Provided is a fiber sizing agent including a vinyl ester resin (A), an epoxy compound (B), and an aqueous medium. The vinyl ester resin (A) has an alkoxy polyoxyalkylene structure and a urethane linkage. The fiber sizing agent exhibits excellent binding ability for various fibers, such as glass fibers and carbon fibers. Molded articles produced from a molding material including the fiber sizing agent have various excellent physical properties, and examples of the physical properties include flexural strength, compressive strength, and interlaminar shear strength. Accordingly, the molded articles can be used, for example, in automotive parts, aircraft parts, windmill parts, industrial parts, and the like.

Provided is a fiber sizing agent including a vinyl ester resin (A), an epoxy compound (B), and an aqueous medium. The vinyl ester resin (A) has an alkoxy polyoxyalkylene structure and a urethane linkage. The fiber sizing agent exhibits excellent binding ability for various fibers, such as glass fibers and carbon fibers. Molded articles produced from a molding material including the fiber sizing agent have various excellent physical properties, and examples of the physical properties include flexural strength, compressive strength, and interlaminar shear strength. Accordingly, the molded articles can be used, for example, in automotive parts, aircraft parts, windmill parts, industrial parts, and the like.

A fiber-reinforced polyamide resin base material comprises continuous reinforcing fibers, or comprises a reinforcing fiber base material in which discontinuous reinforcing fibers are dispersed, impregnated with a polyamide resin. In the polyamide resin, at least part of the polymer constituting the polyamide resin is an end-modified polyamide resin having, at an end group of the polymer, a structure constituted by a structural unit different from a repeating structural unit constituting the backbone of the polymer. A fiber-reinforced polyamide resin base material having an excellent impregnation property and thermal stability, less void, and excellent surface quality is provided.

A fiber-reinforced polyamide resin base material comprises continuous reinforcing fibers, or comprises a reinforcing fiber base material in which discontinuous reinforcing fibers are dispersed, impregnated with a polyamide resin. In the polyamide resin, at least part of the polymer constituting the polyamide resin is an end-modified polyamide resin having, at an end group of the polymer, a structure constituted by a structural unit different from a repeating structural unit constituting the backbone of the polymer. A fiber-reinforced polyamide resin base material having an excellent impregnation property and thermal stability, less void, and excellent surface quality is provided.

A fiber-reinforced material includes a discontinuous reinforcing fiber aggregate of a discontinuous reinforcing fiber having a number average fiber length of 3 to 100 mm and a matrix resin, the discontinuous reinforcing fiber aggregate including a plurality of discontinuous reinforcing fiber bundles having a predetermined number of unidirectionally-bundled single yarns of the discontinuous reinforcing fiber, wherein the discontinuous reinforcing fiber bundle has a cut surface inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to an orientation direction of the single yarn of the discontinuous reinforcing fiber bundle and has different fiber bundle lengths defined as a distance between both ends along the orientation direction of the single yarn of the discontinuous reinforcing fiber bundle, the shorter the fiber bundle length of the discontinuous reinforcing fiber bundle, the smaller a tip angle defined as an acute angle at an end of a two-dimensional plane projection of the discontinuous reinforcing fiber bundle.

A fiber-reinforced material includes a discontinuous reinforcing fiber aggregate of a discontinuous reinforcing fiber having a number average fiber length of 3 to 100 mm and a matrix resin, the discontinuous reinforcing fiber aggregate including a plurality of discontinuous reinforcing fiber bundles having a predetermined number of unidirectionally-bundled single yarns of the discontinuous reinforcing fiber, wherein the discontinuous reinforcing fiber bundle has a cut surface inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to an orientation direction of the single yarn of the discontinuous reinforcing fiber bundle and has different fiber bundle lengths defined as a distance between both ends along the orientation direction of the single yarn of the discontinuous reinforcing fiber bundle, the shorter the fiber bundle length of the discontinuous reinforcing fiber bundle, the smaller a tip angle defined as an acute angle at an end of a two-dimensional plane projection of the discontinuous reinforcing fiber bundle.

The present disclosure provides an object cutting device for manufacturing a composite material including an arrangement unit configured to support an object at both sides, an upper cutting unit including an upper cutter configured to cut the object at an upper side, a lower cutting unit including a lower cutter configured to cut the object a lower side, and a collection unit configured to collect cut objects. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, it is possible to wind and unwind a connected object or positionally move an end thereof to prevent a reduction in a tensile force, thereby easily acquiring an object that is cut into more uniform lengths and enabling the mass production of the object.

The present disclosure provides an object cutting device for manufacturing a composite material including an arrangement unit configured to support an object at both sides, an upper cutting unit including an upper cutter configured to cut the object at an upper side, a lower cutting unit including a lower cutter configured to cut the object a lower side, and a collection unit configured to collect cut objects. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, it is possible to wind and unwind a connected object or positionally move an end thereof to prevent a reduction in a tensile force, thereby easily acquiring an object that is cut into more uniform lengths and enabling the mass production of the object.

A binder resin composition for a preform has a Tg of 50 C. to 100 C., a complex viscoelastic coefficient G* determined by dynamic viscoelasticity measurement of 10 kPa to 500 kPa at Tg+30 C., and G* at Tg+30 C./G* at Tg+80 C. of 10 to 300, wherein the viscosity monotonically decreases as temperature of the binder resin composition for a preform rises to 200 C. The binder resin composition is excellent in storage stability at ordinary temperatures and adhesiveness between preform layers at low temperatures, and is capable of exhibiting stable adhesiveness even when the temperature during preform molding is uneven. A reinforcing fiber base material, a preform, and a fiber reinforced composite material include the binder resin composition.

The present invention relates to a process for the manufacturing of composite materials from natural fibers and thermoplastic polymers. Examples of fibers are wood fibers originating from pulping processes known as refiner pulp (RMP), thermomechanical pulp (TMP) or chemi-thermomechanical pulp (CTMP), but the process can also be applied to other kinds of natural fiber containing raw materials. In the process according to the present invention, fibers are introduced from the blowline or the housing of a refiner into a flash tube dryer, separated from humid air in a cyclone, introduced into a compounder and mixed with at least one thermoplastic polymer and the product is subsequently pelletized. The process according to the present invention is advantageously run as a continuous process.