US 11,945,135 B2
Process for manufacturing a fibrous material pre-impregnated with thermoplastic polymer in powder form
Gilles Hochstetter, L'hay les Roses (FR); Arthur Pierre Babeau, Pau (FR); Thibaut Savart, Sauvagnon (FR); François Tanguy, Mantes-la-Jolie (FR); Denis Huze, Fontaine sous Jouy (FR); Mathieu Capelot, Bernay (FR); and Patrice Gaillard, Hagetaubin (FR)
Assigned to ARKEMA FRANCE, Colombes (FR)
Appl. No. 16/470,390
Filed by Arkema France, Colombes (FR)
PCT Filed Dec. 20, 2017, PCT No. PCT/FR2017/053729
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 12, 2019,
PCT Pub. No. WO2018/115737, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 28, 2018.
Claims priority of application No. 1663204 (FR), filed on Dec. 22, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2020/0223101 A1, Jul. 16, 2020
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. B29B 15/12 (2006.01); B29C 70/20 (2006.01); B29C 70/54 (2006.01); B29K 101/12 (2006.01); B29K 307/04 (2006.01)
CPC B29B 15/12 (2013.01) [B29C 70/20 (2013.01); B29K 2101/12 (2013.01); B29K 2307/04 (2013.01)] 28 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A process for manufacturing a pre-impregnated fibrous material comprising a fibre material made of continuous carbon fibres and at least one thermoplastic polymer matrix,
wherein the pre-impregnated fibrous material is made of a single unidirectional ribbon or of a plurality of unidirectional parallel ribbons,
wherein the process comprises an impregnation step of the fibrous material in the form of a roving or of several parallel rovings by the thermoplastic polymer in powder form, the impregnation step being carried out with the at least one thermoplastic polymer and the fibrous material,
wherein the D90/D10 ratio by volume of the thermoplastic polymer particles ranges from 2 to 10,
wherein the ratio of the mean volume diameter (D50) of the thermoplastic polymer particles to the average diameter unit fibres of the fibrous material ranges from 3 to 40, and excluding any electrostatic process in voluntary charge,
wherein the impregnation step is carried out in a fluidised bed, by continuous passage of the carbon fibres in an aqueous dispersion or by spraying using a spray gun(s) or powder coating nozzle(s),
wherein a creel is present before a tank comprising the fluidised bed for controlling tension of the roving(s) at the tank inlet comprising the fluidised bed, and
wherein the pre-impregnated fibrous material has a fibre content of 45 to 65% by volume and a porosity rate of from 1 to 10%.