Filament winding is one of the oldest composite manufacturing methods. It was probably the first method to be automated, and remains today one of the most cost effective methods for mass production. Filament winding is also somewhat unique, being one of very few processes that does not build up the composite one uniform ply at a time.

"Filament Winding Composite Structure Fabrication" provides broad coverage of the filament winding process, showing the unique factors engineers must take into account when designing a wound structure. Unlike many books that cover a specific manufacturing process, "Filament Winding" sticks close to its topic and avoids more general composite discussions. In the fibers and resins chapter, for example, the authors give just a brief overview of fiber types, then go into more detail on resins used in and developed for filament winding.

The Manufacturing Process and Tooling and Equipment chapters give good overviews with some practical guidelines. Topics range from the basic types of winding patterns (hoop, helical and polar) to minimum bend radius for carbon fibers. The section on winding machine accuracy shows how minor machine errors can affect part quality. In any winding operation, the fibers follow a complex path from creel to mandrel, and the authors show how fiber tension, spreading, redirects, guides and other factors are all interrelated.

In the analysis chapter, the authors once again stick to those aspects that are unique to winding, leaving the broader coverage to dedicated textbooks. Netting analysis is demonstrated with detailed examples of cylindrical pressure vessel and geodesic dome designs. The transverse fiber pullout failure mode, an important consideration for filament wound structures, unfortunately receives only brief coverage.

Rocket motors and pressure vessels are two common structures made by filament winding, and the chapter covering these products provides some good design examples that can be applied to other types of structures. The chapter on mechanical testing is very specific to wound materials, showing test specimens like rings and tubes that are normally not used for other types of composites.

"Filament Winding" doesn't have quite enough information to be considered a handbook. This is especially true for the chapters on joints and environmental effects, which provide good overviews but lack the details needed for design. Some references are given, but a more complete literature search would be advisable.

Overall, this is a good reference to learn about filament winding, or to get an introduction to more advanced topics. My only complaint with the book is that it needs another round of copy editing (this unfortunately seems to be true of many SAMPE books). In particular, a good number of tables and figures are mislabeled or referred to incorrectly in the text, and at least one table is missing an entire column of data.

Details: "Filament Winding Composite Structure Fabrication", by S.T. Peters, W.D. Humphrey and R.F. Foral, published by SAMPE (no copyright date), ISBN 0-938994-81-6.
Preface; Forward; Acknowledgments; Dedication; Table of Contents; 1. Filament Winding Overview; 2. Fibers and Resin Systems; 3. Manufacturing Process; 4. Tooling and Equipment; 5. Analysis and Design of Filament Wound Laminates; 6. Rocket Motor [sic] Pressure Vessels; 7. Mechanical Testing of Laminated Composites; 8. Composite Joints; 9. Environmental Effects; 10. Quality Assurance; 11. Applications; 12. History and Patent Overview; A.I. Suppiers; A.II. Filament-Wound Composite Fabricators; A.III. Reference Index; A.IV. Glossary of Filament Winding Terms; Index

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