Patent ID: 11911976
Assignee: SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY
Field: Other special machines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B  D  Y | IPC B  D

Claim 0:
1. An apparatus for winding fiber tows to form a structure, the apparatus comprising:
a carrier with spools of fiber mounted thereon, wherein the spools of fiber provide the fiber tows to form the structure;
a mandrel;
a guide element that directs the fiber tows from the spools of fiber onto the mandrel;
a heating element that applies heat to the fiber tows; and
a diaphragm element that defines an orifice about the mandrel;
the diaphragm element including one or more displaceable portions that define a physical dimension of the orifice and that selectively displace to:
open and close at a predetermined rate to vary the physical dimension of the orifice; and
apply a predetermined pressure to the fiber tows disposed on the mandrel; an actuator that actuates the one or more displaceable portions; and

control logic that controls the actuator to selectively open and close the one or more displaceable portions as the mandrel and the diaphragm element undergo relative translational displacement with respect to one another;
wherein the control logic, in controlling the actuator to selectively open and close the one or more displaceable portions, takes into account a relative translational speed between the mandrel and the diaphragm element, via inputs comprising a detected or calculated position of the mandrel with respect to the diaphragm structure.