The Tension Testing And Control System Design Of 8-channel Automated Tow Placement

Due to the better strength-weight ratio compared with that of metal, and because it has advantages like erosion endurance, the tow and resin-compound materials are becoming more and more important in spaceflight, national defense and civil techniques. Tension control is the crucial technique in the manufacturing process of the tow and resin-compound materials. The strength and reliability of the products made from tow materials is highly dependent on whether a stable and controllable tension can be secured in the manufacturing process. However, the tension-control equipment used in tow twister at present in our country can not meet the requirements in terms of degree control and tension modulation. Therefore, this paper conducts a design of 8-channel tension testing and control system in the automated tow placement.This paper is devoted to the research and design of the metal-strain tension sensor, including a presentation of metal-strain effect, the circuit design for the signal management and conversion, the analysis of the characteristics of the sensor's structure and parameter. The performance characteristics and control mode of the DC (direct current) torque motor, which is the executive framework of the tension control system, is also introduced in the paper. Meanwhile, it also covers data gathering and processing and increment PID control arithmetic. At the end of the paper, it introduces the system software of the tension testing and control system, including the software flow charts of the main program and each functional module.