Abstract: A method of manufacturing a filament wound article is practiced by winding overlying filamentary layers on a form such that those portions of the wound layers which are covered by overlying layers include incomplete or discontinuous portions thereof whereby portions of the layers which are not covered by overlying wound layers are of a minimum thickness for enhanced accuracy in the approximation of a desired smooth thickness profile.

Abstract: The manufacture of large scale wind turbine blades is accomplished by winding composite fiber materials onto a mandrel to form the desired airfoil shape. The winding process requires that the fibers always maintain contact with the mandrel surface. If the surface is concave the fibers will form a bridge over the concave surface portion which produces a void. This invention avoids bridging by analysis of the mandrel surface design including the steps of defining a plurality of coordinate points on the surface prior to winding thereof, and determining if a concavity will occur in the fiber winding plane passing through each coordinate point. If a concavity is located, the mandrel design coordinate point at the concavity is modified to eliminate the concavity and provide a continuous flat or convex surface in the fiber winding plane. The process can be automated by clerical or computing methods, and is repeated for each coordinate point until bridging is substantially eliminated.