Resin-soluble thermoplastic veil for composite materials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9566762-B2
Application number	US-201414226928-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 27, 2014
Priority date	May 9, 2005
Publication date	Feb 14, 2017
Grant date	Feb 14, 2017

Abstract

A resin-soluble thermoplastic polymer veil toughening element for a curable composition wherein the polymer element is a non-woven veil in solid phase adapted to undergo at least partial phase transition to fluid phase on contact with a component of the curable resin matrix composition in which it is soluble at a temperature which is less than the temperature for substantial onset of gelling and/or curing of the curable composition and which temperature is less than the polymer elements melt temperature; a method for the preparation thereof, a preform support structure for a curable composition comprising the at least one thermoplastic veil element together with structural reinforcement fibers, methods for preparation thereof, a curable composition comprising the at least one thermoplastic veil element or the support structure and a curable resin matrix composition, a method for preparation and curing thereof, and a cured composite or resin body obtained thereby, and known and novel uses thereof.

First claim

We claim:

1. A thermoplastic toughening element for resin infusion manufacturing of composite comprising:
a layer of a plurality of resin-soluble thermoplastic fibers randomly oriented and adhered to one another into a veil consisting of the resin soluble thermoplastic fibers with an areal weight of about 5 to about 80 gsm,
wherein the toughening element is interposed between and in direct contact with adjacent plies consisting of structural reinforcement fibers,
wherein the resin-soluble thermoplastic fibers are in a solid phase and undergo at least partial phase transition to a fluid phase on contact with a curable resin matrix in which the thermoplastic fibers are soluble at a first temperature for substantial dissolution, which is less than a second temperature for substantial onset of curing of the curable resin matrix, and
wherein the concentration of toughening element is highest in the resin matrix between the adjacent plies and decreases in concentration as the matrix approaches the plies.

2. The toughening element of claim 1 wherein the resin-soluble thermoplastic fibers comprise a first resin-soluble thermoplastic material and a second resin-soluble thermoplastic material.

3. The toughening element of claim 2 wherein the first resin-soluble thermoplastic material and the second resin-soluble thermoplastic material are the same.

4. The toughening element of claim 2 wherein the first resin-soluble thermoplastic material and the second resin-soluble thermoplastic material are different.

5. The toughening element of claim 1 wherein the resin-soluble thermoplastic is selected from the group consisting of cellulose derivatives, polyester, polyamide, polyimide, polycarbonate, polyurethane, poly(methyl methacrylate), polystyrene, polyaromatics; polyesteramide, polyamideimide, polyetherimide, polyaramide, polyarylate, polyacrylate, poly(ester) carbonate, poly(methyl methacrylate/butyl acrylate), polysulphone, polyethersulphone, polyetherethersulphone polyethersulphone-etherketone, and copolymers and combinations thereof.

6. The toughening element of claim 1 wherein the fibers solubilize in a curable resin matrix at a first temperature less than a second cure temperature of the curable resin matrix.

7. The toughening element of claim 6 wherein the solubilized fibers chain link with the curable resin matrix at the second cure temperature of the curable resin matrix.

8. The toughening element of claim 1 wherein the fibers carry modifiers.

Assignees

• Cytec Tech Corp

Inventors

• Lo Faro Carmelo
• Abusafieh Abdel
• Webb William Erwin
• Doyle Marc

Classifications

• B32B2605/18

  Aircraft · CPC title

• Y10T442/637

  Including strand or fiber material which is a monofilament composed of two or more polymeric materials in physically distinct relationship [e.g., sheath-core, side-by-side, islands-in-sea, fibrils-in-matrix, etc.] or composed of physical blend of chemically different polymeric materials or a physical blend of a polymeric material and a filler material · CPC title

• Y10T442/3569

  Woven fabric layers impregnated with a thermosetting resin · CPC title

• B32B2307/7265

  Non-permeable · CPC title

• Y10T442/20

  Coated or impregnated woven, knit, or nonwoven fabric which is not [a] associated with another preformed layer or fiber layer or, [b] with respect to woven and knit, characterized, respectively, by a particular or differential weave or knit, wherein the coating or impregnation is neither a foamed material nor a free metal or alloy layer · CPC title