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US 11,999,113 B2Granted
Composite parts and processes of manufacture
AssigneeVictrex Manufacturing Limited
InventorsMasakazu Tanaka, Stuart Green, Peter Niedermann
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Abstract
The disclosure relates to polymer-containing composite materials and to unusually low-pressure consolidation methods for forming composite parts from such materials. More specifically, for example, the disclosure relates to use of a certain “PEEK-PEDEK” copolymer in low-pressure consolidation methods, using as little as 1 bar pressure (or using atmospheric pressure acting on a consolidation that is held under vacuum) to provide composite parts that are substantially void-free.
Claims14
A process for forming a composite part, the process comprising:
- selecting a composite material comprising a polymeric material having a repeat unit of formula (I):
- —O-Ph-O-Ph-CO-Ph- (I)
- and a repeat unit of formula (II):
- —O-Ph-Ph-O-Ph-CO-Ph- (II)
- wherein Ph represents a phenylene moiety and wherein the polymeric material has a shear viscosity, SV, measured by a Standard method as defined in ISO11443:2014, is in a range from 100 Pa·s to 200 Pa·s, at 400° C., at a shear rate of 1000 s−1;
- and unidirectional fibres,
- wherein the unidirectional fibres are submerged in a dispersion of particles of the polymeric material to form a pre-impregnated tape;
- then
- arranging the pre-impregnated tape into a laminate comprising a plurality of layers of pre-impregnated tape to form a kitted stack;
- and
- heating the kitted stack at a consolidation temperature of at least 305° C. for at least 15 minutes at a consolidation pressure of less than 10 bar.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.