MULTI-MATERIAL COMPOSITE AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SAME

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing a multi-material composite and to a multi-material composite.

Due to the stepwise change of material properties at the interface between different materials, in particular metallic and polymeric materials, cracks often develop in multi-material composites, whereby the service life being shortened.

The method according to the invention is based on a gradual adaptation of the material properties of the materials of a multi-material composite at the interface. A composite is formed from at least one metal layer, at least one fibre-reinforced or unreinforced first polymer layer and at least one fibre-reinforced or unreinforced second polymer layer formed from the polymer of the first polymer layer and nanoparticles, said second polymer layer being at least partially disposed between the metal layer and the first polymer layer, under the influence of elevated temperature or elevated temperature and elevated pressure, wherein nanoparticles of the second polymer layer diffuse into the first polymer layer so that a gradient layer is formed in which the nanoparticle concentration decreases in the direction of the first polymer layer.

The multi-material composite produced by the method according to the invention has a particularly long service life and can be used, for example, in drive shafts for the aviation, automotive, or shipping industry.

Claims

1. A method for producing a multi-material composite, wherein a composite is formed from at least one metal layer, at least one fibre-reinforced or unreinforced first polymer layer and at least one fibre-reinforced or unreinforced second polymer layer formed from the polymer of the first polymer layer and nanoparticles, said second polymer layer being at least partially arranged between the metal layer and the first polymer layer, under the influence of elevated temperature or elevated temperature and elevated pressure, wherein nanoparticles of the second polymer layer diffuse into the first polymer layer so that a gradient layer is formed in which the nanoparticle concentration decreases toward the first polymer layer.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the polymer of the first polymer layer and of the second polymer layer is a thermoplastic polymer.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the polymer of the first polymer layer and of the second polymer layer is a thermosetting polymer having a multi-stage consolidation function.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the nanoparticles of the second polymer layer are carbon-based.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least in the region in which the second polymer layer is arranged between the metal layer and the first polymer layer, a pre-treatment of the metal layer is carried out, whereby the metal layer is provided with at least one adhesion-enhancing surface function.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second polymer layer is applied in a liquid or solid state to the metal layer or to the first polymer layer.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second polymer layer is applied by spraying or dipping or coating or painting or inserting or a combination of two or more of these methods.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein formation of the composite is carried out by hot pressing.

9. A multi-material composite comprising at least one metal layer and at least one fibre-reinforced or unreinforced first polymer layer, wherein a gradient layer containing the polymer of the first polymer layer and nanoparticles is arranged at least partially between the metal layer and the first polymer layer, the nanoparticle concentration gradually decreasing spatially from the metal layer to the first polymer layer in said gradient layer.

10. The multi-material composite according to claim 9, wherein the polymer is a thermoplastic polymer.

11. The multi-material composite according to claim 9, wherein the polymer is a thermosetting polymer.

12. The multi-material composite according to claim 9, wherein the nanoparticles are carbon-based.

13. The multi-material composite according to claim 9, wherein the metal layer has an adhesion-enhancing surface at least in the region in which the gradient layer is arranged between the metal layer and the first polymer layer.

14. The method according to claim 2, wherein the nanoparticles of the second polymer layer are carbon-based.

15. The method according to claim 3, wherein the nanoparticles of the second polymer layer are carbon-based.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein at least in the region in which the second polymer layer is arranged between the metal layer and the first polymer layer, a pre-treatment of the metal layer is carried out, whereby the metal layer is provided with at least one adhesion-enhancing surface function.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein at least in the region in which the second polymer layer is arranged between the metal layer and the first polymer layer, a pre-treatment of the metal layer is carried out, whereby the metal layer is provided with at least one adhesion-enhancing surface function.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein: the nanoparticles of the second polymer layer are carbon-based; at least in the region in which the second polymer layer is arranged between the metal layer and the first polymer layer, a pre-treatment of the metal layer is carried out, whereby the metal layer is provided with at least one adhesion-enhancing surface function; the second polymer layer is applied in a liquid or solid state to the metal layer or to the first polymer layer; the second polymer layer is applied by spraying or dipping or coating or painting or inserting or a combination of two or more of these methods; and formation of the composite is carried out by hot pressing.

19. The multi-material composite according to claim 12, wherein the metal layer has an adhesion-enhancing surface at least in the region in which the gradient layer is arranged between the metal layer and the first polymer layer.

20. The multi-material composite according to claim 19, wherein the polymer is a thermoplastic polymer or a thermosetting polymer.

Description

[0058] In the following, the invention will be explained by means of exemplary embodiments with reference to schematic figures which are not true to scale, without being limited to said figures, in which:

[0059] FIG. 1 shows two sectional views of the front and the side view, taken along the line X-X of an arrangement of components for producing a rotationally-symmetric multi-material composite, and

[0060] FIG. 2 shows two sectional views of the front and the side view, taken along the line Y-Y of a rotationally-symmetric multi-material composite producible from the arrangement of FIG. 1.

[0061] In FIG. 1, an exemplary embodiment of an arrangement of components for producing a rotationally symmetric multi-material composite is shown, which can serve as a starting point for the method according to the invention. Between a rotationally-symmetric metallic component 1 and a rotationally-symmetric component 2 consisting of a fibre-reinforced plastic, a layer 3 is arranged in the connecting region of the two components 1 and 2, the layer containing the same plastic as the component 2, said plastic of layer 3 being reinforced with nanoparticles. The components 1, 2, and 3 are each manufactured separately. Layer 3 can be present in membrane form and placed on the surface of metallic component 1 before component 2 is positioned relative to component 1 and layer 3 in the arrangement shown in FIG. 1, for example. For example, the formation of a gradient layer (not shown) takes place by hot pressing in the region of the arrangement in which layer 3 is arranged between components 1 and 2.

[0062] FIG. 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of a multi-material composite 4 according to the invention, said composite being producible by means of the method according to the invention from an arrangement such as that shown in FIG. 1, for example. A gradient layer 5 is arranged between the metallic component 1 and the component made of fibre-reinforced plastic 2. In the formation of the multi-material composite 4 and the gradient layer 5, nanoparticles diffuse into the plastic of component 2 so that the radial extent of the gradient layer is greater than the radial extent of layer 3 shown in FIG. 1. In the gradient layer, the concentration of nanoparticles decreases radially outwards, i.e. towards component 2.

[0063] The invention is not limited to rotationally-symmetric arrangements, but can be applied to any geometry suitable for joining a multi-material composite.

REFERENCE SIGNS

[0064] 1 Component made of a metal [0065] 2 Component made of a fibre-reinforced plastic [0066] 3 Nanoparticle-reinforced plastic layer [0067] 4 Multi-material composite [0068] 5 Gradient layer