Arcuate fiber composite plastic preform and method for production of curved profiles

• US 10,173,380 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2017
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: COTESA GmbH
• Original Assignee: COTESA GmbH
• Inventors: Groetzschel, Georg
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomas, Alexander S
• Application Number:
  US15/598,733
• Publication Number:
  US 20180304559A1
• Time in Patent Office: 600 Days
• Field of Search: 428 80
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 11/16 comprising fillers or reinforcement non-woven fabrics per se D04H1/00, D04H3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/34 and shaping or impregnating by compression , i.e. combined with compressing after the lay-up operation
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 99/0003 Producing profiled members, e.g. beams
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/089 fabric
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/7739 Curved shaped
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24058 including grain, strips, or filamentary elements in respective layers or components in angular relation

Abstract

An arcuate fiber composite plastic preform and a method for the production of curved profiles with any fiber layer structure are disclosed, which include a layered fiber structure with a base and an arcuate outer contour, an inner edge and an outer edge. The fiber layer structure is configured with a first inner area provided with elevations and depressions, a second adjacent central area with no elevations and depressions and a third outer area and provided with radially oriented open recesses. The method of producing curved profiles from fiber composite plastic preforms having any fiber layer structure includes a molding step, whereby the outer area of the preform with wedge-shaped recesses is being compressed while the inner relief-shaped area is being completely stretched thereby flattening the relief.

Claims

1. An arcuate fiber composite plastic preform for the production of curved profiles comprising,

a fiber layer structure forming a plane or curved base with an arcuate outer contour bordered by front ends, an inner edge with a curvature facing a center of a curve and an outer edge with a curvature facing away from the curve, said fiber layer structure configured with, a first inner area, starting from the inner edge, with a surface including a relief structure along an extent of the curve with elevations and depressions vertical to the base,

a second area starting from the first inner area and extending outward to an adjacent central area as a base and void of elevations and depressions, and

a third outer area starting from the base extending outward and adjacent the outer edge, said outer edge provided with radially oriented open recesses.

2. The arcuate fiber composite plastic preform of claim 1, wherein the first inner area is coordinated relative to a target curved profile such that the area with the relief structure incorporates a surface that corresponds exactly to an extended surface in the curved profile after the relief structure of the inner area has been stretched and thus flattened.

3. The arcuate fiber composite plastic preform of claim 1, wherein the relief structure is configured with elevations and depressions in a wavy pattern.

4. The arcuate fiber composite plastic preform of claim 1, wherein the recesses along the outer edge are arranged in regularly distanced intervals.

5. The arcuate fiber composite plastic preform of claim 1, wherein the recesses are wedge-shaped.

6. The arcuate fiber composite plastic preform of claim 1, wherein the preform is constructed of a number of fiber layers, each layer including unidirectional fiber segments with a fiber angle φ

=0°

, or a fiber angle φ

≠

0°

.

7. A method for the production of a curved profile of fiber composite plastic from the arcuate fiber composite plastic preform according to claim 1 comprising the steps of:

providing a mold having a plane or curved contact surface in the shape of an arch with an outer edge of a radius and a arch length and an inner curved edge of a radius smaller than the outer edge and an arch length smaller than the inner curved edge, wherein each, the inner and outer edge of the contact surface is followed by an oblique or downwardly oriented vertical cheek surface, where an outer cheek surface is curved convexly at the outer edge and an inner cheek surface at the inner edge is concavely curved,

placing the fiber composite plastic-preform such that the base area as deck area is positioned flush with the contact surface of the mold, wherein the adjacent areas, which are the inner area with a relief structure acting as a stretching area, and the outer area, with wedge-shaped recesses acting as a compression area, protrude beyond the cover surface of the mold;

engaging the outer protruding compression area of the preform with the outer cheek surface of the mold, such that the wedge-shaped recesses of the compression area are closed and engaging the inner protruding stretching area of the preform with the inner cheek surface of the mold, wherein the inner relief-shaped stretching area is being completely stretched and thus flattened;

wherein engaging the cheek surfaces is carried out in either one step at once or in subsequent steps in any order.