Thermoplastic Prepreg Impregnation With Reactive Resin and Double Belts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for producing continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites face challenges with incomplete resin impregnation and high viscosity issues, leading to defects and increased manufacturing costs, especially in the consolidation step.
Innovation Solution
A system using a double belt mechanism with hollow glass microspheres and a controlled environment to apply and polymerize low-viscosity reactive resin, ensuring full impregnation and high conversion rates of monomers to polymers, achieving less than 3% void content in the prepreg.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If molten thermoplastic resin is applied to fibers, then resin impregnation is achieved, but high viscosity results in incomplete impregnation and low throughput
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the resin system by using monomers and oligomers instead of pre-polymerized thermoplastic resin. This fundamental parameter change enables the resin to remain in a low-viscosity liquid state during application, allowing complete fiber impregnation while maintaining high processing speeds and throughput.
2Reliability
If high pressure is applied in consolidation step to promote impregnation, then resin impregnation is improved, but excessive resin flow occurs and fiber orientation changes detrimentally
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary impregnation of fibers with monomer/oligomer resin before the consolidation step. This preliminary action ensures complete resin distribution throughout the fiber mat at low pressure, eliminating the need for high-pressure consolidation and preventing detrimental fiber orientation changes during final consolidation.
3Productivity
If continuous manufacturing process is implemented, then throughput is increased, but complete resin impregnation becomes difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the resin state parameter from high-viscosity molten thermoplastic to low-viscosity monomer/oligomer liquid. This parameter change enables the resin to rapidly penetrate and fully impregnate fibers during high-speed continuous processing, achieving both high throughput and complete impregnation quality simultaneously.
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
The system achieves high throughput and efficient production of fully impregnated thermoplastic prepregs with greater than 90% resin conversion, reducing manufacturing time to under 20 minutes and minimizing defects.
Implementation Method 1
a drying mechanism configured to remove residual moisture from the fiber mat, web, or fabric and the lightweight filler material as the fiber mat, web, or fabric and the lightweight filler material are moved past the drying mechanism
Implementation Method 2
a curing oven configured to effect polymerization of the monomers or oligomers and thereby form the thermoplastic polymer as the fiber mat, web, or fabric and lightweight filler material are moved through the curing oven
Implementation Method 3
The double belt mechanism compresses the fiber mat, web, or fabric, the lightweight filler material, and the applied monomers or oligomers as these materials are passed through the curing oven such that the monomers or oligomers fully saturate the fiber mat, web, or fabric
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A thermoplastic prepreg includes a mat, web, or fabric of fibers and hollow glass microspheres that are positioned atop the mat, web, or fabric of fibers or dispersed therein. The thermoplastic prepreg also includes a thermoplastic polymer that is fully impregnated through the mat, web, or fabric of fibers and the hollow glass microspheres so that the thermoplastic prepreg has a void content of less than 3% by volume of the thermoplastic prepreg. The thermoplastic material is polymerized monomers and oligomers in which greater than 90% by weight of the monomers or oligomers react to form the thermoplastic material.