Method for manufacturing preform, method for manufacturing composite material molded article, and mold
AssigneeMitsubishi Chemical Corporation
InventorsMasahiro ICHINO, Yuma FURUHASHI, Yukiko HACHIYA
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Abstract
The present invention realizes the production of a molded composite article that has superior appearance, that is capable of preventing or reducing a deterioration of mechanical properties, and that is superior in productivity. A sheet of a unidirectional material is fixed to a specific part of a lower mold, a force in an out-of-plane direction is applied to a specific part of a zone of the sheet which zone is to undergo shear deformation or compressive deformation, and the sheet is preformed, thereby obtaining a preform. Heat and pressure are applied to the preform in a mold, thereby obtaining a molded composite article having a desired shape.
Claims18
A method of producing a preform, comprising causing a reinforcing fiber base material to at least partially undergo shear deformation and/or compressive deformation to preform the reinforcing fiber base material into a three-dimensional shape, the reinforcing fiber base material being planar and including reinforcing fiber and a matrix resin composition, the method comprising:
- a first step comprising fixing, to a preform mold, at least one of (i) an edge of a zone of the reinforcing fiber base material which zone is to undergo shear deformation and/or compressive deformation and (ii) a part adjacent to the zone;
- and
- a second step comprising, after the edge and/or the part is/are fixed, applying a force in an out-of-plane direction to the zone which is to undergo the shear deformation and/or compressive deformation.
A method of producing a molded composite article, comprising causing a reinforcing fiber base material to at least partially undergo shear deformation and/or compressive deformation to obtain a molded composite article, the reinforcing fiber base material being planar and including reinforcing fiber and a matrix resin composition, the method comprising:
- a first step comprising fixing, to a shaping mold, at least one of (i) an edge of a zone of the reinforcing fiber base material which zone is to undergo shear deformation and/or compressive deformation and (ii) a part adjacent to the zone;
- a second step comprising, after the edge and/or the part is/are fixed, applying a force in an out-of-plane direction to the zone which is to undergo the shear deformation and/or compressive deformation;
- and
- a molding step comprising applying heat and pressure to the reinforcing fiber base material, which is receiving the force in the out-of-plane direction, to obtain a molded composite article.
A mold comprising an upper mold and a lower mold,
- wherein one or both of the upper mold and the lower mold is/are split mold(s) composed of mold parts that are independently movable,
- the mold comprising:
- a first mechanism configured to cause a portion of the mold parts to fix, to the lower mold, at least one of (i) an edge of a zone of a reinforcing fiber base material which zone is to undergo shear deformation and/or compressive deformation and (ii) a part adjacent to the zone, the reinforcing fiber base material being planar and including reinforcing fiber;
- and
- a second mechanism configured to cause another portion of the mold parts to apply a force, in an out-of-plane direction of the reinforcing fiber base material, to the zone which is to undergo the shear deformation and/or compressive deformation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.