Robotized filament winding of full section parts: Comparison between two winding trajectory planning rules

Robotized filament winding technology involves a robot that winds a roving impregnated by resin on a die along the directions of stresses to which the work-piece is submitted in applications. The robot moves a deposition head along a winding trajectory in order to deposit roving. The trajectory planning is a very critical aspect of robotized filament winding technology, since it is responsible for both the tension constancy and the winding time. The present work shows two original rules to plan the winding trajectory of structural parts, whose shape is obtained by sweeping a full section around a 3D curve that must be closed and not crossing in order to assure a continuous winding. The first rule plans the winding trajectory by approximating the part 3D shape with straight lines; it is called the discretized rule. The second rule defines the winding trajectory simply by offsetting a 3D curve that reproduces the part 3D shape, of a defined distance; it is called the offset rule. The two rules have been compared in terms of roving tension and winding time. The present work shows how the offset rule enables achievement of both the required aims: to manufacture parts of high structural performances by keeping the tension on the roving near to the nominal value and to markedly decrease the winding time. This is the first step towards the optimization of the robotized filament winding technology. (C) Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2008.