Multi-Dimensional Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic Core
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional mechanical parts are heavy and lack stiffness due to metallic materials, and increasing material volume and weight is necessary to handle external forces, making them unsuitable for applications like biking where weight and size reduction are desired while maintaining strength.
Innovation Solution
An article with a core portion reinforced by multi-dimensional fibers and a shell layer, where fibers are deliberately arranged in specific directions to bear external forces, using a fiber-reinforced plastic composite with thermoplastic resin, and a method for manufacturing this article involving molds and thermoplastic resin processing to achieve reduced weight and volume with enhanced strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If metallic material is used to provide strength for mechanical parts, then strength is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses fiber-reinforced plastic composite materials combining thermoplastic resin with reinforcement fibers (glass fibers, carbon fibers, or aramid fibers) to create a composite material that provides high strength-to-weight ratio, eliminating the need for heavy metallic materials while maintaining structural strength
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameters by using high-strength fibers with specific orientation arrangements and optimized fiber-to-resin ratios, allowing the plastic composite to achieve metallic-level strength properties while maintaining low weight characteristics
2Strength
If the amount of metallic material or non-metallic robust core is increased to meet force requirements, then strength is improved, but volume and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by deliberately arranging fibers in specific directions within different regions of the core portion to bear external forces in those specific directions, providing strength exactly where needed rather than uniformly throughout the entire component, thus reducing overall volume
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses multi-directional fiber arrangement including longitudinal, transverse, and inclined orientations to provide three-dimensional strength distribution, enabling the component to resist forces from multiple directions without increasing volume in any single dimension
3Strength
If traditional mechanical parts are designed to bear forces in different directions, then force requirements are met, but weight and volume increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates fibers arranged in multiple dimensions including longitudinal, transverse, and inclined directions within the core portion, enabling the component to resist external forces from various directions simultaneously without requiring additional material volume or weight
Solution Approach 2:
The fiber-reinforced plastic composite with multi-directional fiber arrangement provides isotropic or anisotropic strength properties that enable the component to handle complex multi-directional loading conditions while maintaining low weight, replacing traditional heavy metallic designs
Data Source
AI summary
In order to solve problems of strength and volume of part, the invention provides an article reinforced by multi-dimensional fibers and a method for manufacturing the article. The article includes a core portion and a shell layer portion. The core portion is made of thermoplastic resin and the fibers in which a majority of and a minority of the fibers are respectively arranged in a major and a minor directions. The method includes: preparing a core portion made of thermoplastic resin and the fibers in which a majority of and a minority of the fibers are respectively arranged in a major and a minor directions, loading the core portion into a mold, and forming a shell layer portion in the mold to enclose the core portion. The article manufactured by the method of this invention can reduce the weight and increase the strength of the parts.