Commingled Yarn Dispersion and Adhesion via Controlled Thermal Impregnation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manufacturing commingled yarns with continuous reinforcing fibers and continuous resin fibers face challenges in achieving high dispersion and moderate flexibility while minimizing fiber separation, often requiring excessive treatment agents that can lead to adhesion issues and separation.
Innovation Solution
The method involves commingling thermoplastic resin fibers and reinforcing fibers with controlled amounts of treatment agents and heating them within a specific temperature range to achieve slight impregnation, ensuring high dispersion and flexibility, with the product of the melting point and thermal conductivity of the thermoplastic resin falling between 100 to 150, and using a heating roller for processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the amount of treatment agent is reduced to improve dispersion, then fiber separation occurs and adhesion deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the chemical parameters of the treatment agents by specifying functional groups (carboxyl, hydroxyl, or amine groups) that create chemical bonding capabilities. This allows reduced agent quantities while maintaining adhesion through chemical rather than physical bonding. The patent specifies that the treatment agents should have these functional groups to achieve both good dispersion and adhesion simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a composite approach by combining specific treatment agents with defined functional groups on both the reinforcing fiber surface and resin fiber surface. This composite treatment system creates synergistic effects where the functional groups interact to provide both dispersion and adhesion, resolving the contradiction between reducing agent amount and maintaining bonding quality.
2Stability of the object's composition
If heating temperature is increased to improve impregnation, then fiber damage occurs and flexibility is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The invention precisely controls the heating temperature parameter within a narrow range (50-150°C) above the resin melting point. This parameter optimization allows sufficient impregnation while preventing fiber damage and maintaining flexibility. The patent specifies this temperature range to achieve the balance between impregnation quality and fiber integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies partial heating action by limiting the temperature increase to a moderate range above the melting point, rather than excessive heating. This partial action is sufficient to achieve the required impregnation level while avoiding the harmful effects of overheating, thus preserving fiber flexibility and preventing damage.
3Reliability
If treatment agent amount is increased to improve adhesion, then fiber bundling occurs and dispersion deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the quality parameter of the treatment agent by specifying functional groups that provide strong chemical bonding capability. This allows achieving good adhesion with lower agent quantities, thereby preventing fiber bundling and maintaining dispersion. The patent specifies carboxyl, hydroxyl, or amine groups to enable effective bonding at reduced concentrations.
4Ease of operation
If heating temperature is decreased to maintain flexibility, then impregnation is insufficient and strength is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention optimizes the heating temperature parameter to a specific range (50-150°C above melting point) that provides sufficient thermal energy for impregnation while avoiding excessive heat that would damage fibers and reduce flexibility. This parameter optimization achieves both adequate impregnation for strength and preservation of fiber flexibility.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach results in a commingled yarn with improved mechanical strength, reduced fiber separation, and enhanced weavability, maintaining flexibility and strength retention even after moisture absorption.
Implementation Method 1
heating the commingled fibers at a temperature in the range from the melting point of the thermoplastic resin composing the thermoplastic resin fiber, up to 30K higher than the melting point
Implementation Method 2
the product of the melting point (in K) of the thermoplastic resin and the thermal conductivity (in W/m·K) measured in compliance with ASTM D177 is 100 to 150
Data Source
Figure 1~3
AI summary
Provided is a method for manufacturing a commingled yarn that is capable of keeping a high level of dispersion of the continuous reinforcing fiber and the continuous resin fiber, moderately flexible, and less likely to cause fiber separation, and a commingled yarn a wind-up article and a woven fabric. The method for manufacturing a commingled yarn includes commingling a thermoplastic resin fiber having a treatment agent for the thermoplastic resin fiber on a surface thereof, and a continuous reinforcing fiber having a treatment agent for the continuous reinforcing fiber on a surface thereof, and heating the commingled fibers at a temperature in a range from a melting point of the thermoplastic resin composing the thermoplastic resin fiber, up to 30K higher than the melting point, wherein the thermoplastic resin has a product of the melting point thereof and a thermal conductivity thereof of 100 to 150, where the thermal conductivity is measured in compliance with ASTM D177, the continuous Reinforcing fiber has an amount of the treatment agent therefore of 0.01 to 2.0% by weight thereof, and the thermoplastic resin fiber has an amount of the treatment agent therefor of 0.1 to 2.0% by weight thereof; where the melting point is given in kelvins (K), and the thermal conductivity is given in M/m·K.