UD Tape Surface Polymer Layer for Lateral Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Unidirectional tapes (UD tapes) face challenges in processing capabilities, particularly in achieving improved lateral flow and a roughened surface for enhanced processing characteristics, such as faster deposition, consolidation, thermoforming, and formability into complex shapes.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the formation of a surface polymer layer on UD tapes by pressing a unidirectional fiber layer with a surface profile structure, creating a roughened surface that enhances lateral flow and reduces friction, while maintaining a homogeneous material with low voids.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a smooth surface is used on UD tape, then the surface is easy to manufacture, but lateral flow and formability into complex shapes are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies a roughened surface treatment specifically to the surface layer of the UD tape while maintaining the homogeneous structure of the bulk material. This local modification of surface properties (roughness) enables improved lateral flow and formability without compromising the ease of manufacture of the overall tape structure.
2Productivity
If polymer content at the surface is increased to improve lateral flow, then formability improves, but friction between plies and tooling increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention modifies the surface properties by creating a roughened surface with controlled polymer content and texture. This parameter change in surface morphology and composition improves lateral flow and formability while the roughened structure actually reduces friction between plies and tooling during processing.
3Productivity
If a roughened surface is created to improve processing, then lateral flow improves, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The roughened surface is created during the impregnation process itself, before the tape is formed into its final shape. This preliminary action of applying the roughened surface treatment in advance enables improved lateral flow during subsequent processing without adding complex steps later in the manufacturing process.
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 surface polymer layer increases polymer content at the tape's surface, improving formability and allowing for faster, more complex shape formation with reduced friction between plies and tooling, while maintaining a low void and homogeneous material.
Implementation Method 1
pressing at a surface of the impregnated unidirectional fiber layer with the surface profile structure to move at least some of the particles of the polymer within the unidirectional fiber layer onto the surface
Implementation Method 2
impregnating a unidirectional fiber layer comprising unidirectional fibers with the impregnation slurry to obtain an impregnated unidirectional fiber layer comprising the particles of the polymer
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for producing a unidirectional tape with a surface polymer layer, the method comprising the steps of a) providing an impregnation slurry comprising particles of a polymer, water, optionally a surfactant, optionally an organic carrying medium, optionally organic compounds and optionally surface active compounds, and providing a pressing tool having a surface profile structure, the surface profile structure having a surface roughness Ra of 1 to 20 μm, preferably of 2 to 10 μm, more preferably 3 to 7 μm, b) impregnating a unidirectional fiber layer comprising unidirectional fibers with the impregnation slurry to obtain an impregnated unidirectional fiber layer comprising the particles of the polymer, c) pressing at a surface of the impregnated unidirectional fiber layer with the surface profile structure to move at least some of the particles of the polymer within the impregnated unidirectional fiber layer onto the surface to form a surface polymer layer on the unidirectional fiber layer, and d) obtaining a unidirec