Pultrusion process for preparing composites
First Claim
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1. A pultrusion process for preparing a fiber reinforced polymer composite, which comprises:
- (a) continuously pulling a roving or tow of continuous longitudinally aligned filaments successively through an impregnation chamber and a die;
(b) continuously mixing the components required to form a polymer, said components including a reactive monomer, thereby forming a liquid precursor mixture including said reactive monomer and having a substantially lower viscosity than that of said polymer, and feeding the resulting precursor mixture to said impregnation chamber;
(c) contacting said filaments with said precursor mixture in said impregnation chamber, thereby forming a coating of said precursor mixture on said filaments in said impregnation chamber, the conditions in said impregnation chamber being such that substantially complete wetting of said filaments by said precursor mixture takes place and such that substantially no polymerization takes place;
(d) directing the coated filaments from step (c) through a die and heating the coated filaments in said die to reaction temperature, thereby causing polymerization to take place in said die, wherein a solid composite comprising filaments coated with a solid polymer is formed; and
(e) drawing said composite from said die.
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Abstract
An improved pultrusion process for preparing composites comprises combining polymer precursors in a mixer and continuously introducing the resulting mixture, together with reinforcing fibers, into an impregnation chamber maintained under conditions such that the mixture remains in liquid form of low viscosity. The impregnated fibers are continuously withdrawn from the chamber through a die in which polymerization of the precursors takes place to form the desired composite.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A pultrusion process for preparing a fiber reinforced polymer composite, which comprises:
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(a) continuously pulling a roving or tow of continuous longitudinally aligned filaments successively through an impregnation chamber and a die; (b) continuously mixing the components required to form a polymer, said components including a reactive monomer, thereby forming a liquid precursor mixture including said reactive monomer and having a substantially lower viscosity than that of said polymer, and feeding the resulting precursor mixture to said impregnation chamber; (c) contacting said filaments with said precursor mixture in said impregnation chamber, thereby forming a coating of said precursor mixture on said filaments in said impregnation chamber, the conditions in said impregnation chamber being such that substantially complete wetting of said filaments by said precursor mixture takes place and such that substantially no polymerization takes place; (d) directing the coated filaments from step (c) through a die and heating the coated filaments in said die to reaction temperature, thereby causing polymerization to take place in said die, wherein a solid composite comprising filaments coated with a solid polymer is formed; and (e) drawing said composite from said die. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification