Composite fibers
AssigneeUsb I, LLC
InventorsOleksandr Biland, Robert Bruce Ferguson, SR.
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Improved composite fibers, and structural materials mixed with the improved composite fibers, are produced by an improved process that vertically texturizes and impregnates resin into the fibers without introducing any substantial amount of microbubbles in the resin. By using vertical impregnation and twisting of fiber strands with specific viscosity control, stronger composite fibers, in which substantially no microbubbles are trapped, are produced with improved tensile strength and lower variance in tensile strength, for use in strengthening structural concrete and other structural materials.
Claims20
A composite fiber comprising:
- a core fiber;
- and
- a cured resin impregnated into the core fiber, wherein the cured resin is substantially free of microbubbles,
- wherein the composite fiber is produced using a method further comprising:
- feeding a first core fiber vertically downwards through a first texturizer to form a first texturized fiber;
- feeding a second core fiber vertically downwards through a second texturizer to form a second texturized fiber;
- feeding the first texturized fiber and the second texturized fiber vertically downwards into a top end of a resin impregnator;
- rotating the first texturizer and the second texturizer about each other at a specified angular velocity while a resin is injected into the resin impregnator at a viscosity less than or equal to a maximum viscosity, the rotating being effective to twist the first texturized fiber and the second texturized fiber about each other with a specified winding pitch to form an impregnated fiber, wherein a surface of the resin in the resin impregnator is maintained above a point of twisting together of the impregnated fiber, and wherein microbubbles present in the resin are enabled to evacuate upwards via the surface of the resin;
- pulling the impregnated fiber downwards from a bottom end of the resin impregnator;
- and
- curing the resin in the impregnated fiber to form the composite fiber comprising the cured resin.
A structural composite material comprising:
- a structural material for supporting structural loads;
- and
- a composite fiber mixed into the structural material as a strengthening agent, the composite fiber further comprising:
- a core fiber;
- and
- a cured resin impregnated into the core fiber, wherein the cured resin is substantially free of microbubbles,
- wherein the composite fiber is produced using a method further comprising:
- feeding a first core fiber vertically downwards through a first texturizer to form a first texturized fiber;
- feeding a second core fiber vertically downwards through a second texturizer to form a second texturized fiber;
- feeding the first texturized fiber and the second texturized fiber vertically downwards into a top end of a resin impregnator;
- rotating the first texturizer and the second texturizer about each other at a specified angular velocity while a resin is injected into the resin impregnator at a viscosity less than or equal to a maximum viscosity, the rotating being effective to twist the first texturized fiber and the second texturized fiber about each other with a specified winding pitch to form an impregnated fiber, wherein a surface of the resin in the resin impregnator is maintained above a point of twisting together of the impregnated fiber, and wherein microbubbles present in the resin are enabled to evacuate upwards via the surface of the resin;
- pulling the impregnated fiber downwards from a bottom end of the resin impregnator;
- and
- curing the resin in the impregnated fiber to form the composite fiber comprising the cured resin.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.