more constituent materials which exhibit
better physical and chemical properties than the constituents. There are multiple ways
of fabricating composite parts including composite weaving, hand layup, pultrusion and
composite winding.
The author has attempted to explain the composite winding technique to fabricate cylindrical
composite parts. Briefly in composite winding, a composite fiber is wound on a
rotating assembly at a peculiar angle and hardened with the help of chemical hardener
and resins. The author has elaborated an innovative technique to wind composite parts
at multiple winding angles on a variable diameter mandrel (rotating assembly).
The first part of the text explains the design process of such composite winding machine.
The second portion of the text gives an elaborate account of all the technical
details in developing this design. The development of key design features like winding
angle control mechanism and variable diameter adaptability are explained thoroughly.
Lastly the results achieved by this project are explained and samples of wound fiber are
presented pictorially. The composite winding machine developed is capable of winding
composite fiber at various desired winding angles on variable diameter mandrels.
