Composites from wet formed blends of glass and thermoplastic fibers

• Main Author: WEEKS, GREGORY PAUL
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 15.11.1989
• 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; IMPREGNATING OR COATING OF PAPER; INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS; METALLURGY; ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; PAPER NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PAPER-MAKING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PREPARATION THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES D21C OR D21D; PRODUCTION OF CELLULOSE; PULP COMPOSITIONS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; TEXTILES; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; TRANSPORTING; TREATMENT OF FINISHED PAPER NOT COVERED BY CLASS B31 OR SUBCLASS D21G; USE OF INORGANIC OR NON-MACROMOLECULAR ORGANIC SUBSTANCES ASCOMPOUNDING INGREDIENTS; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL; WORKING-UP

A process for forming a self-supporting preform layer of a homogeneous blend of relatively long glass staple length fibers and wettable fine denier staple length thermoplastic filaments wherein a neutral pH aqueous slurry of the glass fibers and filaments are formed into a mat using conventional papermaking equipment. In the preferred process the wettable thermoplastic filaments are dispersed first in the water then followed by the addition of the glass fibers. The self-supporting preform when converted into a molded composite structure results in a substantially void-free structure of individual glass fibers embedded in a thermoplastic resin matrix.