System for producing a lightweight thermoplastic composite sheet
AssigneeJohns Manville
InventorsMingfu Zhang, Jawed Asrar
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A thermoplastic composite sheet may be composed of a polymer material matrix and a lightweight material that is disposed throughout the polymer material matrix. The polymer material matrix may extend continuously throughout a length, width, and thickness of the thermoplastic composite sheet. The polymer material matrix may be a fully polymerized thermoplastic material. The lightweight material may be fully saturated by the thermoplastic material of the polymer material matrix. The thermoplastic composite sheet may include between 50 and 99 weight percent of the thermoplastic material and between 1 and 50 weight percent of the lightweight material. The thermoplastic composite sheet may be free of reinforcing fibers.
Claims20
A thermoplastic composite sheet comprising:
- a length;
- a width;
- and
- a thickness;
- the thermoplastic composite sheet being composed of:
- a layer of a lightweight material that extends continuously throughout the length, width, and thickness of the composite sheet, the lightweight material having a density of between 0.1 and 1.0 g/cm3;
- and
- a polymer material matrix that is disposed throughout the layer of lightweight material so that a thermoplastic material of the polymer material matrix fully saturates the lightweight material, the thermoplastic material being formed of a resin applied to the layer of lightweight material and passed through an oven and between a lower belt and an upper belt of a double belt press mechanism along with the lightweight material to disperse the resin through the layer of lightweight material and thereby fully saturate the lightweight material and to polymerize the resin and form the thermoplastic material;
- wherein the thermoplastic composite sheet comprises:
- the thermoplastic composite sheet includes between 50 and 99 weight percent of the thermoplastic material;
- and
- the thermoplastic composite sheet includes between 1 and 50 weight percent of the lightweight material.
A thermoplastic composite sheet comprising:
- a length;
- a width;
- and
- a thickness;
- the thermoplastic composite sheet being composed of:
- a layer of a lightweight material that extends continuously throughout the length, width, and thickness of the composite sheet, the lightweight material having a density of between 0.1 and 1.0 g/cm3;
- and
- a polymer material matrix that is disposed throughout the layer of lightweight material so that a thermoplastic material of the polymer material matrix fully saturates the lightweight material;
- wherein the thermoplastic composite sheet comprises:
- the thermoplastic composite sheet includes between 50 and 99 weight percent of the thermoplastic material;
- and
- the thermoplastic composite sheet includes between 1 and 50 weight percent of the lightweight material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.