A technique for stable, high-speed treatment of reinforcement fiber. In a state where a unidirectional fiber bundle is held between a supporting surface of a support and a pressing surface of a resonator ultrasonically vibrating in a pressing direction perpendicular to the supporting surface, a pressed part of the unidirectional fiber bundle pressed by the pressing surface is moved in a longitudinal direction of the unidirectional fiber bundle. By doing so, the unidirectional fiber bundle can be stably treated at high speed when the unidirectional fiber bundle is opened or impregnated with a resin.

Ballistic resistant composite materials having high positive buoyancy in water are provided. More particularly, provided are foam-free, buoyant composite materials fabricated using dry processing techniques. The materials comprise fibrous plies that are partially coated with a particulate binder that is thermopressed to transform a portion of the binder into raised, discontinuous patches bonded to fiber/tape surfaces, while another portion of the particulate binder remains on the fibers/tapes as unmelted particles. The presence of the unmelted binder particles maintains empty spaces within the composite materials which increases the positive buoyancy of the composites in water.

A method for impregnating a fibrous material with a curable resin to form a prepreg is disclosed. The method includes conveying a web material through at least one moving pressure nip formed between a moving pressure roller and a moving supporting surface, wherein the moving pressure roller and the moving supporting surface travel at different velocities relative to each other resulting in a relative velocity between the web material and the pressure nip. The at least one moving pressure nip travels in the same direction as the web material while applying sufficient pressure to compress the web material and to affect impregnation of the fibrous material with the curable resin. Also disclosed is a system for implementing the disclosed impregnation method.

A method for impregnating a fibrous material with a curable resin to form a prepreg is disclosed. The method includes conveying a web material through at least one moving pressure nip formed between a moving pressure roller and a moving supporting surface, wherein the moving pressure roller and the moving supporting surface travel at different velocities relative to each other resulting in a relative velocity between the web material and the pressure nip. The at least one moving pressure nip travels in the same direction as the web material while applying sufficient pressure to compress the web material and to affect impregnation of the fibrous material with the curable resin. Also disclosed is a system for implementing the disclosed impregnation method.

The present invention provides an apparatus for producing a prepreg, for applying a coating liquid to a reinforcing fiber sheet, the apparatus including: a coating section including: a liquid pool storing the coating liquid and having a portion whose cross-sectional area decreases continuously and vertically downward, and a narrowed section having a slit-like outlet in communication with the lower end of the liquid pool; a running mechanism for allowing the reinforcing fiber sheet to run vertically downward and be introduced into the coating section; a take-up mechanism for taking up the reinforcing fiber sheet downward from the coating section; wall constituent members opposed to each other in the thickness direction of the reinforcing fiber sheet to form the narrowed section; and an external force application mechanism for applying an external force to the wall constituent members in the thickness direction of the reinforcing fiber sheet.

Method for manufacturing a continuous fiber material and a thermoplastic polymer matrix, the material being made from a unidirectional tape, the method comprising a step of pre-impregnating a roving of the material with the matrix and a step of melting the matrix, the melting step being carried out by means of a heat-conducting tension device and a heating system, the tension device being thermostatically controlled at a temperature, for a semi-crystalline thermoplastic polymer, from Tc−30° C. to Tf+50° C., and, for an amorphous polymer, from Tg+50° C. to Tg+250° C., the roving running over the surface of the tension device in the heating system, and the porosity rate in the material being less than 10%.

Method for manufacturing a continuous fiber material and a thermoplastic polymer matrix, the material being made from a unidirectional tape, the method comprising a step of pre-impregnating a roving of the material with the matrix and a step of melting the matrix, the melting step being carried out by means of a heat-conducting tension device and a heating system, the tension device being thermostatically controlled at a temperature, for a semi-crystalline thermoplastic polymer, from Tc−30° C. to Tf+50° C., and, for an amorphous polymer, from Tg+50° C. to Tg+250° C., the roving running over the surface of the tension device in the heating system, and the porosity rate in the material being less than 10%.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a carbon fiber bundle for resin reinforcement purposes, which is produced using a sizing agent that can exert satisfactory interface adhesiveness to both of a carbon fiber bundle and a thermoplastic resin in the production of a carbon-fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin, and which has satisfactory emulsion stability. One embodiment of the present invention is a carbon fiber bundle for resin reinforcement purposes, which comprises a carbon fiber bundle and a polymer adhered onto the carbon fiber bundle, wherein the polymer is produced by binding an acid-modified polyolefin having a polyolefin structure and an acidic group in the molecular structure thereof to a hydrophilic polymer having a weight average molecular weight (Mw) of 450 or more, and wherein the ratio of the mass of the polyolefin structure to the mass of the acidic group in the acid-modified polyolefin is 100:0.1 to 100:10, the ratio of the mass of the acid-modified polyolefin to the mass of the hydrophilic polymer is 100:1 to 100:100, and the content of the polymer in the carbon fiber bundle for resin reinforcement purposes is 0.1 to 8.0 mass % inclusive.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a carbon fiber bundle for resin reinforcement purposes, which is produced using a sizing agent that can exert satisfactory interface adhesiveness to both of a carbon fiber bundle and a thermoplastic resin in the production of a carbon-fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin, and which has satisfactory emulsion stability. One embodiment of the present invention is a carbon fiber bundle for resin reinforcement purposes, which comprises a carbon fiber bundle and a polymer adhered onto the carbon fiber bundle, wherein the polymer is produced by binding an acid-modified polyolefin having a polyolefin structure and an acidic group in the molecular structure thereof to a hydrophilic polymer having a weight average molecular weight (Mw) of 450 or more, and wherein the ratio of the mass of the polyolefin structure to the mass of the acidic group in the acid-modified polyolefin is 100:0.1 to 100:10, the ratio of the mass of the acid-modified polyolefin to the mass of the hydrophilic polymer is 100:1 to 100:100, and the content of the polymer in the carbon fiber bundle for resin reinforcement purposes is 0.1 to 8.0 mass % inclusive.

A process is capable of producing a high-quality fiber-reinforced plastic with good yield in a short molding cycle time despite being atmospheric pressure molding. The process characterized uses local contact heating to give different temperature conditions to produce a fiber-reinforced plastic by atmospheric pressure molding from a fiber-reinforced material which contains a reinforcing fiber impregnated with a thermosetting resin composition.