Reel assembly
AssigneeWood Composite Technologies Inc
InventorWilliam W. Jacobsen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cable reel assembly (20) includes plastic flanges (22, 24) fabricated from a thermoplastic and wood composite material comprising a discontinuous lignocellulose wood fiber filler in combination with a thermoplastic compound and a coupling agent.
Claims57
A reel assembly, comprising:
- a central member, having a central aperture extending between opposite axial ends thereof;
- and
- at least two flange structures, each having spaced apart, first and second major surfaces, each said first major surface having a hub portion adapted to fixedly engage said central aperture at an associated one of said axial ends, each said flange structure comprising a thermoplastic composite material, said thermoplastic composite material including from about 20 to about 50 percent by weight of discontinuous lignocellulose fiber filler, wherein at least about 20% by weight of the fibers in said lignocellulose fiber filler have a length in excess of about 15 millimeter and a diameter of less than about 0.5 millimeter, and wherein less than about 10% by weight of said thermoplastic composite comprises a coupling agent.
A flange structure, for use in a reel assembly of the type having a drum for fixedly engaging a flange at each end of an aperture extending axially therethrough, the flange structure comprising a body formed from a thermoplastic composite material having from about 20 to about 50 percent by weight of a discontinuous lignocellulose fiber filler, wherein at least about 20% by weight of the fibers in said lignocellulose fiber filler have a length in excess of about 15 millimeter and a diameter of less than about 0.5 millimeter, and wherein less than about 10% by weight of said thermoplastic composite comprises a coupling agent, said body having spaced apart, first and second major surfaces, said first major surface having a hub portion adapted to fixedly engage the axial end of the drum.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.