Fujikura Rubber Ltd.

Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Naoki Kimoto

Takato Nakamura

Norio Matsumoto

Tsuyoshi Matsuda

Yuji Katayama

Michihiro Komatsu

Masako Okochi

An FRP drive shaft includes an end joint joined to at least one end of an FRP cylinder via an outer collar. The end joint includes a serrated portion on an outer periphery thereof. The outer collar includes a small-diameter collar portion and a large-diameter collar portion. The serrated portion is press-fitted into an inner periphery of the FRP cylinder and fixed to an inner periphery of the small-diameter collar portion. A gap between an inner periphery of the large-diameter collar portion and an outer periphery of the FRP cylinder is filled with an adhesive for fixing the inner periphery of the large-diameter collar portion and the outer periphery of the FRP cylinder to each other. An adhesive-accumulating space which partially increases a filling amount of the adhesive is formed between the inner periphery of the large-diameter collar portion and the outer periphery of the FRP cylinder.

FRP drive shaft

A method is provided for producing a weight-reduced FRP cylinder which can attain high strength, and also such an FRP cylinder is provided. This FRP cylinder producing method, in which a plurality of prepregs formed by impregnating reinforced fibers with thermosetting resin sheets are wound into a cylinder and thermally cured to be formed as a plurality of FRP layers, includes a simultaneous multilayer winding process in which a torsional rigidity retaining prepreg and a buckling prevention prepreg are continuously wound a plurality of turns with being layered on each other when the plurality of prepregs are wound into a cylinder, wherein the torsional rigidity retaining prepreg includes a layer of fibers oblique to a cylindrical axis direction of the FRP cylinder, and wherein the buckling prevention prepreg includes a layer of fibers orthogonal to the cylindrical axis direction.

Method for producing FRP cylinder and FRP cylinder

A prepreg winding method includes the steps of preparing a plate, a mandrel movable toward and away from the plate, and a press roll movable toward and away from the mandrel and having an axis parallel to the mandrel; mounting a prepreg on the plate, the prepreg being formed by impregnating reinforced fibers with a thermosetting resin sheet; winding a leading end of the prepreg mounted on the plate around the mandrel, and making a pressing force act on the plate and the mandrel therebetween with the prepreg sandwiched between the plate and the mandrel and making a pressing force act on the mandrel and the press roll therebetween with the prepreg sandwiched between the mandrel and the press roll; and winding the prepreg around the mandrel by rotating the mandrel and the press roll.

Prepreg winding method and apparatus

An FRP drive shaft is formed by joining metal end-joints to each end of an FRP cylinder, wherein each of the metal end-joints includes a press-fitting joint having a serrated portion which is press-fitted into the FRP cylinder, and a cylindrical outer collar which is fixed to an outer periphery of the FRP cylinder, and non-circular engaging portions which are engaged with each other to transfer rotation are formed on the press-fitting joint and the cylindrical outer collar, respectively.

Growing community of inventors

Saitama, Japan

Naoki Kimoto