Reinforced extruded products and process of manufacture

• Main Authors: MILLS; DENNIS, HUIJBERS; JOHANNES W. G. M
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 21.12.1999
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: AUXILIARY OPERATIONS USED IN CONNECTION WITH METAL-WORKINGWITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; MANUFACTURE OF METAL SHEETS, WIRE, RODS, TUBES OR PROFILES,OTHERWISE THAN BY ROLLING; MECHANICAL METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVINGMATERIAL; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PUNCHING METAL; TRANSPORTING

An extrusion process is described where a reinforcing element is fed into an extrusion matrix while the reinforcing element is under sufficient tension to elastically elongate the reinforcing element. When the extruded matrix is hardened (e.g., by cooling after extrusion), the reinforcing element remains inserted within the body of the extruded article in a pre-stressed form. A reinforced extruded article according to the present invention includes the extruded material and at least one embedded element under elongated tension. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the embedded element has a higher tensile than that of the extruded material. The reinforcing member is able to elastically stretch or lengthen under a load. A preferred embodiment of the invention uses wire rope (twined, braided, cabled, woven, non-woven, or mixtures thereof) with different, varying or larger angles (as with larger helix angles) to give the extruded material a larger surface area with which to grip the extrusion. The individual fibers of the reinforcing element or only those fibers on the surface of the reinforcing element may have texturing or microtexturing on the exposed surface to grip into the matrix more strongly by mechanical means.