Transparent, reinforced, composite fiber and articles made therefrom

• US 8,323,436 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2007
• Issued: 12/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army
• Inventors: Sennett, Michael, Welsh, Elizabeth A., Herbert, Jean M., Cunniff, Phillip M.
• Primary Examiner(s): GRAY, JILL M
• Application Number:
  US11/732,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20080241537A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,078 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 156/181
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/10 characterised by the structure of fibrous reinforcements , e.g. hollow fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2995/0026 Transparent
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2011/0016 Lenses
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/778 Windows profiled elements for making window frames B29L2031/005, windscreens B29L2031/3052
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/26 characterised by a particular shape of the outline of the cross-section of a continuous layer; characterised by a layer with cavities or internal voids foam layer B32B5/18; layer of synthetic resin characterised by fillers that create voids or cavities B32B27/205; characterised by an apertured layer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2967 Synthetic resin or polymer

Abstract

A transparent, reinforced, composite polymeric fiber that has a polymeric body portion made from a first thermoplastic polymer that is transparent to visible light. The fiber includes polymeric reinforcement elements embedded within the polymeric body portion. The polymeric body portion extends between and about the polymeric reinforcement elements. Each polymeric reinforcement element is formed from a second thermoplastic polymer that is transparent to visible light. The peripheral portion and outer surface of the polymeric body portion defines a peripheral portion and outer surface, respectively, of the transparent, reinforced, composite polymeric fiber. A plurality of the fibers are formed into an array that is processed with a consolidation process to form a transparent, reinforced, composite structure.

Claims

1. A method for making a transparent, reinforced, composite, rigid structure, comprising:

providing a plurality of transparent, reinforced, composite polymeric fibers, each of said fibers comprising a polymeric body portion having a peripheral portion that defines an outer surface, and polymeric reinforcement elements embedded within said polymeric body portion such that said polymeric body portion extends between and about said polymeric reinforcement elements, said peripheral portion and outer surface of said polymeric body portion defining a peripheral portion and outer surface, respectively of said transparent, reinforced, composite polymeric fiber;

arranging said plurality of fibers into an array wherein each of said plurality of fibers is arranged without any twisting together thereof;

bagging the arrayed plurality of fibers under low pressure; and

applying heat and pressure, via a hydraulic press, to subject said array to compression to consolidate said array into a transparent reinforced, composite, rigid structure, said transparent, reinforced composite, rigid structure having a peripheral portion and outer surface formed by said polymeric body portion;

wherein said polymeric body portion comprises a first thermoplastic polymer selected from a first group of polymers consisting of polyolefin, polyamide, polycarbonate, acrylic, vinyl, polystyrene, polyurethane and polyimide and wherein each of said polymeric reinforcement elements comprises a second thermoplastic polymer that is a different thermoplastic polymer selected from the polymers of the first group of polymers than that of said first thermoplastic polymer and wherein the first and second thermoplastic polymers are transparent to visible light;

wherein said first thermoplastic polymer has a first predetermined glass transition temperature and/or melting temperature and said second thermoplastic polymer has second predetermined glass transition temperature and/or melting temperature that is relatively greater than said first predetermined glass transition temperature and/or melting temperature;

wherein each polymeric reinforcement element has one dimension thereof that is relatively smaller than the wavelength of visible light; and

wherein the first thermoplastic polymer and said second thermoplastic polymer have the same, or very nearly the same, refractive index.