METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING FIBER-REINFORCED PLASTIC

• US 20190329460A1
• Filed: 07/08/2019
• Published: 10/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Takano, Tsuneo, Honma, Takashi, Kaji, Satoshi
• Granted Patent: US 11,660,785 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/308 Adjustable moulds for injection moulding B29C45/376
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 43/34 Feeding the material to the mould or the compression means B29C43/085 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/16 using fibres of substantial or continuous length non-woven fabrics per se D04H3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/207 arranged in parallel planes of fibres crossing at substantial angles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/386 Automated tape laying [ATL]
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/46 using matched moulds, e.g. for deforming sheet moulding compounds [SMC] or prepregs
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/06 containing reinforcements, fillers or inserts
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/0809 Fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/0872 Prepregs
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/7739 Curved shaped
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2262/106 Carbon fibres, e.g. graphite fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/14 next to a particulate layer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/18 characterised by the use of special additives

Abstract

Provided is a method for producing a fiber reinforced plastic with which the occurrence of wrinkling or bridging in a convex surface or a concave surface having a large curvature can be suppressed at the same time even if the fiber reinforced plastic has a complicated three-dimensional shape,

• • the method for producing a fiber reinforced plastic, including a step of shaping a prepreg sheet in which continuous fibers are impregnated with a resin material into a three-dimensional shape to produce a fiber reinforced plastic(a);
  • wherein at least a portion of the continuous fibers in an area (X) of the prepreg sheet corresponding to an area (X′) in which the fiber reinforced plastic (a) is sheared and deformed is bent in an in-plane direction in advance.

Claims

1. A method for producing a fiber reinforced plastic, comprising the step of:

shaping a prepreg sheet in which continuous fibers are impregnated with a resin material into a three-dimensional shape to produce a fiber reinforced plastic (a),

wherein at least a portion of the continuous fibers in an area (X) of said prepreg sheet corresponding to an area (X′

) in which said fiber reinforced plastic (a) is sheared and deformed is bent in an in-plane direction in advance.

2. The method for producing a fiber reinforced plastic according to claim 1, wherein when a shear angle distribution is determined based on a fiber placement of continuous fibers in a fiber reinforced plastic of the same shape as that of said fiber reinforced plastic (a) by simulation software capable of determining a fiber placement of continuous fibers in a three-dimensional fiber reinforced plastic, said area (X′

) is an area in which a shear angle is 5°

or more in said shear angle distribution.

3. The method for producing a fiber reinforced plastic according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

producing said prepreg sheet such that at least a part of said area (X) is in the same state as a state of being sheared and deformed in the same direction as a direction of shear deformation in said area (X′

).

4. The method for producing a fiber reinforced plastic according to claim 1, wherein said continuous fibers are bent in an in-plane direction of said prepreg sheet by fixing said prepreg sheet at a plurality of fixing portions scattered along the in-plane direction of said prepreg sheet, and moving at least a portion of said plurality of fixing portions in the in-plane direction of said prepreg sheet.

5. The method for producing a fiber reinforced plastic according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

shearing and deforming at least a part of said area (X) by shear deformation means having a plurality of fixing portions that fix said prepreg sheet and are scattered along the in-plane direction of said prepreg sheet, and capable of moving said fixing portions in the in-plane direction of said prepreg sheet; and

shaping said prepreg sheet simultaneously with shear deformation of said prepreg sheet or after shear deformation of said prepreg sheet.

6. The method for producing a fiber reinforced plastic according to claim 5, wherein said shear deformation means is a shear deformation means having a plurality of fixing portions that fix said prepreg sheet and are scattered along the in-plane direction of said prepreg sheet so as to be positioned at lattice points of a tetragonal lattice, and capable of moving said fixing portions in the in-plane direction of said prepreg sheet so that a unit lattice connecting said fixing portions is sheared and deformed.

7. The method for producing a fiber reinforced plastic according to claim 5, wherein said shear deformation means is capable of moving said fixing portions in the in-plane direction of the aforementioned prepreg sheet, and capable of moving said fixing portions in a direction orthogonal to the in-plane direction of said prepreg sheet.

8. The method for producing a fiber reinforced plastic according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

using, as a prepreg sheet in which said continuous fibers are impregnated with the resin material, a prepreg sheet in which a plurality of tow prepregs obtained by impregnating a tow, formed by bundling a plurality of reinforcing fibers, with a resin material are arranged on a sheet, and aligning said plurality of tow prepregs while bending said tow prepreg in a portion corresponding to at least a part of said area (X) in the in-plane direction of said prepreg sheet, thereby producing said prepreg sheet; and

shaping said prepreg sheet simultaneously with producing said prepreg sheet or after producing said prepreg sheet.

9. The method for producing a fiber reinforced plastic according to claim 8, wherein a tow prepreg corresponding to at least a part of said area (X) is deformed to produce said prepreg sheet so that at least a part of said area (X) is in the same state as a state of being sheared and deformed in the same direction as a direction of shear deformation in said area (X′

).

10. The method for producing a fiber reinforced plastic according to claim 8, wherein said plurality of tow prepregs are aligned to produce said prepreg sheet by a tow prepreg placement device provided with a supply head for feeding said tow prepreg while pressing it against a supply target, and a moving means for relatively moving said supply head and said supply target.

11. The method for producing a fiber reinforced plastic according to claim 1, wherein said prepreg sheet is shaped using a press mold after producing said prepreg sheet.

12. The method for producing a fiber reinforced plastic according to claim 1, wherein said prepreg sheet is a laminated prepreg sheet in which two or more of said prepreg sheets are laminated.

13. A method for producing a fiber reinforced plastic, the method comprising the steps of:

shaping a reinforcing fiber base material into a three-dimensional shape to obtain a preform (b),

impregnating said preform (b) with a resin material, and

solidifying said preform (b) impregnated with a resin material to produce a fiber reinforced plastic (a),

wherein at least a part of an area (Y) of said reinforcing fiber base material corresponding to an area (Y′

) in which said preform (b) is sheared and deformed is bent in the in-plane direction in advance.

14. The method for producing a fiber reinforced plastic according to claim 13, wherein when a shear angle distribution is determined based on a fiber placement of the reinforcing fiber base material in a preform of the same shape as that of said preform (b) by simulation software capable of determining a fiber placement of a reinforcing fiber base material in a three-dimensional preform, said area (Y′

) is an area in which a shear angle is 5°

or more in said shear angle distribution.

15. The method for producing a fiber reinforced plastic according to claim 13, further comprising the step of:

producing said reinforcing fiber base material so that at least a part of said area (Y) is in the same state as a state of being sheared and deformed in the same direction as a direction of shear deformation in said area (Y′

).

16. The method for producing a fiber reinforced plastic according to claim 13, wherein said reinforcing fiber base material is bent in the in-plane direction of said reinforcing fiber base material by fixing said reinforcing fiber base material at a plurality of fixing portions scattered along the in-plane direction of said reinforcing fiber base material, and moving at least a portion of said plurality of fixing portions in the in-plane direction of said reinforcing fiber base material.

17. The method for producing a fiber reinforced plastic according to claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

shearing and deforming at least a part of said area (Y) by a shear deformation means having a plurality of fixing portions that fix said reinforcing fiber base material and are scattered along the in-plane direction of said reinforcing fiber base material, and capable of moving said fixing portions in the in-plane direction of said reinforcing fiber base material; and

shaping said reinforcing fiber base material simultaneously with shear deformation of said reinforcing fiber base material or after shear deformation of said reinforcing fiber base material.

18. The method for producing a fiber reinforced plastic according to claim 17, wherein said shear deformation means is a shear deformation means having a plurality of fixing portions that fix said reinforcing fiber base material and are scattered along the in-plane direction of said reinforcing fiber base material so as to be positioned at lattice points of a tetragonal lattice, and capable of moving said fixing portions in the in-plane direction of said reinforcing fiber base material so that a unit lattice connecting said fixing portions is sheared and deformed.

19. The method for producing a fiber reinforced plastic according to claim 17, wherein said shear deformation means is capable of moving said fixing portions in the in-plane direction of said reinforcing fiber base material, and capable of moving said fixing portions in a direction orthogonal to the in-plane direction of said reinforcing fiber base material.

20. The method for producing a fiber reinforced plastic according to claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

shearing and deforming at least a part of said area (Y) by a shear deformation means having a plurality of fixing portions that fix said reinforcing fiber base material and are scattered along the in-plane direction of said reinforcing fiber base material, and capable of moving said fixing portions in the in-plane direction of said reinforcing fiber base material; and

shaping said reinforcing fiber base material simultaneously with shear deformation of said reinforcing fiber base material or after shear deformation of said reinforcing fiber base material.