Sheet molding compound manufacturing method, carbon fiber mat deposition device, and sheet molding compound manufacturing device

Abstract

The present invention addresses the problem of providing a technology useful in producing a CF-SMC that exhibits improved uniformity in terms of the fiber weight per unit area. An SMC production method according to the present invention comprises: (i) drawing out a carrier film from a roll and causing said film to run such that the width direction thereof is kept horizontal; (ii) parallelly arranging a plurality of continuous carbon fiber bundles, feeding the same to a chopper equipped with a cutter roll having a rotary shaft parallel to a T-direction, and causing the chopper to chop the respective carbon fiber bundles into a prescribed length that falls within a range of 5-60 mm; (iii) subjecting the chopped carbon fiber bundles resulting from the chopping operation to a fragmentation process by means of a fragmentation processing apparatus disposed below the chopper, and dropping the fragmented carbon fiber bundles on the carrier film so as to cause a carbon fiber mat to be deposited thereon; (iv) impregnating the carbon fiber mat with a thermosetting resin composition; and (v) placing a lower partition oriented perpendicular to the T-direction so as to be disposed below the fragmentation processing device.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates primarily to a method for producing sheet molding compounds (SMC), and more particularly to a method for producing SMCs using carbon fiber as the reinforcing fiber (CF-SMC). The present invention also relates to a carbon fiber mat deposition device that can be suitably used in the production of CF-SMC, and an SMC production apparatus including the same. This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-022590, filed on February 16, 2021, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. [Background technology]

[0002] Carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) is a lightweight material with excellent mechanical properties that makes it suitable for parts in automobiles, ships, railway vehicles, manned aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, and other transportation equipment, and its importance has been increasing in recent years. In order to improve the production efficiency of CFRP products, development is being carried out on an intermediate material in which reinforcing material made of carbon fiber is pre-impregnated with a matrix resin, i.e., carbon fiber prepreg. CF-SMC is a type of carbon fiber prepreg, and in the manufacturing process, a carbon fiber mat is formed from chopped carbon fiber bundles produced by feeding continuous carbon fiber bundles into a chopper and cutting them. Techniques for depositing a carbon fiber mat with a uniform fiber weight on a traveling carrier film have been investigated (Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2019 / 142851 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2021 / 010084 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] A primary object of the present invention is to provide a technique useful for producing CF-SMC having improved uniformity in fiber weight per unit area. In this specification, problems that can be solved by each embodiment of the present invention may be explicitly or implicitly disclosed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] Preferred embodiments of the present invention include, but are not limited to, the following. [1] (i) pulling out a carrier film from a roll and running the film so that its width direction is kept horizontal; (ii) supplying a plurality of continuous carbon fiber bundles arranged parallel to each other to a chopper equipped with a cutter roll having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, where the T direction is a horizontal direction and perpendicular to the running direction of the carrier film; and cutting each of the bundles into a predetermined length within a range of 5 mm to 60 mm by the chopper; (iii) fragmenting the chopped carbon fiber bundles produced by the cutting with a fragmentation processing device A described below that is arranged under the chopper, and then dropping the bundles onto the carrier film to deposit a carbon fiber mat. (iv) impregnating the carbon fiber mat with a thermosetting resin composition; and (v) disposing a lower partition perpendicular to the T direction below the fragmentation treatment device: the fragmentation treatment device A has a first pin roll and a second pin roll arranged in a direction perpendicular to the T direction, each having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and the first pin roll is rotated so that pins move from top to bottom on the side facing the second pin roll, and the second pin roll is rotated so that pins move from top to bottom on the side facing the first pin roll. [2] The manufacturing method described in [1], wherein the sum of the maximum radius of the first pin roll and the maximum radius of the second pin roll is greater than the distance between the rotation axes of the first pin roll and the second pin roll. [3] The manufacturing method described in [1] or [2], wherein the radius of the cylinder of each of the first pin roll and the second pin roll is equal to or greater than half of the maximum radius. [4] The manufacturing method according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the peripheral speed at the tips of the pins of the first pin roll is equal to the peripheral speed at the tips of the pins of the second pin roll. [5] The method according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the carbon fiber mat contains 99% by weight or more of carbon fiber bundles having a filament number exceeding 0.5K. [6] The manufacturing method according to any one of [1] to [5], wherein each of the plurality of continuous carbon fiber bundles is composed of N filaments and has been partially split in advance into n sub-bundles, and the number of chopped carbon fiber bundles having a filament count greater than {(N / n)+0.5}K per unit weight of the carbon fiber mat is reduced by fragmenting the chopped carbon fiber bundles in the fragmentation treatment device. [7] The manufacturing method described in any of [1] to [6], wherein the lower partition intersects both a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the first pin roll and a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the second pin roll. [8] A manufacturing method described in any of [1] to [7], wherein at any point on the upper edge of the lower partition, the distance from the peripheral surface of the cylinder of the first pin roll is greater than the length of the pins of the first pin roll, and the distance from the peripheral surface of the cylinder of the second pin roll is greater than the length of the pins of the second pin roll. [9] A manufacturing method described in [8], in which at least one of the following first and second conditions is satisfied at any portion of the upper edge of the lower partition between a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the first pin roll and a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the second pin roll. First condition: The distance from the circumference of the cylinder of the first pin roll is less than the length of the pins of the first pin roll plus 3 cm. Second condition: The distance from the circumference of the cylinder of the second pin roll is less than the length of the pins of the second pin roll plus 3 cm.

[10] A manufacturing method described in any of [1] to [9], wherein the distance to the carrier film at any point on the lower edge of the lower partition is 20 cm or less at least between a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the first pin roll and a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the second pin roll.

[11] The manufacturing method described in any one of [1] to

[10] , wherein at least a portion of the lower partition is corrugated so that the horizontal cross section has a wave shape.

[12] The manufacturing method according to any one of [1] to

[11] , wherein the lower partitions are arranged in a plurality of positions along the T direction.

[13] The manufacturing method described in

[12] , wherein the lower partitions are arranged in a plurality of positions along the T direction at a pitch that is at least twice the fiber length of the chopped carbon fiber bundles.

[14] The manufacturing method described in

[12] or

[13] , wherein the lower partitions are arranged in a plurality of positions along the T direction at a pitch of 20 cm or less.

[15] A manufacturing method described in any of [1] to

[14] , wherein all of the lower partitions are arranged inside an enclosure, the enclosure consisting of two side walls each parallel to the running direction of the carrier film, and a front wall and a rear wall each parallel to the T direction.

[16] The manufacturing method described in

[15] , wherein at least a portion of the enclosure is corrugated so that a horizontal cross section has a wave shape.

[17] A manufacturing method described in any of [1] to

[14] , wherein the entire lower partition is arranged between two side covers, each of the two side covers is parallel to the running direction of the carrier film, and the width of the carbon fiber mat in the T direction is regulated by the two side covers.

[18] The method according to any one of [1] to

[17] , further comprising disposing an upper partition perpendicular to the T direction between the chopper and the fragmentation treatment device.

[19] The manufacturing method described in

[18] , wherein the upper partition intersects both a vertical plane including the axis of rotation of the first pin roll and a vertical plane including the axis of rotation of the second pin roll.

[20] A manufacturing method described in

[18] or

[19] , wherein at the lower edge of the upper partition, the distance from the peripheral surface of the cylinder of the first pin roll at any point is greater than the length of the pins of the first pin roll, and the distance from the peripheral surface of the cylinder of the second pin roll at any point is greater than the length of the pins of the second pin roll.

[21] The manufacturing method described in

[20] , wherein at least one of the following third and fourth conditions is satisfied at any portion of the lower edge of the upper partition between a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the first pin roll and a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the second pin roll. Third condition: The distance from the circumference of the cylinder of the first pin roll is less than the length of the pins of the first pin roll plus 3 cm. Fourth condition: The distance from the circumference of the cylinder of the second pin roll is less than the length of the pins of the second pin roll plus 3 cm.

[22] A manufacturing method described in any of

[18] to

[21] , wherein at least one of the following fifth and sixth conditions is satisfied at any portion of the upper edge of the upper partition between a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the first pin roll and a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the second pin roll. Fifth condition: The distance from the peripheral surface of the cutter roll does not exceed 3 cm. Sixth condition: The distance between the chopper and the peripheral surface of the receiving roll must not exceed 3 cm.

[23] The manufacturing method according to any one of

[18] to

[22] , wherein the position of the upper partition in the T direction is the same as that of one of the lower partitions.

[24] The manufacturing method described in any one of

[18] to

[23] , wherein the upper partitions are arranged in multiple rows along the T direction.

[25] The manufacturing method according to any one of [1] to

[24] , wherein before the carbon fiber mat is deposited on the carrier film, a resin paste made of a thermosetting resin composition is applied to an upper surface of the carrier film, and after the carbon fiber mat is deposited, another carrier film having another resin paste made of a thermosetting resin composition applied to one side thereof is superimposed on the upper surface of the carrier film to form a laminate, and further the laminate is pressed.

[0006]

[26] A carbon fiber mat deposition device comprising: a carrier film running path; a chopper arranged on the running path; a fragmentation processing device A described below arranged between the chopper and the running path; and a lower partition arranged between the fragmentation processing device and the running path, wherein when a direction horizontal and perpendicular to the running path is defined as a T direction, the chopper has a cutter roll having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and the lower partition is perpendicular to the T direction. The fragmentation processing device A has a first pin roll and a second pin roll arranged in a direction perpendicular to the T direction, each of which has a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and the first pin roll can be rotated so that the pins move from top to bottom on the side facing the second pin roll, and the second pin roll can be rotated so that the pins move from top to bottom on the side facing the first pin roll.

[27] The carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus described in

[26] , wherein the sum of the maximum radius of the first pin roll and the maximum radius of the second pin roll is greater than the distance between the rotation axes of the first pin roll and the second pin roll.

[28] The carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus according to

[26] or

[27] , wherein the radius of the cylinder in each of the first pin roll and the second pin roll is equal to or greater than half of the maximum radius.

[29] A carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus described in any of

[26] to

[28] , wherein the lower partition intersects both a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the first pin roll and a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the second pin roll.

[30] A carbon fiber mat deposition device described in any of

[26] to

[29] , wherein at any point on the upper edge of the lower partition, the distance from the peripheral surface of the cylinder of the first pin roll is greater than the length of the pins of the first pin roll, and the distance from the peripheral surface of the cylinder of the second pin roll is greater than the length of the pins of the second pin roll.

[31] A carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus as described in

[30] , wherein at least one of the following first and second conditions is satisfied at any portion of the upper edge of the lower partition between a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the first pin roll and a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the second pin roll. First condition: The distance from the circumference of the cylinder of the first pin roll is less than the length of the pins of the first pin roll plus 3 cm. Second condition: The distance from the circumference of the cylinder of the second pin roll is less than the length of the pins of the second pin roll plus 3 cm.

[32] A carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus described in any one of

[26] to

[31] , wherein at least a portion of the lower partition is corrugated so that the horizontal cross section has a wave shape.

[33] A carbon fiber mat depositing device according to any one of

[26] to

[32] , wherein a plurality of the lower partitions are arranged along the T direction.

[34] A carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus as described in

[33] , in which the lower partitions are arranged at a pitch of 20 cm or less along the T direction.

[35] A carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus described in any of

[26] to

[34] , wherein all of the lower partitions are arranged inside an enclosure, and the enclosure consists of two side walls each parallel to the running path, and a front wall and a rear wall each parallel to the T direction.

[36] The carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus described in

[35] , wherein at least a portion of the enclosure is corrugated so that its horizontal cross section has a wave shape.

[37] A carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus described in any of

[26] to

[36] , wherein all of the lower partitions are arranged between two side covers, and each of the two side covers is parallel to the running direction of the carrier film and intersects both a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the first pin roll and a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the second pin roll.

[38] The carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus according to any one of

[26] to

[37] , wherein an upper partition perpendicular to the T direction is disposed between the chopper and the fragmentation treatment device.

[39] The carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus of

[38] , wherein the upper partition intersects both a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the first pin roll and a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the second pin roll.

[40] A carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus as described in

[38] or

[39] , wherein at the lower edge of the upper partition, the distance from the peripheral surface of the cylinder of the first pin roll to any point is greater than the length of the pins of the first pin roll, and the distance from the peripheral surface of the cylinder of the second pin roll to any point is greater than the length of the pins of the second pin roll.

[41] A carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus as described in

[40] , wherein at least one of the following third and fourth conditions is satisfied at any portion of the lower edge of the upper partition between a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the first pin roll and a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the second pin roll. Third condition: The distance from the circumference of the cylinder of the first pin roll is less than the length of the pins of the first pin roll plus 3 cm. Fourth condition: The distance from the circumference of the cylinder of the second pin roll is less than the length of the pins of the second pin roll plus 3 cm.

[42] A carbon fiber mat depositing device according to any one of

[38] to

[41] , wherein the position of the upper partition in the T direction is the same as that of one of the lower partitions.

[43] A carbon fiber mat depositing device according to any one of

[38] to

[42] , wherein a plurality of the upper partitions are arranged along the T direction.

[44] A sheet molding compound manufacturing apparatus comprising the carbon fiber mat deposition device according to any one of

[26] to

[43] .

[45] The sheet molding compound manufacturing apparatus according to

[44] , further comprising two coaters, a mechanism for bonding two carrier films together, and an impregnation machine.

[0007]

[46] A method for producing a sheet molding compound, comprising: (i) pulling out a carrier film from a roll and running it so that its width direction is kept horizontal; (ii) supplying a plurality of continuous carbon fiber bundles arranged parallel to each other to a chopper equipped with a cutter roll having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, where the T direction is horizontal and perpendicular to the running direction of the carrier film; and cutting each of the continuous carbon fiber bundles with the chopper; (iii) fragmenting the chopped carbon fiber bundles produced by the cutting with a fragmentation treatment device arranged below the chopper and then dropping the fragmented carbon fiber bundles onto the carrier film to deposit a carbon fiber mat; (iv) impregnating the carbon fiber mat with a thermosetting resin composition; and (v) arranging a partition that partitions a space into which the fragmented chopped carbon fiber bundles fall along the T direction, wherein the partition is corrugated so that at least a portion of the partition has a wave-shaped horizontal cross section.

[47] The manufacturing method according to

[46] , wherein the corrugated waveform is a square wave, a sine wave, a triangular wave or a trapezoidal wave.

[48] ​​The manufacturing method according to

[46] or

[47] , wherein the fragmentation processing device comprises a pin roll or a basket roll, and the pin roll or the basket roll has a rotation axis parallel to the T direction.

[49] A manufacturing method described in

[46] or

[47] , wherein the fragmentation processing device has a first pin roll and a second pin roll arranged in a direction perpendicular to the T direction, each having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and the partition has a portion sandwiched between a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the first pin roll and a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the second pin roll.

[50] The manufacturing method according to

[46] or

[47] , wherein the fragmentation processing device includes only one pin roll having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and the partition has a portion sandwiched between a first vertical plane and a second vertical plane, provided that a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the pin roll is located halfway between the first vertical plane and the second vertical plane, and the first vertical plane and the second vertical plane are defined as having a distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the pin roll to the first vertical plane and a distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the pin roll to the second vertical plane that are both twice the maximum radius of the pin roll.

[51] The manufacturing method according to

[46] or

[47] , wherein the fragmentation processing device includes a basket roll having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and the partition has a portion sandwiched between a third vertical plane and a fourth vertical plane. However, the third vertical plane and the fourth vertical plane are defined such that a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the basket roll is located halfway between the third vertical plane and the fourth vertical plane, and the distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the basket roll to the third vertical plane and the distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the basket roll to the fourth vertical plane are both twice the maximum radius of the basket roll.

[52] The method according to any one of

[46] to

[51] , wherein the corrugation period is at least twice the fiber length of the chopped carbon fiber bundles.

[0008]

[53] A method for producing a sheet molding compound, comprising: (i) pulling out a carrier film from a roll and running it so that its width direction is maintained horizontal; (ii) supplying a plurality of continuous carbon fiber bundles arranged parallel to each other to a chopper equipped with a cutter roll having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, where the T direction is horizontal and perpendicular to the running direction of the carrier film; and cutting each of the continuous carbon fiber bundles with the chopper; (iii) fragmenting the chopped carbon fiber bundles produced by the cutting with a fragmentation treatment device arranged below the chopper and then dropping the fragmented carbon fiber bundles onto the carrier film to deposit a carbon fiber mat; (iv) impregnating the carbon fiber mat with a thermosetting resin composition; and (v) arranging a partition that partitions a space into which the fragmented chopped carbon fiber bundles fall along the T direction, wherein the normal of at least a part of the partition is inclined from the T direction within the horizontal plane.

[54] The manufacturing method according to

[53] , wherein the angle of inclination is 1° or more, 5° or more, 10° or more, 15° or more, or 20° or more.

[55] The manufacturing method according to

[53] or

[54] , wherein the angle of inclination is 45° or less, 40° or less, or 35° or less.

[56] The manufacturing method according to any one of

[53] to

[55] , wherein the fragmentation treatment device includes a pin roll or a basket roll, and the pin roll or the basket roll has a rotation axis parallel to the T direction.

[57] A manufacturing method described in any of

[53] to

[55] , wherein the fragmentation processing device has a first pin roll and a second pin roll arranged in a direction perpendicular to the T direction, each having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and the partition has a portion sandwiched between a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the first pin roll and a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the second pin roll.

[58] The method according to

[57] , wherein the following formula (1) is satisfied: d 12 tan θ≧a L F (1) In the formula (1), d 12is the distance between the rotation axes of the first pin roll and the second pin roll, and L F is the fiber length of the chopped carbon fiber bundle, and a is preferably 1, more preferably 2.

[59] The manufacturing method according to any one of

[53] to

[55] , wherein the fragmentation processing device includes only one pin roll having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and the partition has a portion sandwiched between a first vertical plane and a second vertical plane. However, the first vertical plane and the second vertical plane are defined such that a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the pin roll is located halfway between the first vertical plane and the second vertical plane, and the distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the pin roll to the first vertical plane and the distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the pin roll to the second vertical plane are both twice the maximum radius of the pin roll.

[60] The method according to

[59] , wherein the following formula (2) is satisfied: D 12 tan θ≧a L F (2) However, in formula (2), D 12 is the distance between the first vertical plane and the second vertical plane, and L F is the fiber length of the chopped carbon fiber bundle, and a is preferably 1, more preferably 2.

[61] The manufacturing method according to any one of

[53] to

[55] , wherein the fragmentation processing device includes a basket roll having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and the partition has a portion sandwiched between a third vertical plane and a fourth vertical plane. However, the third vertical plane and the fourth vertical plane are defined such that a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the basket roll is located halfway between the third vertical plane and the fourth vertical plane, and the distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the basket roll to the third vertical plane and the distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the basket roll to the fourth vertical plane are both twice the maximum radius of the basket roll.

[62] The method according to

[61] , wherein the following formula (3) is satisfied: D 34 tan θ≧a L F (3) In formula (3), D 34 is the distance between the third and fourth vertical planes, and L Fis the fiber length of the chopped carbon fiber bundle, and a is preferably 1, more preferably 2.

[0009]

[63] The manufacturing method described in any one of

[46] to

[62] , wherein the partitions are arranged in a plurality of rows along the T direction.

[64] A manufacturing method described in any of

[46] to

[63] , wherein all of the partitions are arranged inside an enclosure, and the enclosure may comprise two side walls each parallel to the running direction of the carrier film, and a front wall and a rear wall each parallel to the T direction, and at least a portion of the enclosure may be corrugated so that the horizontal cross section has a wave shape.

[65] A manufacturing method described in any of

[46] to

[63] , wherein all of the partitions are arranged between two side covers, each of the two side covers is parallel to the running direction of the carrier film, and the width of the carbon fiber mat in the T direction is regulated by the two side covers.

[66] The method according to any one of

[46] to

[65] , wherein the carbon fiber mat has a carbon fiber bundle content of 99% by weight or more having a filament number of more than 0.5K.

[67] The manufacturing method according to any one of

[46] to

[66] , wherein each of the plurality of continuous carbon fiber bundles is composed of N filaments and has been partially split in advance into n sub-bundles, and the chopped carbon fiber bundles are fragmented in the fragmentation treatment device, thereby reducing the number of chopped carbon fiber bundles having a filament count greater than {(N / n)+0.5}K per unit weight of the carbon fiber mat.

[68] The manufacturing method according to any one of

[46] to

[67] , wherein before the carbon fiber mat is deposited on the carrier film, a resin paste made of a thermosetting resin composition is applied to an upper surface of the carrier film, and after the carbon fiber mat is deposited, another carrier film having another resin paste made of a thermosetting resin composition applied to one side thereof is superimposed on the upper surface of the carrier film to form a laminate, and further the laminate is pressed.

[0010]

[69] A carbon fiber mat deposition device comprising: a carrier film running path; a chopper arranged on the running path; a fragmentation processing device arranged between the chopper and the running path; and a partition that divides a space between the fragmentation processing device and the running path along a T direction, wherein when a direction that is horizontal and perpendicular to the running path is defined as the T direction, the chopper is equipped with a cutter roll having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and at least a portion of the partition is corrugated so that a horizontal cross section thereof has a wave shape.

[70] The carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus according to

[69] , wherein the corrugating waveform is a square wave, a sine wave, a triangular wave or a trapezoidal wave.

[71] The carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus according to

[69] or

[70] , wherein the fragmentation treatment device is provided with a pin roll or a basket roll, and the pin roll or the basket roll has a rotation axis parallel to the T direction.

[72] The carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus described in

[69] or

[70] , wherein the fragmentation treatment device has a first pin roll and a second pin roll arranged in a direction perpendicular to the T direction, each having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and the partition has a portion sandwiched between a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the first pin roll and a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the second pin roll.

[73] The carbon fiber mat depositing apparatus according to

[69] or

[70] , wherein the fragmentation processing device includes only one pin roll having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and the partition has a portion sandwiched between a first vertical plane and a second vertical plane. However, the first vertical plane and the second vertical plane are defined as a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the pin roll being located halfway between the first vertical plane and the second vertical plane, and the distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the pin roll to the first vertical plane and the distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the pin roll to the second vertical plane are both twice the maximum radius of the pin roll.

[74] The carbon fiber mat depositing device according to

[69] or

[70] , wherein the fragmentation processing device includes a basket roll having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and the partition has a portion sandwiched between a third vertical plane and a fourth vertical plane. However, the third vertical plane and the fourth vertical plane are defined as a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the basket roll being located midway between the third vertical plane and the fourth vertical plane, and the distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the basket roll to the third vertical plane and the distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the basket roll to the fourth vertical plane are both twice the maximum radius of the basket roll.

[75] The carbon fiber mat deposition device described in any one of

[69] to

[74] , wherein the corrugation period is at least twice the fiber length of the chopped carbon fiber bundles produced when the continuous carbon fiber bundles are cut by the chopper.

[0011]

[76] A carbon fiber mat deposition device comprising: a running path for a carrier film; a chopper arranged on the running path; a fragmentation processing device arranged between the chopper and the running path; and a partition that divides a space between the fragmentation processing device and the running path along a T direction, wherein when a direction that is horizontal and perpendicular to the running path is defined as the T direction, the chopper is equipped with a cutter roll having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and in at least a part of the partition, the normal line is inclined from the T direction within the horizontal plane.

[77] The carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus according to

[76] , wherein the angle of inclination is 1° or more, 5° or more, 10° or more, 15° or more, or 20° or more.

[78] The carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus according to

[76] or

[77] , wherein the angle of inclination is 45° or less, 40° or less, or 35° or less.

[79] The carbon fiber mat depositing apparatus described in any one of

[76] to

[78] , wherein the fragmentation treatment device is provided with a pin roll or a basket roll, and the pin roll or the basket roll has a rotation axis parallel to the T direction.

[80] A carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus described in any of

[76] to

[78] , wherein the fragmentation treatment device has a first pin roll and a second pin roll arranged in a direction perpendicular to the T direction, each having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and the partition has a portion sandwiched between a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the first pin roll and a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the second pin roll.

[81] The carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus according to

[80] , wherein the following formula (1) is satisfied: d 12 tan θ≧a L F (1) In the formula (1), d 12 is the distance between the rotation axes of the first pin roll and the second pin roll, and L F is the fiber length of the chopped carbon fiber bundle produced when the continuous carbon fiber bundle is cut by the chopper, and a is preferably 1, and more preferably 2.

[82] The carbon fiber mat depositing device according to any one of

[76] to

[78] , wherein the fragmentation processing device includes only one pin roll having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and the partition has at least a portion sandwiched between a first vertical plane and a second vertical plane. However, the first vertical plane and the second vertical plane are defined such that a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the pin roll is located midway between the first vertical plane and the second vertical plane, and the distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the pin roll to the first vertical plane and the distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the pin roll to the second vertical plane are both twice the maximum radius of the pin roll.

[83] The carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus according to

[82] , wherein the following formula (2) is satisfied: D 12 tan θ≧a L F (2) However, in formula (2), D 12 is the distance between the first vertical plane and the second vertical plane, and L F is the fiber length of the chopped carbon fiber bundle produced when the continuous carbon fiber bundle is cut by the chopper, and a is preferably 1, and more preferably 2.

[84] The carbon fiber mat depositing device according to any one of

[76] to

[78] , wherein the fragmentation treatment device includes a basket roll having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and the partition has at least a portion sandwiched between a third vertical plane and a fourth vertical plane. However, the third vertical plane and the fourth vertical plane are defined such that a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the basket roll is located midway between the third vertical plane and the fourth vertical plane, and the distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the basket roll to the third vertical plane and the distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the basket roll to the fourth vertical plane are both twice the maximum radius of the basket roll.

[85] The carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus according to

[84] , wherein the following formula (3) is satisfied: D 34 tan θ≧a L F (3) In formula (3), D 34 is the distance between the third and fourth vertical planes, and L F is the fiber length of the chopped carbon fiber bundle produced when the continuous carbon fiber bundle is cut by the chopper, and a is preferably 1, and more preferably 2.

[0012]

[86] A carbon fiber mat deposition device according to any one of

[69] to

[85] , wherein the partitions are arranged in a plurality of rows along the T direction.

[87] A carbon fiber mat deposition device described in any of

[69] to

[86] , wherein all of the partitions are arranged inside an enclosure, and the enclosure may consist of two side walls each parallel to the running path, and a front wall and a rear wall each parallel to the T direction, and at least a portion of the enclosure may be corrugated so that the horizontal cross section has a wave shape.

[88] A carbon fiber mat depositing apparatus according to any one of

[69] to

[86] , wherein all of the partitions are arranged between two side covers.

[89] An apparatus for producing a sheet molding compound, comprising the carbon fiber mat depositing apparatus according to any one of

[69] to

[88] .

[90] The sheet molding compound manufacturing apparatus according to

[89] , further comprising two coaters, a mechanism for bonding two carrier films together, and an impregnation machine.

[91] A method for producing a sheet molding compound using the sheet molding compound production apparatus according to

[89] or

[90] . Effect of the Invention

[0013] The present invention provides a technique useful for producing CF-SMC with improved fiber weight uniformity. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a continuous carbon fiber bundle partially split into five fibers. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a continuous carbon fiber bundle partially split into five fibers. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an SMC manufacturing apparatus. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a chopper. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a fragmentation processing device. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a pin roll provided in the fragmentation processing device. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 shows a part of the peripheral surface of the pin roll developed in a plane. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between two pin rolls provided in the fragmentation processing device. [Figure 9] 9A and 9B are schematic diagrams for explaining the function of the lower partition. In each of Fig. 9A and Fig. 9B, the running direction of first carrier film 41 is perpendicular to the paper surface. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 shows the positional relationship between the fragmentation processing device, the first carrier film, and the lower partition. [Figure 11]FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a plurality of lower partitions perpendicular to the T direction lined up along the T direction. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a plurality of lower partitions perpendicular to the T direction lined up along the T direction. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 shows how the lower partition is positioned inside the enclosure. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 shows the positional relationship between the chopper, the fragmentation processing device, the first carrier film, the lower partition and the upper partition, etc. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of a comb. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a histogram showing the filament number distribution of chopped carbon fiber bundles in a carbon fiber mat. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a histogram showing the filament number distribution of chopped carbon fiber bundles in a carbon fiber mat. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a histogram showing the filament number distribution of chopped carbon fiber bundles in a carbon fiber mat. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a histogram showing the filament number distribution of chopped carbon fiber bundles in a carbon fiber mat. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating the pitch between continuous carbon fiber bundles when they are arranged in parallel to be fed to a chopper. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the six compartments in the partition box and the orientation when the partition box is placed on the carrier film. [Figure 22] Fig. 22(a) shows the positional relationship between the partition box and the side cover, and Fig. 22(b) shows the positional relationship between the partition box, the side cover and the lower partition. In each of Fig. 22(a) and Fig. 22(b), the running direction of the carrier film is perpendicular to the paper. [Diagram 23]FIG. 23 shows the positional relationship between the chopper, the fragmentation processing device, the first carrier film, the lower partition and the upper partition, etc. [Figure 24] 24(a) to (c) show corrugated plates whose horizontal cross sections are sine waves, triangular waves, and trapezoidal waves, respectively. [Diagram 25] FIG. 25 is a plan view showing a plurality of lower partitions, the normal of which is inclined from the T direction within the horizontal plane, lined up along the T direction. [Figure 26] FIG. 26 is a schematic diagram showing a basket roll. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] 1. Manufacturing method of sheet molding compound (SMC) One embodiment of the present invention relates to a method for producing an SMC, comprising the following steps (i) to (v): (i) The carrier film is pulled out from the roll and run so that its width direction is kept horizontal. (ii) When a direction that is horizontal and perpendicular to the running direction of the carrier film is defined as a T direction, a plurality of continuous carbon fiber bundles are supplied parallel to each other to a chopper equipped with a cutter roll having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and each of the bundles is cut by the chopper to a predetermined length within a range of 5 mm to 60 mm. (iii) The chopped carbon fiber bundles produced by the cutting are fragmented using a fragmentation processing device A described below, which is arranged below the chopper, and then dropped onto the carrier film to deposit a carbon fiber mat: the fragmentation processing device A has a first pin roll and a second pin roll arranged in a direction perpendicular to the T direction, each having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and the first pin roll is rotated so that the pins move from top to bottom on the side facing the second pin roll, and the second pin roll is rotated so that the pins move from top to bottom on the side facing the first pin roll. (iv) impregnating the carbon fiber mat with a thermosetting resin composition. (v) placing a lower partition perpendicular to the T direction below the fragmentation processing device; The SMC manufacturing method according to this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to a specific example.

[0016] 1.1. Continuous carbon fiber bundle The continuous carbon fiber bundle used in the SMC manufacturing method according to this embodiment is preferably made of PAN (polyacrylonitrile) carbon fiber filaments, and the number of filaments per bundle is, but is not limited to, 3K to 100K. Here, NK means N×1000. Therefore, 3K to 100K is, in other words, 3000 to 100000.

[0017] The continuous carbon fiber bundle may be partially split in advance into a plurality of sub-bundles, as exemplified in Figs. 1 and 2, but is not limited thereto. 1 and 2, a continuous carbon fiber bundle 10 having a flat shape is partially split by making slits into five sub-bundles 11. For convenience, assuming that the fiber direction (longitudinal direction) of the fiber bundle is the x direction, the width direction is the y direction, and the thickness direction is the z direction, Fig. 1 is a plan view of the continuous carbon fiber bundle 10 as viewed from the z direction, and Fig. 2 shows a cross section of the continuous carbon fiber bundle 10 perpendicular to the x direction (cross section when cut on the yz plane).

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the continuous carbon fiber bundle 10 has a first slit row A S1 , second slit row A S2 , third slit row A S3 and the fourth slit row A S4 Four slit rows are formed. First slit row A S1 consists of a plurality of first slits S1 aligned in the x direction. Second slit row A S2 consists of a plurality of second slits S2 aligned in the x direction. Third slit row A S3 consists of a plurality of third slits S3 aligned in the x direction. Fourth slit row A S4consists of a plurality of fourth slits S4 aligned in the x direction.

[0019] Slit length L S and the gap length between the slits L G is constant within any slit row and is common among different slit rows. Slit length L S and the gap length between the slits L G Slit length L for the sum of S Ratio of L S / (L S +L G ) is usually 90% or more, preferably 95% or more, and may be, for example, 99%. Therefore, the continuous carbon fiber bundle 10 is split into five sub-bundles 11 in most parts, as shown in FIG. First slit row A S1 , second slit row A S2 , third slit row A S3 and the fourth slit row A S4 The positions in the y direction are set so that the widths of the five sub-bundles 11 are approximately the same. For example, when the continuous carbon fiber bundle 10 has 15K filaments, the number of filaments in each sub-bundle 11 is 3K±0.5K.

[0020] Slit length L S Although not limited thereto, it is preferable that the length is longer than 100 mm, and more preferably longer than 500 mm. Slit length L S may be, for example, greater than 25 mm and less than or equal to 50 mm, greater than 50 mm and less than or equal to 100 mm, greater than 100 mm and less than or equal to 200 mm, greater than 200 mm and less than or equal to 500 mm, greater than 500 mm and less than or equal to 1000 mm, greater than 1000 mm and less than or equal to 1500 mm, greater than 1500 mm and less than or equal to 2000 mm, greater than 2000 mm and less than or equal to 3000 mm, and the like. Slit gap length L G is not limited to, but may be, for example, 1 to 10 mm. Slit gap G S It is preferable that the x-direction positions of all the slit rows be consistent as in the example shown in FIG. 1, but this is not essential.

[0021] What has been described above is not limited to the case where the number of sub-bundles formed by partial splitting of the continuous carbon fiber bundle 10 is five, but the same is true for the case where the number is four or less or six or more. The number of filaments in a sub-bundle formed by splitting the continuous carbon fiber bundle 10 is preferably 15K or less, more preferably 10K or less, even more preferably 5K or less, and may be 4K or less, or even 3K or less, regardless of the number of sub-bundles to be formed. The number of filaments in a sub-bundle is not limited, but is preferably more than 0.5K.

[0022] 1.2. Manufacturing equipment FIG. 3 shows a conceptual diagram of an SMC production apparatus that can be preferably used when producing an SMC by the SMC production method of this embodiment. Referring to FIG. 3, the SMC manufacturing apparatus 100 includes a first coater 110, a second coater 120, a chopper 130, a fragmentation treatment device 140, a lower partition 150, and an impregnation device 160. The width directions of the first carrier film 41 and the second carrier film 42, which are pulled out from different rolls, are always maintained horizontally. The first coater 110 is used to apply the first resin paste 51 to the first carrier film 41 to form the first resin paste layer 51L. The second coater 120 is used to apply the second resin paste 52 to the second carrier film 42 to form the second resin paste layer 52L.

[0023] 4, the chopper 130 includes a cutter roll 131, a receiving roll (rubber roll) 132, and a guide roll 133. A plurality of cutting blades 131a extending in the direction of the rotation axis of the cutter roll 131 are arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer periphery of the cutter roll 131. The extending direction of the cutting blades 131a may be inclined with respect to the direction of the rotation axis of the cutter roll 131. The rotation axes of the cutter roll 131, the receiving roll 132, and the guide roll 133 are all parallel to the T direction. The T direction is horizontal and perpendicular to the running direction of first carrier film 41. In Fig. 3, the T direction is perpendicular to the paper surface. The width direction of first carrier film 41 running below chopper 130 is also parallel to the T direction. When a plurality of continuous carbon fiber bundles 10 are arranged parallel to one another and fed to a chopper 130 in a direction intersecting the rotation axis of a cutter roll 131, chopped carbon fiber bundles 20 having a uniform fiber length are cut out one after another from each of them.

[0024] The fragmentation processing device 140 includes a pair of pin rolls, namely a first pin roll 141 and a second pin roll 142, both of which have rotation axes parallel to the aforementioned T direction. The first pin roll 141 and the second pin roll 142 are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the T direction. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the fragmentation processing device 140 includes a cover 143 and a guide plate 144 disposed inside the cover 143, but this is not essential.

[0025] The purpose of the fragmentation process performed by the fragmentation processing device 140 is to increase the proportion of chopped carbon fiber bundles consisting of a smaller number of fiber filaments contained in the carbon fiber mat 30 deposited on the first carrier film 41 by hitting one chopped carbon fiber bundle 20 with a pin roll and thereby dividing the bundle into two or more fiber bundles. In the fragmentation process, it is not necessary for all chopped carbon fiber bundles generated by cutting the continuous carbon fiber bundles to be divided into two or more fiber bundles. Some chopped carbon fiber bundles may pass through the fragmentation processing device without being divided into two or more fiber bundles.

[0026] 6, the first pin roll 141 has a cylinder 141a and a plurality of pins 141b arranged on the circumferential surface of the cylinder 141a. It is preferable that all of the plurality of pins 141b have the same shape and dimensions. Both the cylinder 141a and the pin 141b are rigid and are formed from a metallic material, for example, but not limited to, steel, stainless steel, and aluminum alloy. The diameter of the cylinder 141a is not limited, but may be, for example, 60 mm to 150 mm.

[0027] The pin 141b extends perpendicular to the rotation axis of the first pin roll 141 and has, for example, a cylindrical shape, but is not limited thereto. The boundary between the end face and the peripheral surface of the pin 141b may be chamfered. The diameter of the pin 141b is not limited, but may be, for example, 1 mm to 5 mm. Length L of pin 141b P1 That is, the distance from the tip to the base of the pin can be, for example, 10 mm to 50 mm, although this is not limited thereto.

[0028] When the circumferential surface of cylinder 141a is developed into a plane, the arrangement of pins 141b on the circumferential surface preferably overlaps with the original arrangement when shifted 5 mm to 20 mm in the axial direction and 4 mm to 30 mm in the circumferential direction. For example, in the case of the first pin roll 141 shown in Fig. 6, when the peripheral surface of the cylinder 141a is developed in a plane, the pins 141b are arranged at each vertex of an equilateral triangle (shown by a dashed line) that fills the plane with one side parallel to the axial direction, as shown in Fig. 7. When the length of one side of this equilateral triangle is, for example, 5 mm, the arrangement of the pins 141b shown in Fig. 7 overlaps with the original arrangement when shifted by 2.5 mm in the axial direction and approximately 4.3 mm in the circumferential direction.

[0029] In this specification, the maximum radius of the pin roll is defined as the distance from the rotation axis to the tip of the pin. In the first pin roll 141, the radius of the cylinder 141a is preferably half or more of the maximum radius of the first pin roll 141, and more preferably 75% or more. This is because the higher the ratio of the cylinder radius to the maximum radius of the pin roll, the smaller the difference in peripheral speed between the tip of the pin and the base of the pin when the pin roll is rotating.

[0030] In one example, the pin 141b can be made of a magnetic material. The pin 141b is firmly fixed to the cylinder 141a so that it does not fall off during manufacturing, but even if the pin 141b falls off and gets mixed into the CF-SMC, if the pin 141b contains a magnetic material, it can be easily found using a magnetic sensor type metal detector.

[0031] Suitable examples of the magnetic material include steel and stainless steel, which has magnetic properties. Among the various stainless steels, austenitic stainless steels, which belong to the chromium-nickel stainless steel group (a representative steel type is 18Cr-8Ni stainless steel such as SUS304 of the Japanese Industrial Standards), are not magnetic. On the other hand, austenitic-ferritic stainless steels (representative steel types are SUS329J1 and SUS329J4L of the Japanese Industrial Standards) belonging to the chromium-nickel stainless steels, ferritic stainless steels (representative steel types are 18Cr stainless steels such as SUS430 of the Japanese Industrial Standards) belonging to the chromium stainless steels, martensitic stainless steels (representative steel types are 13Cr stainless steels such as SUS410 of the Japanese Industrial Standards), and precipitation hardening stainless steels (representative steel types are SUS630 and SUS631 of the Japanese Industrial Standards) are magnetic materials.

[0032] Everything stated above regarding the first pin roll 141 also applies to the second pin roll 142 . Without being limited thereto, in order to reduce the costs of designing, manufacturing and maintaining the fragmentation processing device 140, it is preferable to have the designs and specifications of the first pin roll 141 and the second pin roll 142 match in as many respects as possible, including axial length, maximum radius, cylinder diameter, pin shape, dimensions, number and arrangement, and cylinder and pin materials.

[0033] In order to allow more chopped carbon fiber bundles 20 to be struck by the pins of the first pin roll 141 and the second pin roll 142 when passing between these pin rolls, the maximum radius r of the first pin roll 141 is set to 1 / 100 as shown in FIG. M1and the maximum radius r of the second pin roll 142 M2 The sum of these is the distance between the rotation axes of these two pin rolls d 12 It is preferable that it is greater than . The maximum radius r of the first pin roll 141 M1 and the cylinder radius r of the second pin roll 142 C2 and the cylinder radius r of the first pin roll 141 C1 and the maximum radius r of the second pin roll M2 The sum of both is the distance between the rotation axes of the two pin rollers d 12 Less than.

[0034] In one example, the distance d between the rotation axes of the first pin roll 141 and the second pin roll 142 is 12 That is, the fragmentation processing device 140 can be configured so that the position of the rotation axis of either or both of the first pin roll 141 and the second pin roll 142 can be moved horizontally along the running direction of the first carrier film 41.

[0035] Both the first pin roll 141 and the second pin roll 142 are rotationally driven by a drive mechanism (not shown). As shown in Fig. 5, the first pin roll 141 rotates such that the pins 141b move from top to bottom on the side facing the second pin roll 142, and the second pin roll 142 rotates such that the pins 142b move from top to bottom on the side facing the first pin roll 141. Rotating both the first pin roll 141 and the second pin roll 142 is advantageous in preventing the chopped carbon fiber bundles 20 from getting stuck between these two pin rolls. The rotational speeds of the first pin roll 141 and the second pin roll 142 may be independently controllable.

[0036] In the first and second pin rolls, the longer the pins are, the higher the density of the pins on the cylinder surface, and the higher the peripheral speed, the more efficient the fragmentation process. Also, the longer the pins are, the higher the density of the pins on the cylinder surface, and the higher the peripheral speed, the stronger the airflow generated by the rotation of these pin rolls. In a preferred example, the length of the pins in the first pin roll and the second pin roll, the density of the pins on the cylinder surface, and the peripheral speed are adjusted so that the generated airflow is as weak as possible without significantly reducing the efficiency of the fragmentation process.

[0037] The fragmentation processing device 140 is disposed directly below the chopper 130 so that the chopped carbon fiber bundles 20 produced by cutting the continuous carbon fiber bundles 10 by the chopper 130 pass between the first pin roll 141 and the second pin roll 142 and fall onto the first carrier film 41. Preferably, the cutter roll 131 and the receiving roll 132 are in contact with each other directly above the gap between the cylinder 141a of the first pin roll and the cylinder 142a of the second pin roll.

[0038] A lower partition 150 perpendicular to the T direction is disposed below the fragmentation processing device 140. The lower partition 150 is a flat plate, and the thickness direction is parallel to the T direction. In other words, the normal to the lower partition 150 is parallel to the T direction. As shown in Fig. 9(a), when the space below the fragmentation processing device 140 is partitioned into a plurality of regions along the T direction by one or more lower partitions 150, the movement of the chopped carbon fiber bundles 20 in the space in the T direction is restricted to each region. As a result, when a plurality of continuous carbon fiber bundles 10 are supplied to the chopper 130 so that the number of cut pieces per axial length of the cutter roll 131 is constant, the amount of chopped carbon fiber bundles 20 falling onto the first carrier film 41 per unit time can be made uniform along the T direction. As a result, the basis weight of the carbon fiber mat 30 deposited on the first carrier film 41 becomes uniform along the T direction. In contrast, when the lower partition 150 is not arranged, the movement of the chopped carbon fiber bundles 20 in the T direction in the space below the fragmentation treatment device 140 is not restricted, and therefore, due to the influence of the airflow generated by the rotation of the first pin roll 141 and the second pin roll 142, the amount of chopped carbon fiber bundles 20 falling per unit time onto the first carrier film 41 varies greatly along the T direction, as shown diagrammatically in Figure 9(b).

[0039] The lower partition 150 may be preferably, but is not limited to, a metal plate. The lower partition 150 may be a perforated plate or a mesh as long as it can prevent the chopped carbon fiber bundles 20 from moving. Lower partition 150 desirably has a strength sufficient to prevent flapping due to air currents generated by the rotation of first pin roll 141 and second pin roll 142, but is not desirably too thick. For example, when a metal plate is used for lower partition 150, the thickness is preferably 5 mm or less, and more preferably 3 mm or less.

[0040] With reference to FIG. 10, a preferred embodiment for arranging the lower partition 150 will be described below. First, it is preferable that the lower partition 150 extends along the running direction of the first carrier film 41 so as to intersect with both a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the first pin roll 141 and a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the second pin roll 142. This is because most of the chopped carbon fiber bundles 20 that fall onto the first carrier film 41 fall through the region between these two vertical planes.

[0041] Secondly, at any point on the upper edge 150a of the lower partition 150, the distance d from the peripheral surface of the cylinder 141a of the first pin roll P1 is the length L of the pin 141b of the first pin roll P1 It is preferable that the distance d from the circumference of the cylinder 142a of the second pin roll is larger than the P2is the length L of the pin 142b of the second pin roll P2 It is preferable that the distance d P1 and the length L of the pin 141b of the first pin roll P1 and the distance d P2 and the length L of the pin 142b of the second pin roll P2 It is more preferable that the difference between these is 0.1 cm or more, and more preferably 0.5 cm or more. When the pin roll is rotated, the tip of the pin of the pin roll and the upper edge of the lower partition are always spaced apart, preferably by 0.1 cm or more, more preferably by 0.5 cm or more, thereby preventing the chopped carbon fiber bundle from being pinched between the pin roll and the lower partition and receiving a strong shear force, thereby preventing the generation of fluff and the chopped carbon fiber bundle from being clogged between the pin roll and the lower partition.

[0042] Furthermore, at least between a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the first pin roll 141 and a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the second pin roll 142, at any portion of the upper edge 150a of the lower partition 150, at least one of the following first and second conditions may be satisfied. First condition: Distance d from the circumferential surface of the cylinder 141a of the first pin roll P1 The length L of the pin 141b of the first pin roll P1 Plus less than 3cm, preferably L P1 Less than plus 2cm, preferably L P1 It is less than plus 1.2 cm. Second condition: Distance d of the second pin roll from the cylinder 142a P2 However, the length L of the pin 141b of the second pin roll P2 Plus less than 3cm, preferably L P2 Less than plus 2cm, preferably L P2 It is less than plus 1.2 cm.

[0043] As another example, the distance d between the rotation axes of the first pin roll 141 and the second pin roll 142 is 12In the case where the pin roll 141 and / or the second pin roll 142 are variable, all or part of the upper edge 150a of the lower partition 150 may be horizontal so that either the first pin roll 141 or the second pin roll 142 can be moved horizontally along the running direction of the first carrier film 41. In the example shown in Fig. 23, the entire upper edge 150a of the lower partition 150 is horizontal.

[0044] Thirdly, at least between a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the first pin roll 141 and a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the second pin roll 142, the distance d P3 is preferably 20 cm or less, more preferably 15 cm or less, and even more preferably 10 cm or less. Distance d P3 may be, for example, 5 cm or more, so as to provide a sufficient gap between the lower edge 150 b of the lower partition and the carbon fiber mat deposited on the first carrier film 41 . 10, the front edge of the lower partition 150, i.e., the edge in the running direction of the first carrier film 41, and the rear edge of the lower partition 150, i.e., the edge in the opposite direction to the running direction of the first carrier film 41, are both straight and vertical. Such a configuration is preferable but not essential.

[0045] 11, it is preferable to arrange a plurality of lower partitions 150 along the T direction, because this narrows the range in which the chopped carbon fiber bundles can move in the T direction while falling toward the first carrier film 41. The pitch P when multiple lower partitions 150 are arranged along the T direction is preferably 20 cm or less, more preferably 15 cm or less, even more preferably 10 cm or less, and may be 7.5 cm or less, or even 5 cm or less. The pitch P is preferably at least twice, and more preferably at least three times, the fiber length of the chopped carbon fiber bundles 20 produced when the continuous carbon fiber bundles 10 are cut by the chopper 130. By setting the pitch P in this manner, the chopped carbon fiber bundles are less likely to be oriented along the lower partition 150 when they are deposited on the first carrier film 41.

[0046] In order to make it difficult for the chopped carbon fiber bundles to be oriented along the lower partition 150, the lower partition 150 may be corrugated so that the horizontal cross section is wavy in at least a portion, preferably in at least a portion of the portion sandwiched between a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the first pin roll 141 and a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the second pin roll 142. When the lower partition 150 is corrugated, the orientation of the chopped carbon fiber bundles 20 that collide with or come into contact with the lower partition 150 and fall changes in various ways depending on the manner of collision or contact, so that the randomness of the orientation of the fiber bundles is unlikely to be lost in the carbon fiber mat 30 deposited on the first carrier film 41.

[0047] 12 shows an example in which the lower partition 150 is corrugated so that the horizontal cross section has a rectangular wave shape. The corrugation is not limited to a rectangular wave, and may be a sine wave, a triangular wave, a trapezoidal wave, or the like. 24(a) to (c) show examples of corrugated sheets whose horizontal cross-sectional shapes are a sine wave, a triangular wave, and a trapezoidal wave, respectively. The pitch and height of the corrugation can be, for example, approximately the same as the fiber length of the chopped carbon fiber bundle, but are not limited thereto. These can be optimized by trial and error depending on the corrugation waveform.

[0048] Incidentally, when the lower partition 150 is a flat plate and completely perpendicular to the T direction, a portion of the first carrier film 41 runs directly below the lower partition 150 from start to finish when passing under the fragmentation processing device 140. As a result, in such a portion, the thickness of the carbon fiber mat 30 deposited on the first carrier film 41 may become locally small.

[0049] To prevent such a situation, at least a part of the lower partition 150, preferably at least a part sandwiched between a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the first pin roll 141 and a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the second pin roll 142, can have a normal line of the lower partition 150 inclined from the T direction in a horizontal plane. An example is shown in Fig. 25. The inclination angle θ can be 1° or more, 5° or more, 10° or more, 15° or more, or 20° or more, and can be 45° or less, 40° or less, or 35° or less, but is not limited thereto. 25, the multiple lower partitions 150 are parallel to each other, but such a configuration is not essential. When tilting the normal lines of the multiple lower partitions 150 from the T direction within the horizontal plane, the lower partitions 150 do not need to be parallel to each other.

[0050] When the lower partition 150 is completely perpendicular to the T direction, the width of the region in which the deposition amount of the chopped carbon fiber bundles 20 is reduced due to being shaded by the lower partition 150 is estimated to be approximately the same as the length of the chopped carbon fiber bundles 20. Taking this into consideration, the inclination angle θ when inclining the normal line of the lower partition 150 from the T direction in the horizontal plane can be determined so as to satisfy the following formula (1). d 12 tan θ≧a L F (1) In the formula (1), d 12 is the distance between the rotation axes of the first pin roll 141 and the second pin roll 142, and L F is the fiber length of the chopped carbon fiber bundle 20. The coefficient a is preferably 1, more preferably 2.

[0051] Therefore, the fiber length L of the chopped carbon fiber bundle 20 F If d is 1.3 cm, 12 ·tan θ is preferably 1.3 cm or more, and more preferably 2.6 cm or more. Depending on the angle between the cut surfaces at both ends of the chopped carbon fiber bundle 20 and the fiber direction, the length of the chopped carbon fiber bundle 20 may exceed its fiber length, so it is desirable to take this into consideration when setting θ.

[0052] Instead of tilting the normal to the lower partition 150 from the T direction in the horizontal plane, the same effect can be obtained by corrugating at least a portion of the lower partition 150, preferably a portion sandwiched between a vertical plane including at least the rotation axis of the first pin roll 141 and a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the second pin roll 142, so that the horizontal cross section has a wave shape. The waveform may be a square wave, but is preferably a trapezoidal wave, more preferably a sine wave, and most preferably a triangular wave. It is desirable that the period of the corrugation is sufficiently larger than the length of the chopped carbon fiber bundle 20. Therefore, the fiber length L of the chopped carbon fiber bundle 20 is F It is preferable that the amount is at least twice as large as the amount of the saturation voltage.

[0053] In one example, all of the lower partition 150 may be disposed inside the enclosure 152, as shown in FIG. The enclosure 152 is composed of two side walls 152a parallel to the running direction of the first carrier film 41, and a front wall 152b and a rear wall 152c parallel to the T direction.

[0054] The upper end of the enclosure 152 may be located higher than the upper ends of the first pin roll 141 and the second pin roll 142 of the fragmentation processing device 140. In other words, the enclosure 152 may surround the lower partition 150 at its lower part and surround the first pin roll 141 and the second pin roll 142 at its upper part. As in the example shown in FIG. 5, when the fragmentation processing device 140 has a cover 143, the upper part of the enclosure 152 may surround the first pin roll 141 and the second pin roll 142 together with the cover 143, or the upper part of the enclosure 152 may be integrated with the cover 143 and surround the first pin roll 141 and the second pin roll 142.

[0055] The inner dimension in the T direction at the bottom end of the enclosure 152, that is, the distance w between the bottom edges of the two side walls 152a E is usually smaller than the width of the first carrier film 41. When the lower edges of the two side walls 152a of the enclosure 152 are brought sufficiently close to the first carrier film 41, the width of the carbon fiber mat 30 deposited on the first carrier film 41 is the distance w between the lower edges of the two side walls 152a. E It is approximately the same as: It is preferable that the distance from the lower edges of the two side walls 152 a of the enclosure 152 to the upper surface of the first carrier film 41 is equal to or less than the distance from the lower edge 150 b of the lower partition to the upper surface of the first carrier film 41 . The lower partition 150 may be flush with each of the front and rear walls 152b, 152c of the enclosure.

[0056] To prevent the chopped carbon fiber bundles from orienting along the enclosure 152, at least a portion of the enclosure 152 may be corrugated so that a horizontal cross section has a wave shape. The pitch and height of the corrugation can be, for example, approximately the same as the fiber length of the chopped carbon fiber bundle, but are not limited thereto. As a modified example, the enclosure 152 may be removed, leaving all or part of each side wall 152a, so as not to lose the function of regulating the width in the T direction of the carbon fiber mat 30 formed on the first carrier film 41. This modification has the advantage that defects occurring in the lower partition 150 can be easily detected and repaired, and that cotton-like fiber waste adhering to the lower partition can be easily removed.

[0057] In a preferred embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, an upper partition 154 perpendicular to the T direction may be disposed above the fragmentation processing device 140, that is, in the space between the chopper 130 and the fragmentation processing device 140. In the example of Fig. 14, the upper edge 150a of the lower partition 150 and the lower edge 154b of the upper partition 154 each have horizontal portions at both ends, and the former and the latter abut each other at the horizontal portions. Such a configuration is preferable but not essential. In another example, the positions of the lower partition 150 and the upper partition 154 in the T direction may be offset from each other. The purpose of the upper partition 154 is to prevent the chopped carbon fiber bundles 20 from moving in the T direction due to the airflow generated by the rotation of the first pin roll 141 and the second pin roll 142 while they fall from the chopper 130 toward the fragmentation processing device 140, thereby further improving the uniformity in the T direction of the basis weight of the carbon fiber mat deposited on the first carrier film 41 compared to when only the lower partition 150 is used.

[0058] A preferred embodiment for arranging the upper partition 154 will be described below. First, like the lower partition 150, it is preferable that the upper partition 154 extends along the running direction of the first carrier film 41 so as to intersect both a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the first pin roll 141 and a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the second pin roll 142.

[0059] Secondly, at any point on the lower edge 154b of the upper partition 154, the distance d from the peripheral surface of the cylinder 141a of the first pin roll P1 is the length L of the pin 141b of the first pin roll P1 It is preferable that the distance d from the peripheral surface of the cylinder 142a of the second pin roll is larger than the P2 is the length L of the pin 142b of the second pin roll P2 The distance d is preferably larger than the P1 and the length L of the pin 141b of the first pin roll P1 and the distance d P2 and the length L of the pin 142b of the second pin roll P2 It is more preferable that the difference between these is 0.1 cm or more, and more preferably 0.5 cm or more. When the pin roll is rotated, the tip of the pin of the pin roll and the lower edge of the upper partition are always spaced apart, preferably by 0.1 cm or more, more preferably by 0.5 cm or more, thereby preventing the chopped carbon fiber bundle from being pinched between the pin roll and the upper partition and receiving a strong shear force, thereby preventing the generation of fuzz and the chopped carbon fiber bundle from being clogged between the pin roll and the upper partition.

[0060] Furthermore, at least between a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the first pin roll 141 and a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the second pin roll 142, at any portion of the lower edge 154b of the upper partition 154, at least one of the following third and fourth conditions may be satisfied. Third condition: Distance d from the circumferential surface of the cylinder 141a of the first pin roll P1 The length L of the pin 141b of the first pin roll P1 Plus less than 3cm, preferably L P1 Less than plus 2cm, preferably L P1 It is less than plus 1.2 cm. Fourth condition: Distance d from the periphery of the cylinder 142a of the second pin roll P2 However, the length L of the pin 141b of the second pin roll P2 Plus less than 3cm, preferably L P2 Less than plus 2cm, preferably L P2 It is less than plus 1.2 cm.

[0061] As another example, the distance d between the rotation axes of the first pin roll 141 and the second pin roll 142 is 12 In the case where the pin roll 141 and / or the second pin roll 142 are variable, all or part of the lower edge 150b of the upper partition 154 may be horizontal so that either the first pin roll 141 or the second pin roll 142 can be moved horizontally along the running direction of the first carrier film 41. In the example shown in Fig. 23, the entire lower edge 154b of the upper partition 154 is horizontal.

[0062] Third, at least between a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the first pin roll 141 and a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the second pin roll 142, at least one of the following fifth and sixth conditions may be satisfied at any portion of the upper edge 154a of the upper partition 154. Fifth condition: The distance from the peripheral surface of the cutter roll 131 does not exceed 3 cm, preferably does not exceed 2 cm, and more preferably does not exceed 1 cm. Sixth condition: The distance from the peripheral surface of the backing roll 132 does not exceed 3 cm, preferably does not exceed 2 cm, and more preferably does not exceed 1 cm.

[0063] When the upper partition 154 is disposed, the upper end of the enclosure 152 may be positioned higher than the upper ends of the first pin roll 141 and the second pin roll 142 , and the upper partition 154 may be disposed inside the enclosure 152 . In a modified embodiment, the lower partition 150 and the upper partition 154 may be joined together to form a unitary partition.

[0064] In the example of Fig. 14, a comb 170 is disposed between the lower partition 150 and the first carrier film 41. As shown in Fig. 15, the comb 170 has a structure in which a plurality of second rods 170b are fixed to the side of a first rod 170a like the teeth of a comb. 14, the comb 170 is arranged such that the first rod 170a is parallel to the T direction and the second rod 170b is perpendicular to the T direction, and is preferably tilted such that the free end of the second rod 170b is closer to the first carrier film 41 than the fixed end. In the example of FIG. 14, the fixed end of the second rod 170b is located upstream of the free end in the running direction of the first carrier film 41, but it may be the other way around. By using the comb 170, it is possible to prevent the orientation of the chopped carbon fiber bundles deposited on the first carrier film 41 from being biased toward the running direction of the first carrier film 41. However, the use of the comb 170 is optional and not essential.

[0065] The running direction of the first carrier film 41 is preferably horizontal below the fragmentation processing device 140. In other words, below the fragmentation processing device 140, the upper surface of the first carrier film 41 is preferably maintained horizontal. Referring again to FIG. 3, the SMC production apparatus 100 has a mechanism upstream of the impregnation machine 160 for gradually bringing the first carrier film 41 and the second carrier film 42 closer to each other. The mechanism bonds the first carrier film 41 and the second carrier film 42 together to form the laminate 60. In the laminate 60, the first resin paste layer 51L, the carbon fiber mat 30, and the second resin paste layer 52L are sandwiched between the first carrier film 41 and the second carrier film 42. In order to sandwich and transport this laminate 60 between two conveyor belts from above and below, the impregnation machine 160 includes two upper and lower belt conveyors, and also includes rolls for pressing the laminate 60 together with the conveyor belts.

[0066] 1.3. Manufacturing method The SMC manufacturing method of this embodiment will be described below by taking as an example the case where the SMC manufacturing apparatus described in 1.2 above is used. First, the continuous carbon fiber bundle 10 is drawn from a fiber package prepared in advance. The continuous carbon fiber bundle may be drawn from a bobbin package attached to a creel by external drawing, or the continuous carbon fiber bundle may be drawn from a package from which the bobbin has been removed by internal drawing.

[0067] A plurality of continuous carbon fiber bundles 10 are aligned so as to be parallel to each other, and are supplied to the chopper 130 from a direction perpendicular to the T direction. At this time, the continuous carbon fiber bundles 10 are arranged so that the number of cut pieces per axial length of the cutter roll 131 is constant. It is preferable but not essential to arrange the continuous carbon fiber bundles 10 at a constant pitch. For example, when a plurality of lower partitions 150 are arranged at a constant pitch P in the T direction, the continuous carbon fiber bundles 10 may be arranged so that the number of cut fibers per unit length of the cutter roll 131 is constant when the pitch P is defined as the unit length.

[0068] In the chopper 130, the continuous carbon fiber bundle 10 is cut so that the fiber length after cutting is a predetermined length within a range of 10 to 60 mm, to obtain a chopped carbon fiber bundle 20. The predetermined length may be typically 0.5 inches (about 1.3 cm), 1 inch (about 2.5 cm), 2 inches (about 5.1 cm), etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0069] The fragmentation process by the fragmentation processing device 140 is not intended to disentangle the chopped carbon fiber bundles 20 to a single filament or a state close to that. Preferably, the peripheral speeds at the pin tips of the first pin roll 141 and the second pin roll 142 are set so that fiber bundles and single filaments having a filament count of 0.5K or less are not generated by the fragmentation process, or even if they are generated, the content of such fiber bundles and single filaments in the carbon fiber mat 30 deposited on the first carrier film 41 is less than 1% by weight.

[0070] For example, when a continuous carbon fiber bundle having NK filaments per bundle is partially split into n sub-bundles in advance and cut with a chopper, the resulting chopped carbon fiber bundles may contain ones having a filament number greater than {(N / n)+0.5}K for some reason. The purpose of the fragmentation process may be to divide such chopped carbon fiber bundle into a plurality of chopped carbon fiber bundles having less than {(N / n)+0.5}K filaments per bundle. In another example, the purpose of the fragmentation process may be to divide chopped carbon fiber bundles obtained by cutting a partially unsplit continuous carbon fiber bundle into chopped carbon fiber bundles having a smaller number of filaments.

[0071] In the fragmentation processing device 140, the first pin roll 141 and the second pin roll 142 are rotated so that the pins move from top to bottom on the side facing the other. One of the reasons why the fragmentation processing device 140 has two pin rolls and rotates the two pin rolls in this manner is that more chopped carbon fiber bundles 20 can be struck by the pins of the pin rolls, and in addition, even if the chopped carbon fiber bundles have a weight distribution, the carbon fiber mat 30 is less likely to have a front and back surface. The reason why the carbon fiber mat 30 is unlikely to have a double-sided surface is that both the heavy chopped carbon fiber bundles and the light chopped carbon fiber bundles are collected in the narrow area between the two pin rolls and fall onto the first carrier film 41 at the same time.

[0072] Another reason for rotating the first pin roll 141 and the second pin roll 142 so that the pins move from top to bottom on the sides facing each other is to prevent strong shear forces from being applied to the chopped carbon fiber bundles 20 passing between the two pin rolls, because strong shear forces would cause the carbon fiber bundles to fluff. In order to more effectively achieve this objective, it is preferable to make the peripheral speeds at the tips of the pins of the first pin roll 141 and the second pin roll 142 equal to each other.

[0073] Before the carbon fiber mat 30 is deposited, a first resin paste 51 is applied to the first carrier film 41 that is unwound from a roll, using a first coater 110 . The first resin paste 51 is a thermosetting resin composition, and its base resin is, but is not limited to, for example, vinyl ester resin (also called epoxy acrylate resin), unsaturated polyester resin, epoxy resin, polyimide resin, maleimide resin, or phenol resin. A mixed resin of vinyl ester resin and unsaturated polyester resin may be used as the base resin. The first resin paste 51 may contain a hardener, a polymerization inhibitor, a thickener, a reactive diluent, a low shrinkage agent, etc., as necessary.

[0074] The chopped carbon fiber bundles 20 processed by the fragmentation processing device 140 drop onto the upper surface of the first carrier film 41 on which the first resin paste layer 51L has been formed, and form a carbon fiber mat 30. In a separate process, a second resin paste 52 having the same composition as the first resin paste 51 is applied onto the second carrier film 42 using a second coater 120 . The second carrier film 42 is superimposed on the first carrier film 41 having the carbon fiber mat 30 placed on its upper surface, with the side on which the second resin paste layer 52L is formed facing down, and the laminate 60 thus formed is pressurized by the impregnation machine 160, thereby impregnating the carbon fiber mat 30 with the first resin paste 51 and the second resin paste 52.

[0075] The impregnated carbon fiber mat 30 is wound up on a bobbin while being sandwiched between the first carrier film 41 and the second carrier film 42. After that, the first resin paste 51 and the second resin paste 52 that have permeated the carbon fiber mat 30 are subjected to a process of thickening, and a sheet molding compound is completed. Sheet molding compounds are used to mold CFRP products, for example, by compression molding. CFRP products that can be manufactured using sheet molding compounds include a wide range of products, including parts for aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, automobiles, ships, and other types of transportation equipment, as well as sporting goods and leisure goods.

[0076] 2. Modified embodiments In a modified embodiment, the SMC manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus described in 1 above are modified in such a way that fragmentation processing device A is replaced with a different type of fragmentation processing device, or the operation of fragmentation processing device A is modified. In the configuration common to the SMC manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus according to the modified embodiment and the SMC manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus described in 1 above, the preferred aspects are also common.

[0077] 2.1. First modified embodiment In a first modified embodiment, the fragmentation processing device A is replaced with a single pin roll type fragmentation processing device equipped with only one pin roll having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction. The single pin roll equipped in this fragmentation processing device may have a maximum radius in the range of, for example, 100 mm to 200 mm, and a cylinder diameter in the range of, but not limited to, 40 mm to 60 mm.

[0078] In the first variant embodiment, the "first vertical plane" and the "second vertical plane" are defined as follows: a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the pin roll is located halfway between the first vertical plane and the second vertical plane, and the distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the pin roll to the first vertical plane and the distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the pin roll to the second vertical plane are both twice the maximum radius of the pin roll.

[0079] Of the chopped carbon fiber bundles fed to the single pin roll type fragmentation processing device, some fall directly below the pin roll, some are blown off in the same direction as the running direction of the first carrier film, and some are blown off in the opposite direction. Therefore, in the first modified embodiment, it is preferable that the lower partition that divides the space into which the fragmented chopped carbon fiber bundles fall has a portion sandwiched between the first vertical plane and the second vertical plane. Whether the lower partition is arranged to intersect with one or both of the first vertical plane and the second vertical plane, and whether the lower partition is continuous between the first vertical plane and the second vertical plane, can be determined by observing the position where the chopped carbon fiber bundles fall in large amounts.

[0080] In a first variant embodiment, in order to make it difficult for the chopped carbon fiber bundles to be oriented along the lower partition, at least a portion of the lower partition can be corrugated so that the horizontal cross section has a wave shape. The wave shape can be, but is not limited to, a square wave, a sine wave, a triangular wave, or a trapezoidal wave.

[0081] In the first modified embodiment, it is also desirable to prevent the first carrier film from having a portion that runs directly under the lower partition from start to finish when passing under the fragmentation processing device. Therefore, in at least a portion of the lower partition, the normal to the lower partition may be inclined from the T direction in the horizontal plane. The inclination angle may be 1° or more, 5° or more, 10° or more, 15° or more, or 20° or more, and may be 45° or less, 40° or less, or 35° or less, but is not limited thereto.

[0082] In one example, the inclination angle θ when inclining the normal line of the lower partition from the T direction in the horizontal plane can be determined so as to satisfy the following formula (2). D 12 tan θ≧a L F (2) However, in formula (2), D 12 is the distance between the first and second vertical planes (four times the maximum radius of the pin roll), and L F is the fiber length of the chopped carbon fiber bundle. The coefficient a is preferably 1, more preferably 2.

[0083] Instead of tilting the normal of the lower partition from the T direction in the horizontal plane, at least a part of the lower partition may be corrugated so that the horizontal cross section has a wave shape. The corrugated waveform may be a square wave, but is preferably a trapezoidal wave, more preferably a sine wave, and most preferably a triangular wave. The corrugation period is preferably at least twice the fiber length of the chopped carbon fiber bundle.

[0084] 2.2. Second Alternative Embodiment In the second modified embodiment, the fragmentation processing device A is replaced with a cage roll type fragmentation processing device. The cage roll type fragmentation processing device includes a cage roll having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction as a means for hitting the chopped carbon fiber bundles. A basket roll is a roll having a unit structure in which a plurality of elongated members are stretched between a pair of disks fixed around a central rod, and the central axis of the central rod is the axis of rotation. Examples of the elongated members include rods having various cross-sectional shapes such as round bars, square bars, or flat bars, and taut wires. In one example, a basket roll may have multiple of the above unit structures around one central rod, and may have a disk shared between two unit structures.

[0085] The basket roll 241 shown in Fig. 26 is composed of a central rod 241a, a pair of disks 241b fixed around the central rod 241a, and six round bars 241c suspended between the pair of disks. In this example, all the round bars are arranged on one cylindrical surface centered on the rotation axis, but in other examples, multiple round bars (or other elongated members) may be arranged on each of multiple concentric cylindrical surfaces centered on the rotation axis. The number of round bars (or other elongated members) arranged on each cylindrical surface is not limited to six. The diameter of the elongate member is, for example, 3 mm or less, optionally 1.5 mm or less, or 1 mm or more.

[0086] Here, the maximum radius of the basket roll is defined as the radius of the cylinder that is centered on the rotation axis and that contacts the elongated member farthest from the rotation axis from the opposite side to the rotation axis. In the case of the basket roll 241 shown in Fig. 26, the radius of the dashed line shown in the left diagram of Fig. 26 is the maximum radius. The maximum radius of the basket roll may be, for example, within the range of 100 mm or more and 200 mm or less, but is not limited thereto.

[0087] In the second modified embodiment, the "third vertical plane" and the "fourth vertical plane" are defined as follows: a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the basket roll is located halfway between the third vertical plane and the fourth vertical plane, and the distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the basket roll to the third vertical plane and the distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the basket roll to the fourth vertical plane are both twice the maximum radius of the basket roll.

[0088] Of the chopped carbon fiber bundles fed to the basket roll type fragmentation treatment device, some fall directly below the basket roll, some are blown off in the same direction as the running direction of the first carrier film, and some are blown off in the opposite direction. Therefore, in the second modified embodiment, it is preferable that the lower partition arranged in the space where the fragmented chopped carbon fiber bundles fall has a portion sandwiched between the third vertical plane and the fourth vertical plane. Whether the lower partition is arranged to intersect with one or both of the third vertical plane and the fourth vertical plane, and whether the lower partition is continuous between the third vertical plane and the fourth vertical plane, can be determined by observing the position where the chopped carbon fiber bundles fall in large amounts.

[0089] In a second alternative embodiment, in order to make it difficult for the chopped carbon fiber bundles to be oriented along the lower partition, at least a portion of the lower partition may be corrugated so that the horizontal cross section has a wave shape. The wave shape may be, but is not limited to, a square wave, a sine wave, a triangular wave, or a trapezoidal wave.

[0090] In the second modified embodiment, it is also desirable to prevent the first carrier film from having a portion that runs directly under the lower partition from start to finish when passing under the fragmentation processing device. Therefore, in at least a portion of the lower partition, the normal to the lower partition may be inclined from the T direction in the horizontal plane. The inclination angle may be, for example, 1° or more, 5° or more, 10° or more, 15° or more, or 20° or more, and may be 45° or less, 40° or less, or 35° or less, but is not limited thereto.

[0091] In one example, the inclination angle θ when inclining the normal line of the lower partition from the T direction in the horizontal plane can be determined so as to satisfy the following formula (3). D 34 tanθ≧a L F (3) In formula (3), D 34is the distance between the third and fourth vertical planes (four times the maximum radius of the cage roll), and L F is the fiber length of the chopped carbon fiber bundle. The coefficient a is preferably 1, more preferably 2.

[0092] Instead of tilting the normal of the lower partition from the T direction in the horizontal plane, at least a part of the lower partition may be corrugated so that the horizontal cross section has a wave shape. The corrugated waveform may be a square wave, but is preferably a trapezoidal wave, more preferably a sine wave, and most preferably a triangular wave. The corrugation period is preferably at least twice the fiber length of the chopped carbon fiber bundle.

[0093] 2.3.Other The fragmentation processing device of a type different from the fragmentation processing device A used in the modified embodiment is not limited to those described in 2.1 and 2.2 above. In one modified embodiment, the rotation direction of the pin rolls in the fragmentation processing device A described above may be changed, and at least one of the first pin roll 141 and the second pin roll 142 may be rotated so that the pins move from bottom to top on the side facing the other pin roll.

[0094] 3. Experimental Results The results of the experiments carried out by the present inventors are given below.

[0095] 3.1.Experiment 1 A flat continuous carbon fiber bundle (TR50S15L manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation) with 15K filaments, width 8 mm, and thickness 0.1 mm was partially split into five sub-bundles with a width of approximately 1.6 mm by forming four slit rows with a slit length of 1000 mm and a slit gap length of 5 mm. The position of the slit gap in the fiber direction was the same for all slit rows.

[0096] A carbon fiber mat was produced from the above partially split continuous carbon fiber bundles using an SMC production apparatus having the same basic configuration as the SMC production apparatus shown in Figure 3, except that it was not equipped with a fragmentation treatment device or a lower partition. More specifically, the continuous carbon fiber bundles were cut into lengths of approximately 1 inch (25.4 mm) using a chopper, and the resulting chopped carbon fiber bundles were dropped onto a carrier film that had not been coated with resin paste and was running horizontally at a linear speed of 5 m / min to form a carbon fiber mat.

[0097] From this carbon fiber mat, a 21×30 cm slab was deposited near the center line of the carrier film. 2 The area was selected, and the weight of all chopped carbon fiber bundles (300 pieces or more) contained in the area was measured. The filament number distribution of the chopped carbon fiber bundles in the carbon fiber mat, which was calculated by converting the measured weight into the number of filaments, is shown in FIG. In the produced carbon fiber mat, the content of carbon fiber bundles having a filament number exceeding 0.5K was 99.9% by weight or more.

[0098] 3.2.Experiment 2 A carbon fiber mat was produced using the same SMC production equipment as that used in Experiment 1 except that it was equipped with a fragmentation treatment device, and the filament number distribution of the chopped carbon fiber bundles in the carbon fiber mat was measured. The carbon fiber mat production procedure was the same as that of Experiment 1, except that the chopped carbon fiber bundles were fragmented using the fragmentation treatment device before being deposited on the carrier film. The fragmentation processing device had two pin rolls arranged horizontally, each with a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and both pin rolls were made of metal and had the same structure. The diameter and length of the pins arranged on the cylindrical circumferential surface of the pin roll were 3 mm and 20 mm, respectively. The arrangement of the pins on the cylindrical circumferential surface of the pin roll was periodic, and when the circumferential surface was developed in a plane, the pins overlapped with the original arrangement when shifted 7.5 mm in the axial direction and 6.5 mm in the circumferential direction. The sum of the maximum radii of each pin roll was 10 mm greater than the distance between the rotation axes of the two pin rolls.

[0099] A carbon fiber mat was produced by rotating two pin rolls so that the peripheral speed at the pin tips of both rolls was 377 m / min and the pins of both rolls moved from top to bottom on the side facing the other pin roll. The filament number distribution of the chopped carbon fiber bundles in the produced carbon fiber mat is shown in FIG. In the produced carbon fiber mat, the content of carbon fiber bundles having a filament number exceeding 0.5K was 99.9% by weight or more.

[0100] 3.3.Experiment 3 Carbon fiber mats were prepared and their filament number distribution was measured in the same manner as in Experiment 2, except that the two pin rolls were rotated so that the pins on both sides facing the other pin roll moved from bottom to top. The filament number distribution of the chopped carbon fiber bundles in the produced carbon fiber mat is shown in FIG. It was found that the fragmentation process in Experiment 3 tended to fragment the chopped carbon fiber bundles into smaller pieces compared to that in Experiment 2.

[0101] 3.4.Experiment 4 A carbon fiber mat was prepared in the same manner as in Experiment 2, except that the two pin rolls were rotated in the same direction, and the filament number distribution was measured. FIG. 19 shows the filament number distribution of the chopped carbon fiber bundles in the produced carbon fiber mat. It was found that the fragmentation process in Experiment 4 tended to fragment the chopped carbon fiber bundles into smaller pieces compared to that in Experiment 2.

[0102] 3.5. Experiment 5 The experiments described below were conducted using an SMC manufacturing apparatus that has the same basic configuration as the SMC manufacturing apparatus shown in Figure 3, except that it does not have a lower partition and that two side covers are provided to regulate the width in the T direction of the carbon fiber mat deposited on the carrier film. A flat continuous carbon fiber bundle (TR50S15L manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation) with 15K filaments, width 8 mm, and thickness 0.1 mm was partially split into nine sub-bundles with a width of approximately 0.9 mm by forming eight slit rows with a slit length of 700 mm and a slit gap length of 5 mm. The position of the slit gap in the fiber direction was the same for all slit rows.

[0103] 52 of the above partially split continuous carbon fiber bundles were arranged in parallel to each other and fed to a chopper of an SMC manufacturing device from a direction perpendicular to the T direction. The pitch between the continuous carbon fiber bundles when arranged in parallel to feed to the chopper was alternately set to 8 mm and 16 mm, as shown in FIG. The continuous carbon fiber bundle was cut into lengths of approximately 1 inch (25.4 mm) using a chopper, and the resulting chopped carbon fiber bundle was fragmented using a fragmentation treatment device and then dropped onto a carrier film that was not coated with resin paste and was traveling horizontally at a linear speed of 5 m / min.

[0104] The fragmentation treatment device used was the same as that used in Experiments 2 to 4. The two pin rolls were both rotated so that the peripheral speed at the pin tips was 314 m / min and so that the pins moved from top to bottom on the side facing the other pin roll.

[0105] The two side covers arranged under the fragmentation processing device were made of aluminum alloy plates, were parallel to the running direction of the carrier film, and had a length of 200 mm along the running direction of the carrier film. Both side covers were arranged so as to intersect with both a vertical plane including the rotation axis of one pin roll of the fragmentation processing device and a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the other pin roll of the fragmentation processing device. The lower edge of each side cover was horizontal and the distance from the top surface of the running carrier film was 58 mm. The lower part of each side cover was lightly folded inward so that the distance between the lower edges of both side covers in the T direction was 600 mm. As a result of using the side covers, the width of the carbon fiber mat deposited on the carrier film in the T direction was approximately 600 mm.

[0106] To investigate the distribution of the basis weight of the carbon fiber mat in the T direction, a partitioned box measuring 600 mm (longitudinal direction) × 300 mm (transverse direction) × 45 mm (height) was prepared, in which six sections A to F, each having an opening of 100 mm × 300 mm at the top, were arranged in a row. This partitioned box was placed on a carrier film so that the longitudinal direction was parallel to the T direction as shown in Fig. 21 and both ends in the longitudinal direction passed directly below the lower edge of the side cover as shown in Fig. 22(a), and was passed below the fragmentation processing device. The weight of the chopped carbon fiber bundles that fell into each of the six compartments A to F of the partition box was measured, and the average, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation between the compartments were calculated.

[0107] 3.6. Experiment 6 Five upper partitions having the same shape and size and five lower partitions having the same shape and size were fabricated from flat plates made of an aluminum alloy with a thickness of 3 mm. The five lower partitions were installed between the two side covers placed under the fragmentation processing device, at 100 mm intervals along the T direction, so that each was perpendicular to the T direction and the central one was located exactly halfway between the two side covers. The five upper partitions were installed between the chopper and the fragmentation treatment device so that each was perpendicular to the T direction and each was paired with one of the lower partitions. A horizontal portion is provided at both ends of the upper edge of the lower partition and at both ends of the lower edge of the upper partition, respectively, so that the upper edge of the paired lower and upper partitions butt against each other at the horizontal portion.

[0108] Both the lower and upper partitions had straight, parallel trailing and leading edges, and when the lower and upper partitions were installed, the trailing and leading edges were perpendicular. The length from the rear edge to the front edge of the lower partition and the upper partition, i.e., the length along the running direction of the carrier film, was 370 mm. The lower partition and the upper partition were both arranged so as to intersect with both a vertical plane including the rotation axis of one pin roll of the fragmentation processing device and a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the other pin roll of the fragmentation processing device.

[0109] The upper edge of the upper partition was parallel to the peripheral surface of the chopper's receiving roll with a distance of 10 mm therebetween where it faced the peripheral surface of the chopper's cutter roll, and was parallel to the peripheral surface with a distance of 10 mm therebetween where it faced the peripheral surface of the chopper's cutter roll. The lower edge of the upper partition was parallel to the peripheral surface of one of the pin rolls of the fragmentation processing device and 30 mm apart, and the lower edge of the upper partition was parallel to the peripheral surface of the other pin roll of the fragmentation processing device and 30 mm apart. The upper edge of the lower partition was parallel to the peripheral surface of one of the pin rolls of the fragmentation processing device and 30 mm apart, and the upper edge of the lower partition was parallel to the peripheral surface of the other pin roll of the fragmentation processing device and 30 mm apart, respectively. The lower edge of the lower partition was horizontal and the distance from the upper surface of the carrier film was 177 mm.

[0110] In the same manner as in Experiment 5, except that five lower partitions and five upper partitions were installed in the SMC manufacturing equipment as described above, 52 partially split continuous carbon fiber bundles were fed to a chopper and cut, and the resulting chopped carbon fiber bundles were treated in a fragmentation treatment device and then dropped onto a moving carrier film. The partitioned box used in Experiment 5 was placed on a carrier film so that each of the five partitions inside the partitioned box passed directly below the lower partition installed in the SMC manufacturing equipment, as shown in Figure 22(b), and was passed below the fragmentation processing equipment. The weight of the chopped carbon fiber bundles that fell into each of the six compartments A to F of the partition box was measured, and the average, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation between the compartments were calculated.

[0111] 3.7. Experiment 7 In the same manner as in Experiment 6, except that no upper partition was installed and only a lower partition was installed in the SMC manufacturing equipment, 52 partially split continuous carbon fiber bundles were fed to a chopper and cut, and the resulting chopped carbon fiber bundles were treated in a fragmentation treatment device and then dropped onto a moving carrier film. As in Experiment 6, the partition box was placed on a carrier film and passed under the fragmentation treatment device, and the weight of the chopped carbon fiber bundles that fell into each of the six compartments A to F of the partition box was measured, and the average, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation between the compartments were calculated.

[0112] 3.8. Experiment 8 In the same manner as in Experiment 6, except that no lower partition was installed and only an upper partition was installed in the SMC manufacturing equipment, 52 partially split continuous carbon fiber bundles were fed to a chopper and cut, and the resulting chopped carbon fiber bundles were treated in a fragmentation treatment device and then dropped onto a moving carrier film. As in Experiment 6, the partition box was placed on a carrier film and passed under the fragmentation treatment device, and the weight of the chopped carbon fiber bundles that fell into each of the six compartments A to F of the partition box was measured, and the average, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation between the compartments were calculated.

[0113] The results of Experiments 5 to 8 above are summarized in Table 1 below.

[0114] [Table 1]

[0115] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to specific embodiments, each embodiment is presented as an example and does not limit the scope of the present invention. Each embodiment described in this specification can be modified in various ways within the scope of the effects of the invention, and can be combined with features described in other embodiments within the scope of feasibility. [Explanation of symbols]

[0116] 10 Continuous carbon fiber bundle 11 Sub-bundles 20 Chopped carbon fiber bundles 30 Carbon Fiber Matte 41 Daiichi Carrier Film 42 Second Carrier Film 51 First Resin Paste 51L First resin paste layer 52 Second resin paste 52L Second resin paste layer 60 Laminate 100 SMC manufacturing equipment 110 First Coating Machine 120 Second Coating Machine 130 Chopper 131 Cutter Roll 132 Receiving roll (rubber roll) 133 Guide Roll 140 Fragmentation Processing Device 141 First Pinroll 142 Second Pin Roll 150 Lower Partition 152 Enclosure 154 Upper Partition 160 Impregnation machine 170 Comb

Claims

1. (i) pulling out the carrier film from the roll and running it so that its width direction is kept horizontal; (ii) supplying a plurality of continuous carbon fiber bundles arranged parallel to each other to a chopper equipped with a cutter roll having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, where the T direction is a horizontal direction and perpendicular to the running direction of the carrier film, and cutting each of the bundles into a predetermined length within a range of 5 mm to 60 mm by the chopper; (iii) fragmenting the chopped carbon fiber bundles produced by the cutting using a fragmentation processing device A described below that is disposed under the chopper, and then dropping the fragmented carbon fiber bundles onto the carrier film to deposit a carbon fiber mat; (iv) impregnating the carbon fiber mat with a thermosetting resin composition; and (v) disposing a lower partition perpendicular to the T direction below the fragmentation treatment device A; A method for producing a sheet molding compound comprising: Fragmentation processing device A is a fragmentation processing device having a first pin roll and a second pin roll arranged in a direction perpendicular to the T direction, each having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and the first pin roll is rotated so that the pins move from top to bottom on the side facing the second pin roll, and the second pin roll is rotated so that the pins move from top to bottom on the side facing the first pin roll.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the lower partition is at least partially corrugated so that a horizontal cross section thereof has a wave shape.

3. The manufacturing method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of the lower partitions are arranged in the T direction.

4. The manufacturing method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein all of the lower partitions are arranged inside an enclosure, the enclosure consisting of two side walls each parallel to the running direction of the carrier film, and a front wall and a rear wall each parallel to the T direction.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein at least a portion of the enclosure is corrugated such that a horizontal cross section thereof has a wave shape.

6. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising locating an upper partition perpendicular to a T direction between the chopper and the fragmentation device.

7. A carbon fiber mat deposition device comprising: a carrier film running path; a chopper arranged on the running path; a fragmentation processing device A described below arranged between the chopper and the running path; and a lower partition arranged between the fragmentation processing device A and the running path, wherein when a horizontal direction and a direction perpendicular to the running path is defined as a T direction, the chopper has a cutter roll having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and the lower partition is perpendicular to the T direction. The fragmentation processing device A has a first pin roll and a second pin roll arranged in a direction perpendicular to the T direction, each of which has a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and the first pin roll can be rotated so that the pins move from top to bottom on the side facing the second pin roll, and the second pin roll can be rotated so that the pins move from top to bottom on the side facing the first pin roll.

8. 8. The carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus of claim 7, wherein the lower partition is at least partially corrugated such that a horizontal cross section thereof has a wave shape.

9. The carbon fiber mat depositing device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein a plurality of the lower partitions are arranged along the T direction.

10. The carbon fiber mat deposition device according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein all of the lower partitions are arranged inside an enclosure, and the enclosure comprises two side walls each parallel to the running path, and a front wall and a rear wall each parallel to the T direction.

11. The carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus of claim 10, wherein at least a portion of the enclosure is corrugated such that a horizontal cross section thereof has a wave shape.

12. The carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein an upper partition perpendicular to a T direction is disposed between the chopper and the fragmentation treatment device.

13. A sheet molding compound manufacturing apparatus comprising the carbon fiber mat depositing apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 12.

14. 14. The sheet molding compound manufacturing apparatus of claim 13, further comprising: two coaters; a mechanism for laminating two carrier films; and an impregnation machine.

15. (i) pulling out the carrier film from the roll and running it so that its width direction is kept horizontal; (ii) supplying a plurality of continuous carbon fiber bundles arranged parallel to each other to a chopper equipped with a cutter roll having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, where the T direction is a horizontal direction and perpendicular to the running direction of the carrier film, and cutting each of the bundles with the chopper; (iii) fragmenting the chopped carbon fiber bundles produced by the cutting in a fragmentation processing device arranged under the chopper, and then dropping the bundles onto the carrier film to deposit a carbon fiber mat; (iv) impregnating the carbon fiber mat with a thermosetting resin composition; and (v) arranging a partition that divides a space into which the chopped carbon fiber bundles that have been subjected to the fragmentation treatment fall along the T direction; Including, The partition is corrugated at least in part so that the horizontal cross section has a wave shape. A method for producing sheet molding compounds.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the corrugating waveform is a square wave, a sine wave, a triangular wave or a trapezoidal wave.

17. The method of claim 15 or 16, wherein the fragmentation processing device comprises a pin roll or a basket roll, and the pin roll or the basket roll has a rotation axis parallel to the T direction.

18. 17. The manufacturing method according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the fragmentation processing device includes only one pin roll having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and the partition has a portion sandwiched between a first vertical plane and a second vertical plane, provided that a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the pin roll is located midway between the first vertical plane and the second vertical plane, and the first vertical plane and the second vertical plane are defined as having a distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the pin roll to the first vertical plane and a distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the pin roll to the second vertical plane that are both twice the maximum radius of the pin roll.

19. The manufacturing method according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the fragmentation processing device includes a basket roll having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and the partition has a portion sandwiched between a third vertical plane and a fourth vertical plane. However, the third vertical plane and the fourth vertical plane are defined such that a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the basket roll is located halfway between the third vertical plane and the fourth vertical plane, and the distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the basket roll to the third vertical plane and the distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the basket roll to the fourth vertical plane are both twice the maximum radius of the basket roll.

20. (i) pulling out the carrier film from the roll and running it so that its width direction is kept horizontal; (ii) supplying a plurality of continuous carbon fiber bundles arranged parallel to each other to a chopper equipped with a cutter roll having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, where the T direction is a horizontal direction and perpendicular to the running direction of the carrier film, and cutting each of the bundles with the chopper; (iii) fragmenting the chopped carbon fiber bundles produced by the cutting in a fragmentation processing device arranged under the chopper, and then dropping the bundles onto the carrier film to deposit a carbon fiber mat; (iv) impregnating the carbon fiber mat with a thermosetting resin composition; and (v) arranging a partition to divide a space below the device into which the chopped carbon fiber bundles that have been fragmented fall along the T direction; Including, At least a part of the partition has a normal line inclined from the T direction in a horizontal plane. A method for producing sheet molding compounds.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the inclination angle is 1° or more and 45° or less.

22. 22. The method of claim 20 or 21, wherein the fragmentation processing device comprises a pin roll or a basket roll, the pin roll or the basket roll having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction.

23. The manufacturing method described in claim 20 or 21, wherein the fragmentation processing device has a first pin roll and a second pin roll arranged in a direction perpendicular to the T direction, each having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and the partition has a portion sandwiched between a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the first pin roll and a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the second pin roll.

24. 22. The manufacturing method according to claim 20 or 21, wherein the fragmentation processing device includes only one pin roll having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and the partition has a portion sandwiched between a first vertical plane and a second vertical plane, provided that a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the pin roll is located midway between the first vertical plane and the second vertical plane, and the first vertical plane and the second vertical plane are defined as having a distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the pin roll to the first vertical plane and a distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the pin roll to the second vertical plane that are both twice the maximum radius of the pin roll.

25. The manufacturing method according to claim 20 or 21, wherein the fragmentation processing device includes a basket roll having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and the partition has a portion sandwiched between a third vertical plane and a fourth vertical plane. However, the third vertical plane and the fourth vertical plane are defined such that a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the basket roll is located midway between the third vertical plane and the fourth vertical plane, and the distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the basket roll to the third vertical plane and the distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the basket roll to the fourth vertical plane are both twice the maximum radius of the basket roll.

26. The manufacturing method according to any one of claims 15 to 25, wherein a plurality of the partitions are arranged along the T direction.

27. A method according to any one of claims 15 to 26, wherein all of the partitions are located inside the enclosure.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein at least a portion of the enclosure is corrugated so that its horizontal cross section is in the shape of a wave.

29. A carbon fiber mat deposition device comprising: a carrier film running path; a chopper arranged on the running path; a fragmentation processing device arranged between the chopper and the running path; and a partition that divides a space between the fragmentation processing device and the running path along a T direction, wherein when a direction that is horizontal and perpendicular to the running path is defined as the T direction, the chopper is equipped with a cutter roll having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and at least a portion of the partition is corrugated so that a horizontal cross section thereof has a wave shape.

30. 30. The carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus of claim 29, wherein the corrugation waveform is a square wave, a sine wave, a triangular wave, or a trapezoidal wave.

31. 31. The carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus of claim 29 or 30, wherein the fragmentation treatment device comprises a pin roll or a basket roll, the pin roll or the basket roll having an axis of rotation parallel to the T direction.

32. 31. The carbon fiber mat depositing apparatus according to claim 29 or 30, wherein the fragmentation processing device includes only one pin roll having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and the partition has a portion sandwiched between a first vertical plane and a second vertical plane. However, the first vertical plane and the second vertical plane are defined as a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the pin roll being located midway between the first vertical plane and the second vertical plane, and the distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the pin roll to the first vertical plane and the distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the pin roll to the second vertical plane are both twice the maximum radius of the pin roll.

33. The carbon fiber mat depositing device according to claim 29 or 30, wherein the fragmentation processing device includes a basket roll having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and the partition has a portion sandwiched between a third vertical plane and a fourth vertical plane. However, the third vertical plane and the fourth vertical plane are defined such that a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the basket roll is located between the third vertical plane and the fourth vertical plane, and the distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the basket roll to the third vertical plane and the distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the basket roll to the fourth vertical plane are both twice the maximum radius of the basket roll.

34. A carbon fiber mat deposition device comprising: a running path for a carrier film; a chopper arranged on the running path; a fragmentation processing device arranged between the chopper and the running path; and a partition that divides a space between the fragmentation processing device and the running path along a T direction, wherein when a direction that is horizontal and perpendicular to the running path is defined as the T direction, the chopper is equipped with a cutter roll having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and in at least a portion of the partition, the normal line thereof is inclined from the T direction within the horizontal plane.

35. 35. The carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus of claim 34, wherein the angle of inclination is greater than or equal to 1 degree and less than or equal to 45 degrees.

36. 36. The carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus of claim 34 or 35, wherein the fragmentation treatment device comprises a pin roll or a basket roll, the pin roll or the basket roll having an axis of rotation parallel to the T direction.

37. The carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus of claim 34 or 35, wherein the fragmentation processing device has a first pin roll and a second pin roll arranged in a direction perpendicular to the T direction, each having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and the partition has a portion sandwiched between a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the first pin roll and a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the second pin roll.

38. The carbon fiber mat depositing device according to claim 34 or 35, wherein the fragmentation processing device includes only one pin roll having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and the partition has a portion sandwiched between a first vertical plane and a second vertical plane. However, the first vertical plane and the second vertical plane are defined as a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the pin roll being located midway between the first vertical plane and the second vertical plane, and the distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the pin roll to the first vertical plane and the distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the pin roll to the second vertical plane are both twice the maximum radius of the pin roll.

39. The carbon fiber mat depositing device according to claim 34 or 35, wherein the fragmentation processing device includes a basket roll having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and the partition has at least a portion sandwiched between a third vertical plane and a fourth vertical plane. However, the third vertical plane and the fourth vertical plane are defined such that a vertical plane including the rotation axis of the basket roll is located between the third vertical plane and the fourth vertical plane, and the distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the basket roll to the third vertical plane and the distance from the vertical plane including the rotation axis of the basket roll to the fourth vertical plane are both twice the maximum radius of the basket roll.

40. The carbon fiber mat depositing device according to any one of claims 29 to 39, wherein a plurality of the partitions are arranged along the T direction.

41. A carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 29 to 40, wherein all of the partitions are located inside the enclosure.

42. A carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus as described in claim 41, wherein at least a portion of the enclosure is corrugated so that its horizontal cross section is in the shape of a wave.

43. A sheet molding compound manufacturing apparatus comprising the carbon fiber mat depositing apparatus according to any one of claims 29 to 42.

44. 44. The sheet molding compound manufacturing apparatus of claim 43, further comprising: two coaters; a mechanism for laminating two carrier films; and an impregnator.

45. A method for producing a sheet molding compound using the sheet molding compound production apparatus according to claim 43 or 44.

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