초록 ▼

An apparatus for forming a hollow FRP article by internal pressure molding includes a vacuum chamber, a forming die positioned in the vacuum chamber, a vacuum-chamber opening/closing mechanism, a composite-body support device for supporting a composite body without making the composite body come int

An apparatus for forming a hollow FRP article by internal pressure molding includes a vacuum chamber, a forming die positioned in the vacuum chamber, a vacuum-chamber opening/closing mechanism, a composite-body support device for supporting a composite body without making the composite body come into contact with the forming die in a state where the forming die is opened by the vacuum-chamber opening/closing mechanism, the composite body including an airtight internal-pressure holding tube and a prepreg fitted on said airtight internal-pressure holding tube, an evacuation system for evacuating the vacuum chamber, an internal-pressure supplying device for applying pressure to an inside of the internal-pressure holding tube, and a controller for actuating the vacuum-chamber opening/closing mechanism to clamp the forming die to thereby bring the forming die and the composite body into intimate contact with each other.

대표청구항 ▼

1. An apparatus for forming a hollow FRP article by internal pressure molding, comprising: a vacuum chamber;a forming die positioned in said vacuum chamber;a vacuum-chamber opening/closing mechanism for opening and closing said vacuum chamber;a composite-body support device for supporting a composit

1. An apparatus for forming a hollow FRP article by internal pressure molding, comprising: a vacuum chamber;a forming die positioned in said vacuum chamber;a vacuum-chamber opening/closing mechanism for opening and closing said vacuum chamber;a composite-body support device for supporting a composite body without making said composite body come into contact with said forming die in a state where said forming die is opened by said vacuum-chamber opening/closing mechanism, said composite body including an airtight internal-pressure holding tube and a FRP prepreg fitted on said airtight internal-pressure holding tube;an evacuation system for evacuating said vacuum chamber;an internal-pressure supplying device for applying pressure to an inside of said internal-pressure holding tube of said composite body which is supported by said composite-body support device; anda controller for actuating said vacuum-chamber opening/closing mechanism to clamp said forming die to thereby bring said forming die and said composite body into intimate contact with each other, and for heating said forming die with an application of pressure to said inside of said internal-pressure holding tube after said vacuum chamber is evacuated by said evacuation system. 2. The FRP hollow article forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said composite body is obtained by covering a mandrel with said internal-pressure holding tube and wrapping said FRP prepreg around a periphery of said internal-pressure holding tube. 3. The FRP hollow article forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said mandrel comprises an axial air passage and at least one radial air passage, and wherein said internal-pressure supplying device comprises: an intermediate movable nozzle which is removably inserted into said axial air passage and includes a one-way valve for preventing air from flowing into said vacuum chamber; a forced valve-opening nozzle which is removably inserted into said forced valve-opening nozzle, said one-way valve being opened by an insertion of said forced valve-opening nozzle into said intermediate movable nozzle; andan internal-pressure supplying source for supplying compressed air to said forced valve-opening nozzle. 4. The FRP hollow article forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said composite body is obtained by covering a mandrel with said internal-pressure holding tube, wrapping said FRP prepreg around a periphery of said internal-pressure holding tube, and thereafter removing said mandrel from said composite body. 5. The FRP hollow article forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said mandrel comprises an axial air passage and at least one radial air passage, and wherein said internal-pressure supplying device comprises: an intermediate movable nozzle which is removably inserted into said axial air passage after said removal of said mandrel from said composite body, and includes a one-way valve for preventing air from flowing into said vacuum chamber;a forced valve-opening nozzle which is removably inserted into said forced valve-opening nozzle, said one-way valve being opened by an insertion of said forced valve-opening nozzle into said intermediate movable nozzle; andan internal-pressure supplying source for supplying compressed air to said forced valve-opening nozzle. 6. The FRP hollow article forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said composite-body support device comprises a cantilever support base for supporting said composite body in a cantilever fashion. 7. The FRP hollow article forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said composite-body support device is mounted to a lower-die table which supports a lower die of said forming die thereon, and wherein at least a part of said composite-body support device is biased upwards, toward an upward moving limit thereof, by a biasing device so that said composite body, which is supported by said composite-body support device, does not contact said lower die. 8. The FRP hollow article forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said forming die and said composite body are designed for manufacturing a golf club shaft. 9. The FRP hollow article forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said composite body is obtained by covering a mandrel with said internal-pressure holding tube and wrapping said FRP prepreg around a periphery of said internal-pressure holding tube; wherein said cantilever support base includes an inner support portion and an outer support portion which are positioned apart from each other in an axial direction of said composite body;wherein said inner support portion includes a half-cylindrical recess having a radius corresponding to a half of an outer diameter of a large-diameter end of said mandrel, a portion of said mandrel in a vicinity of said large-diameter end being positioned in said half-cylindrical recess; andwherein said outer support portion includes a cantilever through hole which is greater in diameter than said large-diameter end of said mandrel so that only an upper edge of said outer support portion in said cantilever through hole comes in contact with said large-diameter end of said mandrel from above. 10. The FRP hollow article forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said composite-body support device further comprises an anti-deflection support base, positioned inside said vacuum chamber, for subsidiarily supporting a small-diameter end of said composite body to prevent said small-diameter end from developing deflections. 11. The FRP hollow article forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said lower-die table is guided in a vertical direction to be movable vertically with respect to an upper die fixed to an inner surface of said vacuum chamber.