# US 12,109,766 B2 · Fiber-reinforced composite molded article and method for molding same

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- Number: US 12,109,766 B2
- Document ID: US12109766B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/796,730
- Filed: 2020-02-21
- Published: 2023-03-02
- Granted: 2024-10-08
- Earliest claimed: 2020-02-21
- Assignees: Toray Industries, Inc.
- Applicants: Toray Industries, Inc.
- Inventors: Chiasa Kitani; Satoshi Matsumoto; Shigeru Kawashima; Atsuki Tsuchiya
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12109766B2

## CPC

- B29C 70/48: and impregnating the reinforcements in the closed mould, e.g. resin transfer moulding [RTM] {, e.g. by vacuum}
- C08J 5/10: characterised by the additives used in the polymer mixture
- B29C 33/64: Silicone
- C08G 59/4021: {Ureas; Thioureas; Guanidines; Dicyandiamides}
- C08J 5/042: {with carbon fibres}
- C08L 83/04: Polysiloxanes
- C08L 83/06: containing silicon bound to oxygen-containing groups (C08L83/12 takes precedence)
- C08L 83/08: containing silicon bound to organic groups containing atoms other than carbon, hydrogen and oxygen
- B29C 70/54: Component parts, details or accessories; Auxiliary operations {, e.g. feeding or storage of prepregs or SMC after impregnation or during ageing}
- B29K 2101/10: Thermosetting resins
- B29K 2307/04: Carbon
- C08G 77/04: Polysiloxanes
- C08G 77/14: containing silicon bound to oxygen-containing groups
- C08G 77/26: nitrogen-containing groups
- C08G 77/28: sulfur-containing groups
- C08J 2363/00: Characterised by the use of epoxy resins; Derivatives of epoxy resins
- B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00)
- C08J: WORKING-UP; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F, C08G or C08H (working, e.g. shaping, of plastics B29)
- C08G: MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED OTHERWISE THAN BY REACTIONS ONLY INVOLVING UNSATURATED CARBON-TO-CARBON BONDS
- C08L: COMPOSITIONS OF MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS (compositions based on polymerisable monomers C08F, C08G; artificial filaments or fibres D01F; textile treating compositions D06)
- B29K: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS OR TO MATERIALS FOR {MOULDS, } REINFORCEMENTS, FILLERS OR PREFORMED PARTS, e.g. INSERTS

## Abstract

Provided are a fiber-reinforced composite molded article prepared by heat-curing, as a molding material of a fiber-reinforced resin material, a resin composition to which an internal mold release agent is added, the fiber-reinforced composite molded article being capable of effectively producing mold releasability even with a small amount of the mold release agent added, and being capable of achieving high productivity, and a method of forming the fiber-reinforced composite molded article. A fiber-reinforced composite molded article prepared by curing reinforcing fibers and a resin composition, the resin composition including an internal mold release agent, wherein the value obtained by normalizing a Poisson-corrected ion intensity derived from the internal mold release agent detected on the surface of the fiber-reinforced composite molded article, by the Poisson-corrected gross positive secondary ion intensity detected in the predetermined area is higher than 0.1, and a molding method therefor.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A fiber-reinforced composite molded article prepared by curing reinforcing fibers and a thermosetting resin composition, the resin composition comprising an internal mold release agent,
wherein:
the internal mold release agent is a silicone mold release agent,
the silicone mold release agent is a silicone fluid having a functional group equivalent of 100 g/mol to 10,000 g/mol,
the silicone fluid comprises a modification group including a carboxyl or a thiol,
the thermosetting resin composition includes a bisphenol-A epoxy resin, and
the value obtained by normalizing a Poisson-corrected ion intensity derived from the internal mold release agent detected in a predetermined area of a surface of the fiber-reinforced composite molded article, by the Poisson-corrected gross positive secondary ion intensity detected in the predetermined area, is higher than 0.1.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The fiber-reinforced composite molded article according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined area is four 300 μm-square areas on the surface of the molded body, and the average ion intensity of Poisson-corrected ion intensities derived from the internal mold release agent detected in the four 300 μm-square areas on the surface of the molded body is 750,000 to 1,700,000.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The fiber-reinforced composite molded article according to claim 1, wherein, when each of the four 300 μm-square areas on the surface of the molded body is divided into 128×128 pixels, the number of pixels having ion intensity before Poisson correction of not more than 15 is less than 25% of the total number of pixels in each of all areas.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The fiber-reinforced composite molded article according to claim 1, wherein, when each of the four 300 μm-square areas on the surface of the molded body is divided into 128×128 pixels, the ion intensities before Poisson correction derived from the internal mold release agent detected from all pixels are not less than 12.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The fiber-reinforced composite molded article according to claim 1, wherein the amount of the internal mold release agent added is 0.1 to 5 wt % with respect to the resin composition.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

A method of forming a fiber-reinforced composite molded article for obtaining the fiber-reinforced composite molded article according to claim 1, the method comprising heating at 30° C. to 200° C. during curing-molding of the molded article.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of forming a fiber-reinforced composite molded article according to claim 6, comprising forming the molded article by press molding, wherein a flow is allowed to occur such that the ratio of the lower-mold-side molded article surface area upon mold releasing, to the charge area upon injection of the fiber-reinforced resin composition into the mold, is not more than 300%.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The method of forming a fiber-reinforced composite molded article according to claim 6, comprising press-molding a reinforcing-fiber laminate and a resin composition using a mold in which a cavity and a resin inlet are formed, wherein the reinforcing-fiber laminate is placed in the cavity, and wherein, upon injection of the resin composition from the resin inlet into the cavity, the resin composition is stirred immediately before the beginning of the resin injection.