US 4,172,869 AGranted

Method of and apparatus for manufacturing fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin of cellular structure

AssigneeKurashiki Boseki Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsYoshisue Oishi, Akihisa Inoue, Syuji Moriya, Hironori Nakabayashi, Yasuaki Kobayashi, Hiroyuki Nagata

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Abstract

The manufacture is carried out by impregnating bundles of filaments of fibrous-reinforcing material in a bath made up of an emulsion of a thermoplastic resin and a blowing agent. The emulsion-impregnated reinforcing filament bundles are then squeezed and dried to form resin coatings, and then collected to provide a single bunch of the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin material. This bunch is subsequently heated and allowed to expand in a tunnel and also cooled in a tunnel to produce a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin of a cellular structure. During the impregnation with the emulsion in a bath, the bundles are slackened and repeatedly beaten in the condition of free tension to cause the filament bundles to be substantially frayed to facilitate the impregnation. An apparatus utilizable in the practice of the above method is also disclosed.

Claims6

Dependent claims

A method for manufacturing a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin of cellular structure, which comprises the steps of:

continuously supplying a plurality of bundles of filaments of fibrous reinforcing material in side-by-side relation to each other;
impregnating the bundles of filaments of fibrous reinforcing material with an emulsion of thermoplastic resin added with a flowing agent in a bath, where said bundles are transported therethrough while said bundles are slackened and concurrently repeatedly beaten in the condition of free tension to cause said bundles to be substantially frayed to facilitate penetraton of the emulsion composition into the filaments;
squeezing out the excess emulsion to control the amount of the emulsion adhering to the reinforcing filament bundles;
drying the emulsion-impregnated reinforcing filament bundles to obtain the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin material;
collecting the dried reinforcing filament bundles together to provide a single bunch of the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin material, said bunch being shaped not larger than a cross-section of a proceeding tunnel for expanding;
heating the bunch of the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin material to be allowed to expand in the heating tunnel at a temperature higher than that of decomposition of the blowing agent, which has a desired cross-section of a final product to control the expansion of the bunch of the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin material;
cooling the expanded fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin material in a cooling tunnel, which has the same cross-section as the heating tunnel, to provide the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin of cellular structure;
and
drawing the cooled fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin of cellular structure.

6 more elements

An apparatus for manufacturing a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin of cellular structure, which comprises, in combination:

a supply unit from which a plurality of bundles of filaments of fibrous reinforcing material are simultaneously and continuously supplied in side-by-side relation to each other;
an immersing unit for impregnating the reinforcing filament bundles with an emulsion of thermoplastic resin added with a blowing agent, said immersing unit comprising a bath containing the emulsion composition, means for slackening the reinforcing filament bundles, means for repeatedly beating the slackened portions of the reinforcing filament bundles to cause the latter to be substantially frayed to facilitate impregnation of the emulsion into the filaments of the bundles, and means for squeezing out the excess emulsion to control the amount of the emulsion adhering to the reinforcing filament bundles;
a drying unit including a drying housing for drying the emulsion impregnated reinforcing filament bundles to obtain the fiber reinforced thermoplastic resin material;
a collecting unit for collecting the dried impregnated filament bundles together to provide a single bunch of the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin material, and amking the said bunch to shape the size of a dimension not larger than a cross-section of a proceeding tunnel for expanding;
a heating unit including a heating tunnel heated at a temperature higher than that of decomposition of the blowing agent, which has a desired cross-section of a final product to control the expansion of the bunch of the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin material, therein said material is heated to be allowed to expand;
a cooling unit including a cooling tunnel for cooling the expanded fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin material, which has about the same cross-section as the heating tunnel, to provide the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin or cellular structure;
and
a drawing mechanism for drawing the cooled fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin of cellular structure.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 05/889,448Filed 23 Mar 1978
Priority: JP 52/4163811 Apr 1977
Granted: 30 Oct 1979
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

B29C 44/12
For articles of definite length, i.e. discrete articles: incorporating or moulding on preformed parts, e.g. inserts or reinforcements
B29C 44/322
Incorporating or moulding on preformed parts, e.g. linings, inserts or reinforcements: the preformed parts being elongated inserts, e.g. cables
B29C 44/332
Incorporating or moulding on preformed parts, e.g. linings, inserts or reinforcements: the preformed parts being three-dimensional structures
B29C 44/3484
Auxiliary operations: stopping the foaming reaction until the material is heated or re-heated