Molecularly interspersed thermoplastic composite mat
AssigneeDon & Low (Holdings) Limited
InventorsAndrew N. Ferrar, David D. Phin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A thermoplastic composite material comprising a molecularly-oriented thermoplastic polymer base having at least one thermoplastic surface polymeric layer. This surface polymeric layer is compatibly bonded to the polymer base by molecular interspersion between the contiguous surfaces of the adjoining base and surface layer. The surface polymeric layer also has a softening temperature lower than that of the polymer base.
Claims32
A thermoplastic composite material comprising at least one mat of mutually intersecting tapes fused together at least at their intersections,
- each of said tapes comprising a molecularly-oriented thermoplastic polymer base having two sides, at least one of which is coated with a thermoplastic surface polymeric layer having a softening temperature lower than that of the polymer base and being bonded to said polymer base by molecular interspersion between the contiguous surfaces of the adjoining base and surface layers,
- wherein each of said tapes is subjected to elongation at a draw ratio of about 20:1.
A material as claimed 8, in which the surface polymeric layer or layers is polybutene-1.
A thermoplastic composite material comprising at least one mat of mutually intersecting tapes fused together at least at their intersections,
- each of said tapes comprising a molecularly-oriented thermoplastic polymer base having two sides, each of which is coated with a thermoplastic surface polymeric layer having a softening temperature lower than that of the polymer base and bonded to the polymer base by molecular interspersion between the contiguous surfaces of said base and its adjoining surface layers,
- wherein each of said tapes has been subjected to elongation at a draw ratio of about 20:1.
A tape comprising a molecularly-oriented thermoplastic polymer base having two sides, each of which is coated with a thermoplastic surface polymeric layer,
- each of said surface polymeric layers having a softening temperature lower than that of the polymeric base and being bonded to the polymer base by molecular interspersion between contiguous surfaces of said polymeric base and said surface layers,
- wherein said tape has been subjected to elongation at a draw ratio of about 20:1.
A tape comprising a molecularly-oriented thermoplastic polymer base having two sides at least one of which is coated with a thermoplastic surface polymeric layer,
- said surface polymeric layer(s) having a softening temperature lower than that of the polymeric base and being bonded to said polymer base by molecular interspersion between the contiguous surfaces of the adjoining base and surface layers,
- wherein said tape is subjected to elongation at a draw ratio of about 20:1.
A method of producing a thermoplastic composite material comprising:
- providing a coated sheet material comprising a thermoplastic polymer base coated with at least one thermoplastic surface polymeric layer, said surface layer(s) having a softening temperature lower than that of the polymer base;
- heating said coated sheet material to effect molecular interspersion between the contiguous surfaces of the adjoining base and surface layer(s);
- forming said coated sheet material into tapes by slitting;
- subjecting said tapes to a draw ratio of about 20:1;
- forming a mat of mutually-intersecting elongate tapes;
- heating said mat at a temperature at or above the softening temperature of each surface polymeric layer but below the softening temperature of the polymer base;
- and
- cooling the mat to cause the elongate tapes to fuse together at least at their intersections.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.