Production of elongated fiber-reinforced composite articles
AssigneeMitsubishi Petrochemical Co., Ltd.
InventorMasaru Fuwa
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In the pultrusion of a fiber-reinforced plastic, an elongated fiber material impregnated with a thermosetting resin prior to setting is introduced into a long-land die, in which a thermoplastic resin and a lubricant are successively applied onto the outer surface of the impregnated fiber material thereby to make possible smooth drawing of the material through the die. As a result, the thermosetting resin is substantially set within the die, and, moreover, an elongated, fiber-reinforced, plastic composite article is produced at a reasonable speed.
Claims14
A pultrusion process for producing elongated composite articles which comprises the steps of:
- impregnating an elongated reinforcing fiber material with a thermosetting resin;
- introducing the fiber material impregnated with the thermosetting resin into a stationary long-land die;
- extruding, into a shaping portion of the long-land die, a non-foaming thermoplastic resin in molten state onto the external surface of the fiber material thereby to coat the entire outer surface of the fiber material with the thermoplastic resin and thereby to form a composite material;
- immediately thereafter supplying a lubricant between the entire outer surface of the composite material and the inner surface of the long-land die;
- heating and setting the thermosetting resin in an elongate setting portion of the long-land die as the composite material is moved therethrough and shaped;
- cooling the composite material after it has moved out of the land-land die thereby to solidify the thermoplastic resin, and drawing the cooled composite material so as to pull the composite material through said long-land die.
An apparatus for producing composite articles comprising:
- (1) a stationary long-land die through which, from an upstream end to a downstream end thereof, an elongated reinforcing fiber mateial impregnated with a thermosetting resin is passed to be shaped, and which has a length sufficient for thermosetting resin to be substantially set as the fiber material is thus passed;
- (2) a thermoplastic resin supplying device installed at a relatively upstream part of the long-land die and there operating to supply a non-foaming thermoplastic resin in molten state into the die to form a coating of the thermoplastic resin all around the impregnated, elongated fiber material thus passing through the die;
- (3) a lubricant supplying device installed on the long-land die at a part thereof immediately downstream from the thermoplastic resin supplying device and there operating to supply a lubricant into the die and onto the entire outer surface of the coating of the thermoplastic resin;
- (4) cooling means downstream of said long-land die for cooling the composite material after it has moved out of said long-land die to solidify said thermoplastic resin, and
- (5) drawing means downstream of said cooling means for pulling the composite material through said long-land die.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.