Carbon fiber surface treatment
AssigneeToray Industries, Inc.
InventorRyuichi Yamamoto
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The surface of a carbon fiber is treated to improve the strength of its bond with a matrix. The fiber is made an anode by connecting it electrically with the anode current input terminal of an electrolytic treatment bath containing an electrolyte and having a cathode. The fiber is subjected to electrolysis in the bath. The relative distance between the fiber and the cathode in the bath decreases as the distance from the anode current input terminal along the fiber is increased.
Claims15
In a method for continuously surface treating a carbon fiber, wherein the fiber is connected electrically to an anode current input having a predetermined location and conducted on the run with successive portions of said fiber moving toward or away from said input and through an electrolytic treatment bath which contains an electrolyte and a cathode, wherein said cathode is positioned along the fiber path in the bath and wherein the fiber is subjected to electrolytic oxidation treatment in the bath, the method step selected from the group consisting of
- (a) conducting moving portions of the fiber closer to the cathode in the bath as said fiber portions move away from the anode current input, and
- (b) moving the fiber portions farther from the cathode in the bath as they move toward said anode current input, whereby the current density applied to the fibers is maintained substantially constant along the fiber path through said bath.
A method for treating the surface of a carbon fiber wherein the fiber is connected electrically to a plurality of anodic current input terminals which are spaced apart from one another to form a treatment path in an electrolytic treatment bath containing an electrolyte and a cathode, wherein said cathode is positioned along the fiber path in the bath and wherein the fiber is subjected to electrolysis treatment in the bath, the steps which comprise
- (a) decreasing the relative distance between a moving portion of the fiber from the cathode in the bath while increasing the distance of said portion from the nearer anode and decreasing the distance of said portion from the farther anode, and
- (b) increasing the relative distance of said moving portion of the fiber from the cathode while decreasing the distance of said portion from the nearer anode and increasing the distance of said portion from the farther anode, whereby the current density applied to the fibers is maintained substantially constant along the fiber path through said bath.
In a method for surface treating a carbon fiber, wherein the fiber is conducted on the run while connected electrically to an anodic current input and conducted throgh an electrolytic treating bath which contains an electrolyte and a cathode, wherein said cathode is positioned along the fiber path in the bath, and wherein successive moving portions of said fiber are subjected successively to electrolytic oxidation treatment in the bath, the step which comprises varying the distance of each successive fiber portion from said cathode inversely to the distance of said portion from said anodic current input, whereby the current density applied to the fibers is maintained substantially constant along the fiber path through said bath.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.