Fiber width adjustment device, fiber width adjustment method and composite material molding method

1. A fiber width adjustment device comprising:

a feeder configured to feed a tape material in a length direction of the tape material, the feeder including at least one roller, the tape material including fibers for a fiber reinforced resin after or before the fibers are impregnated with a resin; and

an adjuster having a path for the tape material, the path being formed by at least a bottom and a pair of wall surfaces, an interval of the wall surfaces decreasing gradually, a width of the tape material which passed the path being changed by adjusting a part of the path, the tape material passing through the part of the path while contacting with the bottom and the wall surfaces,

wherein the adjuster changes the width of the tape material by adjusting a position at which the tape material, which has contacted with the bottom and the wall surfaces, departs from the bottom and the wall surfaces, the bottom having a convex surface, and

wherein the adjuster adjusts the position, at which the tape material departs, by moving the path in a direction parallel to a thickness direction of the tape material, the path being moved relatively to the tape material.

2. The fiber width adjustment device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the convex surface is a curved surface or connected flat surfaces of which normal directions are different from each other.

3. The fiber width adjustment device according to claim 2 ,

wherein the adjuster adjusts the position, at which the tape material departs, by rotating the path around an axis perpendicular to each of the length direction and the thickness direction of the tape material, the path being rotated relatively to the tape material.

4. The fiber width adjustment device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the adjuster adjusts the position, at which the tape material departs, by rotating the path around an axis perpendicular to each of the length direction and the thickness direction of the tape material, the path being rotated relatively to the tape material.

5. The fiber width adjustment device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the adjuster comprises a columnar shape devoid of any curvature, and

wherein, the width of the path at a position where the tape material departs from the path decreases as the tape material contacts with the bottom of the path.

6. The fiber width adjustment device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a control device, having circuitry, that controls the feeder and the adjuster to interlock feeding the tape material with moving the path relatively to the tape material, the changed width of the produced tape material becoming non-constant by interlocking feeding the tape material with moving the path.

7. The fiber width adjustment device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a heater that heats at least one of the tape material before entering the path and the tape material after exiting from the path.

8. The fiber width adjustment device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a cutter that cuts off the tape material which has passed through the path; and

a guide that guides an end part of the tape material cut off by the cutter.

9. The fiber width adjustment device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a table for producing a laminated body of the fibers by laminating the tape material; and

a moving structure, having at least one of a wheel, a gear, a piston, a ball screw and a crawler, that changes a position of the table relatively to a position of the tape material which has passed through the path.

10. A method of molding a composite material comprising:

producing a laminated body of the fibers by laminating the tape material of which the width has been changed by the fiber width adjustment device according to claim 1 ; and

producing the composite material by the final curing of the resin with which the laminated body of the fibers has been impregnated.

11. A method of changing the width of the fibers comprising:

producing the tape material, having the changed width, using the fiber width adjustment device according to claim 1 .

12. The method of changing the width of the fibers according to claim 11 , wherein the tape material having the changed width which is non-constant is produced by moving the path relatively to the tape material while feeding the tape material in the length direction of the tape material.

13. The method of changing the width of the fibers according to claim 11 , wherein the tape material has a thickness of not less than 20 μm and not more than 120 μm.

14. A method of molding a composite material comprising:

producing a laminated body of the fibers by laminating the tape material of which the width has been changed by the method of changing the width of the fibers according to claim 11 ; and

producing the composite material by thermal curing of the resin with which the laminated body of the fibers has been impregnated.

15. A method of molding a composite material comprising:

producing a laminated body of the fibers by laminating the tape material of which the width has been changed by the fiber width adjustment device according to claim 1 ; and

producing the composite material by thermal curing of the resin with which the laminated body of the fibers has been impregnated.