Production method and coating device for coating-liquid-impregnated sheet-like reinforcing-fiber bundle and sheet-like integrated object

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11224993-B2
Application number	US-201816494912-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 22, 2018
Priority date	Mar 23, 2017
Publication date	Jan 18, 2022
Grant date	Jan 18, 2022

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of producing a coating liquid impregnated sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle formed by applying a coating liquid to a sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle that is unidirectionally arranged continuous reinforcing fibers long in one direction. The present invention provides a production method and a coating device of a coating liquid impregnated sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle, wherein the method and device can effect continuous running without clogging of generated fuzz even at a high running speed and effect efficient impregnation of a coating liquid into the sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle. The present invention relates to a method of producing a coating liquid impregnated sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle, including allowing a sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle, which is unidirectionally arranged reinforcing fibers, to pass substantially vertically downward through the inside of a coating section storing a coating liquid, whereby the method provides the sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle with the coating liquid; wherein the coating section includes a liquid pool and a narrowed section which are in communication with each other; wherein the liquid pool has a portion whose cross-sectional area decreases continuously along a running direction of the sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle, and wherein the narrowed section has a slit-like cross-section and has a smaller cross-sectional area than the top side of the liquid pool.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of producing a coating liquid impregnated sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle, comprising allowing a sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle, which is unidirectionally arranged reinforcing fibers, to pass substantially vertically downward through the inside of a coating section storing a coating liquid, whereby the method provides said sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle with said coating liquid;
wherein said coating section includes a liquid pool and a narrowed section which are in communication with each other;
wherein said liquid pool has a portion whose cross-sectional area decreases continuously along a running direction of said sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle, and
wherein said narrowed section has a slit-like cross-section and has a smaller cross-sectional area than the top side of said liquid pool.

2. The method of producing a coating liquid impregnated sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle according to claim 1 , wherein the width L of the lower portion of said liquid pool in the arrangement direction of the reinforcing fibers and the width W of said sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle immediately under said narrowed section satisfy L≤W+10 (mm).

3. The method of producing a coating liquid impregnated sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein said coating section comprises, in said liquid pool, a width regulation mechanism for regulating the width of said sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle, wherein the relationship between the width (W) of said sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle immediately under said narrowed section and the width (L 2 ) regulated by said width regulation mechanism at the lower end of said width regulation mechanism satisfies L 2 ≤W+10 (mm).

4. The method of producing a coating liquid impregnated sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle according to claim 3 , wherein said width regulation mechanism is provided over the whole region of said liquid pool and said narrowed section.

5. The method of producing a coating liquid impregnated sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle according to claim 1 , wherein the vertical height of the portion whose cross-sectional area decreases continuously in said liquid pool is 10 mm or more.

6. The method of producing a coating liquid impregnated sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle according to claim 1 , wherein the viscosity of said coating liquid is 1 to 60 Pas as measured at a strain rate of 3.14 s −1 .

7. The method of producing a coating liquid impregnated sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle according to claim 1 , wherein said coating liquid contains a thermosetting resin.

8. The method of producing a coating liquid impregnated sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle according to claim 1 , comprising: using a coating liquid containing polymer particles; and providing said sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle with said coating liquid, wherein the temperature of said coating liquid in said coating section is 20° C. or more lower than the glass transition temperature (Tg) or melting temperature (Tm) of a resin constituting said polymer particles.

9. The method of producing a coating liquid impregnated sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle according to claim 1 , wherein said sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle is heated and then introduced into said liquid pool.

10. The method of producing a coating liquid impregnated sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle according to claim 1 , wherein said sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle is smoothed and then introduced into said liquid pool.

11. The method of producing a coating liquid impregnated sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle according to claim 1 , wherein said sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle is widened and then introduced into said liquid pool.

12. A method of producing a sheet-like integrated object, comprising:
obtaining a coating liquid impregnated sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle by said method of producing a coating liquid impregnated sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle according to claim 1 ;
providing at least one side of the obtained coating liquid impregnated sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle with a release sheet to form a sheet-like integrated object; and
taking up said sheet-like integrated object.

13. The method of producing a sheet-like integrated object according to claim 12 , wherein said sheet-like integrated object is formed and then subjected to after-impregnation.

14. A coating device for providing a sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle, which is unidirectionally arranged reinforcing fibers, with a coating liquid, said coating device comprising:
a running mechanism which allows said sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle to run substantially vertically downward; and
a coating mechanism,
wherein said coating mechanism is capable of storing said coating liquid in the inside thereof, and further includes a liquid pool and a narrowed section which are in communication with each other;
wherein said liquid pool has a portion whose cross-sectional area decreases continuously along the running direction of said sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle, and
wherein said narrowed section has a slit-like cross-section and has a smaller cross-sectional area than the top side of said liquid pool.

15. A device for producing a sheet-like integrated object comprising:
a mechanism for arranging reinforcing fibers to form a sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle;
a mechanism for heating said sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle;
said coating device according to claim 14 ;
a device for supplying a release sheet;
a nip roll and/or an S-shaped arranged roll; and
a winder.

16. A prepreg produced using the production method according to claim 1 .

17. A prepreg tape obtained by slitting said prepreg according to claim 16 .

18. A fiber reinforced composite material obtained by molding said prepreg according to claim 16 .

19. A fiber reinforced composite material obtained by molding said prepreg tape according to claim 17 .

20. A prepreg produced using the coating device according to claim 14 .

21. A prepreg tape obtained by slitting said prepreg according to claim 20 .

22. A fiber reinforced composite material obtained by molding said prepreg according to claim 20 .

23. A fiber reinforced composite material obtained by molding said prepreg tape according to claim 21 .

24. A prepreg produced using the device according to claim 15 .

25. A prepreg tape obtained by slitting said prepreg according to claim 24 .

26. A fiber reinforced composite material obtained by molding said prepreg according to claim 24 .

27. A fiber reinforced composite material obtained by molding said prepreg tape according to claim 25 .

Assignees

• Toray Industries

Inventors

• Ochi Takashi
• Nishino So
• Suzuki Tamotsu
• Aoki Junichi

Classifications

• D06B3/04

  of yarns, threads or filaments · CPC title

• B05D1/18

  performed by dipping · CPC title

• B29B11/16

  comprising fillers or reinforcement {(non-woven fabrics per se D04H1/00, D04H3/00)} · CPC title

• D06B5/06

  through yarns, threads or filaments · CPC title

• B29B15/125 Primary

  by dipping · CPC title