EPOXY RESIN COMPOSITION FOR FIBER-REINFORCED COMPOSITE MATERIAL, PREPREG, AND FIBER-REINFORCED COMPOSITE MATERIAL

• US 20020007022A1
• Filed: 06/14/1999
• Published: 01/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toray Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Toray Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: SAWAOKA, RYUJI, OOSEDO, HIROKI, NODA, SHUNSAKU, MIYOSHI, NAOMI
• Granted Patent: US 6,515,081 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 525/527
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 59/40 characterised by the curing agents used
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2363/00 Characterised by the use of epoxy resins; Derivatives of epoxy resins
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 5/243 using carbon fibres
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 5/249 characterised by the additives used in the prepolymer mixture
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 67/06 Unsaturated polyesters
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24994 Fiber embedded in or on the surface of a polymeric matrix
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249952 At least one thermosetting synthetic polymeric material layer

Abstract

In order to realize the objectives stated above, the thermosetting resin composition for carbon fiber reinforced composite materials of the present invention chiefly comprises the following components.

(A) Thermosetting resin

(B) Compound containing one functional group which can react with thermosetting resin (A) or its curing agent, and a moiety selected from the following formulae (1) to (4)

Furthermore, the present invention also relates to a prepreg formed by impregnating reinforcing fiber with the aforesaid resin composition and to carbon fiber reinforced composite materials comprising reinforcing fiber and a cured aforesaid thermosetting resin composition.

In accordance with the present invention, there can be obtained a thermosetting resin composition where the adhesion to reinforcing fiber by the cured material and the elastic modulus of the cured material are excellent, and by using this resin composition there can be obtained carbon fiber reinforced composite materials which are excellent in their 0° compressive strength, 90° tensile strength and interlaminar shear strength, and which also have outstanding impact resistance.

Claims

1. A thermosetting resin composition for carbon fiber reinforced composite materials which chiefly comprises the following component (A) and from 0.5 to 20 parts by weight of component (B) per 100 parts by weight of component (A).

(A) Thermosetting resin

(B) Compound having one functional group which can react with thermosetting resin (A) or its curing agent, and which contains a moiety selected from the following formulae (1) to (4)

2. A thermosetting resin composition for carbon fiber reinforced composite materials according to claim 7 where the amount of component (B) incorporated is from 0.5 to 5 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of component (A).

3. A thermosetting resin composition for carbon fiber reinforced composite materials according to claim 1 where the component (A) is a compound with a plurality of epoxy groups in the molecule (namely an epoxy resin) or a compound with a plurality of polymerizable unsaturated bonds in the molecule.

4. A thermosetting resin composition for carbon fiber reinforced composite materials according to claim 3 where component (A) is an epoxy resin and it includes an epoxy resin curing agent (C).

5. A thermosetting resin composition for carbon fiber reinforced composite materials according to claim 4 where component (B) is a compound having a structure represented by general formula (1).

6. A thermosetting resin composition for carbon fiber reinforced composite materials according to claim 4 where the functional group in (B) which can react with the epoxy resin or its curing agent is a functional group selected from the carboxyl group, phenolic hydroxyl group, amino group, secondary amine structure, mercapto group, epoxy group, and double bond conjugated with a carbonyl group.

7. A thermosetting resin composition for carbon fiber reinforced composite materials according to claim 6 where component (B) is a compound having one moiety represented by formula (5) in the molecule.

8. A thermosetting resin composition for carbon fiber reinforced composite materials according to claim 3 where component (A) is a compound with a plurality of polymerizable unsaturated bonds in the molecule, and component (B) has a polymerizable unsaturated bond in the molecule and, furthermore, it contains a thermolytic polymerization initiator (D).

9. A thermosetting resin composition for carbon fiber reinforced composite materials according to claim 8 where component (B) is a polymerizable monomer which contains a moiety represented by general formula (1).

10. A thermosetting resin composition for carbon fiber reinforced composite materials according to claim 8 where component (D) is an organic peroxide.

11. A thermosetting resin composition for carbon fiber reinforced composite materials according to claim 10 where there is included a thermal decomposition accelerator (E) for component (D)

12. A thermosetting resin composition for carbon fiber reinforced composite materials according to claim 8 where component (A) has a plurality of ester linkages.

13. A thermosetting resin composition for carbon fiber reinforced composite materials according to claim 12 where the component (A) is of at least one type selected from unsaturated polyester resins, vinyl ester resins and allyl resins.

14. A thermosetting resin composition for carbon fiber reinforced composite materials according to claim 8 where component (B) is a compound with one moiety represented by formula (5) in the molecule.

15. A thermosetting resin composition for carbon fiber reinforced composite materials according to claim 8 which includes a polymerizable monomer (F) having one polymerizable unsaturated bond in the molecule and which does not have any structures of formula (1) to (4).

16. A thermosetting resin composition for carbon fiber reinforced composite materials according to claim 1 which is characterized in that the flexural modulus of the cured material is at least 3.2 GPa.

17. A thermosetting resin composition for carbon fiber reinforced composite materials according to claim 1 which is characterized in that the elongation at break of the cured material is at least 8%.

18. A thermosetting resin composition for carbon fiber reinforced composite materials according to claim 1 which is characterized in that there is contained from 1 to 20 parts by weight of thermoplastic resin per 100 parts by weight of component (A).

19. A thermosetting resin composition for carbon fiber reinforced composite materials according to claim 18 which is characterized in that it contains a thermoplastic resin with hydrogen bonding functional groups.

20. A thermosetting resin composition for carbon fiber reinforced composite materials according to claim 1 where the complex viscosity obtained by carrying out dynamic viscoelasticity measurement at 0.5 Hz and 25°

C. is 10,000 to 300,000 Pa.s.

21. A thermosetting resin composition for carbon fiber reinforced composite materials according to claim 1 where the viscosity measured by means of a rotational viscometer at 60 rpm and 25°

C. is from 0.01 to 1.0 Pa.s.

22. A prepreg formed by impregnating carbon fiber with a thermosetting resin composition according to claims 1 to 21.

23. Carbon fiber reinforced composite materials comprising carbon fiber and a cured thermosetting resin composition according to any of claims 1 to 21.

24. Carbon fiber reinforced composite materials according to claim 23 where the carbon fiber reinforced composite material has an interlaminar shear strength as a unidirectional composite material of over 77.0 MPa.

25. Carbon fiber reinforced composite materials according to claim 23 where the carbon fiber reinforced composite material has a 0°

flexural strength as a unidirectional composite material of at least 1700 MPa and an interlaminar shear strength of over 77.0 MPa.