Fishing Rod Manufacturing - Coursework Example

Fishing Rod Manufacture Different designs of fishing rods have been produced since its inception in the ancient Egypt. They are made with flexible lengths and from glass fibre composites, carbon fibre composites and wood including bamboo, maple and iron wood. Materials used for the manufacture of fishing rods are required to have high Youngs modulus and low density to obtain light and stiff rods. They were made in three parts including the butt, midsection and the tip and tapered from the butt to the tip. The length of the fishing rod is proportional to the mechanical advantage in casting. Fishing rods require to be made light, pliable and tough. This paper discusses the different manufacturing processes applied in the production of fishing rods including the Early and the modern production methods, the advantages and limitations of each method, Quality control and quality assurance. Early manufacturing process Early fishing rods were referred to as gorges and materials used for their production included wood, bones and stones. The rods were through carving. The types of wood used were bamboo, ash wood, iron wood, lancewood, maple, calcutta reed and malacca cane. The gorges were pointed at both ends and short with only the length of 2.54 cm. Longer rods made from simple tree branches with a length of 90cm were developed which allowed fishing from the shore. Like modern rod designs, early fishing rods also had three parts including the butt, midsection and the tip. The butt had a bored base and was made from maple; the midsection was made from iron wood and the tip made from bamboo. Flexible material such as bamboo made the tips. Strings and adhesives such as Irish glue and bone glue were used to join the three sections. Irish and bone glue absorbed water resulting into weakened rods. Developments led to the adoption of hitlon or cement glue which had waterproof qualities. Longer rods of approximately 16 to 18 feet came into conception that had six parts for easier transportation. Wood was used as the raw material and the tip was made from whalebones (Fishing museum online, n.d) Limitations of Early manufacturing processes Materials used for the production of the rods were wood, bones and stones which have high densities and low youngs modulus. They have a low ratio of youngs modulus to the density that results in heavy rods that are cumbersome to use and transport. The materials are also brittle and required great care when transporting. Production of rods was mostly in small scale and for individual use. Advantages of early manufacturing processes The materials used for process were cheap and readily available Modern production techniques Modern production techniques for fishing rods use materials such as fibreglass composites, carbon fibre composites and bamboo. Modern fishing rods also have three sections including the butt, midsection and the tip. Ferrules that are made of fibreglass or metal are used to join the rod portions together. The production process used depends on the raw materials used. Selection of materials Selecting the appropriate material is the most difficult part for designers. An appropriate material for the selected task serves the required objective within the minimum costs. Selection of the best material depends on its availability, its suitability for the working conditions in service and its cost. Physical, chemical and mechanical properties determine the utility of the material for a particular purpose. The physical properties that determine the selection of materials for the manufacture of rods are size, shape and density. The mechanical properties include Elasticity, stiffness, plasticity, brittleness, machinability, fatigue, hardness, ductility and strength. Fishing rods should be stiff and light (Khurmi, 2005, pp. 17-18). Materials needed for the production of fishing rods are required to have a high youngs modulus and low density. Fishing rods in utilization are subjected to tensional and bending stresses. T the specific modulus which is the ratio of the elasticity to the density ( ) and the performance index given by the ratio of strength to density ( ) determine the ability of a material to withstand tension (Budynas, 2011, p 63). An appropriate material has the best plate stiffness that is defined by the cube root of the ratio of Elasticity to density ( ). The best material has an optimum combination of youngs modulus, density and cost. Material selector software helps in the selection of appropriate material. The Ashby chart plotted with the youngs modulus against density shows the specific modulus of different materials. The purpose of specific modulus is to reduce the weight, and its vital in the design for a fishing rod, which is limited by deflection and stiffness. Fishing rods made from materials with higher specific modulus are stiff and have lower deflection. According to the Ashbys chart, engineering ceramics, composites and wood have high specific modulus. Fishing rods made from engineering composites, ceramics and wood have low weight and high stiffness. When ranked by increasing stiffness, we have wood followed by composites and then the ceramics. Ashby chart showing the specific modulus of different materials retrieved from Budynas, R. G., & Nisbett, J. K., 2011, Materials, Pdf, Shigleys Mechanical engineering design, p 64, McGraw-Hill, Singapore. Plotting the strength against density on the Ashbys chart gives the performance index of materials. A high performance index shows a reduction in the weight of the components. According to the chart, the materials are wood, engineering composites and the ceramics. Relating strength to the relative cost per unit volume results in wood at the lowest cost followed by composites and the ceramics. When Elasticity is related to the charge per unit, a similar rank is obtained. Wood costs the least price and ceramics are the most expensive. The best materials for the production of fishing rod are the Engineering composites and wood. The composites used include carbon fibre-reinforced composites and the glass fibre-reinforced composites. Wood used for the production is reinforced with resins. Ashbys chart showing the performance indices of materials retrieved from Budynas, R. G., & Nisbett, J. K., 2011, Materials, Pdf, Shigleys Mechanical engineering design, p 67, McGraw-Hill, Singapore. Composites Composites are engineering materials that have two or more chemically different materials combined to improve the properties. Composites have two phases; the primary phase and the secondary phase. The primary phase mainly polymers, ceramics or metals; forms the base for the embedment of the secondary phase. The secondary phase is the reinforcing agent and serves to strengthen the composite. Secondary phase materials may include the polymers, particles, ceramics, fibres or metals. Fibre reinforced composites Fibre is added to composites to increase the stiffness and tensile capacity. Fibres occupy about 30-40% of the matrix volume and are oriented two dimensions, planar and three dimensions. One dimensional oriented fibres offer maximum strength and stiffness in the direction of the fibre. Three dimensional composites possess isotropic properties. The commonly used fibres are carbon, glass and aramid. Composites are very strong, stiff and light in weight resulting in higher stiffness to weight and strength to weight ratios than aluminum or steel. They also have better fatigue properties and higher toughness than metals. Combinations can be obtained that are free from corrosion and can achieve properties that are not attainable with the ceramics, metals or polymers when used alone. Composites have anisotropic properties and the polymer based composites are easily attacked by chemicals. The manufacturing processes for composites are also slow and expensive. Typical properties Glass fibres Aramid fibres Carbon fibres E-Glass S-Glass Kevlar 29 Kevlar 49 High strength High modulus Density (g/cm3) 2.6 2.5 1.44 1.44 1.8 1.9 Youngs modulus (GPa) 72 87 83/100 124 230 370 Tensile strength (GPa) 1.72 2.53 2.27 2.27 2.48 1.79 Tensile elongation (%) 2.4 2.9 2.8 1.8 1.1 0.5 Table of typical properties of fibre reinforced composites viewed 13 April 2014 Manufacturing processes for composites The most common production methods are open mould process, closed mould process, filament winding, pultrusion processes and other polymer matrix composite shaping processes. 1. Open mould process The shaping process produces fibre-reinforced polymers with laminated structures using single positive or negative mould surfaces. The process starts with the application of the starting materials including fibres, resins and mats to the mould in layers to build up the desired thickness. It is followed by curing and removal of the part. Open mould processes vary depending on the mode of applying laminations to the mould, the curing techniques and include hand lay-up, spray-up, vacuum bagging and tape lating using automatic machines. a. Hand layup The process is also known as contact moulding and involves applying successive layers if resin and reinforcement manually to the open mould. It is suitable for making fibreglass resin composites. A mould release agent is applied to treat the mould and a resin applied to the outside surface of the mould. The resin is allowed to set partially before applying resin and fibre layers. Rolling is done to remove air between the layers and impregnate resin with the fibre. The part is cured and allowed to harden before it is removed from the mould. The Hand lay-up process is labour intensive, and the products have irregular shapes that must be trimmed with a power saw. The process is also slow and not suitable where large volumes of products are necessary. The process is suitable where the size of the final product is unlimited. Finished products have excellent surface finish. It also uses relatively cheap equipments and tools. Viewed 13 April 2014 b. Spray- up process Spray-up method builds successive laminations by spraying liquid resin and chopped fibres onto an open mould. Spraying of the chopped fibre and resins is done simultaneously reducing cycle time. It is used in the production of lightly loaded structural panels such as caravan bodies and small boats. Viewed 13 April 2014 c. Vacuum-bag moulding Vacuum-bag moulding process is used in the manufacture of large components with complex shapes such as cruise boats and racing car components. It uses atmospheric pressure to suck air from under the vacuum and compact the composite layers down to make a high quality laminate. Vacuum bag tooling is relatively cheap, and curing can be done on a variety of shapes. It is suitable for producing advanced composites such as military and aircraft products. Vacuum bag set up viewed 13 April 2014 2. closed mould process It is classified into compression, injection and transfer moulding and performed on moulds with two sections that open and closes during each moulding cycle. Closed moulding process is relatively more expensive than open moulding process. Advantages of closed moulding Closed moulding can produce three-dimensional complex shapes and with good surface finish. The process is faster than open moulding and has better control over tolerances. a. Compression moulding In compression moulding, the charge is placed at the bottom of the mould and pressure used to bring the sections together for the charge to take shape of the mould. The charge is then heated to cure the polymer. b. Transfer moulding In Transfer moulding, a thermosetting resin charge is placed in a pot and then heated. It is then transferred to the mould by squeezing through ram action. c. Injection moulding Injection moulding is mostly used for the manufacture of thermoplastics with low cost of production and ability to produce large quantities of products. Injection moulding is classified into conventional and reinforced reaction injection moulding. Conventional injection moulding is used for both thermosetting and thermoplastics. Chopped fibres are used for reinforcement, and they align to the composites as they pass the nozzle during injection into the mould cavity. Directional property can be achieved with conventional injection moulding. Reinforced reaction injection involves injecting a mixture of reactive components into a mould cavity whereby the chemical reaction initiates the curing and solidification process. It utilizes mixtures of glass fibres to achieve stronger reinforced composites than conventional injection. The process is relatively cheap since it requires no heat for the curing process. Manufacture of the fishing rod Fibreglass and carbon fibre-reinforced sheets are used and coated with a liquid plastic resin. A sheet is attached to one end of a tapered steel rod referred to as a mandrel that is then rolled between heated metal rollers to wrap layers of fibre around the mandrel. The mandrel is then heated to cure the resin and a pressurized ram used to remove the mandrel from the hardened fibre composite blank. Rough surfaces are removed through sanding and then coated with layers of protective materials with buffing of each coating for a smooth finish. Quality control and assurance Prototypes of fishing rods are manufactured and used to fish in various environmental outdoor conditions. Testing begins at the design stage, and the design is configured to meet the required goals. During the manufacture, the metal rollers apply uniform pressure around the mandrel to ensure an even surface finish with the right amount of thickness. The different sections are made to fit together correctly for easy assembly, and the distance between guides is spaced correctly to allow smooth movement of the line. Conclusively, this paper discussed the different manufacturing methods applied in the manufacture of fishing rods, the advantages and limitations of each method, the selection of materials for fishing rods and the quality control and assurance for fishing rods. References Budynas, R. G., & Nisbett, J. K., 2011, Materials. Shigleys Mechanical engineering design , pp. 31-67, McGraw-Hill, Singapore. How Products Are Made, n.d, How fishing rod is made, viewed 13 April 2014 Khurmi, R. S., & Gupta, J. K., 2005, Engineering materials and their properties, A text book of machine design, pp. 16-52, Eurasia, New Delhi Soni, S n.d, ME 338 Manufacturing processes 2, Pdf, Indian institute of technology, Bombay, viewed 13 April 2014 < http://www.me.iitb.ac.in/~ramesh/ME338/comp.pdf> The Fishing Museum Online - A brief history of the rod, n.d, The Fishing Museum Online - A brief history of the rod, viewed 13 April 2014 Read More