Method of forming natural fiber polymer composite
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsEllen Cheng-Chi Lee, Angela Harris
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of forming a natural fiber polymer composite includes the steps of introducing into an extruder a polymer, a natural fiber and a supercritical fluid to form a natural fiber polymer mixture; and extruding the natural fiber polymer mixture to form the natural fiber polymer composite at a temperature below a standard melting temperature of the polymer alone. The supercritical fluid may be introduced after the polymer is introduced into the extruder. The supercritical fluid may be introduced before or after the natural fiber is introduced into the extruder.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- (a) introducing a polymer into a first zone of an extruder;
- (b) melting the polymer in the first zone to form a molten polymer flowing downstream into a second zone of the extruder;
- (c) introducing a supercritical fluid into the second zone to lower the temperature of the molten polymer flowing downstream into a third zone of the extruder;
- (d) introducing a natural fiber into the third zone to form a natural fiber polymer mixture at a temperature lower than the melting point of the polymer;
- and
- (e) extruding the natural fiber polymer mixture through an exit of the extruder to form a polymer fiber composite having a first color change rating using steps (a), (b) and (d) but not (c) and a second color change rating using steps (a), (b), (c) and (d), the first color change rating represents a stronger visible color shift than the second color change rating.
A method comprising:
- (a) introducing a near critical fluid into a molten polymer in a first zone of an extruder to lower the temperature of the molten polymer flowing downstream into a second zone of the extruder;
- and
- (b) introducing a natural fiber into the molten polymer in the second zone to form a natural fiber polymer mixture at a temperature lower than the melting point of the polymer;
- and
- (c) extruding the natural fiber polymer mixture through an exit of the extruder to form a polymer fiber composite having a first color change rating using steps (b) but not (a) and a second color change rating using steps (a) and (b), the first color change rating represents a stronger visible color shift than the second color change rating.
A method comprising:
- (a) introducing a polymer into a first zone of an extruder;
- (b) melting the polymer in the first zone to form a molten polymer flowing downstream into a second zone of the extruder;
- (c) introducing a supercritical fluid into the second zone to lower the temperature of the molten polymer flowing downstream into a third zone of the extruder;
- (d) introducing a soy fiber into the third zone to form a natural fiber polymer mixture;
- and
- (e) extruding the natural fiber polymer mixture through an exit of the extruder to form a polymer fiber composite having a first color change rating using steps (a), (b) and (d) but not (c) and a second color change rating using steps (a), (b), (c) and (d), the first color change rating represents a stronger visible color shift than the second color change rating.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.