Smart-fiber-reinforced matrix composites

• US 5,803,963 A
• Filed: 11/08/1995
• Issued: 09/08/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Carolyn M. Dry
• Original Assignee: Carolyn M. Dry
• Inventors: Dry, Carolyn M.
• Primary Examiner(s): MARCHESCHI, MICHAEL A
• Application Number:
  US08/555,361
• Time in Patent Office: 1,035 Days
• Field of Search: 106/677, 106/711, 106/724, 106/802, 106/819, 106/805, 106/823, 428/320.2, 428/321.1, 428/321.5, 428/364, 428/375, 523/218, 523/214, 523/200, 524/492, 524/80
• US Class Current: 106/677
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 27/48 with macromolecular fillers
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 17/00 Details of, or accessories for, apparatus for shaping the material; Auxiliary measures taken in connection with such shaping moulds B28B7/00; after-treatment B28B11/00; feeding or discharging B28B13/00; arrangements for embedding elements in the material B28B23/00
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 20/0048 Fibrous materials
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 20/0056 Hollow or porous fibres
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 22/006 released by a chemical reaction, e.g. polymer condensation
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 38/0003 containing continuous channels, e.g. of the "dead-end" type or obtained by pushing bars in the green ceramic product B28B takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 40/0007 Electric, magnetic or electromagnetic fields
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 40/0028 Aspects relating to the mixing step of the mortar preparation
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 40/0071 making use of a rise in pressure
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 40/0092 Temporary binders, mortars or concrete, i.e. materials intended to be destroyed or removed after hardening, e.g. by acid dissolution
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 40/024 Steam hardening, e.g. in an autoclave
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 40/0263 Hardening promoted by a rise in temperature C04B40/024 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 40/06 Inhibiting the setting, e.g. mortars of the deferred action type containing water in breakable containers ; Inhibiting the action of active ingredients
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 40/0633 Chemical separation of ingredients, e.g. slowly soluble activator
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 40/0675 Mortars activated by rain, percolating or sucked-up water; Self-healing mortars or concrete
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 3/241 Preventing premature crosslinking by physical separation of components, e.g. encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 7/00 Use of ingredients characterised by shape
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 7/02 Fibres or whiskers
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 7/22 Expanded, porous or hollow particles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249994 Composite having a component wherein a constituent is liquid or is contained within preformed walls [e.g., impregnant-filled, previously void containing component, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249995 : Constituent is in liquid form
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249997 : Encapsulated liquid
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2913 : Rod, strand, filament or fiber
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2933 : Coated or with bond, impregnation or core

Abstract

A system is provided including smart fibers which are employed to deliver agents or components to a matrix before or during cure to affect matrix cure or shaping reactions and final cured structures. The delivered agents may be reactants or catalysts to initiate or modify curing, or other agents such as heat, steam, or a coolant, for example. The system may be used to simulate bone formation, growth, and repair.

Claims

1. A method for making a shaped fiber-matrix composite material comprising the steps of:

preparing a plurality of hollow fibers, each hollow fiber including a pair of opposed open end portions and an intermediate portion extending between the opposed ends, the intermediate portion having a sidewall structure permitting outward release of a reactive component through the sidewall from an interior portion of the fiber;

surrounding the intermediate portions of the hollow fibers with a shapeable curable matrix composition;

introducing a reactive component into the interior portion of at least one of the hollow fibers;

releasing reactive component from the intermediate portion of the hollow fiber into the curable matrix composition; and

curing the matrix composition and reactive component to form the shaped fiber matrix composite material.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said matrix composition further comprises a co-reactive component which reacts directly with the reactive component upon release of the reactive component.

3. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein, prior to curing, said co-reactive component is in the form of a coating around at least one of the fibers.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said reactive component includes a self-curing composition which reacts after being released to cure within the matrix composition.

5. The method as defined in claim 4, wherein the matrix composition further comprises a co-reactive component which reacts with a by-product of a cure reaction of the reactive component.

6. The method as defined in claim 5, wherein said by-product includes water.

7. The method as defined in claim 6, wherein the matrix composition is a cementitious material, said co-reactive component is a monomer, said method further comprising:

polymerizing said co-reactive component with said reactive component, wherein the water is given off as condensation from the polymerizing; and

hydrating the cementitious material with the water.

8. The method as defined in claim 5, wherein said by-product includes heat.

9. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the hollow fibers are prepared in a parallel, spaced apart array of fibers.

10. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the hollow fibers are prepared in bundles of grouped parallel fibers.

11. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the hollow fibers are prepared in the form of a web.

12. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the hollow fibers are arranged in the form of a net shape.

13. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said curable matrix composition includes at least one curable monomer and said reactive component comprises comonomers, crosslinking agents, hardening agents, crosslinking catalysts or mixtures of any of the foregoing.

14. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said curable matrix composition comprises an organic material.

15. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said curable matrix composition comprises an inorganic material.

16. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said curable matrix composition comprises a mixture of inorganic and organic materials.

17. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein, prior to curing, said curable matrix composition is a powder.

18. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein, prior to curing, said curable matrix composition is a liquid.

19. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein, prior to curing, said curable matrix composition is a coating around some of the fibers.

20. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the surrounding step includes delivering a matrix component in liquid form through at least one fiber, from which the matrix component permeates through the fiber to its exterior.

21. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the fibers is made of piezoelectric material.

22. The method as defined in claim 21, wherein the method further comprises:

stressing the piezoelectric fiber during curing.

23. The method as defined in claim 21, wherein the method further comprises:

applying a voltage through the piezoelectric fiber during curing to cause the fiber to move.

24. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the fibers is made of a conductive material, the method further comprising:

applying an electrical charge to the conductive fiber during curing.

25. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the releasing step includes:

actuating at least one constrictive element which is disposed at least partially around at least one of the fibers thereby delivering said reactive component by squeezing the fiber.

26. The method as defined in claim 25, wherein the constrictive element is made of a shape memory alloy including a material selected from the group consisting of magnetoconstrictive materials and electroconstrictive materials.

27. A method as defined in claim 25, wherein the constrictive element is made of a hydrogel material which constricts in the presence of water.

28. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

providing a bulbous extension of the fiber; and

squeezing the bulbous extension of the fiber to pump fluid therefrom.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein a shape-memory material is disposed around the bulbous extension, the method further comprising:

activating the shape-memory material with a stimulus to constrict the shape-memory material around the bulbous extension.

30. The method according to claim 28, wherein the bulbous extension is made of shape-memory material, the method further comprising:

activating the shape-memory material with a stimulus to constrict the bulbous extension.

31. The method according to claim 28, wherein the bulbous extension is made of piezoelectric material, the method further comprising:

applying an electric charge to the piezoelectric material to constrict the bulbous extension.

32. The method as defined in claim 1 further comprising:

introducing a thermal transfer fluid into the interior portion of at least one of the hollow fibers; and

transferring thermal energy between the intermediate portion of the hollow fiber and the matrix composition.

33. The method as defined in claim 32, wherein the thermal transfer fluid is a coolant, and whereby the transferring of thermal energy is an absorption of heat into the coolant from the matrix composition.

34. The method as defined in claim 32, wherein the thermal transfer fluid is a heated fluid, and whereby the transferring of thermal energy is absorption of heat into the matrix composition from the heated fluid.

35. The method as defined in claim 34, wherein the thermal energy activates a heat-activatable modifier.

36. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

purging the reactive component from at least one of the hollow fibers so that the hollow fiber is reusable for delivery of a fluid into the matrix composition after curing.

37. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

delivering a repair component through at least one of the fibers to a damaged site of the cured matrix composition.

38. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

delivering a chemical through at least one of the fibers into the cured fiber matrix composition, to cause chemical degrading of the cured matrix composition.

39. A method for making a shaped fiber-matrix article comprising:

preparing a plurality of hollow fibers, each hollow fiber including a pair of opposed open end portions and an intermediate portion extending between the opposed ends;

surrounding the intermediate portions of the hollow fibers with a shapeable curable matrix composition;

initiating a curing of the matrix composition;

introducing a thermal transfer fluid into the interior portion of at least one of the hollow fibers;

transferring thermal energy between the thermal transfer fluid and the matrix composition through the intermediate portion of the hollow fiber; and

curing the matrix composition to form a shaped fiber matrix composite material.

40. The method as defined in claim 39, wherein the thermal transfer fluid is a coolant, and whereby the transferring of thermal energy is an absorption of heat from the matrix composition to the coolant.

41. The method as defined in claim 39, wherein the thermal transfer fluid is a heated fluid, and whereby the transferring of thermal energy is absorption of heat into the matrix from the heated fluid.

42. The method as defined in claim 41, wherein the heated fluid is steam.

43. The method as defined in claim 41, wherein the matrix composition includes a heat activatable component, and whereby the initiating step is a result of delivering heat to the matrix.

44. The method as defined in claim 39, wherein at least one of the hollow fibers has a porous wall and wherein the initiating step includes:

delivering a reactive component to the matrix component through the porous wall of the fiber.

45. A method for making a shaped fiber-matrix composite material comprising the steps of:

preparing a plurality of hollow fibers, each hollow fiber including a pair of opposed open end portions and an intermediate portion extending between the opposed ends, the intermediate portion having a sidewall structure permitting outward release of an adhesive component through the sidewall from an interior portion of the fiber, the plurality of hollow fibers being bundled together in an array of fibers;

introducing the adhesive component into the interior portion of at least one of the hollow fibers;

releasing adhesive component from the intermediate portion of the hollow fiber between the hollow fiber and adjacent hollow fibers in the array; and

curing the adhesive component in the array to form a shaped matrix-fiber composite structure.

46. The method as defined in claim 45, wherein at least one of the fibers delivers a reactive component which reacts with the adhesive component to initiate the curing step.

47. The method as defined in claim 45, wherein the adhesive component is a one-part epoxy containing a latent catalyst component which is activatable by an external stimulus to initiate the curing step.

48. The method as defined in claim 47, wherein the latent catalyst is a photoinitiator, and wherein the external stimulus is light.

49. The method as defined in claim 47, wherein the external stimulus is heat.

50. The method as defined in claim 47, wherein the external stimulus is a laser beam.

51. The method as defined in claim 47, wherein the external stimulus is actinic radiation.

52. A fiber-matrix composite material comprising:

a cured matrix material having at least one hollow fiber disposed therein, said hollow fiber having a wall with a plurality of pores, the matrix material having a plurality of polymer formations interspersed therein, such that at least some of the formations stem from pores, the formations anchoring the fibers to the matrix material.

53. A method of making a fiber-matrix composite material comprising the steps of:

preparing a curable matrix composition around one or more rods;

initiating a curing of the matrix composition;

removing the rod from the matrix composition after the matrix composition has set, forming a hollow channel in the set matrix composition;

delivering a fluid through the hollow channel.

54. The method according to claim 53, wherein the delivering occurs during curing of the matrix composition.

55. The method according to claim 53, wherein the delivering occurs after curing of the matrix composition.

56. The method according to claim 53, wherein the fluid is a coolant to cause a transfer of heat from the matrix composition to the fluid during curing.

57. The method according to claim 53, wherein the fluid transfers heat into the matrix composition.

58. The method according to claim 57, wherein the heat activates a heat-activatable component in the matrix to cause a chemical reaction.

59. The method according to claim 53, wherein the fluid is a chemical which reacts with a compound in the matrix composition.

60. The method according to claim 59, wherein the chemical is a solvent which degrades the matrix composition.