Process for the preparation of a reinforced article

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10071513-B2
Application number	US-201715661138-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 27, 2017
Priority date	Sep 5, 2013
Publication date	Sep 11, 2018
Grant date	Sep 11, 2018

Abstract

The invention is directed to a process for the preparation of a reinforced article which comprises the step of molding a molding composition comprising pellets into the article at an elevated temperature, wherein each of the pellets has an axial length and comprises a core and a sheath around the core, wherein the core comprises an impregnating agent and a multifilament strand comprising glass fibers each having a length substantially equal to the axial length of the pellet and substantially oriented in the axial length of the pellet, wherein the sheath comprises a thermoplastic polymer; and wherein the molding composition further comprises a filler.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process for the preparation of a reinforced article, comprising:
molding a molding composition comprising pellets into the article at an elevated temperature, wherein the elevated temperature is a temperature at which the molding composition has enough flowability to be molded,
wherein each of the pellets has an axial length and comprises a core extending along the axial length and a sheath around the core,
wherein the core comprises an impregnating agent and a multifilament strand comprising glass fibers each having a length substantially equal to the axial length of the pellet and substantially oriented in the axial length of the pellet, wherein an amount of the glass fibers in the multifilament strand in the pellet is at least 20 wt %;
wherein the sheath comprises a thermoplastic polymer, wherein the thermoplastic polymer is a propylene homopolymer or a propylene copolymer; and
wherein the molding composition further comprises a filler and wherein the molded composition has an isotropic E-modulus of at least 5000 MPa as determined according to ISO527/1B at 23° C.

2. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the filler is present in the sheath of the pellet.

3. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the filler comprises talc particles or glass fibers.

4. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the molding step involves injection molding.

5. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the molding composition comprises 5-70 wt % of the glass fibers in the multifilament strand and 0.5-25 wt % of the filler based on the weight of the molding composition.

6. The process according to claim 5 , wherein the molding composition comprises 20-60 wt % of the glass fibers in the multifilament strand based on the weight of the molding composition.

7. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the amount of glass fibers in the multifilament strand is from 30-50 wt % based on the weight of the molding composition and the amount of filler is from 1-20 wt % based on the weight of the molding composition.

8. An article, obtainable by the process according to claim 1 .

9. The article according to claim 8 , wherein the article is an automotive part.

10. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the isotropic E-modulus is at least 6000 MPa as determined according to ISO527/1B at 23° C.

11. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the viscosity of the impregnating agent is less than 100 Centistokes.

12. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the impregnating agent is present in an amount of 0.05 to 6 weight percent based on the total weight of the molding composition.

13. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the elevated temperature is above the melting point of the thermoplastic polymer that is present in the sheath of the pellets.

14. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the elevated temperature is 150-500° C.

Assignees

• Sabic Global Technologies Bv

Inventors

• Biemond Gerard Jan Eduard
• Tufano Carmela

Classifications

• B29K2309/08

  Glass · CPC title

• B29C2045/0091

  Pellets or granules, e.g. their structure, composition, length, height, width · CPC title

• B29K2509/08

  Glass · CPC title

• B29B9/14

  fibre-reinforced · CPC title

• B29C45/0013

  using fillers dispersed in the moulding material, e.g. metal particles · CPC title