GB1351732A - Fishing rods and processes for their manufacture - Google Patents

Abstract

1351732 Fishing rod DEFENCE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR and FIBATUBE Ltd 19 April 1971 [19 March 1970] 13197/70 Heading A1A [Also in Division B5] A solid or hollow, parallel-sided or tapered fishing rod blank reinforced with carbon fibres and with other fibres, e.g. glass fibres, is made by impregnating a cloth and carbon fibres with synthetic resin and forming the blank with the carbon fibres disposed longitudinally. The carbon fibre content, from 2% to 25% by volume may be varied along the rod to adjust the flexibility. The handle may have up to 35% carbon fibres to permit a smaller diameter. A rod is formed by placing bundles of carbon fibres 13, Fig. 1, or a woven tape 32 (Fig. 3, not shown) parallel to and spaced from the edge 14 of a trapezoidal resinimpregnated glass fibre cloth 11 and wrapping the cloth round a tapered mandrel which is generally removed but may be of light metal alloy and left in place. This forms a tube with carbon fibres sandwiched between glass fibres to which rod fittings are attached after curing the resin. Alternatively (a) the glass fibre cloth has selected warp threads or a central band of threads replaced by bundles of carbon fibres threaded into or lightly sown to the cloth, (b) a carbon fibre cloth is wound between layers of glass fibre cloth, or (c) a braided carbon fibre tube is stretched over a pre-formed glass fibre resin blank. To form a tapered rod in which bundles of carbon fibres are equally angularly spaced throughout its length, the bundles of carbon fibres are placed into the grooves 42, 43 (Fig. 4, not shown) of a jig plate (41). The fibres are picked up by pressing them against a tacky glass fibre/resin cloth or by ironing the cloth against them. The carbon fibres may be prepared as disclosed in Specifications 1110791, 1166252 and 1195219.