Method of manufacturing a plastic tank with reinforcements

Abstract

A method for producing a plastic tank having one or more reinforcements. The method includes forming at least one part of the tank wall with a semi-finished panel made of plastic having at least one outer layer composed of a first thermoplastic, forming a reinforcement for the tank wall with at least one fibre-reinforced structural component comprising a matrix composed of a second thermoplastic that is weldable to the first thermoplastic. The fibre-reinforced structural component is then applied to a predefined region of the at least one outer layer of the semi-finished panel. The fibre-reinforced structural component is then fused with the outer layer of the semi-finished panel by applying heat to the semi-finished panel and the applied fibre-reinforced structural component. The fused fibre-reinforced structural component and semi-finished panel is then formed into a final shape. Optionally, the formed component is then connected to at least one other part of the tank wall to form the complete tank wall.

Claims

1. A method for producing a plastic tank having reinforcements, the method comprising: providing a semi-finished panel composed of plastic to form at least one part of the tank wall of the plastic tank, the semi-finished panel having at least one outer layer composed of a first thermoplastic; providing at least one fibre-reinforced structural component, having an overall area that is less than an overall area of the semi-finished panel, as a reinforcement for the tank wall in a manner such that the fibre-reinforced structural component forms a patch, the fibre-reinforced structural component comprising a matrix composed of a second thermoplastic that is weldable to the first thermoplastic; applying the at least one fibre-reinforced structural component to a predefined region of an outer layer of the semi-finished panel; fusing the at least one fibre-reinforced structural component with the outer layer of the semi-finished panel during a heating of the semi-finished panel caused by passing the semi-finished panel with the applied fibre-reinforced structural component through a continuous furnace; forming the heated semi-finished panel with the fibre-reinforced structural component fused therewith, into a final shape of at least one part of the tank wall; and connecting the at least one part of the tank wall to at least one other part of the tank wall to form a complete tank wall of the plastic tank.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first thermoplastic comprises one or more of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polyamide (PA), and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE).

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second thermoplastic comprises one or more of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polyamide (PA), and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second thermoplastic comprises one or more of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polyamide (PA), and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the reinforcement comprises, in sequence: laying the at least one fibre-reinforced structural component on a conveyor belt, laying the semi-finished panel on the at least one fibre-reinforced structural component, and laying at least one additional fibre-reinforced structural component on the semi-finished panel.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each laying is performed via a positioning device.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein fusing the fibre-reinforced structural component comprises moving the semi-finished panel along the conveyor belt through a continuous furnace.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the fusing of the fibre-reinforced structural component to the semi-finished panel occurs on the conveyor belt.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the fused is conducted by deep drawing.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising, before the forming and after the fusing, heating the predefined region of the semi-finished panel.

11. A method for producing a plastic tank, the method comprising: laying a first fibre-reinforced structural component on a conveyor belt as a first fibre-reinforced patch for an inner wall of the plastic tank; laying the semi-finished panel on the first fibre-reinforced structural component; laying a second fibre-reinforced structural component on the semi-finished panel as a second fibre-reinforced patch for an outer wall of the plastic tank; fusing the first fibre-reinforced patch and the second fibre-reinforced patch with the semi-finished panel during a heating of the semi-finished panel caused by moving the semi-finished panel with the applied first fibre-reinforced patch and the applied second fibre-reinforced patch through a continuous furnace; forming, after fusing the first fibre-reinforced patch and the second fibre-reinforced patch with the outer layer of the semi-finished panel, the semi-finished panel into a final shape of at least one part of the tank wall; and connecting the at least one part of the tank wall to at least one other part of the tank wall to form a complete tank wall of the plastic tank.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein: the first thermoplastic comprises one or more of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polyamide (PA), and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE); and/or the second thermoplastic comprises one or more of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polyamide (PA), and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE).

13. The method of claim 11, wherein forming the reinforcements comprises, in sequence: laying the fibre-reinforced structural components on a conveyor belt, laying the semi-finished panel on the fibre-reinforced structural components, and laying at least one additional ones of the fibre-reinforced structural components on the semi-finished panel.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein each laying is performed via a positioning device.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein forming the fused fibre-reinforcement structural components and semi-finished panel is conducted by deep drawing.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising, before the forming and after the fusing, heating the predefined regions of the semi-finished panel.

17. A method for producing a plastic tank, the method comprising: applying, as reinforcements for a tank wall of the plastic tank, a first fibre-reinforced patch and a second fibre-reinforced patch to predefined regions of an outer layer of a semi-finished panel which is composed of plastic and forms at least one part of a tank wall of the plastic tank, wherein the outer layer is composed of a first thermoplastic and the first fibre-reinforced patch is arranged inside the tank wall and the second fibre-reinforced patch is arranged outside the tank wall; causing a fusing of the first fibre-reinforced patch and the second fibre-reinforced patch with the outer layer of the semi-finished panel by heating the semi-finished panel when moving the semi-finished panel with the applied one or more fibre-reinforced patches through a continuous furnace; forming, by deep drawing after fusing the first fibre-reinforced patch and the second fibre-reinforced patch with the outer layer of the semi-finished panel, the semi-finished panel into a final shape of at least one part of the tank wall; and connecting the at least one part of the tank wall to at least one other part of the tank wall to form a complete tank wall of the plastic tank.

Description

DRAWINGS

(1) Embodiments will be illustrated by way of example in the drawings and explained in the description hereinbelow.

(2) FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic of a plastic container having reinforcements, which is produced by a method in accordance with embodiments.

(3) FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic of an intermediate state during the production of the plastic tank of FIG. 1 by the method in accordance with embodiments.

(4) FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic of a device for producing the plastic tank of FIG. 1 by the method in accordance with embodiments.

DESCRIPTION

(5) FIG. 1 illustrates a plastic container which has been produced by the method in accordance with embodiments.

(6) The plastic container comprises a tank wall, which is formed from the semi-finished panel 1 or from a plurality of semi-finished panels 1 and comprises one or more fibre-reinforced structural components 2 as reinforcements. In the example in FIG. 1, a fibre-reinforced structural component 2 has been applied to the outside of the tank wall, and a further fibre-reinforced structural component 2 has been applied to the inside of the tank wall.

(7) As illustrated in FIG. 2, the tank is preferably produced with the aid of a conveyor belt 4. First of all, at least one fibre-reinforced structural component 2 is laid on the conveyor belt 4, after which a semi-finished panel 1 is laid on the at least one fibre-reinforced structural component 2, and then at least one further fibre-reinforced structural component 2 is laid on the semi-finished panel 1.

(8) As illustrated in FIG. 3, the laying of the fibre-reinforced structural component 2 and/or the laying of the semi-finished panel 1 on the conveyor belt 4 are/is performed via a positioning device 5.

(9) In accordance with embodiments, a local deformation of a tank shell is thus reduced by applying fibre-reinforced structural components 2. The application of these patches can take place inside and outside the tank and thus on each of the two outer sides of the semi-finished panel 1 from which the tank is produced.

(10) The method described herein is based on the positioning and fusing or welding of the matrix material, in particular HDPE, of the fibre patches or fibre-reinforced structural components 2 with the HDPE outer layer material of the tank shell. This is achieved during the passage through the tunnel furnace 3 for heating the semi-finished panel 1 before the deep drawing process.

(11) In a production step or block, the fibre patch 2 for application to the tank inner wall is laid on the conveyor belt 3 by a suitable positioning device 5. After positioning has taken place, the semi-finished panel 1 is then laid on the fibre patch 2. In the third step, a further fibre patch 2, for the tank outer wall, is also laid on the semi-finished panel by the positioning device 5.

(12) The assembly comprising the semi-finished panel 1 is then moved through the continuous furnace 3 via the conveyor belt 4, and the panel 1 is heated. During the heating process, the fibre patches 2 fuse to the semi-finished panel 1.

(13) After the composite panel produced in this way has been picked up, the regions having the fibre patches 2 are explicitly heated again by regulatable infrared heating elements in order to ensure good formability. The deep drawing process then takes place.

(14) The terms “coupled,” “attached,” or “connected” may be used herein to refer to any type of relationship, direct or indirect, between the components in question, and may apply to electrical, mechanical, fluid, optical, electromagnetic, electromechanical or other connections. In addition, the terms “first,” “second,” etc. are used herein only to facilitate discussion, and carry no particular temporal or chronological significance unless otherwise indicated.

(15) Those skilled in the art will appreciate from the foregoing description that the broad techniques of the embodiments can be implemented in a variety of forms. Therefore, while the embodiments have been described in connection with particular examples thereof, the true scope of the embodiments should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent to the skilled practitioner upon a study of the drawings, specification, and following claims.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

(16) 1 semi-finished panel 2 fibre-reinforced structural component 3 continuous furnace 4 conveyor belt 5 positioning device