Shaping process of carbon fiber cloth

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of carbon fiber cloth shaping, in particular to a carbon fiber cloth shaping process which comprises the steps of spraying heat-sensitive microparticle suspension liquid, tensioning carbon fiber cloth through a conveying auxiliary system, high-temperature shaping and cooling rolling. The conveying auxiliary system comprises a main bearing table and a lateral tensioning assembly, and the lateral tensioning assembly achieves smooth tensioning of cloth through the synergistic effect of an oblique sliding rail and a driving air cylinder. The problems of uneven stress and edge warping in the shaping process of the carbon fiber cloth can be effectively solved, the shaping effect and the product quality are improved, meanwhile, a micropore structure is formed through the heat-sensitive microparticle suspension liquid, the shaping performance is enhanced, and high efficiency and stability are achieved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The application belongs to the technical field of composite material processing, and specifically relates to a sizing process of carbon fiber cloth. BACKGROUND

[0002] The sizing process of carbon fiber cloth plays an important role in the industrial field, and the improvement of its performance and application range is closely related to the sizing process. Although the existing sizing process of carbon fiber cloth can meet part of the demand, there is still room for improvement in uniformity, efficiency and cost control, which affects its further promotion and application.

[0003] After searching, a patent with the publication number CN107475945B proposes a sizing and sizing system for carbon fibers and a sizing process, with the publication date of July 27, 2018. The technology effectively improves the uniformity of carbon fiber web width and sizing amount by designing a system containing upper and lower sizing tanks, combined with a temperature control system and a fiber spreading device, and solves the problem of adhesion of adjacent carbon fibers. However, this scheme mainly targets the sizing process of carbon fibers, and may have limitations when applied to the overall sizing of carbon fiber cloth, especially in the sizing process of large-size carbon fiber cloth, the sizing effect may be uneven. In addition, the structure of this system involves multiple temperature control and fiber spreading devices, which has high equipment complexity and may bring high cost and operation requirements.

[0004] The above problems show that the existing sizing process of carbon fiber cloth still needs to be improved in uniformity, applicability, cost control and compatibility with subsequent processes. Therefore, the present application aims to provide a new sizing process for carbon fiber cloth to optimize the sizing effect, simplify the process flow and reduce the cost, so as to better meet the needs of the field of high-performance composites. SUMMARY

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the present application provides a sizing process for carbon fiber cloth to solve the problems mentioned in the background art.

[0006] In order to achieve the above purpose, the present application adopts the following technical solution to achieve it: a sizing process for carbon fiber cloth, which specifically includes the following steps: S1, the un-sized carbon fiber cloth is passed through an electrostatic adsorption device to uniformly spray a layer of heat-sensitive micro-particle suspension on its surface. The suspension is mixed with a dispersing agent, the particle diameter is between 10-50 microns, and the particle surface is treated by hydrophobic modification.

[0007] S2, the unshaped carbon fiber cloth roll is segmented and unfolded by the carbon fiber cloth conveying auxiliary system, and is conveyed to the shaping station for temporary stop. The conveying auxiliary system comprises a main bearing table and two lateral tensioning assemblies. The main bearing table comprises a bearing frame and a bearing plate surface fixed horizontally on the bearing frame. The two lateral tensioning assemblies are respectively assembled on the bearing frame and symmetrically arranged on the two sides of the bearing plate surface, and the arrangement direction is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the main bearing table.

[0008] S3, the two side edges of the carbon fiber cloth strip are stretched by the lateral tensioning assemblies of the carbon fiber cloth conveying auxiliary system, so that the carbon fiber cloth strip is in a tensioned state and remains flat. While the lateral tensioning assemblies drive the two side edges of the strip to expand outward, they simultaneously apply a certain angle of inclined force downward.

[0009] S4, the carbon fiber cloth strip is shaped under high temperature conditions, and then rewound after cooling to room temperature. The high temperature conditions are provided by a heating module, which uniformly heats the carbon fiber cloth strip in an infrared radiation manner, and the temperature is controlled between 180-220℃.

[0010] The carbon fiber cloth shaping process using the above steps S1-S4 also specifically involves a carbon fiber cloth conveying auxiliary system as described above, which comprises a main bearing table and two lateral tensioning assemblies. The main bearing table comprises a bearing frame and a bearing plate surface fixed horizontally on the bearing frame. The two lateral tensioning assemblies are assembled on the bearing frame and symmetrically arranged on the two sides of the bearing plate surface, and the arrangement direction of the two lateral tensioning assemblies is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the main bearing table.

[0011] The lateral tensioning assembly comprises a transverse expansion mechanism assembled on the main bearing table, a material edge conveying unit assembled on the transverse expansion mechanism for conveying the carbon fiber cloth edge, and a material edge fixing unit assembled on the transverse expansion mechanism for fixing the carbon fiber cloth edge. When the transverse expansion mechanism drives the material edge conveying unit and the material edge fixing unit to move horizontally away from the bearing plate surface, the whole moves downward along an inclined angle at the same time.

[0012] Preferably, the bearing frame is provided with two support seats corresponding to the two lateral tensioning assemblies. The transverse expansion mechanism comprises two inclined rails fixed on the support seats and arranged horizontally opposite to each other, and the guide direction of the inclined rails is inclined from the direction close to the bearing plate surface to the direction away from the bearing plate surface. The transverse expansion mechanism further comprises a sliding bracket slidingly installed between the two inclined rails, a connecting rod and a plurality of driving cylinders vertically fixed on the support seat. One end of the connecting rod is hinged to the sliding bracket, and the output ends of the plurality of driving cylinders are collectively hinged to the other end of the connecting rod. The material edge conveying unit and the material edge fixing unit are both assembled on the sliding bracket.

[0013] Preferably, the material edge conveying unit comprises two vertically opposite arranged roller frames, both of which are fixed on the sliding support, one of the roller frames is horizontally rotatably provided with a plurality of driving rollers uniformly distributed along a horizontal straight line, the other roller frame is horizontally rotatably provided with a plurality of driven rollers vertically opposite to the driving rollers, one side of the driving rollers is respectively fixed with a driving gear and a driven pulley, and one side of the driven rollers is fixed with a driven gear meshing with the opposite driving gear; a plurality of driving rollers and a plurality of driven rollers are respectively jointly sleeved with a driving belt.

[0014] Preferably, the material edge fixing unit comprises a mounting plate fixed horizontally on the sliding support, the mounting plate is located above the two roller frames, the top end of the mounting plate is vertically fixed and mounted with a plurality of clamping cylinders, the output ends of the plurality of clamping cylinders are jointly and horizontally fixedly connected with a travel block, the travel block is located between the uppermost roller frame and the mounting plate, a plurality of guide columns uniformly distributed along the same direction as the distribution direction of the plurality of driven rollers are vertically slidably mounted on the travel block, one column of guide columns is closer to the bearing plate than one column of driven rollers, the bottom ends of the plurality of guide columns are jointly and horizontally fixedly connected with a pressing strip, an elastic member is sleeved on the guide column, and the elastic member is fixed between the travel block and the pressing strip; the roller frame located at the lowermost position is fixedly connected with a curved pressing plate matched with the pressing strip.

[0015] Preferably, the sliding support is fixed with two guide bent plates at both ends in the conveying direction of the material edge conveying unit, the two guide bent plates located at the same end are symmetrically arranged on the upper and lower sides of the gap between the two driving belts, and the gap between the two guide bent plates gradually decreases towards the position close to the gap between the two driving belts.

[0016] Preferably, the bearing frame is provided with two guide rollers on both sides opposite to the bearing plate surface, the guide rollers are horizontally rotatably installed between the two support seats; among the two guide rollers located on the same side, the guide roller closer to the bearing plate surface is lower than the bearing plate surface, and the guide roller farther away from the bearing plate surface is higher than the bearing plate surface.

[0017] Preferably, the bearing plate surface is horizontally rotatably provided with an auxiliary roller at both side positions located at both ends in the conveying direction of the main bearing table.

[0018] Preferably, the guide rollers distributed on both sides of the bearing plate surface and closer to the bearing plate surface are sleeved with a silica gel layer, and the silica gel layer is uniformly provided with a silica gel protruding structure.

[0019] By the technical scheme, the heat-sensitive micro-particle suspension is introduced as a setting medium in the process of shaping the carbon fiber cloth, and uniform tensioning and efficient setting of the carbon fiber cloth are realized in combination with the specifically designed conveying auxiliary system. The heat-sensitive micro-particle suspension undergoes phase change at high temperature to form a microporous structure, thereby enhancing the setting effect of the carbon fiber cloth. The lateral tensioning assembly of the conveying auxiliary system cooperates with the oblique slide rail and the driving cylinder to ensure that the carbon fiber cloth always maintains a flat state during the setting process, thereby avoiding deformation caused by uneven stress. In addition, the design of the material edge conveying unit and the material edge fixing unit further improves the stability of the two side edges of the carbon fiber cloth, effectively preventing the occurrence of edge warping. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] In actual operation, the process realizes uniform tensioning and efficient setting of the carbon fiber cloth in combination with the specifically designed conveying auxiliary system and the heat-sensitive micro-particle suspension. First, the constituent components of the entire system and their connection relationship are described, and then the operation principle and process of each step are gradually elaborated.

[0021] The carbon fiber cloth conveying auxiliary system includes a main bearing table and two lateral tensioning assemblies. The main bearing table is composed of a bearing frame and a bearing plate surface fixed horizontally on the bearing frame. The bearing frame adopts a rectangular steel structure, and the bearing plate surface is an aluminum alloy material that has undergone surface polishing treatment, so as to ensure that it has sufficient strength and flatness to support the carbon fiber cloth. The two lateral tensioning assemblies are symmetrically installed on the bearing frame, and their setting direction is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the main bearing table. Each lateral tensioning assembly includes a transverse expansion mechanism, a material edge conveying unit, and a material edge fixing unit, which cooperatively complete the tensioning and setting of the carbon fiber cloth.

[0022] The transverse expansion mechanism is the core part of the lateral tensioning assembly, and its main components include two oblique slide rails, a sliding bracket, a connecting rod, and multiple driving cylinders. The oblique slide rails are fixed on the support seats on the bearing frame, and the sliding bracket is slidably connected with the oblique slide rails through a sliding block. The guide direction of the oblique slide rails is inclined downward from the direction close to the bearing plate surface to the direction far from the bearing plate surface, so that the sliding bracket can simultaneously realize horizontal expansion and downward inclination during movement. The connecting rod is hingedly connected at one end to the sliding bracket and at the other end to the output ends of the multiple driving cylinders. The driving cylinders are vertically fixed on the support seats, and the piston rods thereof are retracted and extended to drive the sliding bracket to move along the oblique slide rails through the connecting rod, thereby realizing stretching and tensioning of the two side edges of the carbon fiber cloth.

[0023] The material edge conveying unit is assembled on the sliding support and used for conveying the two side edges of the carbon fiber cloth. The unit comprises two vertically opposite arranged roller shafts, one of which is horizontally rotatably provided with a plurality of driving rollers, and the other of which is horizontally rotatably provided with a plurality of driven rollers. The driving rollers and the driven rollers are vertically and one-to-one corresponding arranged, and one side of each driving roller is fixedly provided with a driving toothed disc and a driven pulley, and one side of each driven roller is fixedly provided with a driven toothed disc engaged with the driving toothed disc in the opposite position. A plurality of driving rollers and driven rollers are respectively sleeved with a transmission belt, and the surface of the transmission belt has anti-skid lines to enhance the friction force on the carbon fiber cloth. The movement of the transmission belt is driven by the driving motor through the pulley to realize the synchronous conveying of the two side edges of the carbon fiber cloth.

[0024] The material edge fixing unit is located above the material edge conveying unit and is used for further fixing the two side edges of the carbon fiber cloth. The unit comprises a mounting plate horizontally fixed on the sliding support, and the mounting plate is located above the two roller shafts. A plurality of clamping cylinders are vertically fixed and installed at the top end of the mounting plate, and the output ends of the clamping cylinders are commonly and horizontally fixedly connected to a travel block. The travel block is located between the uppermost roller shaft and the mounting plate, a plurality of guide columns are vertically and slidably installed on the travel block, and the distribution direction of the guide columns is the same as that of the driven rollers. The bottom ends of the guide columns are commonly and horizontally fixedly connected to a pressing strip, and the pressing strip is used for cooperating with the bending pressing plate to fix the edge of the carbon fiber cloth. An elastic member is sleeved on the guide column, and the elastic member is fixed between the travel block and the pressing strip to provide a buffering effect and ensure that the pressing strip can tightly fit the surface of the carbon fiber cloth. The bending pressing plate is fixedly connected to the lowermost roller shaft, and the shape of the bending pressing plate matches that of the pressing strip. When the clamping cylinders act, the pressing strip and the bending pressing plate cooperate to firmly fix the edge of the carbon fiber cloth.

[0025] In order to ensure that the carbon fiber cloth can smoothly transition before entering the material edge conveying unit, two guide bending plates are fixed on the sliding support at the positions of the two ends in the conveying direction of the material edge conveying unit. The two guide bending plates located at the same end are symmetrically arranged on the upper and lower sides of the gap between the two transmission belts, and the gap between the two guide bending plates gradually decreases towards the position close to the gap between the two transmission belts. The inner surface of the guide bending plate is smooth, which can effectively guide the carbon fiber cloth into the transmission belt and avoid deviation or wrinkling.

[0026] The two guide rollers on the same side are arranged in a staggered manner, that is, the guide roller closer to the bearing plate surface is lower than the bearing plate surface, and the guide roller farther from the bearing plate surface is higher than the bearing plate surface. This staggered arrangement can form a certain tension on the carbon fiber cloth during conveying, thereby maintaining the flatness of the carbon fiber cloth. In addition, the guide rollers closer to the bearing plate surface on both sides of the bearing plate surface are sleeved with a silica gel layer, and the silica gel layer is uniformly provided with silica gel protrusions to increase the friction and prevent the carbon fiber cloth from slipping during conveying. The auxiliary rollers are horizontally rotatably arranged at both side edges of the bearing plate surface at the two ends of the conveying direction of the main bearing table, and the surfaces of the auxiliary rollers are polished to reduce the frictional resistance between the carbon fiber cloth and the auxiliary rollers.

[0027] In actual operation, first, the unshaped carbon fiber cloth is uniformly sprayed with a layer of heat-sensitive micro-particle suspension on its surface by the electrostatic adsorption device. The suspension is mixed from heat-sensitive polymer particles and a dispersing agent, the particle diameter is between 10-50 microns, and the surface of the particle is treated by hydrophobic modification. After spraying is completed, the carbon fiber cloth is segmented and unfolded by the carbon fiber cloth conveying auxiliary system, and is conveyed to the shaping station for temporary stop. At this time, the lateral tensioning assembly starts to work, the driving cylinder pushes the connecting rod to drive the sliding bracket to expand outward along the inclined slide rail, and at the same time, the sliding bracket is inclined downward by a certain angle. The movement of the sliding bracket causes the edge conveying unit and the edge fixing unit to expand outward and apply an inclined force downward at the same time, so that the two side edges of the carbon fiber cloth are stretched to be in a tensioned state and kept flat.

[0028] When the carbon fiber cloth is fully tensioned, the heating module starts to work, and uniformly heats the carbon fiber cloth by infrared radiation, and the temperature is controlled between 180-220 DEG C. At this temperature, the heat-sensitive polymer particles in the heat-sensitive micro-particle suspension undergo phase transition to form a microporous structure, thereby enhancing the shaping effect of the carbon fiber cloth. After heating is completed, the carbon fiber cloth is naturally cooled at room temperature, and then is rewound. During the entire shaping process, the edge conveying unit and the edge fixing unit continue to work, so that the two side edges of the carbon fiber cloth are always kept stable, and the edge warping phenomenon is effectively prevented.

[0029] As can be seen from the above specific embodiments, the carbon fiber cloth shaping process of the present application realizes uniform tensioning and efficient shaping of the carbon fiber cloth through the synergistic effect of the heat-sensitive micro-particle suspension and the conveying auxiliary system. The connection relationship and position relationship between various parts are carefully designed to ensure the stability and reliability of the entire system.

[0030] For better understanding and implementation of the present application by those skilled in the art, the following further illustrates the implementation principles of the present application in combination with a specific application scenario.

[0031] In actual operation, first, the unshaped carbon fiber cloth belt is placed below the electrostatic adsorption device, and a layer of heat-sensitive micro-particle suspension is uniformly sprayed on the surface thereof by the device. The heat-sensitive polymer particles in the suspension have a diameter of 10-50 microns and are subjected to hydrophobic modification treatment to ensure that they do not agglomerate or lose dispersibility due to environmental humidity during the spraying process. After the spraying is completed, the carbon fiber cloth belt is conveyed to the bearing plate surface on the main bearing table. The bearing plate surface is made of aluminum alloy material and is subjected to polishing treatment on the surface, which can effectively reduce the frictional resistance between the cloth and the device and at the same time provide sufficient flatness and support force.

[0032] Subsequently, the carbon fiber cloth belt enters the segmented unfolding stage through the guide rollers. The guide rollers on both sides of the bearing frame are arranged in staggered heights, with the guide rollers close to the bearing plate surface being lower than the bearing plate surface and the guide rollers away from the bearing plate surface being higher than the bearing plate surface. This design causes the carbon fiber cloth to form a certain tension during the conveying process, thereby maintaining its flat state. In addition, the guide rollers close to the bearing plate surface are sleeved with a silica gel layer, and the surface of the silica gel layer is uniformly distributed with protruding structures. These protruding structures can increase the friction and prevent the carbon fiber cloth from slipping during the conveying process. The auxiliary rollers located at both ends of the bearing plate surface further reduce the frictional resistance between the cloth and the device, ensuring smooth conveying.

[0033] When the carbon fiber cloth belt is conveyed to the shaping station, the lateral tensioning assembly starts to work. The driving cylinder pushes the connecting rod to drive the sliding bracket to expand outward along the inclined slide rail, and at the same time, the sliding bracket is inclined downward by a certain angle. The inclined direction of the inclined slide rail is gradually set downward from close to far from the bearing plate surface, so that the sliding bracket not only expands horizontally but also applies a downward inclined force during the movement, thereby stretching the two side edges of the carbon fiber cloth belt to make it in a tensioned state and maintain flatness. During this process, the material edge conveying unit and the material edge fixing unit act synchronously to ensure that the two side edges of the carbon fiber cloth belt always remain stable.

[0034] The material edge conveying unit completes the synchronous conveying of the two side edges of the carbon fiber cloth through the cooperation of the driving rollers and the driven rollers. The driving rollers and the driven rollers are respectively installed on two vertically opposite roller frames and are connected through a transmission belt. The surface of the transmission belt has anti-skid lines to enhance the friction on the carbon fiber cloth and avoid deviation during the conveying process. The power of the driving rollers is transmitted by the driving motor through the belt pulley to ensure that multiple driving rollers and driven rollers can operate synchronously. In addition, two guide bent plates are fixed on the sliding bracket, and the gap between the guide bent plates gradually decreases, which can guide the carbon fiber cloth to enter between the transmission belts smoothly, avoiding the occurrence of wrinkles or deviation.

[0035] The material edge fixing unit further fixes the two side edges of the carbon fiber cloth through the cooperation of the clamping cylinder, guide column, pressing strip and curved pressing plate. When the clamping cylinder operates, the travel block drives the guide column and the pressing strip to move downward, and the pressing strip cooperates with the curved pressing plate to firmly fix the edge of the carbon fiber cloth. The elastic element sleeved on the guide column can provide a buffering effect when the pressing strip contacts the carbon fiber cloth, ensuring that the pressing strip tightly adheres to the surface of the carbon fiber cloth, while avoiding damage to the cloth due to excessive pressure.

[0036] After the carbon fiber cloth belt is fully tensioned, the heating module starts to work. The heating module uniformly heats the carbon fiber cloth belt by infrared radiation, and the temperature is controlled between 180-220℃. Within this temperature range, the heat-sensitive polymer particles in the heat-sensitive micro-particle suspension undergo phase transition, and micro-porous structures are formed inside the particles. These micro-porous structures can enhance the overall rigidity and shaping effect of the carbon fiber cloth after cooling. After heating is completed, the carbon fiber cloth belt is naturally cooled at room temperature, and then rewound.

[0037] During the entire shaping process, the material edge conveying unit and the material edge fixing unit continue to operate, ensuring that the two side edges of the carbon fiber cloth are always in a tensioned state, effectively preventing the occurrence of edge warping. In addition, the use of heat-sensitive micro-particle suspension not only improves the shaping effect, but also avoids the problems of increased material cost and surface property influence that may be caused by traditional glue.

[0038] As can be seen from the above steps, the present application realizes uniform tensioning and efficient shaping of the carbon fiber cloth through the synergistic effect of the conveying auxiliary system and the heat-sensitive micro-particle suspension. The connection relationship and position relationship between various parts are carefully designed to ensure the stability and reliability of the entire system, thereby meeting the needs of the high-performance composite material field for carbon fiber cloth shaping process.

[0039] The contents not described in detail in the specification are all existing technologies known to those skilled in the art, and the model parameters of each electric appliance are not specifically limited, and conventional equipment can be used.

[0040] The above description is only preferred embodiments of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A shaping process for carbon fiber cloth, characterized by: The process specifically comprises the following steps: S1. Using an electrostatic adsorption device, spray a layer of a heat-sensitive microparticle suspension evenly on the surface of an unshaped carbon fiber fabric strip. The suspension is composed of a mixture of heat-sensitive polymer particles and a dispersant. The particles have a diameter between 10 and 50 microns and the particle surface has been hydrophobically modified. S2, unrolling the unshaped rolled carbon fiber cloth in sections through the carbon fiber cloth conveying auxiliary system, and conveying it to the shaping station for pause; S3. The lateral tensioning components of the carbon fiber cloth conveying auxiliary system are used to stretch both sides of the carbon fiber cloth strip so that the carbon fiber cloth strip is in a tensioned state and remains flat. The lateral tensioning components drive both sides of the strip to expand outward while simultaneously applying a tilting force downward at a certain angle. S4. The carbon fiber cloth tape is shaped at a temperature of 180 to 220 degrees Celsius, and then cooled to room temperature and rewound.

2. The carbon fiber cloth shaping process according to claim 1, characterized in that: Two guide bent plates are fixed on the sliding bracket at both ends of the conveying direction of the material edge conveying unit. The two guide bent plates at the same end are symmetrically arranged on the upper and lower sides of the gap between the two transmission belts, and the gap between the two guide bent plates gradually decreases towards the position close to the ports of the two transmission belt gaps.

3. The shaping process of carbon fiber cloth according to claim 1, characterized in that: The supporting frame is provided with two guide rollers on both sides opposite to the supporting plate surface, and the guide rollers are horizontally rotatably installed between the two support seats; among the two guide rollers located on the same side, the guide roller closer to the supporting plate surface is lower than the supporting plate surface, and the guide roller farther from the supporting plate surface is higher than the supporting plate surface.

4. The carbon fiber cloth shaping process according to claim 1, characterized in that: Auxiliary rollers are horizontally rotatably mounted on the two side positions of the carrying plate surface at both ends of the main carrying platform in the conveying direction.

5. The shaping process of carbon fiber cloth according to claim 3, characterized in that: A silicone layer is sleeved on the guide rollers distributed on both sides of the load-bearing plate surface and closer to the load-bearing plate surface, and silicone protrusion structures are evenly distributed on the silicone layer.

6. The carbon fiber cloth shaping process according to claim 1, characterized in that: The particle diameter of the thermosensitive polymer particles in the thermosensitive microparticle suspension is in the range of 20 to 40 microns.

7. The shaping process of carbon fiber cloth according to claim 1, characterized in that: The surface of the transmission belt in the material edge conveying unit has anti-slip grooves.

8. The carbon fiber cloth shaping process according to claim 1, characterized in that: The elastic member in the material edge fixing unit is a compression spring.

9. The carbon fiber cloth shaping process according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heating module uniformly heats the carbon fiber cloth strip in an infrared radiation manner.