A study of the feasibility of a monoblock racing motorcycle rim

After having created inflatable silicone rubber tools that are adapted for the pressing of prepreg plies during the moulding of hollow complex forms made of composite materials, their production has not only been stabilised but also performed according to current industrial processes. Such a device is to be considered as an alternative to autoclave moulding (for which the hourly cost is too high) or to moulding on a solid foam core (limited to simple hollow shapes). Furthermore it is to be applied to a tool involved in manufacturing the monoblock of a racing motorcycle. The tool is made by vulcanising and inflating uncurred sheets of silicone rubber inside a forming mould. Thereby do we get a hollow core which is then coated by the prepreg plies? The coated core is then put inside a rigid mould which will shape the external side of the mould. During curing, done in a conventional oven, these tools are regulated under a controlled pressure in order to obtain an optimal pressing. Curing in an oven is not only cheap but also allows us to achieve a competitive cost for lines including more than five parts. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.