Extruder and method for producing high fiber density resin structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10336016-B2
Application number	US-201214234171-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 19, 2012
Priority date	Jul 22, 2011
Publication date	Jul 2, 2019
Grant date	Jul 2, 2019

Abstract

An extruder ( 1 ) and a method for producing high-fiber volume reinforced thermoplastic resin structures ( 50 ), as well as a tape ( 156 ) having opposing resin rich portions ( 302 ) and a fiber rich portion ( 304 ) disposed therebetween and a method for impregnating at least one fiber roving ( 142 ) with a polymer resin to form a tape ( 156. The extruder ( 1 ) includes an impregnation die ( 3 ) having a channel ( 4 ) that applies pressurized molten thermoplastic resin to a plurality of rovings ( 142 ) drawn through the channel ( 4 ), and a die ( 3 ) faceplate ( 5 ) facing the downstream side ( 34 ) of said die ( 3 ). The faceplate ( 5 ) has a plurality of sizing holes ( 42 ) or a slot ( 75 ) arranged along a line that the resin-impregnated rovings ( 142 ) are simultaneously drawn through that remove excess resin and pultrude the resin-impregnated rovings ( 142 ) into rod-shaped or sheet-shaped structures. The faceplate ( 5 ) is spaced apart from the downstream side ( 34 ) of the die ( 4 ) to provide a gap ( 6 ) between the die ( 4 ) and a back side of the faceplate ( 5 ).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tape comprising a thermoplastic resin and a plurality of generally unidirectional continuous fibers embedded in the thermoplastic resin to form a single layer of fiber reinforced thermoplastic material, wherein the fibers are disposed in the single layer of fiber reinforced thermoplastic material to form a first resin rich portion, a second resin rich portion, and a fiber rich portion disposed between the first resin rich portion and the second resin rich portion, the first resin rich portion defining a first outer surface of the fiber reinforced thermoplastic material and the second resin rich portion defining an opposing second outer surface of the fiber reinforced thermoplastic material, the first resin rich portion, the second resin rich portion, and the fiber rich portion each including the identical thermoplastic resin which defines and extends between the first outer surface and the opposing second outer surface, wherein the first resin rich portion and second resin rich portion are each between 5% and one-third of a height of the tape and each comprises at least 75% thermoplastic resin by volume, and wherein the tape having the fiber reinforced thermoplastic material has a void fraction of approximately 3% or less, the tape formed by a process comprising:
flowing a thermoplastic resin through a manifold assembly of a die, the manifold assembly comprising a plurality of branched runners;
coating at least one fiber roving with the resin;
traversing the coated roving through an impregnation zone of the die to impregnate the roving with the resin; and
drawing the impregnated roving through a faceplate spaced apart from a downstream side of the die.

2. The tape of claim 1 , further comprising rolling the impregnated roving through a roller.

3. The tape of claim 1 , wherein the first resin rich portion and second resin rich portion each comprises at least 95% resin by volume.

4. The tape of claim 1 , wherein the fiber reinforced thermoplastic material has a fiber volume fraction of between approximately 40% and approximately 60%.

5. The tape of claim 1 , wherein the fiber reinforced thermoplastic material has a void fraction of approximately 2% or less.

6. The tape of claim 1 , wherein the tape has a generally rectangular cross-section.

7. The tape of claim 1 , wherein the fibers are generally unidirectional continuous fibers.

8. The tape of claim 1 , wherein the first resin rich portion and second resin rich portion are each one-third of the height of the tape.

9. A tape comprising a thermoplastic resin and a plurality of generally unidirectional continuous fibers embedded in the thermoplastic resin to form a single layer of fiber reinforced thermoplastic material, wherein the fibers are disposed in the single layer of fiber reinforced thermoplastic material to form a first resin rich portion, a second resin rich portion, and a fiber rich portion disposed between the first resin rich portion and the second resin rich portion, the first resin rich portion defining a first outer surface of the fiber reinforced thermoplastic material and the second resin rich portion defining an opposing second outer surface of the fiber reinforced thermoplastic material, the first resin rich portion, the second resin rich portion, and the fiber rich portion each including the identical thermoplastic resin which defines and extends between the first outer surface and the opposing second outer surface, wherein the first resin rich portion and second resin rich portion are each between 5% and one-third of a height of the tape and each comprises at least 75% thermoplastic resin, and wherein the tape having the fiber reinforced thermoplastic material has a void fraction of approximately 3% or less.

10. The tape of claim 9 , wherein the first resin rich portion and second resin rich portion each comprises at least 95% resin by volume.

11. The tape of claim 9 , wherein the fiber reinforced thermoplastic material has a fiber volume fraction of between approximately 40% and approximately 60%.

12. The tape of claim 9 , wherein the tape has a generally rectangular cross-section.

13. The tape of claim 9 , wherein the first resin rich portion and second resin rich portion are each one-third of the height of the tape.

14. A tape comprising a thermoplastic resin and a plurality of generally unidirectional continuous fibers embedded in the thermoplastic resin to form a single layer of fiber reinforced thermoplastic material, wherein the fibers are disposed in the single layer of fiber reinforced thermoplastic material to form a first resin rich portion, a second resin rich portion, and a fiber rich portion disposed between the first resin rich portion and the second resin rich portion, the first resin rich portion defining a first outer surface of the fiber reinforced thermoplastic material and the second resin rich portion defining an opposing second outer surface of the fiber reinforced thermoplastic material, wherein the first resin rich portion and second resin rich portion are each between 5% and one-third of a height of the tape and each comprises at least 75% thermoplastic resin, wherein the tape having the fiber reinforced thermoplastic material has a void fraction of approximately 3% or less, wherein the thermoplastic resin comprises between 30 wt. % and 75 wt. % of the tape, and wherein the thermoplastic resin defines and extends between the first outer surface and the opposing second outer surface.

15. The tape of claim 14 , wherein the first resin rich portion and second resin rich portion each comprises at least 95% resin by volume.

16. The tape of claim 14 , wherein the fiber reinforced thermoplastic material has a fiber volume fraction of between approximately 40% and approximately 60%.

17. The tape of claim 14 , wherein the tape has a generally rectangular cross-section.

18. The tape of claim 14 , wherein the first resin rich portion and second resin rich portion are each one-third of the height of the tape.

Assignees

• Johnson Aaron H
• Eastep David W
• Tibor Timothy L
• Maliszewski Jeremy J
• Henderson Tony J
• Ticona Llc

Inventors

• Johnson Aaron H
• Eastep David W
• Tibor Timothy L
• Maliszewski Jeremy J
• Henderson Tony J

Classifications

• B29C70/523 Primary

  and impregnating the reinforcement in the die · CPC title

• B29C70/525

  Component parts, details or accessories; Auxiliary operations · CPC title

• Y10T428/249948

  Fiber is precoated · CPC title

• Y02W30/62

  Plastics recycling; Rubber recycling · CPC title

• B29B17/0005

  Direct recuperation and re-use of scrap material during moulding operation, i.e. feed-back of used material · CPC title