Honeycomb core material and composite honeycomb

Abstract

To enable material recycle of a composite honeycomb and a honeycomb core material used in an interior material of a vehicle even when a facility needed for material recycle of used paper is not available.SOLUTION: A honeycomb core material 11 applied to a composite honeycomb 10 includes a honeycomb structure 12 which has a plurality of cylindrical inner surfaces 12A penetrating through a thickness 12C defined between the outer side and the inner side in a bundle state. The honeycomb structure 12 is formed by a cloth which is made of a thermoplastic plastic and enables material recycle by fusing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a composite honeycomb used for interior materials of vehicles and a honeycomb core material applied to this composite honeycomb.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, various interior materials corresponding to their respective parts are attached inside a vehicle. For example, an interior material of a type called "roof headlining" or "roof lining base material" is attached to the ceiling portion of the passenger compartment in a vehicle. Also, interior materials of types called "luggage side trim" and "deck side trim" are attached to the side wall portion of the luggage compartment and the side wall portion of the passenger compartment in a vehicle, respectively.

[0003] As a technology related to the interior materials of a vehicle as described above, for example, the technology described in Patent Document 1 below is known. In this technology, a single-sided honeycomb sheet (a type of composite honeycomb) in which paperboard is bonded to one side of a core material paper having a honeycomb structure is used as a roof lining base material.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In recent years, from the perspective of circular economy, it has been proposed to perform material recycling also for interior materials of vehicles. Here, in the conventional technology described in Patent Document 1, since the roof lining base material is made of paper, in order to perform material recycling, it was necessary to prepare equipment (such as a pulper for dissolving paper) required for material recycling of waste paper.

[0006] The present disclosure enables the provision of a honeycomb core material and a composite honeycomb capable of performing material recycling even when there is no equipment necessary for material recycling of waste paper materials.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a honeycomb core material applied to a composite honeycomb used for an interior material of a vehicle. This honeycomb core material has a honeycomb structure in which a plurality of cylindrical inner surfaces penetrating a thickness defined between an outer side and an inner side are bundled. This honeycomb structure is composed of a cloth made of a thermoplastic plastic. This cloth is capable of material recycling by melting.

[0008] The above honeycomb core material can perform material recycling by melting the thermoplastic cloth constituting the honeycomb core material. Thereby, it is possible to provide a honeycomb core material capable of performing material recycling even when there is no equipment necessary for material recycling of waste paper materials.

[0009] According to another aspect, the above material recycling is level material recycling.

[0010] "Material recycling" includes "down material recycling" in which the quality of the recovered raw material is lower than that of the raw material used, and "level material recycling" in which the raw material of the same quality as the used raw material is recovered. In "down material recycling", the recovered raw material cannot be reused in products of the same grade as the original product, so if recycling is repeated, eventually waste will be generated. On the other hand, in "level material recycling", since the recovered raw material can be reused in products of the same grade as the original product, (theoretically) material recycling can be continuously carried out without generating waste. Here, since the above honeycomb core material enables level material recycling, it can meet the needs in the circular economy of "preserving and maintaining the value of products, materials, and resources for as long as possible".

[0011] According to another aspect, the above-described composite honeycomb is provided. This composite honeycomb includes a facing material that covers the openings of each cylindrical inner surface in the above honeycomb structure from at least one of the outer and inner sides. This facing material is composed of the same type of plastic as that constituting the above honeycomb structure.

[0012] The above composite honeycomb can perform material recycling by melting the honeycomb core material and the facing material together. Thereby, it is possible to provide a composite honeycomb that can simplify the process of "separation by plastic type", which is one of the necessary processes in plastic material recycling.

[0013] According to another aspect, the above honeycomb structure and the above facing material are integrated by heat fusion of the plastics constituting them.

[0014] According to the above composite honeycomb, the structure (such as an adhesive or a fastener) for integrating the honeycomb core material and the face material can be omitted from the composite honeycomb. As a result, it is possible to provide a composite honeycomb that can further simplify the process of "sorting by plastic type", which is one of the necessary processes in plastic material recycling.

[0015] According to another aspect, the composite honeycomb includes a design layer that covers the honeycomb structure and the face material from the inside. This design layer is composed of the same type of plastic as that constituting the honeycomb structure.

[0016] According to the above composite honeycomb, by providing a design layer in the composite honeycomb, when this composite honeycomb is used as an interior material of a vehicle, the design property inside the vehicle can be improved. Also, according to the above composite honeycomb, the design layer can be melted together with the honeycomb core material and the face material to perform material recycling of the composite honeycomb. As a result, it is possible to provide a composite honeycomb that can further simplify the process of "sorting by plastic type", which is one of the necessary processes in plastic material recycling.

[0017] According to another aspect, the face material includes an outer face material that covers the openings of the respective cylindrical inner surfaces in the honeycomb structure from the outside, and an inner face material that covers the openings of the respective cylindrical inner surfaces in the honeycomb structure from the inside.

[0018] In the above composite honeycomb, a structure of a "honeycomb sandwich panel" is formed in which the honeycomb structure is sandwiched between the outer face material and the inner face material. As a result, the above composite honeycomb can enjoy the merits (such as low density and light weight, high heat insulation, high bending strength (stiffness) and compressive strength for its weight, etc.) provided by the structure of the "honeycomb sandwich panel".

Advantages of the Invention

[0019] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a honeycomb core material and a composite honeycomb capable of performing material recycling even when there is no equipment necessary for recycling waste paper materials.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following, when the composite honeycomb is used as an interior material, the side that becomes the inner side of the vehicle will be referred to as the "inner side", and the side that becomes the outer side will be referred to as the "outer side" for explanation.

[0022] 〈First Embodiment〉 First, the configuration of the composite honeycomb 10 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. This composite honeycomb 10 is used as an interior material of a "roof headlining" attached to the ceiling portion of a passenger car (vehicle). The composite honeycomb 10 has a shape that generally matches the ceiling portion of the passenger car (see FIG. 1). The interior material has a configuration in which a plurality of clips are attached to the composite honeycomb 10, and is attached to the body member of the ceiling portion by these clips (not shown).

[0023] As shown in FIG. 2, the composite honeycomb 10 includes one design layer 10A, one face material 10B, and one honeycomb core material 11.

[0024] The honeycomb core material 11 has a honeycomb structure 12 in which a plurality of cylindrical inner surfaces 12A are filled in a region spreading in a plate shape. In other words, the honeycomb structure 12 has a structure in which a plurality of cylindrical inner surfaces 12A are bundled. In the present embodiment, each cylindrical inner surface 12A is formed through the thickness 12C defined between the outside and the inside in the honeycomb structure 12.

[0025] In FIG. 2, each cylindrical inner surface 12A of the honeycomb structure 12 is depicted as a hollow cylinder with openings 12B at both ends forming a regular hexagon. However, each cylindrical inner surface may form a hollow cylinder having an opening of any shape. Examples of the shape of the opening in the cylindrical inner surface include, for example, a flute (a substantially triangular shape surrounded by a waveform and a straight line), a rectangle, a teardrop shape, and the like.

[0026] The honeycomb core material 11 is composed of a cloth (sheet member) made of a thermoplastic plastic. The plastic that can be adopted as the raw material of the honeycomb core material is capable of level material recycling by melting. Examples of such plastics include, for example, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyamide, and the like.

[0027] In the present embodiment, the honeycomb core material 11 is composed of a non-woven fabric made of polyethylene terephthalate fibers (polyester fibers). As a method for producing the honeycomb core material from the non-woven fabric, a method appropriately selected from the previously known methods for producing the honeycomb core material from the sheet member can be adopted. Examples of such methods include, for example, the "corrugated type" method in which a sheet member deformed into a corrugated shape is overlapped and joined to another sheet member. Also, examples of the above method include, for example, the "expansion type" method in which a laminate of sheet members joined at different joining positions for each layer is expanded in the lamination direction. Also, examples of the above method include, for example, a method in which a long strip-shaped sheet member is continuously bent in its longitudinal direction and the sheet members are joined so that a cylindrical inner surface with a teardrop-shaped opening is formed.

[0028] When joining the non-woven fabric used in this embodiment, a method that does not impair the feature of "being capable of level material recycling by melting" possessed by the plastic constituting this non-woven fabric is adopted. Examples of such methods include, for example, plastic welding methods such as friction welding, ultrasonic welding, and high-frequency welding, which can thermally bond the non-woven fabric without intervening other members.

[0029] With each of the above configurations, the cloth (non-woven fabric) constituting the honeycomb core material 11 is capable of level material recycling by melting.

[0030] The face material 10B covers the openings 12B of the respective cylindrical inner surfaces 12A in the honeycomb structure 12 from one side (outer side). This face material 10B is made of the same type of plastic (polyethylene terephthalate in this embodiment) as the cloth (non-woven fabric) constituting the honeycomb core material 11. In this embodiment, the face material 10B is configured to have a strength capable of maintaining the surface shape (see FIG. 1) of the entire composite honeycomb 10 by a non-woven fabric thicker than the non-woven fabric constituting the honeycomb structure 12.

[0031] The face material 10B and the honeycomb structure 12 are integrated by thermal fusion of the plastics constituting them. Thereby, the honeycomb structure 12 functions as a reinforcing member (stiffener) for improving its bending strength (stiffness) with respect to the face material 10B. As a method of thermally fusing the face material 10B and the honeycomb structure 12, a method of the same type as the method used for joining the non-woven fabric in this honeycomb structure 12 can be adopted.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 2, the design layer 10A covers the opening 12B of each cylindrical inner surface 12A in the honeycomb structure 12 from the inside. This design layer 10A is made of the same type of plastic (polyethylene terephthalate in this embodiment) as the cloth (non-woven fabric) that constitutes the honeycomb core material 11. In this embodiment, the design layer 10A and the honeycomb structure 12 are integrated by heat fusion of the plastics that constitute them. As this heat fusion method, a method of the same type as the method used for joining the non-woven fabrics in the honeycomb structure 12 can be adopted.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 1, the design layer 10A is exposed on the lower surface of the composite honeycomb 10. Thereby, when the composite honeycomb 10 is used as an interior material of a passenger car, the design property of the ceiling portion of the passenger compartment in this passenger car is improved.

[0034] The above-described honeycomb core material 11 can perform material recycling by melting the thermoplastic cloth (non-woven fabric) that constitutes the honeycomb core material 11. Thereby, it is possible to provide a honeycomb core material 11 that can perform material recycling even when there is no equipment necessary for material recycling of waste paper.

[0035] In addition, the honeycomb core material 11 is capable of level material recycling, which is material recycling that recovers raw materials of the same quality as the raw materials used. Therefore, according to the above-described honeycomb core material 11, it is possible to meet the needs in the circular economy of "preserving and maintaining the value of products, materials, and resources for as long as possible".

[0036] In addition, the above-described composite honeycomb 10 can perform material recycling by melting the honeycomb core material 11 and the facing material 10B together. Thereby, it is possible to provide a composite honeycomb 10 that can simplify the process of "sorting by type of plastic", which is one of the processes necessary in plastic material recycling.

[0037] Further, according to the composite honeycomb 10, a configuration (such as an adhesive or a fastener) for integrating the honeycomb core material 11 and the face material 10B can be omitted from the composite honeycomb 10. Thereby, it is possible to provide the composite honeycomb 10 that can further simplify the process of "sorting by plastic type", which is one of the processes required in plastic material recycling.

[0038] Further, according to the composite honeycomb 10, by providing the design layer 10A in the composite honeycomb 10, when this composite honeycomb 10 is used as an interior material of a vehicle, the design property inside the vehicle can be improved. Also, according to the composite honeycomb 10, the design layer 10A can be melted together with the honeycomb core material 11 and the face material 10B to perform material recycling of the composite honeycomb 10. Thereby, it is possible to provide the composite honeycomb 10 that can further simplify the process of "sorting by plastic type", which is one of the processes required in plastic material recycling.

[0039] <Second Embodiment> Subsequently, the configuration of the composite honeycomb 20 according to the second embodiment will be mainly described with reference to FIG. 3. The composite honeycomb 20 according to the second embodiment is a modified embodiment of the composite honeycomb 10 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, for the configurations common to those of the composite honeycomb 10 according to the first embodiment, the same reference numerals as those of these respective configurations with "10" added are used for correspondence, and the detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0040] The composite honeycomb 20 includes two face materials, an outer face material 20B and an inner face material 20C shown in FIG. 3, instead of the single face material 10B (see FIG. 2) provided in the composite honeycomb 10.

[0041] As shown in Fig. 3, the outer skin 20B covers the openings 22B of the respective cylindrical inner surfaces 22A in the honeycomb structure 22 from the outside. This outer skin 20B is made of the same kind of plastic (polyethylene terephthalate in this embodiment) as the cloth (non-woven fabric) that constitutes the honeycomb core material 21. In this embodiment, the outer skin 20B is made of a non-woven fabric thicker than the non-woven fabric that constitutes the honeycomb structure 22, and is configured to have a strength capable of maintaining the surface shape (see Fig. 1) of the entire composite honeycomb 20. Further, the outer skin 20B and the honeycomb structure 22 are integrated by heat fusion of the plastics that constitute them. As this heat fusion method, a method of the same kind as the method used for joining the non-woven fabrics in the honeycomb structure 22 can be adopted.

[0042] The inner skin 20C covers the openings 22B of the respective cylindrical inner surfaces 22A in the honeycomb structure 22 from the inside. This inner skin 20C has the same configuration as the non-woven fabric that constitutes the outer skin 20B. Further, the inner skin 20C and the honeycomb structure 22 are integrated by heat fusion of the plastics that constitute them. As this heat fusion method, a method of the same kind as the method used for joining the non-woven fabrics in the honeycomb structure 22 can be adopted.

[0043] With the above-described respective configurations, the openings 22B of the respective cylindrical inner surfaces 22A in the honeycomb structure 22 are covered from both the outside and the inside by two skins (the outer skin 20B and the inner skin 20C). And in the composite honeycomb 20, a structure of a "honeycomb sandwich panel" is formed in which the honeycomb structure 22 is sandwiched from both sides in the thickness 22C direction (upper and lower sides in Fig. 3) by the outer skin 20B and the inner skin 20C.

[0044] The design layer 20A covers the inner surface (the surface opposite to the honeycomb structure 22) of the inner skin 20C from the inside and is integrated with this surface by heat fusion. As this heat fusion method, a method of the same kind as the method used for joining the non-woven fabrics in the honeycomb structure 22 can be adopted.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 1, the design layer 20A is exposed on the lower surface of the composite honeycomb 20. Thereby, when the composite honeycomb 20 is used as an interior material of a passenger car, the design layer 20A improves the design quality of the ceiling portion of the passenger compartment in this passenger car.

[0046] In the above-described composite honeycomb 20, a "honeycomb sandwich panel" structure is formed in which the honeycomb structure 22 is sandwiched between the outer skin 20B and the inner skin 20C. Thereby, the composite honeycomb 20 can enjoy the advantages (low density and lightweight, high heat insulation, high flexural strength (stiffness) and compressive strength for its weight, etc.) provided by the "honeycomb sandwich panel" structure.

[0047] In addition, the composite honeycomb 20 has a configuration common to the composite honeycomb 10 according to the first embodiment, except for the configuration regarding its skins (the outer skin 20B and the inner skin 20C). For this reason, the composite honeycomb 20 enjoys the same effects as those described above due to each configuration of the composite honeycomb 10.

[0048] <Third Embodiment> Subsequently, the configuration of the composite honeycomb 30 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. As shown in FIG. 4, this composite honeycomb 30 is used for an interior material 92 which is a "luggage side trim" attached to the side wall portion 91A of the luggage compartment 91 of a passenger car 90. The interior material 92 has a configuration in which a vent part 92A and clips (not shown) are attached to the composite honeycomb 30. The vent part 92A is a configuration for allowing air 90A to pass in and out of the luggage compartment 91 in the passenger car 90. The clips of the interior material 92 are a configuration for attaching this interior material 92 to the side wall portion 91A of the luggage compartment 91, and are attached to a plurality of locations of the composite honeycomb 30.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 5, the composite honeycomb 30 includes one design layer 30A, one face material 30B, and one honeycomb core material 31. Here, the configuration of the design layer 30A itself is the same as that of the design layer 10A of the composite honeycomb 10 according to the first embodiment. Also, the configuration of the face material 30B itself is the same as that of the face material 10B of the composite honeycomb 10 according to the first embodiment. Further, the configuration of the honeycomb core material 31 itself is the same as that of the honeycomb core material 11 of the composite honeycomb 10 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, among the specific configurations of the design layer 30A, the face material 30B, and the honeycomb core material 31 according to the third embodiment, those common to the specific configurations of the design layer 10A, the face material 10B, and the honeycomb core material 11 according to the first embodiment are assigned symbols obtained by adding "20" to the symbols assigned to these respective configurations for correspondence, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0050] The face material 30B covers the openings 32B of the respective cylindrical inner surfaces 32A in the honeycomb structure 32 from one side (the inner side). The face material 30B and the honeycomb structure 32 are integrated by heat fusion of the plastics constituting them. As this heat fusion method, a method of the same kind as the method described above can be adopted as the method used for joining the nonwoven fabrics in the honeycomb structure 12 (see FIG. 2).

[0051] Also, the design layer 30A covers the inner surface (the surface opposite to the honeycomb structure 32) of the face material 30B from the inside and is integrated with this surface by heat fusion. As this heat fusion method, a method of the same kind as the method described above can be adopted as the method used for joining the nonwoven fabrics in the honeycomb structure 12 (see FIG. 2).

[0052] With the above-described respective configurations, among the openings 32B of the respective cylindrical inner surfaces 32A in the honeycomb structure 32, the outer opening 32D is in a state of opening toward the internal space 91B of the outer side wall portion 91A. Here, the internal space 91B of the side wall portion 91A is configured to be a passage for the air 90A when, for example, opening and closing a door (not shown) of the cargo compartment 91, but at the same time, it also serves as a path for external noise to be transmitted into the cargo compartment 91.

[0053] According to the above-described composite honeycomb 30, when the interior material 92 using this composite honeycomb 30 is applied to the passenger car 90, a plurality of cylindrical inner surfaces 32A are provided in a bundled state in the internal space 91B that serves as a path for external noise to be transmitted into the luggage compartment 91 in the passenger car 90. These cylindrical inner surfaces 32A have an opening 32D that opens toward the internal space 91B, and have a configuration in which an opening 32B on the side opposite to this opening 32D is closed by the facing material 30B. Such a configuration is also called an "acoustic metamaterial" and is known to have an effect of reducing noise. Therefore, according to the above-described composite honeycomb 30, it is possible to provide an interior material 92 capable of reducing the noise transmitted through the internal space 91B of the passenger car 90.

[0054] Further, the composite honeycomb 30 has a configuration common to the composite honeycomb 10 according to the first embodiment. For this reason, the composite honeycomb 20 enjoys the same operational effects as those described above by the respective configurations of the composite honeycomb 10.

[0055] As described above, the modes for carrying out the present disclosure have been described by the above-described first to third embodiments. However, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that various substitutions, repairs, and changes can be made without departing from the object of the present disclosure. That is, the modes for carrying out the present disclosure can include all substitutions, repairs, and changes that do not depart from the spirit and object of the claims attached to this specification. For example, as modes for carrying out the present disclosure, various modes as follows can be implemented.

[0056] (1) The interior materials applicable to the composite honeycomb of the present disclosure are not limited to the roof headlining or luggage side trim of a passenger car. That is, the interior materials applicable to the composite honeycomb of the present disclosure can be interior materials of appropriately selected types of passenger cars, such as deck side trims attached to the side wall portions of the passenger compartment in a passenger car. Further, the interior materials applicable to the composite honeycomb of the present disclosure may be interior materials of appropriately selected types of vehicles, such as a goods vehicle, a railway vehicle, a towed vehicle, etc.

[0057] (2) In the composite honeycomb or honeycomb core material of the present disclosure, the joining or integration of each component is not limited to that by heat fusion. That is, in the joining or integration of the above components, appropriately selected methods, such as fastening or adhesion, can be adopted. However, when joining or integrating each component by a joining method involving an intervening member (such as fastening with a fastener or adhesion with an adhesive), it should be noted that there is a possibility of "downcycling" in which the quality of the recovered raw material becomes lower than that of the raw material used when performing material recycling.

[0058] (3) In the honeycomb core material of the present disclosure, the form of the cloth constituting the honeycomb structure is not limited to a non-woven fabric, and may be in the form of a knitted fabric or a woven fabric.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0059] 10 Composite honeycomb 10A Design layer 10B Face material 11 Honeycomb core material 12 Honeycomb structure 12A Cylindrical inner surface 12B Opening 12C Thickness 20 Composite honeycomb 20A Design layer 20B Outer face material (face material) 20C Inner face material (face material) 21 Honeycomb core material 22 Honeycomb structure 22A Cylindrical inner surface 22B Opening 22C Thickness 30 Composite honeycomb 30A Design layer 30B Face material 31 Honeycomb core material 32 Honeycomb structure 32A Cylindrical inner surface 32B Opening 32C Thickness 32D Opening 90 Passenger car 90A Air 91 Cargo compartment 91A Side wall portion 91B Interior space 92 Interior material 92A Ventilation port component

Claims

1. A honeycomb core material applied to a composite honeycomb used for a vehicle interior material, comprising a honeycomb structure having a plurality of bundled cylindrical inner surfaces penetrating a thickness defined between an outer side and an inner side, wherein the honeycomb structure is composed of a cloth made of a thermoplastic plastic, and the cloth is capable of material recycling by melting. Honeycomb core material.

2. The honeycomb core material according to Claim 1, wherein the material recycling is level material recycling. Honeycomb core material.

3. A composite honeycomb according to Claim 1, comprising a facing material covering openings of the respective cylindrical inner surfaces in the honeycomb structure from at least one of the outer side and the inner side, wherein the facing material is composed of the same type of plastic as that constituting the honeycomb structure. Composite honeycomb.

4. The composite honeycomb according to Claim 3, wherein the honeycomb structure and the facing material are integrated by heat fusion of the plastics constituting them. Composite honeycomb.

5. The composite honeycomb according to Claim 3, comprising a design layer covering the honeycomb structure and the facing material from the inner side, wherein the design layer is composed of the same type of plastic as that constituting the honeycomb structure. Composite honeycomb.

6. The composite honeycomb according to any one of Claims 3 to 5, wherein the facing material includes an outer facing material covering the openings of the respective cylindrical inner surfaces in the honeycomb structure from the outer side, and an inner facing material covering the openings of the respective cylindrical inner surfaces in the honeycomb structure from the inner side. Composite honeycomb. ​

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