High-strength optical cable connector box
By using the modified glass fiber and functional filler containing carboxyl groups in the SMC material, the problem of low mechanical strength of SMC materials is solved, and the preparation of high-strength optical cable joint box is realized, which improves mechanical properties and dimensional stability.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202510755289.6
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-06-06
- Publication Date
- 2025-08-12
AI Technical Summary
The mechanical strength of existing SMC materials is low, mainly due to the difficulty of dispersing glass fibers, resulting in limited effect of improving mechanical strength.
The modified glass fibers and functional fillers with carboxyl groups are used to modify the glass fibers and functional fillers, including epoxy silane modified inorganic fillers and vinyl silane modified inorganic fillers. Through the synergistic effect between the three, the mechanical strength of the SMC material is improved.
It significantly improves the mechanical strength of SMC materials, enhances the service life and dimensional accuracy of the optical cable joint box, and reduces the risk of cracking.
Smart Images
Figure SMS_1
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of polymer materials, and in particular to a high-strength optical cable junction box. Background Art
[0002] Fiber optic splice closures, also known as cable junction boxes, are available in two types: horizontal and vertical. They are also available in two types: metal and plastic. Plastics include glass fiber-reinforced modified PP and SMC, with SMC being the most widely used.
[0003] SMC is a glass fiber-reinforced unsaturated polyester sheet molding compound (SMC). It uses an unsaturated polyester resin as a matrix and glass fiber as a reinforcement. It also incorporates a curing agent, thickener, functional filler, release agent, and process additives. SMC exhibits excellent electrical insulation, weather resistance, flame retardancy, and environmental friendliness, making it widely used in optical fiber splice closures. These closures offer high mechanical strength, extending their service life. Currently, the most common method to improve the mechanical strength of SMC is to increase the glass fiber content. However, due to the difficulty in dispersing glass fiber, this improvement in mechanical strength is limited. Summary of the Invention
[0004] The present invention provides a high-strength optical cable junction box, which solves the problem of low mechanical strength of SMC materials in the related art.
[0005] The technical solutions of the present invention are as follows: A high-strength optical cable junction box has an outer shell made of SMC material. The raw materials of the SMC material include the following components in parts by weight: 100 parts of unsaturated polyester resin, 15-25 parts of low-shrinkage additive, 120-180 parts of functional filler, 4-7 parts of curing agent, 2-4 parts of release agent, 2-6 parts of thickener, 2-5 parts of process aid, and 105-130 parts of glass fiber modified with a compound containing a carboxyl group; the functional filler includes epoxy silane-modified inorganic filler and vinyl silane-modified inorganic filler.
[0006] Unsaturated polyester resin, the most fundamental component of SMC materials, can be significantly reduced by adding low-shrinkage additives. This low shrinkage reduces internal stress concentration and mitigates the risk of cracking caused by temperature fluctuations during long-term use. Furthermore, this low shrinkage, combined with the dimensional stability of functional fillers, improves the dimensional accuracy of optical cable splice closures, resulting in a smooth, dent-free surface. The combined use of a curing agent and thickener ensures a long gel time for the SMC material and the compression molding cycle for the closures. A release agent provides both internal and external release, reducing mold sticking and cleaning frequency. Processing aids help disperse the functional fillers, enhancing the overall performance of the SMC material.
[0007] In the present invention, the mass ratio of the epoxysilane-modified inorganic filler to the vinylsilane-modified inorganic filler can be any ratio, for example, it can be 1 to 9:1, preferably 3 to 9:1, more preferably 3 to 5:1, for example, it can be 3:1, 3.1:1, 3.2:1, 3.3:1, 3.4:1, 3.5:1, 3.6:1, 3.7:1, 3.8:1, 3.9:1, 4:1, 4.1:1, 4.2:1, 4.3:1, 4.4:1, 4.5:1, 4.6:1, 4.7:1, 4.8:1, 4.9:1, 5:1, etc., but is not limited to the listed values, and other values not listed within the numerical range are equally applicable.
[0008] As a further technical solution, the raw materials of the epoxysilane-modified inorganic filler include epoxysilane and inorganic filler in a mass ratio of 0.5 to 1:10; the raw materials of the vinylsilane-modified inorganic filler include vinylsilane and inorganic filler in a mass ratio of 0.5 to 1:10.
[0009] In the present invention, the mass ratio of silane to inorganic filler in the raw materials of epoxysilane-modified inorganic filler and / or vinylsilane-modified inorganic filler can be any conventional mass ratio in the art, and can be prepared by conventional methods; the inorganic filler can be any one or more conventional inorganic fillers in the art, preferably calcium carbonate; the epoxysilane can be any one or more epoxy-containing silanes in the art, for example, KH-560, KH-781, KH-561, KH-1770, KH-1771, etc., preferably KH-560; the vinylsilane can be any one or more vinyl-containing silanes in the art, for example, KH-151, KH-171, KH-172, KH-1706, KH-1710, KH-188, etc., preferably KH-172.
[0010] As a further technical solution, the preparation method of the epoxysilane-modified inorganic filler comprises the following steps: mixing epoxysilane with anhydrous ethanol, adding an inorganic filler for modification, and drying to obtain the epoxysilane-modified inorganic filler.
[0011] As a further technical solution, the preparation method of the vinylsilane-modified inorganic filler comprises the following steps: mixing vinylsilane with anhydrous ethanol, adding an inorganic filler for modification, and drying to obtain the vinylsilane-modified inorganic filler.
[0012] As a further technical solution, the raw materials for modifying the glass fiber with the compound containing a carboxyl group include the compound containing a carboxyl group and the glass fiber in a mass ratio of 3 to 10:100.
[0013] In the present invention, the glass fiber can be any one or more conventional glass fibers in the art, preferably alkali-free glass fiber, more preferably alkali-free chopped glass fiber, for example, alkali-free chopped glass fiber with a length of 50 mm.
[0014] In the present invention, the compound containing a carboxyl group may be any one or more compounds containing two or more carboxyl groups, for example, it may be one or more of o-carboxyphenylacetic acid, 4-(carboxymethyl)benzoic acid, and 4-carboxyphenylacetic acid, preferably o-carboxyphenylacetic acid.
[0015] As a further technical solution, the preparation method of the carboxyl-containing compound modified glass fiber includes the following steps: dissolving the carboxyl-containing compound, adding the glass fiber, mixing, and drying to obtain the carboxyl-containing compound modified glass fiber.
[0016] As a further technical solution, the solvent used for dissolution is ethanol.
[0017] In the present invention, the thickener may be any one or more conventional thickeners in the art, for example, one or more of calcium oxide, calcium hydroxide, magnesium oxide, and magnesium hydroxide, preferably magnesium oxide and magnesium hydroxide. Calcium oxide is generally not used because it is sensitive to air humidity. A mixture of magnesium oxide and magnesium hydroxide can improve the thickening reaction, extend the induction period, and achieve rapid thickening.
[0018] In the present invention, the process aid may be any one or more conventional process aids in the art, for example, one or both of BYK-W996 and BYK-W9010, preferably BYK-W996.
[0019] In the present invention, the curing agent may be any one or more conventional curing agents in the art, for example, one or more of dicumyl peroxide, dibenzoyl peroxide, and tert-butyl perbenzoate.
[0020] In the present invention, the release agent may be any one or more conventional release agents in the art, for example, one or both of calcium stearate and zinc stearate.
[0021] In the present invention, the low shrinkage additive may be any one or more conventional low shrinkage additives in the art, for example, one or more of polymethyl methacrylate, polystyrene, polyvinyl acetate, polyethylene, and polyvinyl chloride.
[0022] As a further technical solution, the preparation method of the SMC material comprises the following steps: S1. After mixing unsaturated polyester resin, low shrinkage additive, curing agent, release agent and process aid, functional filler is added and continued to mix, and finally thickener is added and mixed evenly to obtain resin paste; S2. The resin paste is evenly coated on a polyethylene film, and a carboxyl-containing compound-modified glass fiber is sandwiched between two or more polyethylene films coated with the resin paste, and the two films are pressed, rolled, and molded to obtain an SMC material.
[0023] The working principle and beneficial effects of the present invention are: The present invention utilizes a combination of carboxyl-containing compound-modified glass fiber and functional fillers to enhance the mechanical strength of the SMC material, providing a high-strength optical cable splice closure. The functional fillers include epoxysilane-modified inorganic fillers and vinylsilane-modified inorganic fillers. The unsaturated double bonds in the vinylsilane-modified inorganic filler react with the unsaturated double bonds in the unsaturated polyester resin, while the epoxy groups in the epoxysilane-modified inorganic filler react with the carboxyl groups in the carboxyl-containing compound-modified glass fiber. The combination of these three elements synergistically enhances the mechanical strength of the SMC material, enabling the preparation of a high-strength optical cable splice closure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0024] The following will be combined with the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making any creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.
[0025] In the following examples and comparative examples: The unsaturated polyester resin is AOC Aliancys Palapreg® P 145-01 pure maleic acid unsaturated polyester resin; The low-shrinkage additive is AOC Aliancys Palapreg® H 851-02 polymethyl methacrylate; The glass fiber is 50 mm long alkali-free chopped glass fiber; The calcium carbonate is 1250 mesh light calcium carbonate.
[0026] Example 1 A high-strength optical cable splice box, the outer shell of which is made of SMC material prepared by the following method: S0, after mixing 20 parts of vinyl silane KH-172 with 100 parts of anhydrous ethanol, 200 parts of calcium carbonate were added, stirred at 1000 rpm for 30 minutes, and dried to obtain a vinyl silane-modified inorganic filler; 20 parts of epoxysilane KH-560 and 100 parts of anhydrous ethanol were mixed, 200 parts of calcium carbonate were added, and the mixture was stirred at 1000 rpm for 30 minutes, and dried to obtain an epoxysilane-modified inorganic filler; Dissolve 6 parts of o-carboxyphenylacetic acid in 300 parts of ethanol, add 200 parts of glass fiber, stir at 500 rpm for 20 minutes, and dry to obtain glass fiber modified with a compound containing a carboxyl group; S1. After mixing 100 parts of unsaturated polyester resin, 15 parts of low shrinkage additive, 4 parts of t-butyl perbenzoate, 2 parts of zinc stearate, and 2 parts of BYK-W996 at 1200 rpm for 7 minutes, 120 parts of functional filler (composed of epoxy silane-modified inorganic filler and vinyl silane-modified inorganic filler in a mass ratio of 1:1) was added and mixing continued for 10 minutes. Finally, 1 part of magnesium oxide and 1 part of magnesium hydroxide were added and the speed was adjusted to 300 rpm and mixed for 15 minutes to obtain a resin paste. S2, the resin paste is evenly coated on the polyethylene film to form a 1.5mm thick resin paste, and 105 parts of the carboxyl-containing compound modified glass fiber are sandwiched between the two polyethylene films with the resin paste coated on the inner side. The resin paste is impregnated into the glass fiber mat and rolled up at 40℃ for 48h. 2 The SMC material was obtained by molding under a pressure of 50s.
[0027] Example 2 A high-strength optical cable splice box, the outer shell of which is made of SMC material prepared by the following method: S0, after mixing 10 parts of vinyl silane KH-172 with 100 parts of anhydrous ethanol, 200 parts of calcium carbonate were added, stirred at 800 rpm for 40 minutes, and dried to obtain a vinyl silane-modified inorganic filler; 10 parts of epoxysilane KH-560 and 100 parts of anhydrous ethanol were mixed, 200 parts of calcium carbonate were added, and the mixture was stirred at 800 rpm for 40 minutes and dried to obtain an epoxysilane-modified inorganic filler; Dissolve 20 parts of o-carboxyphenylacetic acid in 300 parts of ethanol, add 200 parts of glass fiber, stir at 500 rpm for 30 minutes, and dry to obtain glass fiber modified with a compound containing a carboxyl group; S1. After mixing 100 parts of unsaturated polyester resin, 25 parts of low shrinkage additive, 7 parts of dibenzoyl peroxide, 4 parts of calcium stearate, and 5 parts of BYK-W9010 at 1000 rpm for 10 minutes, 180 parts of functional filler (composed of epoxy silane-modified inorganic filler and vinyl silane-modified inorganic filler in a mass ratio of 1:1) was added and mixing continued for 10 minutes. Finally, 3 parts of magnesium oxide and 3 parts of magnesium hydroxide were added and the speed was adjusted to 300 rpm and mixed for 10 minutes to obtain a resin paste. S2, the resin paste is evenly coated on the polyethylene film to form a 1.5mm thick resin paste, and 130 parts of the carboxyl-containing compound modified glass fiber are sandwiched between the two polyethylene films with the resin paste coated on the inner side. The resin paste is impregnated into the glass fiber mat and rolled up at 40℃ for 48h. 2 The SMC material was obtained by molding under a pressure of 50s.
[0028] Example 3 The only difference from Example 1 is that the functional filler is composed of an epoxysilane-modified inorganic filler and a vinylsilane-modified inorganic filler in a mass ratio of 3:1.
[0029] Example 4 The only difference from Example 1 is that the functional filler is composed of an epoxysilane-modified inorganic filler and a vinylsilane-modified inorganic filler in a mass ratio of 5:1.
[0030] Example 5 The only difference from Example 1 is that the functional filler is composed of an epoxysilane-modified inorganic filler and a vinylsilane-modified inorganic filler in a mass ratio of 9:1.
[0031] Comparative Example 1 The only difference from Example 1 is that all 120 parts of the functional fillers are epoxysilane-modified inorganic fillers.
[0032] Comparative Example 2 The only difference from Example 1 is that all 120 parts of the functional fillers are vinylsilane-modified inorganic fillers.
[0033] Comparative Example 3 The only difference from Example 1 is that the glass fiber modified with the compound containing carboxyl group is replaced by an equal amount of glass fiber.
[0034] Comparative Example 4 The only difference from Example 1 is that the carboxyl-containing compound-modified glass fiber is replaced with an equal amount of aminosilane-modified glass fiber. The preparation method of the aminosilane-modified glass fiber is as follows: After mixing 20 parts of aminosilane KH-550 with 100 parts of anhydrous ethanol, 200 parts of glass fiber were added, stirred at 1000 rpm for 30 minutes, and dried to obtain aminosilane-modified glass fiber.
[0035] Comparative Example 5 A high-strength optical cable splice box, the outer shell of which is made of SMC material prepared by the following method: S0, after mixing 20 parts of vinyl silane KH-172 with 100 parts of anhydrous ethanol, adding 200 parts of glass fiber and stirring at 1000 rpm for 30 minutes, and drying to obtain vinyl silane-modified glass fiber; 20 parts of epoxysilane KH-560 were mixed with 100 parts of anhydrous ethanol, and 200 parts of glass fiber were added. The mixture was stirred at 1000 rpm for 30 minutes and dried to obtain epoxysilane-modified glass fiber. Dissolve 6 parts of o-carboxyphenylacetic acid in 300 parts of ethanol, add 200 parts of calcium carbonate, stir at 500 rpm for 20 minutes, and dry to obtain a carboxyl-containing compound-modified inorganic filler; S1, after mixing 100 parts of unsaturated polyester resin, 15 parts of low shrinkage additive, 4 parts of t-butyl perbenzoate, 2 parts of zinc stearate and 2 parts of BYK-W996 at a speed of 1200 rpm for 7 minutes, 120 parts of inorganic filler modified by a compound containing a carboxyl group was added and mixing was continued for 10 minutes, and finally 1 part of magnesium oxide and 1 part of magnesium hydroxide were added and the speed was adjusted to 300 rpm and mixed for 15 minutes to obtain a resin paste; S2. Evenly apply the resin paste on the polyethylene film to form a 1.5 mm thick resin paste. Place 105 parts of glass fiber (composed of epoxy silane modified glass fiber and vinyl silane modified glass fiber with a mass ratio of 1:1) between two pieces of polyethylene film with the resin paste applied on the inner side. Press tightly to impregnate the resin paste into the glass fiber mat. Reel at 40°C for 48 hours and heat at 160°C and 80 kg / cm 2 The SMC material was obtained by molding under a pressure of 50s.
[0036] The SMC materials with a thickness of 4 mm prepared in Examples 1 to 5 and Comparative Examples 1 to 5 were subjected to the following performance tests: (1) Bending properties: Refer to the method in GB / T 1449-2005 "Test method for bending properties of fiber reinforced plastics" to test the bending strength; (2) Impact performance: refer to the method in GB / T 1043.1-2008 "Determination of impact properties of plastics - Simple supported beam - Part 1: Non-instrumented impact test" to test the impact strength (simple supported beam, unnotched); The test results are recorded in Table 1.
[0037] Table 1 Test results of bending and impact properties of SMC materials
[0038] As can be seen from Table 1, the flexural strength and impact strength of the SMC materials obtained in Examples 1 to 5 are higher than those in Comparative Examples 1 to 5, indicating that the mechanical strength of the SMC material is improved when the glass fiber modified with the carboxyl group-containing compound and the functional filler are used in combination, and when the functional filler includes an epoxy silane-modified inorganic filler and a vinyl silane-modified inorganic filler.
[0039] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.
Claims
1. A high-strength optical cable junction box, the shell of which is made of SMC material, characterized in that: The raw materials of the SMC material include the following components in parts by mass: 100 parts of unsaturated polyester resin, 15-25 parts of low shrinkage additive, 120-180 parts of functional filler, 4-7 parts of curing agent, 2-4 parts of release agent, 2-6 parts of thickener, 2-5 parts of process aid, and 105-130 parts of glass fiber modified with a compound containing a carboxyl group; the functional filler includes epoxy silane-modified inorganic filler and vinyl silane-modified inorganic filler.
2. A high-strength optical cable splice box according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mass ratio of the epoxysilane-modified inorganic filler to the vinylsilane-modified inorganic filler is 3 to 9:
1.
3. The high-strength optical cable splice box according to claim 1, characterized in that: The raw materials for modifying the glass fiber with the compound containing a carboxyl group include the compound containing a carboxyl group and the glass fiber in a mass ratio of 3 to 10:
100.
4. A high-strength optical cable splice box according to claim 3, characterized in that: The carboxyl group-containing compound includes one or more of o-carboxyphenylacetic acid, 4-(carboxymethyl)benzoic acid, and 4-carboxyphenylacetic acid.
5. A high-strength optical cable splice box according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: The preparation method of the carboxyl-containing compound modified glass fiber comprises the following steps: dissolving the carboxyl-containing compound, adding the glass fiber, mixing, and drying to obtain the carboxyl-containing compound modified glass fiber.
6. The high-strength optical cable splice box according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thickener includes one or more of calcium oxide, calcium hydroxide, magnesium oxide, and magnesium hydroxide.
7. The high-strength optical cable splice box according to claim 1, characterized in that: The process additives include one or both of BYK-W996 and BYK-W9010.
8. The high-strength optical cable splice box according to claim 1, characterized in that: The curing agent includes one or more of dicumyl peroxide, dibenzoyl peroxide, and tert-butyl perbenzoate.
9. The high-strength optical cable splice box according to claim 1, characterized in that: The release agent includes one or both of calcium stearate and zinc stearate; The low shrinkage additive includes one or more of polymethyl methacrylate, polystyrene, polyvinyl acetate, polyethylene, and polyvinyl chloride.
10. The high-strength optical cable splice box according to claim 1, characterized in that: The preparation method of the SMC material comprises the following steps: S1, after mixing unsaturated polyester resin, low shrinkage additive, curing agent, release agent and process aid, adding functional filler and continuing to mix, finally adding thickener and mixing evenly to obtain resin paste; S2. The resin paste is evenly coated on a polyethylene film, and a carboxyl-containing compound-modified glass fiber is sandwiched between two or more polyethylene films coated with the resin paste, and the two films are pressed, rolled, and molded to obtain an SMC material.