Compositions Comprising a Fiber Material and a Thermoplastic Binder

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017190852-A1
Application number	US-201715465966-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 22, 2017
Priority date	Sep 30, 2014
Publication date	Jul 6, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

The invention relates to compositions comprising a fiber material and a specific thermoplastic binder. The thermoplastic binder comprises at least one thermoplastic polyurethane polymer (A), wherein said thermoplastic polyurethane polymer (A) comprises a reaction product of (i) at least one polyester polyol and (ii) at least one polyisocyanate, optionally at least one diol (iii) which is different from the polyester polyol (i) is contained. The molar ratio of the NCO groups of said polyisocyanate (ii) to the sum of OH groups of said polyester polyol (i) and said optionally containing diol (iii) is less than 1.00:1. Said polyester polyol (i) comprises (a) at least one semi-crystalline polyester polyol having a melting point (T m ) of from 40 to 180° C., and (b) at least one non-crystalline polyester polyol. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a fiber-reinforced composite comprising a cured thermosetting polyurethane polymer matrix reinforced by the composition according to the present invention. Moreover, a method for the manufacture of the fiber-reinforced composite according to the present invention and use of the composition or the fiber-reinforced composite in railway vehicles, automotive vehicles, aircraft vehicles, boats, space vehicles, motorbikes, bicycles, sporting goods, helmets, functional clothing, shoes, construction parts in bridges and buildings or wind turbine blades are described.

First claim

1 . A composition comprising a fiber material and a thermoplastic binder, wherein the thermoplastic binder comprises at least one thermoplastic polyurethane polymer (A); wherein said thermoplastic polyurethane polymer (A) comprises a reaction product of
(i) at least one polyester polyol; (ii) at least one polyisocyanate; and (iii) optionally at least one diol which is different from the at least one polyester polyol (i); wherein the molar ratio of the NCO groups of said polyisocyanate (ii) to the sum of OH groups of said polyester polyol (i) and said optionally containing diol (iii) is less than 1.00:1; and wherein said polyester polyol (i) comprises
(a) at least one semi-crystalline polyester polyol having a melting point (T m ) of from 40 to 180° C.; and
(b) at least one non-crystalline polyester polyol.

2 . The composition according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one non-crystalline polyester polyol (b) comprises
(b1) a non-crystalline polyester polyol having a number average molecular weight (M n ) of less than 750 g/mol; and (b2) a non-crystalline polyester polyol having a number average molecular weight (M n ) of at least 750 g/mol.

3 . The composition according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one thermoplastic polyurethane polymer (A) has a number average molecular weight (M n ) of from 5,000 to 80,000 g/mol.

4 . The composition according to claim 1 , wherein at least one thermoplastic polyurethane polymer (A) comprises at least one polyester polyol (i), which comprises an ortho-phthalate.

5 . A composition according to claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic binder composition comprises at least two different thermoplastic polyurethane polymers (A) as defined in claim 1 ,
wherein the first thermoplastic polyurethane polymer (A1) has a number average molecular weight (M n ) of less than 25,000 g/mol; wherein the second thermoplastic polyurethane polymer (A2) has a number average molecular weight (M n ) of at least 25,000 g/mol; and wherein the weight ratio of (A1) to (A2) is preferably 5:95 to 95:5.

6 . The composition according to claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic polyurethane polymer includes the at least one diol (iii) and the at least one diol (iii) comprises at least a primary and a secondary OH group and/or wherein the at least one diol (iii) comprises at least two primary OH groups.

7 . The composition according to claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic binder comprises 50 to 99.9 wt.-% of the at least one thermoplastic polyurethane (A); and
0.1 to 50 wt.-% of additives, based on the total weight of the said thermoplastic binder.

8 . The composition according to claim 7 , wherein the additives are selected from stabilizers, adhesion promoters, tackifiers, fillers, plasticizers and further thermoplastic polymers which are different from the at least on thermoplastic polyurethane copolymer (A), or a combination thereof.

9 . The composition according to claim 1 , comprising
0.1 to 40 wt.-% of the thermoplastic binder; and 60 to 99.9 wt.-% of the fiber material, based on the total weight of said composition.

10 . The composition according to claim 1 , wherein the fiber material contains fibers selected from glass fibers, synthetic fibers, carbon fibers, boron fibers, ceramic fibers, metal fibers, natural fibers, and combinations thereof.

11 . The composition according to claim 1 , wherein the fiber material is in the form of a mat, woven fabric, nonwoven fabric, non-crimped fabric, knitted fabric, plies, or roving.

12 . An article comprising the composition of claim 1 .

13 . A railway vehicle, automotive vehicle, aircraft vehicle, boat, space vehicle, motorbike, bicycle, sporting good, helmet, functional clothing, shoe, construction part or wind turbine component comprising the composition of claim 1 .

14 . A fiber-reinforced composite comprising cured reaction products of a thermosetting polyurethane polymer reinforced by the composition according to claim 1 , wherein fibers are contained in proportions of more than 30% by volume based on the total volume of said fiber-reinforced composite.

15 . The fiber-reinforced composite according to claim 14 , wherein the thermosetting polyurethane polymer is a two-component thermosetting polyurethane resin comprising:
at least one polyol (I) having a number average molecular weight (Mn) of less than 3,000 g/mol; at least one polyisocyanate (II); wherein the molar ratio of the OH groups of said polyol (I) to the NCO groups of said polyisocyanate (II) is from 2:1 to 1:10.

16 . The fiber-reinforced composite according to claim 14 , wherein the thermosetting polyurethane polymer is a two-component polyurethane matrix resin comprising:
at least one polyol (I) having a number average molecular weight (Mn) of less than 3,000 g/mol; at least one polyisocyanate (II); wherein the molar ratio of the OH groups of said polyol (I) to the NCO groups of said polyisocyanate (II) is from 2:1 to 1:5.

17 . The fiber-reinforced composite according to claim 14 , wherein the thermosetting polyurethane polymer is a two-component polyurethane matrix resin comprising:
at least one polyol (I) having a number average molecular weight (Mn) of less than 3,000 g/mol; at least one polyisocyanate (II); wherein the molar ratio of the OH groups of said polyol (I) to the NCO groups of said polyisocyanate (II) is from 2:1 to 1:2.

18 . An article comprising the fiber-reinforced composite of claim 14 .

19 . A railway vehicle, automotive vehicle, aircraft vehicle, boat, space vehicle, motorbike, bicycle, sporting good, helmet, functional clothing, shoe, construction part or wind turbine component comprising the fiber-reinforced composite of claim 14 .

20 . A method for the manufacture of fiber-reinforced composites comprising the steps:
1) providing an external mold comprising the composition according to claim 1 ; 2) introducing a mixture of the two-component thermosetting polyurethane resin of claim 15 into said mold under pressure and/or vacuum; and 3) curing said composition at a temperature of up to 140° C., preferably from 60 to 120° C.

Assignees

• Henkel Ag & Co Kgaa

Inventors

• Ferencz Andreas
• Lammerschop Olaf
• Schmidt Tamara
• Slark Andrew
• Kasper Dirk

Classifications

• C08G18/4211

  derived from aromatic dicarboxylic acids and dialcohols · CPC title

• C08G18/4202

  Two or more polyesters of different physical or chemical nature (C08G18/44 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C08G18/4216

  from mixtures or combinations of aromatic dicarboxylic acids and aliphatic dicarboxylic acids and dialcohols · CPC title

• C08J5/04

  Reinforcing macromolecular compounds with loose or coherent fibrous material · CPC title

• C08G18/4829 Primary

  Polyethers containing at least three hydroxy groups (C08G18/4833 - C08G18/5096 take precedence) · CPC title