Method and apparatus for forming high strength products
AssigneeGuill Tool & Engineering Co., Inc.
InventorsRichard Roy Guillemette, Robert Peters, Christopher J Hummel
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Abstract
A system and method are presented in which a flow of plastic is extruded to obtain nano-sized features by forming multiple laminated flow streams, flowing in parallel through the non-rotating extrusion system. Each of the parallel laminated flow streams are subjected to repeated steps in which the flows are compressed, divided, and overlapped to amplify the number of laminations. The parallel amplified laminated flows are rejoined to form a combined laminated output with nano-sized features. The die exit is formed to provide a tubular shape.
Claims24
A method, comprising:
- extruding a flow of extrusion material in a non-rotating extrusion assembly;
- forming a first set of multiple laminated flow streams from the extruded flow;
- amplifying a number of the laminations by repeatedly compressing, dividing and overlapping the multiple laminated flow streams;
- rejoining the parallel amplified laminated flows;
- forming a first combined laminate output with nano-sized features from the rejoining;
- and
- forming a tubular shaped micro-layer product from the combined laminate output.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a non-rotating micro-layer extrusion assembly, the assembly comprising:
- an extrusion material distribution system;
- at least one multiple laminate flow passage configured to amplify a number of laminations of each flow stream by repeatedly compressing, dividing and overlapping each of the multiple laminate flow streams;
- and
- an exit die having an exit flow passage coupled to the multiple laminate flow passage, the exit die configured to generate an inner and an outer annular segment for the multiple laminate flow stream and wherein the exit flow passage is skewed from a parallel direction of the flow stream at a pre-determined helical pitch angle relative to a central axis of the non-rotating extrusion assembly.
A micro-layer tubular extrusion product, comprising:
- at least one micro-layer having nano-sized features, the at least one micro-layer formed by:
- receiving a flow of extrudible material in non-rotating micro-layer extrusion assembly;
- constructing a series of ribbon shaped flow streams;
- subjecting the ribbon shaped flow streams to multiple sequences of stages, wherein, in each of the sequences the flow streams are compressed, the sequences further comprising:
- joining sets of the series of ribbon shaped flow streams to form multiple laminated flow streams flowing in parallel;
- dividing each of the multiple parallel laminated flow streams into at least two adjacent flow streams while compressing the resulting flow streams to form thinner laminations;
- overlapping the adjacent flow streams to form a flow stream, thereby multiplying the number of laminations;
- repeating the dividing and overlapping steps in parallel for each of the multiple parallel laminated flow streams to multiply the number of laminations and to generate progressively thinner laminations until nano-sized features are obtained;
- providing an output flow stream from the multiple sequences of stages, the output flow stream comprising an inner and outer annular segment;
- and
- bonding adjacent ends of the inner and outer annular segments together to form the tubular micro-layer product.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.