Fiber reinforcement for anisotropic foams

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017369667-A1
Application number	US-201515538788-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 15, 2015
Priority date	Dec 22, 2014
Publication date	Dec 28, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

The invention relates to a molding composed of extruded foam, wherein at least one fiber (F) is present with a fiber region (FB 2 ) within the molding and is surrounded by the extruded foam, while a fiber region (FB 1 ) of the fiber (F) projects from a first side of the molding and a fiber region (FB 3 ) of the fiber (F) projects from a second side of the molding, and the extruded foam is produced by an extrusion process comprising the following steps:
I) providing a polymer melt in an extruder, II) introducing at least one blowing agent into the polymer melt provided in step I) to obtain a foamable polymer melt, III) extruding the foamable polymer melt obtained in step II) from the extruder through at least one die aperture into an area at lower pressure, with expansion of the foamable polymer melt to obtain an expanded foam, and IV) calibrating the expanded foam from step III) by conducting the expanded foam through a shaping tool to obtain the extruded foam.

First claim

1 .- 16 . (canceled)

17 . A molding made of extruded foam, wherein at least one fiber (F) is present with a fiber region (FB 2 ) within the molding and is surrounded by the extruded foam, while a fiber region (FB 1 ) of the fiber (F) projects from a first side of the molding and a fiber region (FB 3 ) of the fiber (F) projects from a second side of the molding, and the extruded foam is produced by an extrusion process comprising the following steps:
I) providing a polymer melt in an extruder, II) introducing at least one blowing agent into the polymer melt provided in step I) to obtain a foamable polymer melt, III) extruding the foamable polymer melt obtained in step II) from the extruder through at least one die aperture into an area at lower pressure, with expansion of the foamable polymer melt to obtain an expanded foam, and IV) calibrating the expanded foam from step III) by conducting the expanded foam through a shaping tool to obtain the extruded foam, wherein the fiber (F) has been introduced into the extruded foam at an angle α of 10° to 70° relative to the thickness direction (d) of the molding and wherein two or more fibers (F) are at an angle β to one another in the molding, where the angle β is in the range of β=360°/n where n is an integer.

18 . The molding according to claim 17 , wherein
i) the polymer melt provided in step I) comprises at least one additive, or at least one additive is added during step II) to the polymer melt or between step II) and step III) to the foamable polymer melt, or iii) at least one additive is applied during step III) to the expanded foam or during step IV) to the expanded foam, or iv) at least one layer (S 2 ) is applied to the extruded foam during or directly after step IV), or v) the following process step is conducted after step IV):
V) material-removing processing of the extruded foam obtained in step IV).

19 . The molding according to claim 17 , wherein the extruded foam is based on at least one polymer selected from polystyrene, polyester, polyphenylene oxide, a copolymer prepared from phenylene oxide, a copolymer prepared from styrene, polyaryl ether sulfone, polyphenylene sulfide, polyaryl ether ketone, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyamide, polyamide imide, polyether imide, polycarbonate, polyacrylate, polylactic acid, polyvinyl chloride, or a mixture thereof.

20 . The molding according to claim 19 , wherein the polymer being styrene, a mixture of polystyrene and poly(2,6-dimethylphenylene oxide), a mixture of a styrene-maleic anhydride polymer and a styrene-acrylonitrile polymer (SMA/SAN), or a styrene-maleic anhydride polymer (SMA).

21 . The molding according to claim 20 , wherein a copolymer prepared from styrene having, as comonomer for styrene, a monomer selected from α-methylstyrene, ring-halogenated styrenes, ring-alkylated styrenes, acrylonitrile, acrylic esters, methacrylic esters, N-vinyl compounds, maleic anhydride, butadiene, divinylbenzene and butanediol diacrylate.

22 . The molding according to claim 17 , wherein the extruded foam comprises cells, where
i) at least 50% of the cells are anisotropic, or the ratio of the largest dimension (a direction) to the smallest dimension (c direction) of at least 50% of the cells is ≧1.05, or iii) the mean size of the smallest dimension (c direction) of at least 50% of the cells is in the range from 0.01 to 1 mm, or iv) at least 50% of the cells are orthotropic or transversely isotropic, or at least 50% of the cells, based on their largest dimension (a direction), are aligned at an angle γ of ≦45° relative to the thickness direction (d) of the molding, or vi) the extruded foam has a closed cell content of at least 80%, or vii) the fibers (F) are at an angle ε of ≦60° relative to the largest dimension (a direction) of at least 50% of the cells of the extruded foam.

23 . The molding according to claim 17 , wherein
i) at least one of the mechanical properties of the extruded foam is/are anisotropic, or ii) at least one of the elastic moduli of the extruded foam behave(s) in the manner of an anisotropic material, or iii) the ratio of the compressive strength of the extruded foam in thickness (z direction) to the compressive strength of the extruded foam in length (x direction) or the ratio of the compressive strength of the extruded foam in thickness (z direction) to the compressive strength of the extruded foam in width (y direction) is ≧1.1.

24 . The molding according to claim 15 , wherein
i) the extruded foam has a thickness (z direction) in the range from 4 to 200 mm, a length (x direction) of at least 200 mm and a width (y direction) of at least 200 mm, or ii) the surface of at least one side of the molding has at least one recess and at least one recess being produced on the surface of at least one side of the molding after the performance of step IV), or iii) the surface of at least one side of the molding has at least one recess and at least one recess being produced on the surface of at least one side of the molding after the performance of step V).

25 . The molding according to claim 17 , wherein
i) the fiber (F) is a single fiber or a fiber bundle, or ii) the fiber (F) is an organic, inorganic, metallic or ceramic fiber or a combination thereof, or iii) the fiber (F) is used in the form of a fiber bundle having a number of single fibers per bundle of 300 to 10 000 in the case of glass fibers and 1000 to 50 000 in the case of carbon fibers, or iv) the fiber region (FB 1 ) and the fiber region (FB 3 ) each independently account for 1% to 45% and the fiber region (FB 2 ) for 10% to 98% of the total length of a fiber (F), or v) the fiber (F) has been introduced into the extruded foam at an angle α of 30° to 60° relative to the thickness direction (d) of the molding, or vi) in the molding, the first side of the molding from which the fiber region (FB 1 ) of the fiber (F) projects is opposite the second side of the molding from which the fiber region (FB 3 ) of the fiber (F) projects, or vii) the molding comprises a multitude of fibers (F), or comprises more than 10 fibers (F) or fiber bundles per m 2 .

26 . A panel comprising at least one molding according to claim 17 and at least one layer (S 1 ).

27 . The panel according to claim 26 , wherein the layer (S 1 ) comprises at least one resin.

28 . The panel according to claim 27 , wherein the resin being based on epoxides, acrylates, polyurethanes, polyamides, polyesters, unsaturated polyesters, vinyl esters or mixtures thereof.

29 . The panel according to claim 26 , wherein the layer (S 1 ) additionally comprises at least one fibrous material, where
i) the fibrous material comprises fibers in the form of one or more laminas of chopped fibers, webs, scrims, knits or weaves, or ii) the fibrous material comprises organic, inorganic, metallic or ceramic fibers.

30 . The panel according to claim 26 , wherein the panel has two layers (S 1 ) and the two layers (S 1 ) are each mounted on a side of the molding opposite the respective other side in the molding.

31 . The panel according to claim 26 , wherein
i) the fiber region (FB 1 ) of the fiber (F) is in partial or complete contact with the first layer (S 1 ), or ii) the fiber region (FB 3 ) of the fiber (F) is in partial or complete contact with the second layer (S 1 ), or iii) the panel has at least one layer (S 2 ) between at least one side of the molding and at least one layer (S 1 ), or iv) the at least one layer (S 1 ) comprises a resin and the extruded foam of the molding of the panel has a surface resin absorption of ≦2000

Assignees

• Basf Se

Inventors

• Ruckdäschel Holger
• Arbter Rene
• Stein Robert
• Longo-Schedel Daniela
• Diehlmann Tim
• Sampath Bangaru
• Gutmann Peter
• Terrenoire Alexandre
• Hartenstein Markus
• Kirgis Andreas
• Daun Gregor
• Martin Marc Claude
• Merkel Peter
• Kiciak Thomas
• Morino Alessio

Classifications

• B29C65/72

  by combined operations {or combined techniques}, e.g. welding and stitching · CPC title

• B29C65/62

  Stitching · CPC title

• C08J9/36

  After-treatment (C08J9/22 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B29C44/3446 Primary

  Feeding the blowing agent · CPC title

• B29C44/56

  After-treatment of articles, e.g. for altering the shape · CPC title