Method for repairing damaged composite articles
AssigneeThe Dow Chemical Company
InventorsWarren D. White, Paul M. Puckett, Larry T. Blankenship, Mary N. White
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Damaged composites are repaired by use of a rubber modified vinyl ester resin composition as either an adhesive for bonding metal or cured composite to the area surrounding the damaged area or by placing an uncured reinforcing material saturated with a rubber modified vinyl ester resin composition over the prepared damaged zone and curing in place.
Claims12
In a method for patching damaged composite articles which comprises (a) removing grossly damaged composite from the damaged part, if necessary, and roughening the area to be repaired including an area immediately surrounding the area to be repaired by any suitable means:
- (b) removing dust and loose particles from the previously roughened area by any suitable means:
- (c) optionally cleansing the roughened area with a suitable solvent:
- and (d) either (i) placing one or more plies of a substrate material saturated with a curable resinous composition and retaining said saturated substrate material in place by any suitable means until the composition has gelled sufficiently that any retaining means can be removed:
- or (ii) bonding to the damaged area of the composite article in the area which has been previously roughened and cleaned one or more plies of metal or reinforced plastic material employing a curable resinous composition as an adhesive for bonding the metal or reinforced plastic material to the damaged area:
- and (e) subjecting the thus treated damaged area to sufficient heat and pressure to cure the adhesive or saturated substrate material:
- the improvement which comprises employing as the curable resinous composition, a composition which comprises (A) one or more vinyl ester resins modified with one or more rubbers or elastomers:
- optionally (B) at least one polymerizable ethylenically unsaturated monomer:
- (C) one or more curing agents or curing catalysts for the vinyl ester resin(s):
- and optionally, (D) one or more accelerators for the curing agent(s) or curing catalyst(s).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.