Dry fibrous material for subsequent resin infusion

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10112375-B2
Application number	US-201615186612-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 20, 2016
Priority date	Dec 20, 2011
Publication date	Oct 30, 2018
Grant date	Oct 30, 2018

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a dry, self-supporting fibrous material, the fibers of which have been treated with a binder composition. The fibrous material can be slit into tapes or tows that are suitable for use in an Automated Tape Laying (ATL) or Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) process. This fibrous material is suitable for forming preforms which are configured to receive a matrix resin by resin infusion in the manufacturing of structural composite parts.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A binder composition in the form of an aqueous dispersion consisting of:
a. a polyhydroxyether -polyurethane copolymer, wherein the polyhydroxyether portion of the copolymer is derived from dihydric phenol and saturated epoxide, and the polyurethane portion of the copolymer is a reaction product of a polyisocyanate and a polyether or polyester polyol;
b. a methoxyalkyl melamine aminoplast cross-linker represented by Structures 1, 2, or 3 below:

where R is a methoxymethyl reactive group; and
c. a blocked sulfonic acid catalyst; and
d. water.

2. The binder composition of claim 1 , wherein the polyhydroxyether-polyurethane copolymer has an average number molecular weight ranging from 10000 Da to 100000 Da.

3. The binder composition of claim 1 , wherein the polyisocyanate is selected from a group consisting of: ethylene diisocyanate; 1,4-tetramethylene diisocyanate; 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate; 2,4,4-trimethyl-1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate; 1,12-dodecanediisocyanate; cyclobutane-1,3-diisocyanate; cyclohexane-1,3- diisocyanate; 1-isocyanato-2-isocyanatomethyl cyclopentane; isophorone diisocyanate; 2,4- and/or 2,6-hexahydrotoluylene diisocyanate; 2,4′- and/or 4,4′-dicyclohexylmethane diisocyanate; a,a,a′,a-tetramethyl-1,3- and/or -1,4-xylylene diisocyanate; 1,3- and 1,4-xylylene diisocyanate; 1-isocyana-1-methyl-4(3)-isocyanatomethyl cyclohexane; 1,3- and 1,4-phenylene diisocyanate; 2,4- and/or 2,6-toluylene diisocyanate; diphenyl methane-2,4′- and/or -4,4′-diisocyanate; naphthalene-1,5-diisocyanate; triphenylmethane-4,4′,4″-triisocyanate; polyphenyl polymethylene polyisocyanates.

4. The binder composition of claim 1 , wherein the polyol is a polyether diol.

5. The binder composition of claim 1 , wherein the blocked sulfonic acid catalyst is amine-blocked sulfonic acid.

6. The binder composition of claim 1 , wherein the polyhydroxyether portion is derived from bisphenol-A (2,2-bis(p-hydroxyphenyl)propane) and epichlorohydrin.

7. A binder composition in the form of an aqueous dispersion consisting of:
a. a polyhydroxyether -polyurethane copolymer, wherein
the polyhydroxyether portion of the copolymer having the general formula:

wherein D is the radical residuum of a dihydric phenol, E is a hydroxyl-containing radical residuum of a saturated epoxide, and n is at least 30, and
the polyurethane portion of the copolymer is a reaction product of a polyisocyanate and a polyol selected from polyether polyols or polyester polyols;

b. a methoxyalkyl melamine aminoplast cross-linker represented by Structures 1, 2, or 3 below:

where R is a methoxymethyl reactive group;
c. a blocked sulfonic acid catalyst; and
d. water.

8. The binder composition of claim 7 , wherein the polyhydroxyether portion is derived from bisphenol-A (2,2-bis(p-hydroxyphenyl)propane) and epichlorohydrin.

9. A method for forming a binder-treated fibrous material, comprising:
laminating a ply of structural fibers to a nonwoven veil of randomly arranged fibers to form a laminated structure;
applying the binder composition of claim 1 to the laminated structure; and
drying the laminated structure,
wherein the ply of structural fibers comprises unidirectional fibers, and the binder-treated fibrous material is permeable to liquid resin.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising depositing particles of an epoxy-based binder onto the ply of structural fibers or to the nonwoven veil prior to laminating.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the ply of structural fibers is not bonded to another layer other than the nonwoven veil.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the ply of structural fibers comprises unidirectional carbon fibers, and the nonwoven veil comprises randomly arranged carbon fibers.

Assignees

• Cytec Ind Inc

Inventors

• Ponsolle Dominique
• Restuccia Carmelo Luca
• Jacobs William
• Blackburn Robert
• Lofaro Carmelo
• Price Richard
• Doyle Marc
• Smith Mitchell
• Abusafieh Abdel

Classifications

• Y10T428/2481

  including layer of mechanically interengaged strands, strand-portions or strand-like strips · CPC title

• B32B38/08

  Impregnating · CPC title

• B32B2371/00

  Polyethers, e.g. PEEK, i.e. polyether-etherketone; PEK, i.e. polyetherketone · CPC title

• B32B5/26

  another layer {next to it} also being fibrous or filamentary {(relative arrangement of fibres or filaments of different layers B32B5/12)} · CPC title

• B32B37/16 Primary

  with all layers existing as coherent layers before laminating · CPC title