US 12,459,228 B2
Method of using a deep drawn composite
Kumar Kunal, Lynchburg, VA (US); Thomas Arnold Ebeling, Forest, VA (US); Jesse Guy Hipwell, Grand Blanc, MI (US); and Erich James Vorenkamp, Pinckney, MI (US)
Assigned to Hanwha Azdel, Inc., Forest, VA (US)
Filed by HANWHA AZDEL, INC., Forest, VA (US)
Filed on Aug. 27, 2018, as Appl. No. 16/113,616.
Application 16/113,616 is a continuation of application No. 13/543,808, filed on Jul. 7, 2012, granted, now 10,059,079.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/550,603, filed on Oct. 24, 2011.
Prior Publication US 2020/0031091 A1, Jan. 30, 2020
Int. Cl. B32B 5/14 (2006.01); B29C 39/00 (2006.01); B29C 39/02 (2006.01); B29C 39/12 (2006.01); B29C 51/08 (2006.01); B29C 51/14 (2006.01); B29L 31/30 (2006.01); B32B 3/26 (2006.01); B32B 5/02 (2006.01); B32B 5/18 (2006.01); B32B 5/24 (2006.01); B32B 5/26 (2006.01); B32B 25/16 (2006.01); B32B 27/12 (2006.01); B32B 27/28 (2006.01); B32B 27/30 (2006.01); B32B 27/32 (2006.01); B32B 27/34 (2006.01); B32B 27/36 (2006.01); B32B 27/40 (2006.01); B29K 23/00 (2006.01); B29K 101/12 (2006.01)
CPC B32B 5/145 (2013.01) [B29C 39/003 (2013.01); B29C 39/02 (2013.01); B29C 39/12 (2013.01); B29C 51/08 (2013.01); B29C 51/14 (2013.01); B32B 3/26 (2013.01); B32B 3/266 (2013.01); B32B 5/022 (2013.01); B32B 5/026 (2013.01); B32B 5/18 (2013.01); B32B 5/245 (2013.01); B32B 5/26 (2013.01); B32B 25/16 (2013.01); B32B 27/12 (2013.01); B32B 27/28 (2013.01); B32B 27/281 (2013.01); B32B 27/285 (2013.01); B32B 27/30 (2013.01); B32B 27/302 (2013.01); B32B 27/308 (2013.01); B32B 27/32 (2013.01); B32B 27/34 (2013.01); B32B 27/365 (2013.01); B32B 27/40 (2013.01); B29K 2023/00 (2013.01); B29K 2023/12 (2013.01); B29K 2101/12 (2013.01); B29L 2031/3005 (2013.01); B29L 2031/3011 (2013.01); B32B 2250/40 (2013.01); B32B 2262/02 (2013.01); B32B 2262/101 (2013.01); B32B 2262/105 (2013.01); B32B 2262/106 (2013.01); B32B 2270/00 (2013.01); B32B 2274/00 (2013.01); B32B 2307/50 (2013.01); B32B 2307/54 (2013.01); B32B 2307/718 (2013.01); B32B 2605/00 (2013.01); B32B 2605/08 (2013.01); Y02B 10/30 (2013.01); Y10T 428/24 (2015.01); Y10T 428/249986 (2015.04); Y10T 428/269 (2015.01); Y10T 428/273 (2015.01); Y10T 442/674 (2015.04)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of forming a vehicle panel, the method comprising:
adding discontinuous reinforcing glass fibers and a polypropylene resin to an agitated liquid-containing foam to form a dispersed mixture of the polypropylene resin and the discontinuous reinforcing glass fibers;
depositing the dispersed mixture of the discontinuous reinforcing glass fibers and the polypropylene resin onto a forming support element;
evacuating liquid from the deposited, dispersed mixture to form a porous web comprising open cell structures formed by random crossing over of the discontinuous reinforcing glass fibers held together by the polypropylene resin;
heating the formed, porous web above a softening temperature of the polypropylene resin in the formed, porous web;
compressing the heated web to a predetermined thickness to form a polymer material, wherein the polymer material has a density of 0.1 g/cm3 to 2.25 g/cm3, a porosity of 5% to 95%, and 30% by weight to 60% by weight discontinuous reinforcing glass fibers;
disposing adhesive particles on the formed polymer material to provide scattered adhesive particles on the formed polymer material;
disposing a porous non-woven scrim on the disposed adhesive particles to provide a composite material, in which the porous non-woven scrim comprises a basis weight of at least 65 g/m2 and an elongation at break of at least 20%; and
deep draw molding the composite material into a vehicle panel comprising thermoforming the composite material to provide an area with a thermoformed depth of least 5 cm without breakthrough of the deep draw molded vehicle panel at the thermoformed area with the depth of at least 5 cm, wherein the composite material passes a torture tool test with an average draw height of at least 5 cm using a ramp mold without breakthrough of the composite material at the ramp mold, and wherein the torture tool test comprises suspending the composite material using a pin-chains assembly, heating the suspended composite material in an infrared oven above the softening temperature of the polypropylene resin, and compressing the heated composite material in a test-mold comprising the ramp mold and different shapes and dimensions.