US 6,899,777 B2Granted

Continuous fiber reinforced composites and methods, apparatuses, and compositions for making the same

AssigneeAdvanced Ceramics Research, Inc.

InventorsK. Ranji Vaidyanathan, Joseph Walish, Mark Fox, John W. Gillespie, Jr., Shridhar Yarlagadda, Michael R. Effinger, Anthony C. Mulligan, Mark J. Rigali

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Abstract

A process for continuous composite coextrusion comprising: (a) forming first a material-laden composition comprising a thermoplastic polymer and at least about 40 volume % of a ceramic or metallic particulate in a manner such that the composition has a substantially cylindrical geometry and thus can be used as a substantially cylindrical feed rod; (b) forming a hole down the symmetrical axis of the feed rod; (c) inserting the start of a continuous spool of ceramic fiber, metal fiber or carbon fiber through the hole in the feed rod; (d) extruding the feed rod and spool simultaneously to form a continuous filament consisting of a green matrix material completely surrounding a dense fiber reinforcement and said filament having an average diameter that is less than the average diameter of the feed rod; and (e) depositing the continuous filament into a desired architecture which preferably is determined from specific loading conditions of the desired object and CAD design of the object to provide a green fiber reinforced composite object.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A method of making a composite three-dimensional object comprising:

(a) forming a continuous filament comprising a longitudinally extending continuous fiber and a material-laden composition comprising a thermoplastic polymer and at least about 40 volume % of a ceramic or metallic particulate, wherein the filament inclides a green matrix material from the material-laden composition, and wherein the green matrix material completely surrounds the fiber;
(b) passing the filament to a movable assembly for guiding placement of the filament onto an associated working surface;
(c) depositing the filament from the movable assembly without application of a compression force onto the working surface to form a lower filament layer having a predetermined filament orientation;
(d) depositing the filament from the movable assembly without application of a compression force onto the working surface to form an upper filament layer on top of the lower filament layer;
(e) heating the filament after it is deposited in the upper filament layer, a portion of the upper filament layer adjacent the deposited filament and a portion of the filament layer below and proximate to the deposited filament to a predetermined temperature effective for softening the green matrix material to provide a heated portion of deposited filament and filament layers;
(f) compressing the heated portion with a force effective for consolidating and bonding the green matrix material of the deposited filament and filament layers;
(g) solidifying the heated portion;
(h) repeating steps (d)-(g) one or more times as desired to provide a composite object comprising two or more filament layers and having a predetermined geometry.

5 more elements

A method of making a composite three-dimensional object comprising:

(a) forming a feed rod having a longitudinal axis and having a hole extending down the longitudinal axis, the feed rod comprising a material-laden polymer composition comprising a thermoplastic polymer and at least about 40 volume % of a ceramic or metallic particulate;
(b) inserting an end of one or more fibers through the hole in the feed rod;
(c) extruding the feed rod and one or more fibers simultaneously to form a continuous filament that includes a green matrix material from the material-laden composition, the filament having an average diameter that is less than the average diameter of the feed rod and the green matrix material completely surrounding the fiber;
(d) passing the filament to a movable assembly for guiding placement of the filament onto an associated working surface;
(e) depositing the filament from the movable assembly without application of a compression force onto the working surface to form a lower filament layer having a predetermined filament orientation;
(f) depositing the filament from the movable assembly without application of a compression force onto the working surface to form an upper filament layer on top of the lower filament layer;
(g) heating the filament after it is deposited in the upper filament layer, a portion of the upper filament layer adjacent the deposited filament and a portion of the filament layer below and proximate to the deposited filament to a predetermined temperature effective for softening the green matrix material to provide a heated portion of deposited filament and filament layers;
(h) compressing the heated portion with a force effective for consolidating and bonding the green matrix material of the deposited filament and filament layers;
(i) solidifying the heated portion;
(j) repeating steps (f)-(i) one or more times as desired to provide a composite object comprising two or more filament layers and having a predetermined geometry.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/038,957Filed 2 Jan 2002 · us provisional application
Priority: 2 Jan 2001
Published: US 2003/0044593 A16 Mar 2003
Granted: 31 May 2005
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification55 codes

B32B 5/26
One layer being a fibrous or filamentary layer: another layer next to it also being fibrous or filamentary
B29B 15/122
Of reinforcements of indefinite length: with a matrix in liquid form, e.g. as melt, solution or latex
B29C 64/165
Processes of additive manufacturing: using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder,…
B29C 70/025
Combinations of fibrous reinforcement and non-fibrous material: with particular filler