Fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin laminate and method for producing same

By injection molding fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin onto a pre-formed thin layer and stacking additional oriented layers, the method addresses the mechanical property issues in thick fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin molded bodies, achieving superior flexural modulus and strength.

JP7658196B2Active Publication Date: 2025-04-08KK TOYOTA CHUO KENKYUSHO
View PDF 9 Cites 0 Cited by

Patent Information

Application Number
JP2021107555
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2021-06-29
Publication Date
2025-04-08
Estimated Expiration
2041-06-29

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin molded bodies with thicknesses over 2 mm exhibit decreased mechanical properties, particularly flexural modulus and flexural strength, due to fiber misorientation and layer variations during injection molding and heat-forming processes.

Method used

A laminated molded body is created by injection molding a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin onto a pre-formed injection molded body with a thickness of 2 mm or less, and then stacking additional layers with high fiber orientation, resulting in a product with improved mechanical properties.

Benefits of technology

The method achieves excellent mechanical properties, including high flexural modulus and flexural strength, by ensuring high fiber orientation and direct fusion of layers, thereby enhancing the structural integrity of the molded body.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

Smart Images

  • Figure 0007658196000002
    Figure 0007658196000002
  • Figure 0007658196000003
    Figure 0007658196000003
  • Figure 0007658196000004
    Figure 0007658196000004
Patent Text Reader

Abstract

To provide a molding which is formed of a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin that is excellent in dynamic characteristics (especially, flexural elastic modulus and flexural strength).SOLUTION: A fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin laminate molding is a laminate molding formed by laminating two or more layers composed of an injection molding which contain a thermoplastic resin 1 and fibers 2 having a number average fiber length of 0.05-20 mm, and have a percentage content of the fibers of 1-70 mass% and thickness of 0.5-2 mm, wherein as for the whole laminate molding, a degree of orientation of the fibers in a direction parallel to a surface direction of the laminate molding is 0.75 or more, and at least a part of the surfaces of each of the layers is directly fused to each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1
Need to check novelty before this filing date? Find Prior Art

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin laminate and a method for producing the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Molded articles made of fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resins, which are composites of thermoplastic resins and reinforcing fibers such as carbon fibers, are lightweight and have high mechanical properties, and are used in various fields such as automobiles and building materials. Molded articles made of such fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resins are often manufactured by injection molding because fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resins have excellent moldability.

[0003] For example, JP 2013-133378 A (Patent Document 1) describes a molded article containing carbon fibers with a mass average fiber length of 0.4 to 10 mm, which is obtained by injection molding a carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic resin containing 10 to 70 mass% of carbon fibers with a mass average fiber length of 1 to 10 mm, in which the carbon fibers are two-dimensionally randomly oriented in the thermoplastic resin and have a length of 3 mm to 30 mm, a width of 1 mm to 10 mm, and a thickness of 0.5 mm to 10 mm. However, since the carbon fibers are randomly dispersed in this molded article, the mechanical properties (especially bending properties) are not necessarily sufficient in applications where a large impact is applied.

[0004] On the other hand, JP 2016-98271 A (Patent Document 2) describes a prepreg in which discontinuous fibers are sufficiently oriented in a thermoplastic resin, the prepreg being obtained by extrusion molding a composition containing discontinuous fibers having a number average fiber length of 1 μm to 5 mm and a number average fiber diameter of 5 nm to 30 μm and a thermoplastic resin in a plastic region under conditions in which the pressure gradient with respect to the stroke is 0 Pa / mm to 1.0 Pa / mm. However, in this prepreg, the discontinuous fibers are oriented in one direction near the surface, but are randomly dispersed in the center, so that the mechanical properties (especially bending properties) are not necessarily sufficient in applications where a large impact is applied.

[0005] In addition, JP 2000-108236 A (Patent Document 3) describes a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin laminate in which reinforcing fibers are oriented, which is obtained by alternately laminating fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin layers and thermoplastic resin layers reinforced with reinforcing fibers and performing pressure press molding. Furthermore, JP 2016-180037 A (Patent Document 4) describes a molded body obtained by thermoforming a carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin composite material having a layer containing carbon fibers and a thermoplastic resin with an average fiber length of 5 to 50 mm oriented in one direction, and a layer containing continuous carbon fibers and a thermoplastic resin oriented in one direction. However, in these laminates and molded bodies, since a large number of extremely thin layers are laminated and thermoformed, even if heat and pressure are applied uniformly over the entire surface, deflection and height differences occur in each layer, which tends to cause variations in the fiber orientation, and in particular, the degree of fiber orientation in the center of the laminates and molded bodies was not sufficiently high. For this reason, in applications where a large impact is applied, the mechanical properties (especially bending properties) were not necessarily sufficient. Furthermore, compared to laminates produced by injection molding, these laminates and molded products were inferior in cost, formability, reworkability, mass production (short molding cycle), adaptability to complex shapes, etc. Furthermore, in order to produce laminates or molded products with a thickness of more than 2 mm, it is necessary to stack and thermoform an extremely large number of layers, which not only complicates the manufacturing process but also tends to make it more difficult to uniformly orient the fibers, even when uniform press molding is performed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-133378 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2016-98271 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2000-108236 A [Patent Document 4] JP 2016-180037 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the problems associated with the above-mentioned conventional techniques, and aims to provide a molded body made of a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin having excellent mechanical properties (particularly, flexural modulus and flexural strength) and a method for manufacturing the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] As a result of intensive research conducted by the present inventors to achieve the above object, it was found that, when a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin obtained by compounding a thermoplastic resin and a reinforcing fiber is injection molded, an injection molded body having a thickness of 2 mm or less has high mechanical properties (particularly, bending modulus and bending strength), whereas a single-layer injection molded body having a thickness of more than 2 mm has reduced mechanical properties (particularly, bending modulus and bending strength). Furthermore, the present inventors also found that even if injection molded bodies having a thickness of 2 mm or less are stacked or bonded with an adhesive, the mechanical properties (particularly, bending modulus and bending strength) of the resulting laminated molded body are not improved.

[0009] As a result of further intensive research, the inventors discovered that a laminated molded product with excellent mechanical properties (particularly flexural modulus and flexural strength) can be obtained by injection molding a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin on top of an injection-molded product having a thickness of 2 mm or less, which is made of a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin composite of a thermoplastic resin and reinforcing fibers, and laminating the injection-molded product having a thickness of 2 mm or less, thereby completing the present invention.

[0010] That is, the fiber reinforced thermoplastic resin laminate of the present invention is polyamide and fibers having a number average fiber length of 0.05 to 20 mm, the fiber content being 1 to 70 mass % and the thickness being 0.5 to 2 mm, the laminated molded body is formed by forming an upper layer injection molded body on a surface of a lower layer injection molded body by injection molding or injection press molding,The laminated molded body as a whole is characterized in that the degree of orientation of the fibers in a direction parallel to the surface direction of the laminated molded body is 0.75 or more, and at least a portion of the surface of each layer is directly fused to each other.

[0011] In the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin laminate of the present invention, the thickness of the laminate is preferably 2.0 mm or more. In addition, in each layer, the ratio of the layer surface directly fused to the adjacent layer is preferably 10% or more. Furthermore, it is preferable that the fiber is a carbon fiber.

[0012] In addition, the method for producing a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin laminated molded body of the present invention contains a thermoplastic resin and fibers having a number average fiber length of 0.05 to 20 mm, and the fiber content is 1 to 70% by mass and the thickness is 0.5 to 2 mm. After injection molding or injection press molding a lower layer molded body having a thickness of 0.5 to 2 mm, the thermoplastic resin and the fibers are injected or injection press molded on the surface of the lower layer molded body. An upper layer molded body having a fiber content of 1 to 70% by mass and a thickness of 0.5 to 2 mm is then injected or injection press molded to obtain a laminated molded body in which the layers made of the molded body are directly fused to each other at least in a part of the layer surface.

[0013] In the method for producing a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin laminated molded product of the present invention, it is preferable to injection mold or injection press mold the upper layer molded product while heating the lower layer molded product so that the surface temperature is 30 to 280°C. It is more preferable to preheat the lower layer molded product so that the surface temperature is 5 to 100°C higher than the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the thermoplastic resin (Tg+5°C to Tg+100°C), and then injection mold or injection press mold the upper layer molded product.

[0014] The reason why the present invention provides a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin laminate having excellent mechanical properties (particularly, flexural modulus and flexural strength) is not necessarily clear, but the present inventors speculate as follows. That is, the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin laminate of the present invention is obtained by injection molding a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin on an injection-molded body having a thickness of 2 mm or less made of a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin, and laminating the injection-molded body having a thickness of 2 mm or less. When the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin is injection-molded to have a thickness of 2 mm or less, the flow path of the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin is narrow, so that the fibers are easily aligned in a certain direction. In the obtained injection-molded body, as shown in FIG. 1, the fibers 2 in the thermoplastic resin 1 are highly oriented in a direction parallel to the surface direction of the molded body throughout the entire body from the surface to the center, and it is speculated that high mechanical properties (particularly, flexural modulus and flexural strength) are obtained. In the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin laminate of the present invention, such injection molded bodies are laminated by injection molding, and therefore each layer made of the injection molded body is directly fused to at least a portion of its surface. It is therefore presumed that the laminated body as a whole has high mechanical properties (particularly, flexural modulus and flexural strength).

[0015] On the other hand, in a single-layer molded body having a thickness of more than 2 mm produced by injection molding of a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin, the flow paths of the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin are wide, so that the orientation of the fibers varies. As shown in Figure 2, in thermoplastic resin 1, fibers 2 are oriented in a direction parallel to the surface direction of the molded body near the surface of the molded body, but are oriented randomly in the center, which is presumably a decrease in the mechanical properties (especially the flexural modulus and flexural strength).

[0016] Furthermore, when injection-molded bodies made of fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin and having a thickness of 2 mm or less are stacked on top of each other, the layers of the injection-molded bodies are not directly fused together, so that it is presumed that each layer behaves as if it were an independent molded body, and the mechanical properties (especially the flexural modulus and flexural strength) are not improved.

[0017] Furthermore, when an injection-molded body having a thickness of 2 mm or less and made of fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin is bonded using an adhesive, an interface is generated between the layer made of the injection-molded body and the adhesive layer, and it is presumed that the mechanical properties (particularly the flexural modulus and flexural strength) do not improve. Effect of the Invention

[0018] According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a molded article made of a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin having excellent mechanical properties (particularly, flexural modulus and flexural strength). [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin laminate of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of a conventional single-layer molded body made of fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a manufacturing process of a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin laminate produced in an example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] The present invention will be described in detail below based on preferred embodiments thereof.

[0021] [Fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin laminate] First, the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin laminated molding of the present invention will be described. The fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin laminated molding of the present invention (hereinafter, also simply referred to as "laminated molding") is a laminated molding in which two or more layers made of injection molded bodies containing a thermoplastic resin and fibers with an average fiber length of 0.05 to 20 mm, the fiber content is 1 to 70 mass%, and the thickness is 0.5 to 2 mm are laminated, and the orientation degree of the fibers in the direction parallel to the surface direction of the laminated molding is 0.75 or more for the entire laminated molding, and at least a part of the surface of each layer is directly fused to each other.

[0022] The thermoplastic resin used in the present invention is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include polyamide, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl alcohol, polystyrene, styrene-butadiene resin, acrylonitrile-styrene resin, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene resin, acrylic resin, methacrylic resin, polyolefin such as polyethylene and polypropylene, polyester such as polyacetal, polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate, polyarylate, polyphenylene ether, polyphenylene sulfide, polysulfone, polyether sulfone, polyether ether ketone, polylactic acid, etc. These thermoplastic resins may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Among these thermoplastic resins, polyamide and polypropylene are preferable.

[0023] The fibers used in the present invention are not particularly limited as long as they are reinforcing fibers used in fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resins, and examples thereof include inorganic fibers such as carbon fibers, glass fibers, alumina fibers, silicon carbide fibers, boron nitride fibers, and metal fibers, natural fibers such as pulp, lignin, hemicellulose, cellulose, and cellulose nanofibers, and organic fibers such as aramid fibers and vinylon fibers. These fibers may be used alone or in combination of two or more types, and recycled fibers or reused fibers may also be used. Among these fibers, carbon fibers, glass fibers, pulp, and cellulose nanofibers are preferred.

[0024] The number average fiber length of the fibers used in the present invention must be 0.05 to 20 mm, preferably 0.10 to 20 mm, more preferably 0.15 to 15 mm, even more preferably 0.20 to 10 mm, particularly preferably 0.25 to 5 mm, and most preferably 0.3 to 4 mm. If the number average fiber length of the fibers is less than the lower limit, the aspect ratio decreases and the fibers are randomly oriented, and the mechanical properties (particularly, flexural modulus and flexural strength) of the obtained laminated molded product tend not to be sufficiently improved, while if it exceeds the upper limit, the variation in mechanical properties due to fiber aggregation and curved orientation increases, and the reliability of the mechanical properties of the obtained laminated molded product tends to decrease.

[0025] The injection molded article constituting each layer of the laminated molded article of the present invention contains such a thermoplastic resin and fiber. In such an injection molded article, the fiber content must be 1 to 70 mass%, preferably 2 to 65 mass%, more preferably 3 to 60 mass%, and even more preferably 5 to 50 mass%. If the fiber content is less than the lower limit, the mechanical properties (particularly, flexural modulus and flexural strength) of the obtained laminated molded article tend not to be sufficiently improved. On the other hand, in an injection molded article in which the fiber content exceeds the upper limit, the flowability of the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin decreases due to an increase in viscosity, and the injection moldability may decrease.

[0026] The thickness of the injection molded article must be 0.5 to 2 mm, preferably 0.6 to 1.9 mm, more preferably 0.7 to 1.8 mm, and even more preferably 0.8 to 1.7 mm. Injection molded articles having a thickness less than the lower limit may have a reduced flowability of the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin due to cooling and solidification, and thus may have a reduced injection moldability. On the other hand, if the thickness of the injection molded article exceeds the upper limit, the degree of fiber orientation in the resulting laminated molded article is reduced, and therefore the mechanical properties (particularly, flexural modulus and flexural strength) tend not to be sufficiently improved.

[0027] In the laminated molded body of the present invention, the number of layers made of the injection molded body is not particularly limited as long as it is two or more, and may be three or more layers, but from the viewpoint of productivity (shortening the total molding time), it is preferable that it is two layers.

[0028] The total thickness of the laminated molded article of the present invention is not particularly limited, but is preferably 1.1 mm or more, more preferably 1.2 mm or more, even more preferably 1.5 mm or more, even more preferably 2.0 mm or more, particularly preferably 2.5 mm or more, and most preferably 3.0 mm or more. In particular, when the total thickness of the molded article exceeds 2.0 mm, it is difficult to obtain a single-layer injection molded article having excellent mechanical properties (particularly, flexural modulus and flexural strength), and the injection molded article must be laminated by injection molding.

[0029] In the laminated molded product of the present invention, the degree of fiber orientation in the direction parallel to the surface direction of the laminated molded product must be 0.75 or more for the entire laminated molded product, preferably 0.76 or more, more preferably 0.77 or more, and even more preferably 0.78 or more. If the degree of fiber orientation is below the lower limit, the mechanical properties (particularly the flexural modulus and flexural strength) of the obtained laminated molded product tend not to be sufficiently improved.

[0030] The degree of fiber orientation can be determined by the following method. That is, five measurement areas (2 mm long x 2 mm wide) are randomly extracted and cut out from the laminated molded body, and these are used as test pieces to obtain three-dimensional images of each test piece using a three-dimensional measurement X-ray CT device. For the obtained three-dimensional images, fiber orientation analysis is performed using CT data analysis software to calculate the fiber orientation tensor and its maximum eigenvalue in each test piece. Here, the maximum eigenvalue of the fiber orientation tensor can be used as a measure of the strength of fiber orientation. Therefore, in the present invention, this is taken as the degree of fiber orientation, and the degree of fiber orientation in the direction parallel to the surface direction is determined in each of the five measurement areas (test pieces), and the average value is taken as the degree of fiber orientation in the direction parallel to the surface direction in the laminated molded body. The upper limit of the degree of fiber orientation is 1.0, which means that all fibers are oriented in a direction parallel to the surface direction of the laminated molded body.

[0031] In the laminated molded product of the present invention, each layer made of the injection molded product must be directly fused to each other at least in part of its surface, and the ratio of the layer surface directly fused to the adjacent layer in each layer is preferably 10% or more, more preferably 30% or more, even more preferably 50% or more, particularly preferably 90% or more, and most preferably 95% or more. If the ratio of the layer surface directly fused to the adjacent layer is less than the lower limit, the mechanical properties (particularly, flexural modulus and flexural strength) of the laminated molded product as a whole tend not to be sufficiently improved.

[0032] [Method for producing fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin laminate] Next, the manufacturing method of the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin laminated molding of the present invention will be described. The manufacturing method of the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin laminated molding of the present invention is a method of obtaining a laminated molding in which layers made of the molded body are directly fused to each other at least in a part of the layer surface by injection molding or injection press molding a lower layer molded body containing a thermoplastic resin and fibers having a number average fiber length of 0.05 to 20 mm, the fiber content being 1 to 70 mass%, and the thickness being 0.5 to 2 mm, on the surface of the lower layer molded body, by injection molding or injection press molding an upper layer molded body containing a thermoplastic resin and fibers having a number average fiber length of 0.05 to 20 mm, the fiber content being 1 to 70 mass%, and the thickness being 0.5 to 2 mm. In addition, in the manufacturing method of the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin laminated molding of the present invention, it is also possible to manufacture a laminated molding in which three or more layers made of the molded body are laminated by repeating such injection molding or injection press molding.

[0033] In the method for producing a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin laminate of the present invention, first, a lower layer molded body containing the thermoplastic resin and the fibers, having a fiber content of 1 to 70 mass%, and having a thickness of 0.5 to 2 mm is produced by injection molding or injection press molding (preferably injection molding). Specifically, the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin containing the thermoplastic resin and the fibers and having a fiber content of 1 to 70 mass% is injection molded or injection press molded (preferably injection molding) so that the thickness of the obtained lower layer molded body is 0.5 to 2 mm, thereby producing the lower layer molded body.

[0034] The fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin is not particularly limited as long as it contains the thermoplastic resin and the fibers in a predetermined ratio, and may be a commercially available fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin or may be prepared by mixing the thermoplastic resin and the fibers in a predetermined ratio just before molding.

[0035] There is no particular restriction on the mold used during molding, but a mold having a plurality of molds for molded bodies that can perform injection molding and preheating as necessary is preferred. By using such a mold, it is possible to simultaneously perform injection molding of a plurality of molded bodies and preheating as necessary in one molding cycle. In addition, by using a mold that can change the thickness of the molded body, such as a mold that employs a core-back system, it is possible to produce an upper layer molded body without removing the lower layer molded body from the mold by changing the set thickness of the mold after producing the lower layer molded body.

[0036] The melting temperature of the resin during molding can be set appropriately depending on the resin used, but is preferably 150 to 450° C. The mold temperature can also be set appropriately depending on the resin used, but is preferably 30 to 280° C., more preferably 40 to 200° C., and even more preferably 50 to 150° C.

[0037] Next, an upper layer molded body containing the thermoplastic resin and the fiber, having a fiber content of 1 to 70% by mass, and having a thickness of 0.5 to 2 mm is prepared on the surface of the lower layer molded body prepared in this manner by injection molding or injection press molding (preferably injection molding). Specifically, the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin containing the thermoplastic resin and the fiber and having a fiber content of 1 to 70% by mass is injection molded or injection press molded (preferably injection molded) on the surface of the lower layer molded body so that the thickness of the upper layer molded body obtained is 0.5 to 2 mm, thereby preparing the upper layer molded body. In this way, by preparing the upper layer molded body on the surface of the lower layer molded body by injection molding or injection press molding, the layers made of the molded bodies can be directly fused to each other at least in a part of the layer surface, and a laminated molded body having excellent mechanical properties (particularly, bending modulus and bending strength) can be obtained.

[0038] The melting temperature of the resin during molding can be set appropriately depending on the resin used, but is preferably 150 to 450° C. The mold temperature can also be set appropriately depending on the resin used, but is preferably 30 to 280° C., more preferably 40 to 200° C., and even more preferably 50 to 150° C.

[0039] The surface temperature of the lower molded body when preparing the upper molded body is not particularly limited, but is preferably 30 to 280° C., more preferably 40 to 200° C., and even more preferably 50 to 150° C. If the surface temperature of the lower molded body is below the lower limit, the layers of the molded body are not sufficiently fused together, and the mechanical properties (particularly, bending modulus and bending strength) of the laminated molded body as a whole tend not to be sufficiently improved, while if it exceeds the upper limit, the lower molded body is thermally deformed and the fiber orientation is disturbed, so that the mechanical properties (particularly, bending modulus and bending strength) of the obtained laminated molded body tend not to be sufficiently improved.

[0040] In the method for producing a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin laminated molded product of the present invention, it is preferable to preheat the lower molded product at a temperature below the melting point or softening point of the thermoplastic resin, and then injection mold or injection press mold the upper molded product. This allows the layers made of the molded products to be directly fused to each other at at least a part of the layer surface, and a laminated molded product having excellent mechanical properties (particularly, flexural modulus and flexural strength) can be obtained.

[0041] Specifically, the preheating temperature is preferably a temperature at which the surface temperature of the lower laminate is 5 to 100°C higher than the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the thermoplastic resin (Tg+5°C to Tg+100°C), more preferably a temperature at which the surface temperature is 10 to 60°C higher than the Tg (Tg+10°C to Tg+60°C), even more preferably a temperature at which the surface temperature is 15 to 50°C higher than the Tg (Tg+15°C to Tg+50°C), and particularly preferably a temperature at which the surface temperature is 20 to 45°C higher than the Tg (Tg+20°C to Tg+45°C). If the preheating temperature is below the lower limit, the layers of the molded body will not be sufficiently fused together, and the mechanical properties (particularly, bending modulus and bending strength) of the laminated molded body as a whole will tend not to be sufficiently improved. On the other hand, if the preheating temperature exceeds the upper limit, the lower molded body will be thermally deformed and the fiber orientation will be disturbed, so that the mechanical properties (particularly, bending modulus and bending strength) of the obtained laminated molded body will tend not to be sufficiently improved. EXAMPLES

[0042] The present invention will be described in more detail below based on examples and comparative examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

[0043] Example 1 First, a carbon fiber reinforced polyamide 6 with a CF content of 10 mass% was prepared by mixing polyamide 6 with a CF content of 30 mass% (Toray Industries, Inc.'s "Long fiber CF reinforced 6 nylon Torayca TLP1060") with polyamide 6 with a CF content of 10 mass% (Toray Industries, Inc.'s "Amilan CM1001").

[0044] Next, using this carbon fiber reinforced polyamide 6, injection molding was performed under conditions of a melting temperature of 280 ° C. and a mold temperature of 80 ° C., and a lower layer molded body 3 having a multipurpose test piece shape with a thickness of 2 mm was produced as shown in Figure 3 (A). The obtained lower layer molded body 3 was inserted into a mold, and while heating the surface temperature of this lower layer molded body 3 to 50 ° C., as shown in Figure (B), the carbon fiber reinforced polyamide 6 (CF content: 10 mass%) was injection molded on the surface of the lower layer molded body 3 under a melting temperature of 280 ° C., and an upper layer molded body 4 having a thickness of 2 mm was laminated, and as shown in Figure (C), a laminated molded body (total length: 170 mm, length of parallel part: 80 mm, width of end: 20 mm, width of central parallel part: 10 mm, thickness: 4 mm) having a multipurpose test piece shape in which the lower layer molded body 3 and the upper layer molded body 4 are directly fused was produced.

[0045] Example 2 A carbon fiber reinforced polyamide 6 with a CF content of 20 mass% was prepared by mixing polyamide 6 (Toray Industries, Inc.'s "Amilan CM1001") with a carbon fiber reinforced polyamide 6 with a CF content of 30 mass% (Toray Industries, Inc.'s "Long fiber CF reinforced 6 nylon Torayca TLP1060").

[0046] A laminated molded body (thickness: 4 mm) in the shape of a multipurpose test piece in which the lower layer molded body 3 (thickness: 2 mm) and the upper layer molded body 4 (thickness: 2 mm) were directly fused to each other was produced in the same manner as in Example 1, except that this carbon fiber reinforced polyamide 6 (CF content: 20 mass%) was used instead of the carbon fiber reinforced polyamide 6 with a CF content of 10 mass%. A laminated molded body was produced.

[0047] Example 3 A multipurpose test piece-shaped laminated molded body (thickness: 4 mm) in which the lower layer molded body 3 (thickness: 2 mm) and the upper layer molded body 4 (thickness: 2 mm) were directly fused to each other was produced in the same manner as in Example 1, except that a carbon fiber reinforced polyamide 6 having a CF content of 30 mass% ("long fiber CF reinforced 6 nylon Torayca TLP1060" manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc.) was used as is without mixing it with polyamide 6 instead of a carbon fiber reinforced polyamide 6 having a CF content of 10 mass%.

[0048] Example 4 A multipurpose test piece-shaped laminated molded body (thickness: 4 mm) in which the lower layer molded body 3 (thickness: 2 mm) and the upper layer molded body 4 (thickness: 2 mm) were directly fused to each other was produced in the same manner as in Example 3, except that the lower layer molded body was inserted into a mold and preheated so that the surface temperature of this lower layer molded body was 80°C. The carbon fiber reinforced polyamide 6 (CF content: 30% by mass) was then injection molded onto the surface of the lower layer molded body at a melting temperature of 280°C.

[0049] Comparative Example 1 Carbon fiber reinforced polyamide 6 (CF content: 10% by mass) prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 was injection molded under conditions of a melt temperature of 280°C and a mold temperature of 80°C to produce a single-layer molded body in the shape of a multipurpose test specimen (total length: 170 mm, parallel portion length: 80 mm, end width: 20 mm, central parallel portion width: 10 mm, thickness: 4 mm).

[0050] Comparative Example 2 Carbon fiber reinforced polyamide 6 (CF content: 20% by mass) prepared in the same manner as in Example 2 was injection molded under conditions of a melt temperature of 280°C and a mold temperature of 80°C to produce a single-layer molded body in the shape of a multipurpose test specimen (total length: 170 mm, parallel portion length: 80 mm, end width: 20 mm, central parallel portion width: 10 mm, thickness: 4 mm).

[0051] Comparative Example 3 Carbon fiber reinforced polyamide 6 with a CF content of 30 mass% ("Long fiber CF reinforced 6 nylon Torayca TLP1060" manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc.) was injection molded at a melt temperature of 280°C and a mold temperature of 80°C to produce a single-layer molded body in the shape of a multipurpose test specimen (total length: 170 mm, parallel part length: 80 mm, end width: 20 mm, central parallel part width: 10 mm, thickness: 4 mm).

[0052] Comparative Example 4 Using carbon fiber reinforced polyamide 6 with a CF content of 30% by mass ("Long fiber CF reinforced 6 nylon Torayca TLP1060" manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc.), injection molding was performed under conditions of a melt temperature of 280°C and a mold temperature of 80°C to produce two molded bodies in the shape of a multipurpose test piece with a thickness of 2 mm. These two molded bodies were stacked together to produce a laminated molded body in the shape of a multipurpose test piece (total length: 170 mm, length of parallel part: 80 mm, width of end part: 20 mm, width of central parallel part: 10 mm, thickness: 4 mm).

[0053] Comparative Example 5 Two molded bodies in the shape of a multipurpose test piece with a thickness of 2 mm were prepared in the same manner as in Comparative Example 4. These two molded bodies were bonded together using an adhesive ("SuperX" manufactured by Cemedine Co., Ltd.) to prepare a laminated molded body in the shape of a multipurpose test piece (total length: 170 mm, length of parallel part: 80 mm, width of end part: 20 mm, width of central parallel part: 10 mm, thickness: 4 mm).

[0054] <Number average fiber length> A test piece (10 mm long x 10 mm wide x 4 mm thick) was cut out from the parallel part of the multipurpose test piece-shaped laminated molded body and heated at 500°C under an air stream to remove and incinerate the resin part. The remaining fibers were photographed and the fiber lengths of 6,000 randomly selected fibers were measured using image analysis software to determine the number average value, which was taken as the number average fiber length of the fibers. The results are shown in Table 1.

[0055] <Degree of fiber orientation in laminated molded body> From the obtained laminated molded body, five randomly extracted measurement areas (2 mm long x 2 mm wide) were cut out, and these were used as test pieces (2 mm long x 2 mm wide x 4 mm thick). A three-dimensional measurement X-ray CT device (Yamato Scientific Co., Ltd. "TDM1000H-II") was used to obtain three-dimensional images of each test piece. For the obtained three-dimensional images, fiber orientation analysis was performed using CT data analysis software (Volume Graphics Co., Ltd. "VGSTUDIO MAX") to calculate the fiber orientation tensor and its maximum eigenvalue in each test piece. The maximum eigenvalue of the fiber orientation tensor can be used as a measure of the strength of fiber orientation, and in the present invention, this was taken as the fiber orientation degree. The fiber orientation degree in the direction parallel to the surface direction was obtained in each of the five measurement areas (test pieces), and the average value was taken as the fiber orientation degree in the direction parallel to the surface direction in the laminated molded body. The results are shown in Table 1.

[0056] <Percentage of fused area> The layers of the obtained laminated molded body were peeled away from each other, and the peeled surface was observed using a digital microscope (Keyence Corporation's VHX-7000). The fused areas were identified based on the difference in brightness of the peeled surface, and the proportion of the fused areas in the entire peeled surface was calculated. The results are shown in Table 1.

[0057] <Flexural modulus and flexural strength> Using the obtained laminated molded body, a three-point bending test was performed at a test speed of 2 mm / min, a support distance of 64 mm, and a temperature of 23° C. to measure the flexural modulus and flexural strength. The results are shown in Table 1.

[0058] [Table 1]

[0059] As shown in Table 1, it was found that by injection molding a lower layer molded body of a specific thickness containing thermoplastic resin and carbon fiber, and then injection molding an upper layer molded body of a specific thickness containing thermoplastic resin and carbon fiber on this lower layer molded body, it is possible to obtain a laminated molded body with a high degree of orientation of the carbon fibers in the planar direction and excellent mechanical properties (especially bending properties) (Examples 1 to 4).

[0060] Furthermore, it was found that when the lower layer molded body was preheated to a specified temperature and then the upper layer molded body was injection molded (Example 4), the mechanical properties (especially the bending properties) were improved compared to when the lower layer molded body was not preheated to the specified temperature (Example 3).

[0061] On the other hand, it was found that the single-layer injection molded bodies containing thermoplastic resin and carbon fiber (Comparative Examples 1 to 3) had a lower degree of orientation of the carbon fibers in the planar direction and were inferior in mechanical properties (especially bending properties) compared to the laminated molded bodies obtained in Examples 1 to 3.

[0062] Furthermore, when injection-molded bodies of a specific thickness containing thermoplastic resin and carbon fiber were stacked (Comparative Example 4) or bonded with an adhesive (Comparative Example 5), a laminated molded body with a high degree of orientation of the carbon fibers in the planar direction was obtained; however, it was found that this laminated molded body had inferior mechanical properties (particularly bending properties) compared to the laminated molded bodies obtained in Examples 1 to 3. [Industrial Applicability]

[0063] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a molded product made of a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin having excellent mechanical properties (particularly, flexural modulus and flexural strength). Therefore, the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin laminate molded product of the present invention is particularly useful as a member to which a large impact is applied, for example, an automobile member, a train member, an aerospace member, an industrial machine member, a building member, a home appliance material, a sports and leisure material, a pressure vessel, a protective equipment material, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 1: thermoplastic resin, 2: fiber, 3: lower layer molded body, 4: upper layer molded body

Claims

1. A laminated molded body comprising two or more layers of injection molded bodies containing polyamide and fibers having a number average fiber length of 0.05 to 20 mm, the fiber content being 1 to 70 mass %, and the thickness being 0.5 to 2 mm, the laminated molded body is formed by forming an upper layer injection molded body on a surface of a lower layer injection molded body by injection molding or injection press molding, With respect to the entire laminated molded body, the orientation degree of the fibers in a direction parallel to the surface direction of the laminated molded body is 0.75 or more, A fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin laminate, characterized in that at least a portion of the surface of each layer is directly fused to the other layer.

2. The fiber reinforced thermoplastic resin laminate according to claim 1, characterized in that the entire thickness of the laminate is 2.0 mm or more.

3. 3. The fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin laminate according to claim 1, wherein in each layer, the ratio of the layer surface that is directly fused to the adjacent layer is 10% or more.

4. The fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin laminate according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the fibers are carbon fibers.

5. A method for producing a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin laminated molded body, comprising: a lower layer molded body containing a thermoplastic resin and fibers having a number average fiber length of 0.05 to 20 mm, the fiber content being 1 to 70% by mass, and a thickness of 0.5 to 2 mm; and then injection molding or injection press molding a lower layer molded body having a fiber content of 1 to 70% by mass and a thickness of 0.5 to 2 mm on the surface of the lower layer molded body. By injection molding or injection press molding an upper layer molded body containing the thermoplastic resin and the fibers, the fiber content being 1 to 70% by mass, and a thickness of 0.5 to 2 mm, a laminated molded body in which layers made of the molded body are directly fused to each other at least in a portion of the layer surface is obtained.

6. The method for producing a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin laminate according to claim 5, characterized in that the upper layer molded body is injection molded or injection press molded while heating the lower layer molded body so that the surface temperature is 30 to 280 ° C. The method for producing a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin laminated molded body according to claim 5.

7. The lower layer molded body is preheated so that the surface temperature is 5 to 100 ° C. higher than the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the thermoplastic resin (Tg + 5 ° C. to Tg + 100 ° C.), and then the upper layer molded body is injection molded or injection press molded. The method for producing a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin laminate molded body according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin laminated sheet, its molding method, medical supporting tool using the same, and its molding method

    JP2000108236A

  • Resin molding having thick wall

    JP2004243686A

  • Fiber-reinforced composite material

    JP2012006331A

  • Carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin and production method for molding thereof

    JP2013133378A

  • Fiber-reinforced resin molding, and method for producing the same

    JP2015009436A