The Development Of 3-D Tube Loom Control System

As the continuous development and enlargement of application field of composite material technology, with the proposal of new problem and requirement in fabric structure, specification, form and quality, as well as the increasing demand of either original composite material of which shape is 3-D curved surface and structure is 3-D (2.5-D) interlaced, or abnormity composite material which is combined seamlessly with two or more kind of hollow geometry, looms which can weave the fabric with 3-D interlaced structure and 3-D curved surface hollow shape becomes the key research for researcher nowaday.The paper studies the design on control system of 3-D tube loom. The loom is controlled by computer, with the 3-D woven fabric CAD system design specification and fabric weave plan, display fabric structure, monitor loom state, the host computer employes industrial personal computer. The slave computer uses PLC and CAM system automatically calculates shed serial number, adjustes height of core mould, controls tube loom to weave real time independently. The design plan gathering CAD and CAM together accords with thought and requirement of modern mechanism design.CAD system possesses graphical user interface. After designing fabric, weaving data that is transformed from the fabric weave plan and fabric specification, is transfered to slave computer by RS-485 communication. Before weaving CAM system receives weaving data, then stores into chain plan data storage address, controles loom to weave without the host computer. In weaving process, PLC in shedding module receives sensor signal of shuttle position, controls cylinders automatically and calculates shed serial number, then formes shed. When the loom weaves to certain degree, PLC in shedding module sends signal to command PLC in up or down core mould module to ascending or decending the core mould. PLC in up or down core mould module receives the data of up or down core mould and the signal from PLC in open module, while controlling the motion of shuttle. The state of open module and up or down module are transfored into CAM monitoring moduleby RS-485, then the loom state and the forming of product is displayed by monitoring module.The three-dimensional tube loom arrives at international advanced level in the design thought, weaving principle, forming method of fabric, control system, filles up the blank of 3-D tube loom among worldwide, furthermore will promote enormously the application of 3-D woven fabric in fields of aviation, spaceflight, military affairs, watercraft.