Composites with interlaminar toughening particles and method of making the same

• Main Authors: AERTS, Vincent, GRIFFIN, James Martin, JACOBS, William
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 07.05.2020
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F,C08G; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON; COMPOSITIONS OF MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED OTHERWISE THAN BY REACTIONSONLY INVOLVING UNSATURATED CARBON-TO-CARBON BONDS; METALLURGY; ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; TRANSPORTING; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL; WORKING-UP

A fiber-reinforced polymeric composite structure having chemically active thermoset particles positioned in an interlaminar region between adjacent layers of reinforcement fibers and method of making the same. Upon curing of the composite structure, the chemically active functional groups on the thermoset particles form covalent bonds with the matrix resin surrounding the particles. In one embodiment, the particles are formed of a partially cured thermoset polymer with a degree of cure of less than 100%. In another embodiment, the particles are derived from a thermosettable resin composition, wherein the stoichiometry is such that there is a deficiency or an excess in the amount of curing agent that is necessary for reacting with 100% of the thermoset resin component. In some embodiments, the composition of the chemically active thermoset particles is the same or substantially the same as that of the matrix resin of the composite structure.