ABSTRACT
High speed, precise laydown of continuous reinforcement in predescribed patterns is the basis of the filament winding method. It is a process by which continuous resin-impregnated reinforcements in the form of rovings or tows (gathered strands of untwisted fiber) are wound over a rotating or stationary male mandrel. The mandrel can be cylindrical, spherical, rectangular, or any other shape as long as it does not have reentrant (concave) curvature. The reinforcement may be wrapped in adjacent bands composed of one or more tows or in repeating bands that are stepped the width of the band and eventually cover the mandrel surface without gaps or overlaps. The technique can vary winding tension, wind angle, or resin content in each layer of reinforcement until the desired thickness and resin content in the composite are achieved with the required direction for composite strength. The technique differs from fiber placement in that fiber placement is computercontrolled for more axes, can place tows into concave sections, and must use a sticky, untensioned prepreg tow.
