Epoxy resin composition, prepreg and fiber-reinforced composite material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9676937-B2
Application number	US-201414895884-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 1, 2014
Priority date	Aug 7, 2013
Publication date	Jun 13, 2017
Grant date	Jun 13, 2017

Abstract

[Problem] To provide: a fiber-reinforced composite material having both Mode I interlaminar fracture toughness and compressive strength under wet heat conditions; an epoxy resin composition for producing the fiber-reinforced composite material; and a prepreg produced using the epoxy resin composition. [Solution] An epoxy resin composition comprising at least the following constituents [A], [B] and [C]: [A] an epoxy resin; [B] composite polyamide microparticles which satisfy such a requirement (b1) the materials constituting the particles are a polyamide (B1) and a thermoplastic elastomer resin (B2), such a requirement (b2) that the melting point or the glass transition temperature of the polyamide (B1) is higher than 100° C. and such a requirement (b3) the number average particle diameter is 0.1 to 100 μm; and [C] a curing agent.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An epoxy resin composition comprising at least the following constituents [A], [B] and [C]:
[A] epoxy resin;
[B] composite polyamide fine particles satisfying the following requirements (b1) to (b3):
(b1) the materials that form the particles are polyamide (B1) and thermoplastic elastomer resin (B2);
(b2) the melting point or glass transition temperature of polyamide (B1) is higher than 100° C.; and
(b3) the average particle diameter is 0.1 to 100 μm, and
[C] curing agent.

2. The epoxy resin composition according to claim 1 , wherein constituent [B] has a dispersion structure in which a plurality of domains mainly composed of thermoplastic elastomer resin (B2) are dispersed in a matrix mainly composed of polyamide (B1).

3. The epoxy resin composition according to claim 2 , wherein the average particle diameter of the domains mainly composed of thermoplastic elastomer resin (B2) is 0.05 to 50 μm, and the sphericity of constituent [B] is 80 or more.

4. The epoxy resin composition according to claim 1 , wherein the relationship of |δ B1 -δ B2 |≧0.1 [(J/cm 3 ) 1/2 ] is satisfied where the solubility parameters of polyamide (B1) and thermoplastic elastomer resin (B2) are δ B1 and δ B2 , respectively.

5. The epoxy resin composition according to claim 1 , wherein the content of thermoplastic elastomer resin (B2) is 0.1 to 50 volume % based on the total amount of the composite polyamide fine particles.

6. The epoxy resin composition according to claim 1 , wherein the particle diameter distribution index of constituent [B] is 1.0 to 3.0.

7. The epoxy resin composition according claim 1 , wherein constituent [A] contains a polyfunctional amine epoxy resin.

8. The epoxy resin composition according to claim 1 , wherein constituent [C] is an aromatic polyamine.

9. A prepreg produced by impregnating reinforcement fibers with the epoxy resin composition according to claim 1 .

10. The prepreg according to claim 9 , wherein constituent [B] is distributed in a higher concentration on the surface of the prepreg than at the inside of the prepreg.

11. The prepreg according to claim 10 , wherein 90% or more of constituent [B] is localized within the depth range of 20% of the thickness of the prepreg from the surface of the prepreg.

12. The prepreg according to claim 9 , wherein the reinforcement fibers are carbon fibers.

13. A fiber-reinforced composite material produced by curing a prepreg as claimed in claim 9 .

14. A fiber-reinforced composite material comprising a cured product of the epoxy resin composition according to claim 1 , and reinforcement fibers.

Assignees

• Toray Industries

Inventors

• Kobayashi Hiroshi
• OTSUBO Takahiko
• Takezaki Hiroshi
• Tomioka Nobuyuki

Classifications

• C08J2477/00

  Characterised by the use of polyamides obtained by reactions forming a carboxylic amide link in the main chain; Derivatives of such polymers · CPC title

• C08J2363/00

  Characterised by the use of epoxy resins; Derivatives of epoxy resins · CPC title

• C08J2467/02

  Polyesters derived from dicarboxylic acids and dihydroxy compounds (C08J2467/06 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C08J5/042

  with carbon fibres · CPC title

• C08J2400/26

  Elastomers · CPC title