Component of a Composite Material for a Motor Vehicle

Abstract

In order to make a component for use in a motor vehicle recyclable in its entirety and at low cost, the component is molded from a particle and/or fiber composite material, which has a first component and a second component. The first component includes particles and/or fibers, which are produced from a first renewable raw material or a first mixture of a number of renewable raw materials. The second component is a matrix material, which is produced from a second renewable raw material or a second mixture of a number of renewable raw materials. The particles and/or fibers of the first component are held together by the matrix material of the second component and are for example mixed and/or embedded therein.

Claims

1. A component part for use in a motor vehicle, comprising: a particulate and/or fibrous composite engineering material comprising a first component and a second component that form the component part, wherein: the first component comprises particles and/or fibers produced from a first renewable raw material or a first mixture of two or more renewable raw materials, the second component is a matrix material produced from a second renewable raw material or a second mixture of two or more renewable raw materials, and the particles and/or fibers of the first component are held together by the matrix material of the second component.

2. The component part according to claim 1, wherein the engineering material, composed of the first component's particles and/or fibers mixed in and/or embedded in the matrix material of the second component, is formable and/or curable.

3. The component part according to claim 1, wherein the matrix material is selected from a group consisting of: a vegetable-type organic raw material, a mixture of one or more vegetable-type organic raw materials, an animal-type organic raw material, a mixture of one or more animal-type organic raw materials, and a mixture of at least one vegetable-type organic raw material and at least one animal-type organic raw material.

4. The component part according to claim 3, wherein the vegetable-type organic raw material is lignin or starch, and the animal-type organic raw material is bone glue or gelatin.

5. The component part according to claim 1, wherein the engineering material is a fibrous composite engineering material wherein fibers constituting the first component are produced from vegetable-type organic fibers or from animal-type organic fibers.

6. The component part according to claim 3, wherein the engineering material is a fibrous composite engineering material wherein fibers constituting the first component are produced from vegetable-type organic fibers or from animal-type organic fibers.

7. The component part according to claim 6, wherein the vegetable-type organic fibers are fibers of cotton, hemp, sisal, flax, or riven wood, and the animal-type organic fibers are fibers of animal wool, animal fur, or animal hair.

8. The component part according to claim 1, wherein the engineering material is a fibrous composite engineering material wherein fibers constituting the first component are provided in the form of spun threads, braided fiber bundles or rovings or of fibrous nonwoven webs, fiber mats, non-crimp fabrics or woven fabrics formed thereof

9. The component part according to claim 3, wherein the engineering material is a fibrous composite engineering material wherein fibers constituting the first component are provided in the form of spun threads, braided fiber bundles or rovings or of fibrous nonwoven webs, fiber mats, non-crimp fabrics or woven fabrics formed thereof

10. The component part according to claim 1, wherein the component part is a visual-structural component part formed as a self-supporting shaped structure and adapted to have at least one visible surface.

11. The component part according to claim 1, wherein the component part is produced from a component mixture which is shapeable and curable and which consists essentially of the first component and the second component.

12. The component part according to claim 1, wherein the engineering material, in addition to the first component, comprises textile fibers and/or woven textile fabrics as a further component embedded in the matrix, and the textile fibers and/or woven textile fabrics are produced from a third renewable raw material or a third mixture of two or more renewable raw materials.

13. The component part according to claim 1, wherein the component part is produced from the engineering material to be entirely of one material.

14. The component part according to claim 1, wherein the component part has a structure with a multi-ply construction.

15. The component part according to claim 14, wherein the multi-ply construction comprises at least a first ply and a second ply, wherein: the first ply comprises an entirely one-material cured particulate and/or composite engineering material, and the second ply comprises a layer or a plurality of layers of a fibrous nonwoven web, woven fabric or non-crimp fabric produced from fibers, or a layer or a plurality of layers of fiber mats, wherein the layer or the plurality of layers are embedded in a matrix material.

16. A method of producing a component part having a predetermined shape for use in a motor vehicle, the method comprising the acts of: (a) providing a first engineering material component comprising particles and/or fibers produced from a first renewable raw material or a first mixture of two or more renewable raw materials; (b) providing a second engineering material component comprising a matrix material produced from a second renewable raw material or a second mixture of two or more renewable raw materials; (c) mixing the first engineering material component and the second engineering material component together to form a component mixture; (d) forming the component mixture into the shape of the component part; and (e) curing the formed component mixture.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a formed visual and structural component part according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0030] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a component part, consisting of a plurality of different plies, in a further embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The component part shown at 10 in FIG. 1 is intended for use in a motor vehicle as a visual-structural part 12. The component part 10 has been formed essentially completely from a fibrous composite engineering material 24 and cured. In a departure from what is shown in FIG. 1, the component part 10 could be formed from a particulate composite engineering material (not shown) and cured. In either case, the component part 10 is an entirely one-material part 38, is self-supporting and (after installation) has a user-visible surface 36.

[0032] When the component part 10 is formed from a particulate and/or fibrous composite engineering material, the engineering material comprises a first engineering material component and a second engineering material component. The first component comprises particles 22, as shown in FIG. 2 in the third ply 18 of a component part having a multi-ply construction, and/or fibers 26, as with the component part 10 shown in FIG. 1 or in the first ply 14 of the component part shown in FIG. 2 as having a multi-ply construction. According to the present invention, the particles 22 and the fibers 26 have been produced from a first renewable raw material or a first mixture of two or more renewable raw materials.

[0033] The second component of the component part shown in FIG. 1 is a matrix material 28. According to the present invention, the matrix material 28 has been produced from a second renewable raw material or a second mixture of two or more renewable raw materials.

[0034] The particles 22, as in the third ply 18 of the multi-ply component part in FIG. 2, and/or the fibers 26, as in component part 10 in FIG. 1 and in the first ply 14 of the multi-ply component part in FIG. 2, of the first component of the engineering material are held together by the matrix material 28 of the second component and, more particularly, are mixed in and/or embedded therein.

[0035] The engineering material used in the component part 10 shown in FIG. 1 and in the plies 14, 16 and 18 of the multi-ply component part 10 shown in FIG. 2 thus consists in each case of the first component's particles 22 and/or fibers 26 mixed in and/or embedded in the matrix material 28 of the second component. The engineering material is initially provided in a formable and curable, for instance plastically deformable or liquid, form. In the course of its processing, it is initially formed into a predetermined outer shape and then cured in this outer shape. At the end of its processing, the engineering material has been formed into its predetermined shape and cured.

[0036] The visual-structural component part 12 shown in FIG. 1 is produced from the engineering material comprising renewable, natural raw materials to be entirely of one material.

[0037] The component part 10 shown in FIG. 2 has a structure having a multi-ply construction. It comprises a first ply 14, a second ply 16 and a third ply 18.

[0038] The first ply 14 has been prefabricated from an entirely one-material particulate composite engineering material 20. The second ply 16 comprises a plurality of layers 34 (three layers in FIG. 2) of a woven fabric 32 produced from fibers 26, the layers 34 being embedded in a matrix material (not designated). The third ply 18 has been prefabricated from an entirely one-material fibrous composite engineering material 24. The prefabricated plies 14, 16 and 18 are joined together to form a multi-ply structure, as shown in FIG. 2, wherein the second ply 16 is sandwiched between the first ply 14 (at the bottom in FIG. 2) and the third ply 18 (at the top in FIG. 2). The multi-ply composite was subsequently formed (laid up) in its outer shape, planar for example in FIG. 2, and cured.

[0039] In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the matrix material 28 has been produced either from a vegetable-type organic raw material or from an animal-type organic raw material. The vegetable-type organic raw material may be lignin or starch or a mixture thereof. The animal-type organic raw material may be boneglue or gelatin or a mixture thereof.

[0040] According to the origin (vegetable or animal) of the raw material for the matrix material 28, the fibers 26 or the particles 22, which constitute the first component of the respective engineering material, have been produced from vegetable-type organic fibers or from animal-type organic fibers. The vegetable-type organic fibers may be produced from cotton, hemp, sisal, flax or riven wood or from a mixture thereof. The animal-type organic fibers may have been produced from animal wool, from animal fur or from animal hair or from a mixture thereof.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0041] 10 component part

[0042] 12 visual-structural component part

[0043] 14 first ply

[0044] 16 second ply

[0045] 18 third ply

[0046] 20 particulate composite engineering material

[0047] 22 particles

[0048] 24 fibrous composite engineering material

[0049] 26 fiber

[0050] 28 matrix material

[0051] 30 roving

[0052] 32 woven fabric

[0053] 34 layer

[0054] 36 visible surface

[0055] 38 entirely one-material part

[0056] The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.