MOLDING METHOD FOR FIBER-REINFORCED PLASTIC STRUCTURE AND VEHICLE WHEEL

Abstract

The present invention applies to a molding method for a fiber-reinforced plastic structure having an internal cavity Firstly, grain groups, which mainly consist of a plurality of high-rigidity grains, are accommodated in bags, and a plurality of cores are formed. A reinforcing fiber substrate, is placed between the plurality of adjacent cores so as to be interposed therebetween. For example, a plurality of molding base materials are prepared by surrounding each core with a prepreg, and the plurality of molding base materials are combined and placed inside a molding die, and the molding base materials are compression molded. When compression molding, a part of the outer surface of the cores is locally pressurized, and the internal pressure of the cores is increased, changing the shape thereof, thus eliminating voids that are present between the cores and the prepreg and/or the prepreg and the molding surface of the die.

Claims

1-8. (canceled)

9. A molding method for a fiber-reinforced plastic structure having a plurality of hollows, comprising: forming a plurality of cores by filling each of the plurality of bags made of a flexible material with a grain group containing a large number of high-rigidity grains; disposing the cores in close contact with one surface of a reinforcing fiber base material; disposing the other cores in close contact with the other surface of the reinforcing fiber base material; allowing the reinforcing fiber base material to be impregnated with a resin and curing the resin; and removing the grain group filling the cores from the bags.

10. The molding method for a fiber-reinforced plastic structure according to claim 9, further comprising: curing the resin in a state where the reinforcing fiber base material that accommodates the cores is pressurized in a cavity of a molding die.

11. The molding method for a fiber-reinforced plastic structure according to claim 10, further comprising: pressing a portion of an outer circumferential surface of at least one core with pressing means which comes into the cavity in the molding die; deforming the core by increasing an internal pressure of the core; and increasing cohesion of the reinforcing fiber base material to the molding die and all the cores disposed in the cavity in the molding die by the deformation of the cores due to the pressing.

12. The molding method for a fiber-reinforced plastic structure according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of hollows have symmetry, and a portion of an outer circumferential surface corresponding to each of the plurality of cores selected to be symmetrical is pressed by inserting a mold block into the molding die toward the cavity in the molding die.

13. The molding method for a fiber-reinforced plastic structure according to claim 12, wherein, after performing molding by using the molding die, the grain group is discharged to outside of a molded product through an insertion position of the mold block.

14. The molding method for a fiber-reinforced plastic structure according to claim 9, wherein an independent metal member is further disposed in the cavity of the molding die, and the reinforcing fiber base material and the metal member are molded integrally with each other.

15. A vehicle wheel manufactured according to the molding method for a fiber-reinforced plastic structure having a plurality of hollows according to claim 1.

16. A vehicle wheel manufactured according to the molding method for a fiber-reinforced plastic structure having a plurality of hollows according to claim 9.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0048] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view illustrating an example of a vehicle wheel molded according to the present invention;

[0049] FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the vehicle wheel;

[0050] FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view illustrating an example of the overall arrangement of divided cores of the vehicle wheel;

[0051] FIG. 4 is a rear enlarged perspective view illustrating a unit cross-section of the divided core of the vehicle wheel;

[0052] FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating an example of a molded, semi-finished product cut in the unit of the divided core of the vehicle wheel;

[0053] FIG. 6 is a front perspective view illustrating an example of a vehicle wheel molded integrally with an axle metal hub;

[0054] FIG. 7 is a transverse cross-sectional view of molds and the fiber reinforced substrate during molding of the vehicle wheel;

[0055] FIG. 8 is a view illustrating an initial state of molding of a molded product having a hollow portion, which represents Conventional Example 1;

[0056] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a state during pressure molding of FIG. 8; and

[0057] FIG. 10 is a system diagram illustrating a state where a core is set between molding molds, which represents Conventional Example 2.

MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0058] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. A molding method for a fiber-reinforced plastic structure according to the present invention includes configurations such as a molding die and a set of cores described below, and the configurations can be modified in various forms as long as the configurations can widen the outer surface area of the cores in the process of the pressure molding using the molding die. Furthermore, the invention can also be easily applied to large molded products by increasing the number of constituent unit cores included in the set of cores.

[0059] A molding method for a vehicle wheel made of fiber-reinforced plastic, which is a representative molded product of a fiber-reinforced plastic structure, will be described below. In addition, as a matter of course, the molding method for a fiber-reinforced plastic structure of the present invention is not limited to the molding method for a vehicle wheel and may also be applied to large molded products such as the vehicle body of a car or a train, the body or wings of an aircraft, and the like.

[0060] FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a vehicle wheel 10 made of a fiber-reinforced plastic molded product. The vehicle wheel 10 has a plurality of hollows therein for weight reduction. In order to form the hollows in the vehicle wheel 10, a plurality of cores 4 are used. In this embodiment, the cores 4 of the entire wheel are divided into four sections along the line IV-IV and the line V-V, and four cores 4a to 4d are used for the rim portion 11, and four cores 4e to 4h are used for the disk portion 12, thereby forming a total of eight divided cores 4a to 4h.

[0061] Therefore, a total of eight hollows are formed in the vehicle wheel 10 obtained by using the divided cores 4a to 4h.

[0062] The divided cores 4a to 4h are made by filling bag-like molded products (bags) produced by blow molding with high-rigidity grains or a mixture of high-rigidity grains and elastic grains. In the present invention, the divided cores 4a to 4h are not only simply arranged along the shapes of the hollows formed in the vehicle wheel 10 but also arranged with prepregs between them. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 7, for example, the divided core 4a of the rim portion 11 is disposed in close contact with one surface of a prepreg 3 disposed in a predetermined region of a lower mold 1, the adjacent divided core 4e of the disk portion 12 is disposed in close contact with the other surface of the prepreg 3, and the entire surfaces of the divided cores 4a and 4e are covered with the prepreg 3. The remaining divided cores 4b to 4d of the rim portion 11 and the remaining divided cores 4f to 4h of the disk portion 12 are brought into close contact and covered with the corresponding prepregs 3 like the divided cores 4a and 4e.

[0063] The prepregs 3 that cover each of the divided cores 4a to 4h are disposed in corresponding places to each of them in the cavity formed by a lower mold 1 with a side mold 2b illustrated in FIG. 7 to come into close contact therewith. After this arrangement, an upper mold 2a and a mold block 5a are lowered together. While the upper mold 2a and the mold block 5a are lowered, the lower surface of the upper mold 2a and the protruding end surface of the lower surface of the mold block 5a abut on the prepregs 3 disposed in advance, and pressurization on the surfaces of portions of the prepregs 3 is started. Pressurization by the mold block 5a continues even after the upper mold 2a reaches the predetermined lower limit position. The lower limit position of the upper mold 2a during the lowering thereof is determined by the height of the position of the upper surface of the side mold 2b. However, the mold block 5a continues to press the surfaces of the prepregs 3 without colliding with the mold. During pressurization in which the upper mold 2a is lowered and reaches the lower limit position and the mold block 5a continues pressing, the resin impregnated in the prepreg layer is cured, thereby molding a fiber-reinforced plastic structure having a desired shape.

[0064] The upper mold 2a in this embodiment is to determine the position of the upper end flat surface which is a portion of the outer surface of the rim portion 11 of the vehicle wheel 10 as illustrated in FIG. 7, and the mold block 5a is used exclusively for pressurizing a portion of the upper surface of the disk portion 12 of the vehicle wheel 10 using the protrusions 5a thereof as illustrated in FIG. 7. In addition, pressure during the pressurization by the mold block 5a is transferred by the flow of a grain group filling the cores and becomes the force for the upper end flat surface of the rim portion 11 of the vehicle wheel 10 to press the upper mold 2a. However, the upper mold 2a is fixed so as not to be moved by the force. In this manner, the upper mold 2a, the mold block 5a, the side mold 2b, and the lower mold 1 pressurize the entirety of the prepregs 3 which include the eight divided cores 4a to 4h separately arranged in the cavities formed therein.

[0065] The prepreg 3 may be made as a sheet-like material by impregnating reinforcing fiber such as carbon fiber, glass fiber, aramid fiber, or silicon carbide fiber with uncured thermosetting resin. The type of the reinforcing fiber is selected depending on the target performance of the fiber-reinforced plastic structure.

[0066] In the illustrated embodiment, the plurality of divided cores 4a to 4h form the hollows adjacent with each other via the prepregs 3 that respectively cover the divided cores 4a to 4h. However, for example, a plurality of layers of prepregs 3 may be further added between the prepregs 3 which respectively cover each of divided cores 4a to 4h. In addition, the prepregs 3 which respectively cover the eight divided cores 4a to 4h are not necessarily simply set in the lower mold 1, however, the prepregs 3 which respectively cover the eight divided cores 4a to 4h may be combined and covered with a prepreg before being set in the lower mold 1. Moreover, in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 5, the direction in which the cores of the disk portion 12 are divided is the same as the direction in which the rim portion 11 is divided, but the dividing directions need not be the same with each other. The relative arrangement of the dividing directions may be selected so that the distribution of stress in use and the distribution of mass are optimized depending on the type of the fiber-reinforced plastic structure to produce.

[0067] Furthermore, according to the illustrated embodiment, the prepregs interposed between the divided cores 4a to 4h of the rim portion 11 and the disk portion 12 and the prepregs interposed between the divided cores 4a to 4d of the rim portion 11 and the divided cores 4e to 4h of the disk portion 12 are present. For this reason, by removing the divided cores 4a to 4h from the molded product after all the prepregs are cured, hollows are generated in the removed parts. However, the cured prepregs integrally remain between the adjacent hollows and connect the plurality of hollows connected in a complex arrangement, thereby securing the strength and the rigidity of the entire structure, and functioning as reinforcing ribs of other hollows themselves which are arranged in a complex arrangement.

[0068] The above description has been provided by using a thermosetting resin material. However, in a case where a prepreg impregnated with a thermoplastic resin instead of a thermosetting resin is used, a preform which is shaped by heating the prepreg 3 in advance may be pressurized and cooled by the molding die to manufacture an FRP molded product having a desired shape. Furthermore, instead of using prepregs, resin transfer molding may also be applied in which a plurality of cores are individually covered with a reinforcing fiber base material such as reinforcing fiber fabric to be disposed in the molding die, the molding die is then closed, and a thermosetting resin is injected to fill the cavity between the molding surface of the molding die and the reinforcing fiber base material that covers each of the cores under pressure to be cured in the molding die which performs heating.

[0069] As the thermosetting resin material impregnated in the fiber, epoxy resins, urea resins, vinylester resins, unsaturated polyester resins, polyurethane resins, phenolic resins, and the like may be used. As the thermoplastic resin material, polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, vinyl chloride, polyamide resins, and the like may be used.

[0070] The core 4 is configured by filling a bag 6 such as a blow-molded product, a vacuum-molded product, or an injection-molded product which is shaped into a predetermined external form shape with a grain group having high rigidity. As high-rigidity grains constituting a grain group 6a, ceramics such as alumina and zirconia, glass, hard heat-resistant resins, metals, foundry sand, and the like may be used. When zirconia or quartz is used as the grains, these materials are appropriate materials due to their low thermal conductivity. As the material of the bag 6 used to hold the shape of the core 4, nylon, polypropylene, polyethylene, acrylic resin, a fluororesin film, silicone rubber, and the like may be used. In a case where the bags are not removed, nylon having excellent resin adhesion is appropriate. In addition, in order to enhance the adhesion of the bag, a corona discharge process or the like may be effectively used.

[0071] The mold block 5a forms a portion of the upper mold of the molding die 15 and the lower surface of the body thereof has a plurality of protrusions 5a which are able to come in and out of the cavity of the molding die 15. In the illustrated example, the protrusions 5a are formed integrally with the body, and are able to come in and out of the cavity of the molding die 15 while being integrated with the body. Therefore, a cylinder or a plunger (not illustrated) is connected to the body of the mold block 5a. The mold block 5a is configured to be tightly fitted to the inner circumferential surface of the upper mold 2a to be slidable. Here, the body of the mold block 5a and the protrusions 5a may be configured to be separated from each other. In this case, the body of the mold block 5a and the protrusions 5a may be independently provided with operating means such as a cylinder or a plunger.

[0072] Next, the molding method for a fiber-reinforced plastic structure which is an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings by exemplifying the vehicle wheel.

[0073] First, in FIG. 3, mold materials (hereinafter, referred to as raw mold materials 3a to 3h) made by wrapping the eight divided cores 4a to 4h divided along the line IV-IV and the line V-V for the rim portion 11 and the disk portion 12 with prepreg are respectively placed at predetermined positions in the cavity formed by the lower mold 1 and the side mold 2b which is placed on the lower mold 1 and is movable in the horizontal direction. Here, the upper mold 2a is lowered toward the lower mold 1 and is fixed thereto with the side mold 2b interposed therebetween, thereby being clamped together. The raw mold materials 3a to 3h are heated from a point of time at which the raw mold materials 3a to 3h are placed in the lower mold 1 and can be efficiently heated over the entire circumferences due to the clamping. The pressure in this stage is not high and the pressure is increased by the mold block 5a in the subsequent stage. Therefore, a mold opening and closing mechanism may be provided as a damper and a high-pressure press is unnecessary.

[0074] Subsequently, the mold block 5a is press-fitted into the cavity of the molding die 15 to press portions of the outer surfaces of the divided cores 4a to 4h covered with the prepregs 3 via the prepregs 3. Due to the pressing, a slip occurs between the grains constituting the grain group 6a in the core 4, and thus the grain group 6a flows and the core 4 is deformed such that the outer circumferential surface area of the core 4 is increased. When the outer circumferential surface area of the core 4 increases, the core 4 reaches the every corner of the inner surface of the prepreg 3 eliminating gaps where voids are particularly likely to occur, and the core 4 can be brought into close contact with the inner surface of the prepreg 3, thereby obtaining a molded product having high dimensional accuracy without bends or winkles.

[0075] That is, even when voids are formed between the prepreg 3 that wraps the core 4 and the core 4, air in the voids is pressurized under the high internal pressure by the core or is discharged to the atmosphere from the molding die 15 through the prepreg 3 due to the increased outer circumferential surface area of the core 4. Passages formed by the air that passes through the prepreg 3 may be naturally filled by the prepreg 3 which is melted after the air passes.

[0076] In addition, even in a case where voids are present between the molding die 15 and the prepreg 3 in the angular portions of the molding die 15, the prepreg 3 is pressed by the core 4 and moves toward the voids due to the increase in the outer circumferential surface area of the core. In addition, air in the voids is pressurized by the high internal pressure or is extruded into the atmosphere through the gaps between the molding die 15 and the prepreg 3. The prepreg 3 moves to parts as the voids from which air is extruded and is formed into a shape that follows the angular portion shape of the molding die 15. Accordingly, the molded product formed by heating and pressurizing the prepreg 3 can be a molded article in which the angular portion is formed at a right angle or at an acute angle or has an undercut shape.

[0077] In addition, in the drawings used for the description of the embodiment, for easy description of the bag 6, the thickness of the bag 6 is illustrated to be large in an exaggerated state. Actually, the bag 6 may be formed to be about 1 mm in thickness. Here, a configuration in which a vehicle wheel is molded is described. However, designs of disk shape, rim width, and the like may be appropriately applied, and as the molded product, a more complex structure, including other shapes having a closed cross-section or shapes having a combination of a closed cross-section and an open cross-section, can be molded.

[0078] As a shape similar to the closed cross-section, there is a shape having a C-shaped cross-section or the like. For example, in a case where a molded product having a C-shaped cross-section is to be formed, a configuration may be employed in which a portion of the core is allowed to directly abut on the molding surface of the upper mold 2a, the mold block 5a, or the lower mold 1. In addition, the periphery of the core which does not abut on the molding surface is covered with the prepreg 3, thereby molding a molded product having a C-shaped cross- section. Therefore, the closed cross-section in the present invention includes, in addition to a shape such as an angular pipe shape, for example, a C-shaped cross-section.

[0079] As illustrated in FIG. 7, by pressing one surface of the outer surfaces of the core 4 with the mold block 5a, the internal pressure in the core 4 can be increased without substantially forming a concave portion in the outer surface of the prepreg 3.

[0080] As the internal pressure of a portion of the grain group 6a included in the core 4 is increased, grains constituting the grain group 6a slip on each other and move in all directions and the grain group 6a extends toward a side where pressure is low. Since the bag 6 containing the grain group 6a is made of a relatively soft material such as a thermoplastic resin, the bag 6 does not substantially limit the movement of the grain group 6a and can extend to increase the outer circumferential surface area of the core.

[0081] In a case where voids are present between the core 4 and the prepreg 3 before the pressing by the mold block 5a, although the increase of the pressure of the grain group 6a in the vicinity of the void is slower than the increase of the pressure of a part with no voids during the pressing by the mold block 5a, the internal pressure of a portion of the grain group 6a included in the core 4 is increased to increase the outer circumferential surface area of the core 4, thereby eliminating the voids between the core 4 and the prepreg 3.

[0082] Moreover, since the enlargement of the outer surface area of the core 4 occurs in a part in which the pressure between the core 4 and the prepreg 3 is low and where voids are likely to occur, the thickness of the prepreg 3 can be maintained in a predetermined thickness while eliminating the voids.

[0083] As described above, products having a desired outer surface shape with a predetermined thickness can be pressure-molded.

[0084] FIG. 6 illustrates a state where the semi-finished product which is pressure-molded by the molding die 15 is taken out from the molding die 15. On the parts of the prepregs 3 pressed by the mold block 5a, the traces of the pressing on the external appearance are not recognized, because the mold block 5a does not partially press the upper surfaces of the parts where the divided cores 4a to 4h are present but presses the entirety of the upper surfaces. In addition, FIG. 6 illustrates an example in which an axle metal hub 7, which is one of metal members used in the present invention, can be integrally molded when being disposed between the four cores 4e to 4h of the disk portion 12 covered with the prepregs and being molded by the molding die by applying pressure and heat thereto. When holes for discharging the grain group 6a are bored through portions of the prepreg molded parts of the semi-finished product of the vehicle wheel thus obtained, the grain group 6a included in the core 4 is discharged to the outside through the holes, thereby completing the vehicle wheel which is the molded product having a hollow portion. In a case where the holes for discharging the grain group 6a are large, when the bag 6 which is shaped into a three-dimensional shape such as a blow-molded product, a vacuum-molded product, or an injection-molded product to accommodate the grain group 6a is made of a material having good releasability from the molded product or is doubly configured, the bag 6 in contact with the grain group 6a can be removed from the molded product. However, in a case where the bag is thick and has a complex shape and thus it is difficult to remove the bag, the bag is allowed to remain in the molded product so that the molded product and the bag are adhered to each other.

[0085] As described above, since pressure-molding can be performed on the prepreg 3 in a state where no voids occur between the core 4 and the prepreg 3, as the molded product, a product having a desired outer surface shape with a desired thickness without bends or wrinkles can be manufactured. In addition, even in a case where the internal pressure of the core 4 is low in a state where the molding die is closed, for example, the internal pressure of the core 4 can be increased by the pressing force applied by the mold block 5a, and thus a product having a desired outer surface shape with a desired thickness can be manufactured as the molded product.

[0086] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail on the basis of Examples.

EXAMPLES

Example 1

[0087] The core 4 for forming an internal hollow of the vehicle wheel illustrated in FIG. 3 was produced in the form divided in the cores of the rim portion 11 and the cores of the disk portion 12 both of which were further divided along the lines IV-IV and V-V of FIG. 3, thereby producing a total of eight divided cores 4a to 4h having the shapes illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. Each of the divided cores 4a to 4h was made by accommodating zirconia grains (mixed grains having diameters 1 mm and 3 mm) into the bags 6, each of which is a nylon blow-molded product, thus producing the eight divided cores 4a to 4h having the shapes illustrated in FIG. 3. Eight raw mold materials were produced by covering each of the divided cores 4a to 4h with prepreg 3 of a carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy resin (TR3110 391IMU made by Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd.) laminated in five layers. These materials were assembled into substantially the same shape as the inner circumferential surface shape of the lower mold 1 to make a preform. At this time, the surface of each raw mold material was in a state of being wrapped by the prepreg 3, and thus the prepregs 3 are interposed between all the divided cores 4a to 4h of the preform adjacent to each other.

[0088] Next, after setting the preform in the concave portion la formed in the lower mold 1 of the molding die 15 heated to 140 C. in advance, the upper mold 2a was lowered toward the lower mold 1 to be clamped, and subsequently the mold block 5a was lowered to allow the protrusions 5a to press the portions of the outer surfaces of the divided cores 4a to 4h at 4 MPa through the prepreg 3. After 10 minutes, the mold was opened to take out a semi-finished product. Holes for discharge were bored through the parts of the prepregs 3 disposed on the surfaces of the cores in the surface of the semi-finished product, and the grain group 6a was discharged to the outside through the holes for discharge, thereby obtaining a vehicle wheel 10 made of fiber-reinforced plastic having a plurality of complex continuous hollows therein. Since the molded product molded from the prepregs 3 was interposed between the plurality of hollows, the vehicle wheel 10 had necessary strength and rigidity. The vehicle wheel 10 had a complex shape with angular portions, undercut shapes, and vertical surfaces but also had high dimensional accuracy and excellent external appearance with no wrinkles and defects on the outer surface.

Example 2

[0089] Example 2 of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 7. In Example 1, the example in which the cores were covered with the prepreg material and compression molding was performed by using the molding die 15 is described. However, in Example 2, resin transfer molding is performed by using the same molding die as used in Example 1, and thus a plurality of divided cores were configured to be covered with a reinforcing fiber base material made of reinforcing fiber fabric (not illustrated). Other configurations are the same as the configurations of Example 1 and the same constituent members can be sufficiently understood by using the same reference numerals as the reference numerals used in Example 1, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

[0090] The reinforcing fiber fabric was used instead of the prepregs, the molding die 15 was closed, and a thermosetting resin was injected into the cavity from a resin injection hole (not illustrated). After filling the resin, pressurization is performed by the mold block 5a at 1 MPa and the resin was heated and cured. Next, the mold was opened to take out the vehicle wheel 10 which is a semi-finished product, and holes for discharging the cores were bored through the semi-finished product at predetermined parts so that the grain group 6a was discharged to the outside through the holes for discharge, thereby obtaining a hollow molded product. The bag that remains in the hollow portion is integrated with the reinforcing fiber fabric by the thermosetting resin during the curing of the resin.

EXPLANATIONS OF LETTERS OR NUMERALS

[0091] 1 lower mold [0092] 2a upper mold [0093] 2b side mold [0094] 3 prepreg (reinforcing fiber fabric) [0095] 4 core [0096] 4a to 4h divided core [0097] 5a mold block [0098] 5a protrusion [0099] 6 bag [0100] 6a grain group [0101] 7 axle metal hub [0102] 10 vehicle wheel [0103] 11 rim portion [0104] 12 disk portion [0105] 15 molding die [0106] 30 mold [0107] 31 lower mold [0108] 32 upper mold [0109] 33 core [0110] 33a powder grain group [0111] 33b bag [0112] 34, 35 fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin material (FRTP) [0113] 36 prepreg [0114] 41a, 41b mold [0115] 42a, 42b molding surface [0116] 43 core [0117] 46 pressurizing unit