THERMOPLASTIC PREPREG

• US 20200130232A1
• Filed: 10/26/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2018
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Johns Manville Corporation (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Johns Manville Corporation (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Inventors: Zhang, Mingfu, Asrar, Jawed
• Application Number:
  US16/171,956
• Publication Number:
  US 20200130232A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/12 using fibres of short length, e.g. in the form of a mat non-woven fabrics per se D04H1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/502 by first forming a mat composed of short fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/089 fabric
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2260/046 Synthetic resin
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/34 comprising polyamides

Abstract

A thermoplastic prepreg includes a fabric, mat, web, or mesh of fibers and a thermoplastic material that fully impregnates the fibers such that the thermoplastic prepreg has a void content of less than 5 percent. The thermoplastic material includes or consists of polymers that are formed by polymerization of monomers or oligomers in which greater than 90 percent of the monomers or oligomers polymerize to form the thermoplastic material and in which less than 100 percent of the monomers or oligomers polymerize to form the thermoplastic material. The thermoplastic prepreg includes residual monomers or oligomers since less than 100 percent of the monomers or oligomers polymerize and the thermoplastic prepreg includes between 15 and 85 weight percent of the thermoplastic material.

Claims

1. A thermoplastic prepreg comprising:

a fabric, mat, web, or mesh of fibers; and

a thermoplastic material that fully impregnates the fabric, mat, web, or mesh of fibers such that the thermoplastic prepreg has a void content of less than 5 percent by volume, the thermoplastic material comprising thermoplastic polymers that are formed by in situ polymerization of monomers or oligomers in which greater than 90 percent of the monomers or oligomers polymerize to form the thermoplastic polymer;

wherein;

the thermoplastic prepreg includes between 15 and 85 weight percent of the thermoplastic material; and

the thermoplastic prepreg includes a residual monomer or oligomer content consisting of monomers or oligomers that are not polymerized during formation of the thermoplastic polymer.

2. The thermoplastic prepreg of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic material includes between 0.5 and 5 percent of the residual monomer or oligomer content.

3. The thermoplastic prepreg of claim 2, wherein the thermoplastic material includes between 1 and 3 percent of the residual monomer or oligomer content.

4. The thermoplastic prepreg of claim 2, wherein the residual monomer or oligomer content consists of caprolactam.

5. The thermoplastic prepreg of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic polymer has a molecular weight of greater than 25,000 g/mol.

6. The thermoplastic prepreg of claim 1, wherein the fabric, mat, web, or mesh of fibers includes a fabric formed of continuous fiber strands, a nonwoven mat formed of a plurality of entangled or bonded fibers, a web or mesh of chopped fibers, or a combination thereof.

7. The thermoplastic prepreg of claim 6, wherein the fabric, mat, web, or mesh of fibers has a layered configuration having a first layer that includes continuous fiber strands, entangled or bonded fibers, or chopped fibers, and a second layer that includes continuous fiber strands, entangled or bonded fibers, or chopped fibers, wherein the first layer has a different fiber configuration than the second layer.

8. The thermoplastic prepreg of claim 1, thermoplastic prepreg further comprises hollow glass microspheres that are positioned atop the fabric, mat, web, or mesh of fibers or dispersed therein.

9. The thermoplastic prepreg of claim 1, wherein the fibers of the fabric, mat, web, or mesh of fibers include a sizing composition having a coupling agent that promotes bonding between the fibers and the thermoplastic polymer.

10. The thermoplastic prepreg of claim 1, wherein the fabric, mat, web, or mesh of fibers include glass fibers, carbon fibers, basalt fibers, metal fibers, ceramic fibers, natural fibers, synthetic organic fibers, aramid fibers, inorganic fibers, or a combination thereof.

11. The thermoplastic prepreg of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic prepreg is a roll product.

12. The thermoplastic prepreg of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic prepreg is a sheet product.

13. The thermoplastic prepreg of claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic polymer comprises polyamides formed by in situ polymerization of caprolactam, laurolactam, or mixtures thereof.

14. A thermoplastic prepreg comprising:

a fabric, mat, web, or mesh of fibers; and

a thermoplastic material that fully impregnates the fabric, mat, web, or mesh of fibers such that the thermoplastic prepreg has a void content of less than 5 percent the thermoplastic material comprising thermoplastic polymers that are formed by in situ polymerization of monomers or oligomers in which greater than 90 percent of the monomers or oligomers polymerize to form the thermoplastic polymer and in which less than 100 percent of the monomers or oligomers polymerize to form the thermoplastic polymer such that the thermoplastic prepreg includes residual monomers or oligomers;

wherein the thermoplastic prepreg includes between 15 and 85 weight percent of the thermoplastic material.

15. The thermoplastic prepreg of claim 14, wherein less than 99.5 percent of the monomers or oligomers polymerize to form the thermoplastic polymer.

16. The thermoplastic prepreg of claim 15, wherein less than 98.5 percent of the monomers or oligomers polymerize to form the thermoplastic polymer.

17. The thermoplastic prepreg of claim 15, wherein the residual monomers or oligomers consists of caprolactam.

18. The thermoplastic prepreg of claim 14, wherein the thermoplastic polymer has a molecular weight greater than 25,000 g/mol.

19. The thermoplastic prepreg of claim 14, wherein the fabric, mat, web, or mesh of fibers includes a fabric formed of continuous fiber strands, a nonwoven mat formed of a plurality of entangled or bonded fibers, a web or mesh of chopped fibers, or a combination thereof.

20. The thermoplastic prepreg of claim 19, wherein the fabric, mat, web, or mesh of fibers has a layered configuration having a first layer that includes continuous fiber strands, entangled or bonded fibers, or chopped fibers, and a second layer that includes continuous fiber strands, entangled or bonded fibers, or chopped fibers, wherein the first layer has a different fiber configuration than the second layer.

21. The thermoplastic prepreg of claim 14, thermoplastic prepreg further comprises hollow glass microspheres that are positioned atop the fabric, mat, web, or mesh of fibers or dispersed therein.

22. The thermoplastic prepreg of claim 14, wherein the fibers of the fabric, mat, web, or mesh of fibers include a sizing composition having a coupling agent that promotes bonding between the fibers and the thermoplastic polymer.

23. The thermoplastic prepreg of claim 14, wherein the fabric, mat, web, or mesh of fibers include glass fibers, carbon fibers, basalt fibers, metal fibers, ceramic fiber, natural fibers, synthetic organic fibers, aramid fibers, inorganic fibers, or combinations thereof.