Method for fabricating a thermoplastic composite structure
AssigneeCytec Industries Inc.
InventorsJames Martin Griffin, Kingsley Kin Chee Ho, James Francis Pratte
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Surface-treated polymeric particles which are dispersible in water or an aqueous solution without the aid of any surfactant. Surface treatment of hydrophobic polymeric particles is carried out to increase the surface energy and to render the surfaces of the particles hydrophilic, thereby eliminating the need for a surfactant to disperse the polymeric particles in water or an aqueous solution. As such, a surfactantless slurry can be formed from the surface-treated particles for the fabrication of fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composite structures.
Claims10
A method for fabricating a thermoplastic composite structure, comprising:
- (a) exposing particles of hydrophobic thermoplastic polymer to a surface treatment that renders the outer surfaces of the particles hydrophilic, thereby forming surface-treated particles with outer surfaces having a dispersive surface energy of less than 50 mJ/m2, as measured by Inverse Gas Chromatography (IGC);
- (b) forming an aqueous slurry comprising the surface-treated particles without adding any surfactant;
- (c) applying the aqueous slurry to a first layer of reinforcement fibers to distribute the particles onto the fibers, forming a first particle-coated layer;
- (d) placing an additional layer of reinforcement fibers on the first particle-coated layer;
- (e) applying the aqueous slurry to the additional layer of reinforcement fibers to distribute the particles onto the fibers, forming a subsequent particle-coated layer;
- (f) drying the particle-coated layers;
- and
- (g) consolidating the particle-coated layers by applying heat and pressure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.