	US 12,030,291 B2
	Fiber-reinforced composite material and sandwich structure
Naokichi Imai, Ehime (JP); Kotaro Shinohara, Ehime (JP); and Masato Honma, Ehime (JP)
Assigned to Toray Industries, Inc., Tokyo (JP)
Appl. No. 17/777,691
Filed by Toray Industries, Inc., Tokyo (JP)
PCT Filed Nov. 16, 2020, PCT No. PCT/JP2020/042586 § 371(c)(1), (2) Date May 18, 2022, PCT Pub. No. WO2021/106649, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 3, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 2019-216111 (JP), filed on Nov. 29, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2023/0040874 A1, Feb. 9, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. B32B 3/28 (2006.01); B29D 99/00 (2010.01); B32B 5/02 (2006.01); B32B 5/12 (2006.01); B32B 5/26 (2006.01); B32B 38/00 (2006.01); B29B 11/16 (2006.01); B29K 23/00 (2006.01); B29K 307/04 (2006.01)

CPC B32B 3/28 (2013.01) [B29D 99/0089 (2013.01); B32B 5/022 (2013.01); B32B 5/12 (2013.01); B32B 5/266 (2021.05); B32B 38/0032 (2013.01); B29B 11/16 (2013.01); B29K 2023/12 (2013.01); B29K 2307/04 (2013.01); B32B 2250/20 (2013.01); B32B 2250/40 (2013.01); B32B 2260/021 (2013.01); B32B 2260/023 (2013.01); B32B 2260/046 (2013.01); B32B 2262/106 (2013.01); B32B 2305/026 (2013.01); B32B 2305/076 (2013.01); B32B 2305/22 (2013.01); B32B 2307/732 (2013.01); B32B 2457/00 (2013.01); B32B 2601/00 (2013.01); B32B 2605/08 (2013.01); B32B 2605/18 (2013.01)]

16 Claims

1. A fiber-reinforced composite material comprising: a resin (A); and reinforcing fibers (B), and including: a porous structure portion having micropores with an average pore diameter of 500 μm or less as measured by a mercury intrusion method; and a tunnel-shaped coarse cavity portion defined by the porous structure portion and having a maximum length of more than 500 μm as a cross-sectional opening portion, wherein the tunnel-shaped coarse cavity portion extends in an in-plane direction of the fiber reinforced composite material, wherein the in-plane direction is orthogonal to a thickness direction of the fiber reinforced composite material, wherein the reinforcing fibers (B) are discontinuous fibers having a number average fiber length of 1 mm or more and 50 mm or less, wherein the reinforcing fibers (B) are randomly dispersed in the porous structure portion, wherein the fiber-reinforced composite material is molded by using a folded prepreg of resin-impregnated sheet-shaped reinforcing fiber, wherein the tunnel-shaped coarse cavity portion extends in an in-plane direction of the folded prepreg, and wherein the fiber-reinforced composite material comprises a plurality of tunnel-shaped coarse cavity portions extending in an in-plane direction, wherein the opening portions of the tunnel-shaped coarse cavity portions are aligned in the in-plane direction in a cross section orthogonal to an extending direction of the tunnel-shaped coarse cavity portions.