Multilayer Thermoplastic Resin Sheet Stitching for Drapeability
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for forming thermoplastic resin composite materials face challenges such as poor drapeability, increased production costs, and mechanical property degradation due to difficulties in impregnating thermoplastic resins into reinforcing fibers, leading to voids and non-uniform fiber distribution, especially when trying to create three-dimensional shapes.
Innovation Solution
A multilayer thermoplastic-resin-reinforced sheet material is formed by stacking and integrating thermoplastic-resin-reinforced sheet materials with reinforcing fibers, where each layer has a thermoplastic resin sheet joined to the reinforcing fiber sheet, and these layers are stitched or bonded using a thermoplastic resin fiber tow or adhesive, allowing for efficient impregnation and maintaining fiber straightness and distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If thermoplastic resin is impregnated into reinforcing fibers to form composite materials, then mechanical properties are improved, but impregnation time increases and production efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the composite material into a multilayer structure where reinforcing fiber sheets and thermoplastic resin sheets are stacked alternately. This segmentation allows the resin to impregnate fibers layer-by-layer, reducing overall impregnation time while maintaining mechanical properties through the distributed layered architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermoplastic resin sheets are prepared and stacked with reinforcing fiber sheets before the actual impregnation process. This preliminary arrangement of layers ensures that when heating begins, the resin can immediately contact and impregnate the fibers without delay, significantly reducing impregnation time while ensuring complete fiber saturation for optimal mechanical properties.
2Ease of operation
If multiaxial reinforcing fiber sheets are stacked to improve drapeability, then forming capability is enhanced, but fiber distribution uniformity deteriorates leading to voids
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the reinforcing structure into multiple unidirectional fiber sheets stacked at different orientations rather than using fewer multiaxial sheets. This segmentation maintains uniform fiber distribution within each layer while achieving the desired drapeability through the collective arrangement of multiple layers, preventing void formation.
Solution Approach 2:
Each layer in the stacked structure maintains its own specific fiber orientation and local quality characteristics. This allows each layer to be optimized for its specific function while the overall stack achieves the required drapeability and structural uniformity, preventing the fiber distribution issues that arise in multiaxial configurations.
3Reliability
If thermoplastic resin sheets are used instead of thermosetting resins, then recycling efficiency and shock resistance are improved, but impregnation difficulty increases causing voids
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the composite into thin alternating layers of resin and fiber sheets. This segmentation increases the surface area contact between resin and fiber, facilitating easier impregnation of thermoplastic resin while maintaining the material's inherent advantages of recyclability and shock resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermoplastic resin sheets are pre-positioned in contact with the reinforcing fiber sheets before heating. This preliminary action ensures immediate and uniform impregnation when the thermoplastic resin melts, eliminating voids while preserving the recyclability and shock resistance properties of the thermoplastic matrix.
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 enables the production of high-quality, low-cost, three-dimensional composite materials with minimal voids and excellent mechanical properties by reducing impregnation time and maintaining fiber straightness, while also improving drapeability and surface smoothness.
Implementation Method 1
a bonding thermoplastic-resin material that is melted or softened at a temperature lower than the melting temperature of the thermoplastic-resin sheet material and deposited on one or both surfaces of at least one of the reinforcing-fiber sheet material and the thermoplastic-resin sheet material
Implementation Method 2
The plurality of stacked thermoplastic-resin-reinforced sheet materials are bonded together by thermal adhesion of the thermoplastic-resin sheet materials
Data Source
AI summary
A high-quality multilayer thermoplastic-resin-reinforced sheet material having excellent mechanical properties and drapeability in which a thermoplastic resin excellent in recycling efficiency and shock resistance is used as a matrix. A thermoplastic-resin multilayer reinforced molding formed of the multilayer thermoplastic-resin-reinforced sheet material, in which the high quality and the mechanical properties are maintained. The multilayer thermoplastic-resin-reinforced sheet material (11) is formed by stacking thermoplastic-resin-reinforced sheet materials (21A) to (21D) each formed of a reinforcing-fiber sheet material (31), consisting of a plurality of reinforcing fibers (31f) arranged in a predetermined direction in a sheet-like structure, and a thermoplastic-resin sheet material (41) joined to a surface of the reinforcing-fiber sheet material (31), and stitching them together with an integration thermoplastic-resin fiber tow (51) composed of the same material as the thermoplastic-resin sheet material (41). The reinforcing-fiber sheet materials (31) are stacked such that their reinforcing directions are multiaxial.