Production method for prepreg, prepreg tape, and fiber reinforced composite material, and prepreg production device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11491685-B2
Application number	US-201917266413-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 20, 2019
Priority date	Aug 22, 2018
Publication date	Nov 8, 2022
Grant date	Nov 8, 2022

Abstract

A method is described for producing a prepreg formed by applying a matrix resin to a reinforcing fiber sheet, wherein the method can effect continuous running without clogging due to generated fuzz even at a high running speed and effect efficient impregnation of the reinforcing fiber sheet with a matrix resin. A method of producing a prepreg includes allowing a reinforcing fiber sheet to pass substantially vertically downward through the inside of a coating section storing a matrix resin to obtain a matrix resin-impregnated reinforcing fiber sheet in which the matrix resin is applied to the reinforcing fiber sheet and at least heating the matrix resin-impregnated reinforcing fiber sheet, 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 reinforcing fiber sheet.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of producing a prepreg, comprising the steps of:
allowing a reinforcing fiber sheet to pass substantially vertically downward through an inside of a coating section storing a matrix resin to apply said matrix resin to said reinforcing fiber sheet to obtain a matrix resin-impregnated reinforcing fiber sheet; and
heating said matrix resin-impregnated reinforcing fiber sheet in a noncontact manner,
wherein said coating section comprises a liquid pool and a narrowed section which are in communication with each other, said liquid pool having a portion whose cross-sectional area decreases continuously along a running direction of said reinforcing fiber sheet,
wherein said portion of the liquid pool is formed by wall constituent members having a vertical height of 10 mm or more that are opposed to each other with a gap in between to generate a circulation flow in the liquid pool for removal of fuzz and/or for prevention of clogging fuzz,
wherein said narrowed section has a slit-like cross-section and has a smaller cross-sectional area than an area of a top side of said liquid pool and has a gap so that said reinforcing fiber sheet is automatically aligned,
wherein the noncontact heating is started within a region of 1 m from an opening of said narrowed section in the running direction of said matrix resin-impregnated reinforcing fiber sheet,
wherein below Formula 1 is satisfied assuming that a surface temperature of said matrix resin-impregnated reinforcing fiber sheet is P2 (° C.) at a completion point of the heating and that a temperature of said matrix resin stored in the inside of said coating section is M (° C.),
M≤P 2  (Formula 1)

wherein said coating section comprises, in said liquid pool, a width regulation mechanism for regulating a width of said reinforcing fiber sheet, and wherein a relationship between a width (W) of said reinforcing fiber sheet immediately under said narrowed section and a width (L2) regulated by said width regulation mechanism at a lower end of said width regulation mechanism satisfies
L 2≤ W+ 10 (mm).

2. The method of producing a prepreg according to claim 1 , further comprising a step of pressing said matrix resin-impregnated reinforcing fiber sheet after the step of heating in a noncontact manner.

3. The method of producing a prepreg according to claim 1 , wherein the obtained prepreg has a degree of impregnation of 70% or more based on a peeling method.

4. A method of producing a prepreg tape, comprising slitting a prepreg obtained using the method of producing a prepreg according to claim 1 .

5. A method of producing a fiber reinforced composite material, comprising curing a prepreg obtained using the method of producing a prepreg according to claim 1 .

6. The method of producing a prepreg according to claim 1 , wherein said noncontact heating is selected from the group of infrared heating, far-infrared heating, laser heating and steam heating.

7. The method of producing a prepreg according to claim 1 , wherein a heating distance in the noncontact heating is 1 m or less.

8. A prepreg production apparatus, comprising:
a running mechanism for allowing a reinforcing fiber sheet to run substantially vertically downward;
a coating mechanism for applying a matrix resin to said reinforcing fiber sheet to obtain a matrix resin-impregnated reinforcing fiber sheet; and
a heating mechanism for heating said matrix resin-impregnated reinforcing fiber sheet,
wherein said coating mechanism can store a coating liquid therein and 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 a sheet-like reinforcing fiber bundle,
wherein said portion of the liquid pool is formed by wall constituent members having a vertical height of 10 mm or more that are opposed to each other with a gap in between to generate a circulation flow in the liquid pool for removal of fuzz and/or or prevention of clogging fuzz,
wherein said narrowed section has a slit-like opening that can be used to guide said matrix resin-impregnated reinforcing fiber sheet out, and wherein an area of the opening is smaller than an area of a top side of said liquid pool and has a gap so that said reinforcing fiber sheet is automatically aligned,
wherein said coating mechanism in said liquid pool further comprises a width regulation mechanism between side wall members for regulating a width of said reinforcing fiber sheet, and
wherein said heating mechanism is a noncontact heating means, and is disposed so as to be started within a region of 1 m from said opening of said narrowed section in the running direction of said matrix resin-impregnated reinforcing fiber sheet.

9. The prepreg production apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein said noncontact heating is selected from the group of infrared heating, far-infrared heating, laser heating and steam heating.

10. The prepreg production apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein a heating distance in the noncontact heating is 1 m or less.

Assignees

• Toray Industries

Inventors

• Ochi Takashi
• Kono Yoshikazu
• Nishino So
• Aoki Junichi
• Minoura Kiyoshi
• Suzuki Tamotsu

Classifications

• B29B11/16 Primary

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

• B29K2307/04

  Carbon · CPC title

• B29B15/125 Primary

  by dipping · CPC title

• B29K2063/00

  Use of {EP, i.e.} epoxy resins {or derivatives thereof}, as moulding material · CPC title