Method coating fibers with particles by fluidization in a gas
AssigneeBoard of Trustees operating Michigan State University
InventorsShridhar Iyer, Lawrence T. Drzal, Krishnamurthy Jayaraman
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Abstract
A system and method for uniformly coating one or more fibers (10) with particles of a material is described. The method uses a vibrator preferably an acoustic speaker (17b) in a housing (17c) to fluidize the particles (P.sub.1) in a chamber (17 or 30) to deposit them on spread fibers (10b). The fibers can be in the form of a tow of fibers. After the articles are coated on the fibers, the particles can be bonded to the fiber such as by using a heater (19). The resulting product has a uniform deposit of the particles and in the case of the tow of fibers can serve as a prepreg for laminate structures to be produced from the coated tow of fibers.
Claims14
A method for coating particles on a fiber which comprises:
- (a) providing a system for coating dry particles of a material on a fiber comprising chamber means around the fiber for containing the particles to be deposited on the fiber and containing a gas, and vibrating means activated by a frequency in a range selected from audible and ultrasonic frequencies mounted on the chamber means such that the particles are aerosolized in the gas and deposited on the fiber when the vibrating means is activated;
- (b) providing the fiber in the chamber means in the system with the gas wherein the fiber is coated with the particles when the vibrating means is activated;
- and
- (c) activating the vibrating means to coat the fiber with the particles.
A method for coating particles on a fiber which comprises:
- (a) providing a system for coating dry particles of a material on a tow of fibers which is to be conveyed through the system which comprises:
- spreader means for spreading the tow of fibers, chamber means around the spread tow of fibers for containing the particles to be deposited on the tow of fibers and containing a gas, and vibrating means activated by a frequency in a range selected from audible and ultrasonic frequencies mounted on the chamber means such that the particles are aerosolized in the gas and deposited on the tow of fibers as the tow of fibers is conveyed through the system when the vibrating means is activated;
- (b) providing the tow of fibers in the system wherein the tow of fibers is coated with the particles when the vibrating means is activated;
- and
- (c) activating the vibrating means to coat the spread tow of fibers with the particles.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.