US 12,319,019 B2
Fiber-reinforced composite material molding apparatus and fiber-reinforced composite material molding method
Kodai Shimono, Tokyo (JP); and Hiroshi Tokutomi, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD., Tokyo (JP)
Appl. No. 17/787,530
Filed by MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD., Tokyo (JP)
PCT Filed Mar. 25, 2021, PCT No. PCT/JP2021/012644
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 20, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/201453, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 29, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0339195 A1, Oct. 26, 2023
Int. Cl. B29C 70/54 (2006.01); B29C 70/44 (2006.01)
CPC B29C 70/548 (2013.01) [B29C 70/443 (2013.01); B29C 70/446 (2013.01)] 3 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A fiber-reinforced composite material molding method for molding a composite material by using a molding die,
the molding die including:
a main body portion including a first groove portion that extends along a first direction, second groove portions that are formed at a plurality of positions in the first direction and extend along a second direction crossing the first direction, and a step portion that extends along the first direction and is disposed between the first groove portion and the second groove portions; and
a lid portion that extends along the first direction, is disposed being in contact with the step portion to cover the first groove portion, and forms a part of a molding surface for molding a fiber base material,
either the main body portion or the lid portion including a communication groove through which the first groove portion and is communicated with the second groove portions,
the fiber-reinforced composite material molding method, comprising:
a disposing step of disposing the fiber base material on the molding surface with a releasable sheet sandwiched in between;
a hermetically sealing step of sealing the fiber base material in the molding die by using a hermetically sealing member to form a hermetically sealed space; and
an injecting step of intaking air in the hermetically sealed space formed by the hermetically sealing step to depressurize the hermetically sealed space and injecting a resin material into the first groove portion, wherein
the molding die includes
a first molding surface on which a first fiber base material having a first width along a width direction orthogonal to the first direction is disposed, a second molding surface on which a second fiber base material having a second width greater than the first width along the width direction is disposed, and a wall portion that extends along the first direction and is configured to connect the first molding surface with the second molding surface, and
a third groove portion extending along the second direction being formed in the second molding surface,
the wall portion being formed to be flat over an entire region in the first direction,
the fiber-reinforced composite material molding method further comprises an attaching step of attaching a first sheet on a region other than a region of the first fiber base material facing the wall portion and attaching a second sheet on the second fiber base material, wherein
the disposing step includes disposing the first fiber base material on the first molding surface with the first sheet sandwiched in between and disposing the second fiber base material on the second molding surface with the second sheet sandwiched in between.