CADPATH: a complete program for the CAD-, CAE-and CAM-winding of advanced fibre composites

摘要

Filament winding is a widely-used manufacturing process in the composites industry. The efficientuse of the process requires methods of automating the design of components, including the generationof control data for filament-winding machines. This paper gives an introduction to the geometricalbasis for filament winding on surfaces of revolution, with emphasis on the generation of coveringpatterns. An example of the use of the methods for an actual component is given, as implemented inCADPATH, a system for the computer-assisted design and manufacture of filament-woundcomponents. The main features of the program are: (i) the calculation of possible winding paths forrotationally-symmetric components; (ii) searches for covering patterns; (iii) updating of the geometrybetween successive layers; (iv) the performing of simple strength and stiffness analyses of theresulting laminate; (v) the transfer of laminate data to FEM-programs for detailed analysis; and (vi)the transfer of data for the generation of control files for filament-winding machines.