JP2023167952A - Fiber-reinforced material - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a fiber-reinforced material that can suppress a decrease in rigidity between regions having different thicknesses.SOLUTION: There is provided a fiber-reinforced material comprising a base material layer and a first fiber layer composed of a first fiber bundle sewn to the base material layer. The first fiber layer has a first region where the first fiber bundles are sewn together at a first pitch, and a second region where the first fiber bundles are sewn together at a second pitch different from the first pitch. At least a portion of the first fiber bundle is sutured across the first region and the second region.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure relates to fiber reinforced materials.

A fiber-reinforced material in which fiber bundles are sewn to a base material by so-called tailored fiber placement (TFP) is known (see Patent Document 1). In this fiber reinforced material, the stretching direction and pitch of the fiber bundles can be arbitrarily designed.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-15321

In the above-mentioned fiber reinforced material, the shape and thickness can be adjusted by changing the pitch of the fiber bundles. On the other hand, when changing the thickness on one base material, it is necessary to provide a plurality of regions with different pitches of fiber bundles.

When a plurality of regions with different pitches are present on the base material, the fiber bundle is interrupted between the regions, and the force transmission path is interrupted. As a result, the stiffness of the fiber-reinforced material may locally decrease.

One aspect of the present disclosure aims to provide a fiber-reinforced material that can suppress a decrease in rigidity between regions having different thicknesses.

One aspect of the present disclosure is a fiber-reinforced material comprising a base layer (2) and a first fiber layer (3) composed of a first fiber bundle (10) sewn to the base layer (2). (1). The first fiber layer (3) has a first region (31) in which the first fiber bundles (10) are sewn together at a first pitch, and a first region (31) in which the first fiber bundles (10) are sewn together at a second pitch different from the first pitch. and a sutured second region (32). At least a portion of the first fiber bundle (10) is sutured across the first region (31) and the second region (32).

According to such a configuration, the first fiber bundle (10) is sewn across the first region (31) and the second region (32) having different pitches, thereby reducing the force between these regions. A transmission path is formed by the first fiber bundle (10). Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in rigidity between the first region (31) and the second region (32) having different thicknesses.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, the first fiber bundle (10) may have a first folded portion (11) folded back near the boundary between the first region (31) and the second region (32). . According to such a configuration, the pitch can be adjusted without cutting the first fiber bundle (10) within the first region (31) or the second region (32). As a result, the effect of suppressing a decrease in rigidity between the first region (31) and the second region (32) can be enhanced.

One aspect of the present disclosure is composed of a second fiber bundle (20) sewn to the base layer (2) and further includes a second fiber layer (4) covering the first fiber layer (3). It's okay. The second fiber layer (4) has a third region (41) in which the second fiber bundle (20) is sewn at a third pitch, and a third region (41) in which the second fiber bundle (20) is sewn at a fourth pitch different from the third pitch. and a sutured fourth region (42). The third region (41) may overlap the first region (31). The fourth region (42) may overlap the second region (32). At least a portion of the second fiber bundle (20) may be sewn across the third region (41) and the fourth region (42). According to such a configuration, while the fiber bundles are arranged one on top of the other in the thickness direction of the base material layer (2), the distance between regions having different pitches (that is, between the first region (31) and the second region (32)) between the third region (41) and the fourth region (42)).

In one aspect of the present disclosure, the first fiber bundle (10) may have a first folded portion (11) folded back near the boundary between the first region (31) and the second region (32). . The second fiber bundle (20) may have a second folded portion (21) folded back near the boundary between the third region (41) and the fourth region (42). The first folded part (11) of the first fiber bundle (10) and the second folded part (21) of the second fiber bundle (20) are located at positions shifted from each other when viewed from the thickness direction of the base material layer (2). may be placed in According to such a configuration, the pitch can be adjusted without cutting the first fiber bundle (10) and the second fiber bundle (20). Furthermore, by arranging the folding points of the first fiber bundle (10) and the folding points of the second fiber bundle (20) so that they do not overlap, the thickness of the fiber reinforced material (1) can be changed in stages. I can do it.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, the first fiber layer (3) may further include a fifth region (35) in which the first fiber bundle (10) is sewn at a fifth pitch different from the first pitch. . At least a portion of the first fiber bundle (10) may be sewn across the first region (31) and the fifth region (35). According to such a configuration, the first region (31) and a plurality of adjacent regions (32, 35) can be continuously formed by one first fiber bundle (10).

In one aspect of the present disclosure, the first fiber layer (3) has a sixth region ( 36). The sixth region (36) may be arranged to connect the first region (31) and the second region (32). At least a portion of the first fiber bundle (10) may be sewn across the first region (31), the sixth region (36), and the second region (32). According to such a configuration, the thickness of the fiber reinforced material (1) can be changed stepwise between the first region (31) and the second region (32). Therefore, stress concentration in the region between the first region (31) and the second region (32) can be suppressed, and the degree of freedom in designing the shape of the fiber-reinforced material (1) can be increased.

Note that the symbols in parentheses above are examples showing correspondences with specific configurations, etc. described in the embodiments described later, and the present disclosure is not limited to the specific configurations, etc. shown in the symbols in parentheses above. It's not something you can do.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the use of the fiber-reinforced material in the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the structure of each layer of the fiber reinforced material in the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic partial enlarged plan view of the base material and the first fiber layer in the fiber reinforced material of FIG. 2. 4A is a schematic partial enlarged plan view of the first fiber layer in the fiber reinforced material of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4B is a schematic partial enlarged view of the second fiber layer in the fiber reinforced material of FIG. 2. . FIG. 5 is a schematic partially enlarged plan view of the base material and the first fiber layer in an embodiment different from FIG. 3. FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic partially enlarged plan view of the base material and the first fiber layer in an embodiment different from FIG. 3. FIG.

Embodiments to which the present disclosure is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[1. First embodiment]
[1-1. composition]
The fiber reinforced material 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a sheet-like intermediate base material (that is, a preform). The fiber-reinforced material 1 is used, for example, for the outer skin portion of the vehicle seat 100.

As shown in FIG. 2, the fiber reinforced material 1 includes a base layer 2, a first fiber layer 3, and a second fiber layer 4. That is, the fiber reinforced material 1 is a sheet with a multilayer structure. Although the base material layer 2, the first fiber layer 3, and the second fiber layer 4 are shown separated in FIG. 2, the first fiber layer 3 and the second fiber layer 4 are actually It is sewn to the material layer 2. Further, the fiber reinforced material 1 may include three or more fiber layers. Furthermore, the fiber reinforced material 1 may have a resin impregnated into the base layer 2, the first fiber layer 3, and the second fiber layer 4.

<Base material layer>
The base material layer 2 is not particularly limited as long as the fiber bundle can be sewn together. As the base material layer 2, for example, a fiber aggregate (that is, a woven fabric, a nonwoven fabric, or a knitted fabric) such as glass cloth can be used.

<First fiber layer>
As shown in FIG. 3, the first fiber layer 3 is composed of a first fiber bundle 10 sewn to the base layer 2.

The first fiber bundle 10 is a bundle of a plurality of continuous fibers having a certain length. As the fibers constituting the first fiber bundle 10, inorganic fibers made of carbon, glass, metal, etc., and organic fibers made of resin can be used.

The first fiber bundle 10 may be configured only by aligning a plurality of fibers. Further, in the first fiber bundle 10, a plurality of fibers may be bound by an auxiliary yarn, or a plurality of fibers may be bound by an adhesive or the like. The first fiber bundle 10 may or may not have twist.

The first fiber bundle 10 is sewn to the base material layer 2 with a sewing thread (not shown). The sewing thread is strung around the first fiber bundle 10 in a direction intersecting the drawing direction of the first fiber bundle 10 (that is, the orientation direction of the fibers constituting the fiber bundle). As the sewing thread, for example, a multifilament made of resin fiber is used.

The first fiber layer 3 may be composed of one continuous first fiber bundle 10 or may be composed of a plurality of first fiber bundles 10. The thicknesses of the plurality of first fiber bundles 10 constituting the first fiber layer 3 may be the same or different.

The first fiber bundles 10 are sewn to the base material layer 2 so as to form a plurality of rows arranged at regular intervals (that is, pitch) in a direction perpendicular to the stretching direction (that is, radial direction). In a region where the pitch of the first fiber bundles 10 is small, the first fiber bundles 10 are arranged densely, so that the thickness of the first fiber layer 3 becomes large. On the contrary, in a region where the pitch of the first fiber bundles 10 is large, the first fiber bundles 10 are arranged sparsely, so that the thickness of the first fiber layer 3 becomes small.

The first fiber layer 3 has a plurality of regions that differ in at least one of pitch and shape. In FIG. 3, a first region 31 in which the first fiber bundles 10 are sewn together at a first pitch and a second region 32 in which the first fiber bundles 10 are sewn together at a second pitch different from the first pitch are illustrated. ing. The second pitch is larger than the first pitch. Therefore, the thickness of the second region 32 is smaller than the thickness of the first region 31.

The first region 31 and the second region 32 are arranged adjacent to each other in the stretching direction of the first fiber bundle 10. At least a portion of the first fiber bundle 10 is sewn across the first region 31 and the second region 32. That is, one continuous first fiber bundle 10 includes a portion that constitutes the first region 31 and a portion that constitutes the second region 32.

Specifically, the first region 31 and the second region 32 are configured by one common continuous first fiber bundle 10. Further, the first fiber bundle 10 has a plurality of first folded portions 11 folded back near the boundary between the first region 31 and the second region 32 .

The first folded portion 11 is a portion where the first fiber bundle 10 traveling from the first region 31 to the second region 32 is bent so as to be folded back in a direction away from the second region 32 . The first folded portion 11 adjusts the difference between the number of first fiber bundles 10 in parallel in the first region 31 and the number of first fiber bundles 10 in parallel in second region 32 . Therefore, there is no need to cut the first fiber bundle 10 at the boundary between the first region 31 and the second region 32 in order to adjust the number of parallel fibers.

In addition, in FIG. 3, two first folded parts 11 are provided inside the first region 31 (specifically, at the connecting end of the first region 31), but only one first folded part 11 may be provided, or three or more first folded portions 11 may be provided. Further, as shown in FIG. 4A, the first folded portion 11 may be provided inside the second region 32.

<Second fiber layer>
The second fiber layer 4 shown in FIG. 4B is composed of a second fiber bundle 20 sewn to the base layer 2. The second fiber layer 4 covers the first fiber layer 3. The second fiber layer 4 is sewn to the base layer 2 with a sewing thread (not shown) so as to overlap the first fiber layer 3 in the thickness direction of the base layer 2 .

The second fiber bundle 20, like the first fiber bundle 10, is a bundle of a plurality of continuous fibers having a certain length. The material, diameter, length, etc. of the second fiber bundle 20 may be the same as the first fiber bundle 10 or may be different from the first fiber bundle 10.

The second fiber bundles 20 are sewn to the base material layer 2 so as to form a plurality of rows arranged at regular intervals in a direction perpendicular to the stretching direction. The second fiber layer 4 has a plurality of regions that differ in at least one of pitch and shape.

In FIG. 4B, a third region 41 in which the second fiber bundles 20 are sewn together at a third pitch and a fourth region 42 in which the second fiber bundles 20 are sewn together at a fourth pitch different from the third pitch are illustrated. ing. The fourth pitch is larger than the third pitch. Therefore, the thickness of the fourth region 42 is smaller than the thickness of the third region 41.

The third region 41 and the fourth region 42 are arranged adjacent to each other in the stretching direction of the second fiber bundle 20. At least a portion of the second fiber bundle 20 is sewn across the third region 41 and the fourth region 42 . That is, one continuous second fiber bundle 20 includes a portion that constitutes the third region 41 and a portion that constitutes the fourth region 42 .

Specifically, the third region 41 and the fourth region 42 are constituted by one continuous second fiber bundle 20 in common. Further, the second fiber bundle 20 has a plurality of second folded portions 21 folded back near the boundary between the third region 41 and the fourth region 42 .

The second folded portion 21 is a portion where the second fiber bundle 20 traveling from the third region 41 to the fourth region 42 is bent so as to be folded back in a direction away from the fourth region 42 . The second folded portion 21 adjusts the difference between the number of second fiber bundles 20 in parallel in the third region 41 and the number of second fiber bundles 20 in parallel in fourth region 42 .

In FIG. 4B, the second fiber bundle 20 has one second folded part 21 arranged inside the third region 41 and one second folded part 21 arranged inside the fourth region 42. are doing. However, the position of the second folded portion 21 is not limited to these.

The third region 41 overlaps with the first region 31 of the first fiber layer 3 in the thickness direction of the base layer 2 . That is, the third region 41 is sewn to the base material layer 2 so as to cover the first region 31. The fourth region 42 overlaps with the second region 32 of the first fiber layer 3 in the thickness direction of the base layer 2 . That is, the fourth region 42 is sewn to the base material layer 2 so as to cover the second region 32.

The first folded part 11 of the first fiber bundle 10 (see FIG. 3 or FIG. 4A) and the second folded part 21 of the second fiber bundle 20 are arranged at positions shifted from the thickness direction of the base material layer 2. has been done. Specifically, the first folded part 11 and the second folded part 21 are arranged in the parallel direction of the first fiber bundle 10 and the second fiber bundle 20 (approximately the vertical direction in FIG. 4B) and the first folded part 11 and the second folded part 21. The two fiber bundles 20 are arranged at shifted positions in both directions of stretching (approximately left and right directions in FIG. 4B).

Further, in the parallel direction of the first fiber bundle 10 and the second fiber bundle 20, the plurality of first folded parts 11 and the plurality of second folded parts 21 are arranged alternately when viewed from the thickness direction of the base material layer 2. ing.

<Modified example>
As shown in FIG. 5, the first fiber layer 3 may have a fifth region 35 in which the first fiber bundles 10 are sewn together at a fifth pitch different from the first pitch.

The fifth region 35 is adjacent to the first region 31 in the stretching direction of the first fiber bundle 10. Further, the fifth region 35 is adjacent to the second region 32 in the parallel direction of the first fiber bundle 10. The fifth pitch of the fifth region 35 is larger than the first pitch of the first region 31. The fifth region 35 has a different thickness, shape, or material from the second region 32. The fifth pitch of the fifth region 35 may be the same as the second pitch of the second region 32.

At least a portion of the first fiber bundle 10 is sutured across the first region 31 and the second region 32, and is sutured across the first region 31 and the fifth region 35. In other words, the first fiber bundle 10 includes a fiber bundle including a portion that constitutes the first region 31 and a portion that constitutes the second region 32, and a fiber bundle that includes a portion that constitutes the first region 31 and a portion that constitutes the fifth region 35. and a fiber bundle including the portion.

With such a configuration, the first region 31 and the plurality of adjacent regions 32 and 35 can be continuously formed by one first fiber bundle 10. Note that the structure shown in FIG. 5 is also applicable to the second fiber layer 4.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the first fiber layer 3 may have a sixth region 36 in which the first fiber bundles 10 are sewn at a sixth pitch. The sixth region 36 is arranged to connect the first region 31 and the second region 32.

Specifically, the sixth region 36 is arranged between the first region 31 and the second region 32 in the stretching direction of the first fiber bundle 10. The sixth pitch of the sixth region 36 is larger than the first pitch of the first region 31 and smaller than the second pitch of the second region 32.

At least a portion of the first fiber bundle 10 is sewn across the first region 31, the sixth region 36, and the second region 32. That is, one continuous first fiber bundle 10 includes a portion forming the first region 31, a portion forming the sixth region 36, and a portion forming the second region 32.

In the example of FIG. 6, the first fiber bundle 10 has a first folded portion 11 provided at the connecting end of the first region 31 and a first folded portion 11 provided at the connected end of the sixth region 36. , the first folded portion 11 provided inside the second region 32.

By the sixth region 36, the thickness of the fiber reinforced material 1 can be changed in stages between the first region 31 and the second region 32. Therefore, stress concentration in the region between the first region 31 and the second region 32 can be suppressed, and the degree of freedom in designing the shape of the fiber reinforced material 1 can be increased. Note that the structure shown in FIG. 6 is also applicable to the second fiber layer 4.

<Method for producing fiber reinforced material>
Next, a method for manufacturing the fiber reinforced material 1 will be explained. The method for manufacturing a fiber reinforced material includes a first fiber layer forming step and a second fiber layer forming step.

<First fiber forming step>
In this step, the first fiber bundle 10 is sewn to the base material layer 2 to form the first fiber layer 3 including the first region 31 and the second region 32.

In this step, a first region 31 and a second region 32 having different thicknesses are set, and then at least one continuous first fiber bundle 10 straddles the first region 31 and the second region 32 ( That is, the first fiber bundle 10 is sutured so as to intersect the boundary between the first region 31 and the second region 32). Further, the first folded portion 11 is provided as necessary.

<Second fiber forming step>
In this step, the second fiber layer 4 including the third region 41 and the fourth region 42 is formed by sewing the second fiber bundle 20 to the base material layer 2 on which the first fiber layer 3 is formed.

In this step, a third region 41 and a fourth region 42 having different thicknesses are set, and at least one continuous second fiber bundle 20 is arranged to straddle the third region 41 and the fourth region 42 ( That is, the second fiber bundle 20 is sutured so as to intersect the boundary between the third region 41 and the fourth region 42). Further, a second folded portion 21 is provided as necessary.

In addition, after forming each fiber layer, the base material layer 2 and each fiber layer may be impregnated with a matrix resin such as an epoxy resin.

[1-2. effect]
According to the embodiment detailed above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1a) By suturing the first fiber bundle 10 across the first region 31 and the second region 32 having different pitches, a force transmission path between these regions is formed by the first fiber bundle 10. Ru. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in rigidity between the first region 31 and the second region 32 having different thicknesses.

Further, since the first fiber bundle 10 can be successively sewn to a plurality of regions having different pitches, the number of man-hours in the stitching process can be reduced. As a result, the productivity of the fiber reinforced material 1 is increased. Furthermore, since the gaps where fiber bundles do not exist between regions with different pitches are reduced, the design quality when the fiber-reinforced material 1 is used as a design material is improved.

(1b) Since the first fiber bundle 10 has the first folded portion 11, the pitch can be adjusted without cutting the first fiber bundle 10 within the first region 31 or the second region 32. As a result, the effect of suppressing a decrease in rigidity between the first region 31 and the second region 32 can be enhanced.

(1c) By stitching the second fiber bundle 20 across the third region 41 and the fourth region 42, the fiber bundles are arranged in an overlapping manner in the thickness direction of the base material layer 2, and between regions with different pitches. (That is, the effect of suppressing a decrease in rigidity between the first region 31 and the second region 32 and between the third region 41 and the fourth region 42) can be enhanced.

(1d) Since the second fiber bundle 20 has the second folded portion 21, the pitch can be adjusted without cutting the second fiber bundle 20. Further, by arranging the folding point of the first fiber bundle 10 and the folding point of the second fiber bundle 20 so as not to overlap, the thickness of the fiber reinforced material 1 can be changed in stages.

[2. Other embodiments]
Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it goes without saying that the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments and can take various forms.

(2a) In the fiber-reinforced material of the above embodiment, the first fiber bundle does not necessarily have the first folded portion. For example, by cutting the first fiber bundle, the difference between the number of parallel first fiber bundles in the first region and the number of parallel first fiber bundles in the second region may be absorbed. The same applies to the second fiber bundle.

(2b) The fiber reinforced material of the above embodiment does not necessarily have to include a plurality of fiber layers. That is, the fiber-reinforced material may comprise a single fiber layer. Further, the arrangement pattern of each region in the fiber layer of the above embodiment is an example.

(2c) The function of one component in the above embodiment may be distributed as multiple components, or the functions of multiple components may be integrated into one component. Further, a part of the configuration of the above embodiment may be omitted. Further, at least a part of the configuration of the above embodiment may be added to, replaced with, etc. in the configuration of other embodiments. Note that all aspects included in the technical idea specified from the words in the claims are embodiments of the present disclosure.

1... Fiber reinforced material, 2... Base material layer, 3... First fiber layer, 4... Second fiber layer,
10... first fiber bundle, 11... first folded part, 20... second fiber bundle,
21... second folding part, 31... first region, 32... second region, 35... fifth region,
36...Sixth region, 41...Third region, 42...Fourth region, 100...Vehicle seat.

Claims (6)

a base material layer;
a first fiber layer composed of a first fiber bundle sewn to the base layer;
Equipped with
The first fiber layer is
a first region where the first fiber bundle is sewn at a first pitch;
a second region in which the first fiber bundle is sewn at a second pitch different from the first pitch;
has
A fiber-reinforced material in which at least a portion of the first fiber bundle is sewn across the first region and the second region. The fiber reinforced material according to claim 1,
The first fiber bundle is a fiber-reinforced material having a first folded portion folded back near the boundary between the first region and the second region. The fiber reinforced material according to claim 1,
Further comprising a second fiber layer that is composed of a second fiber bundle sewn to the base layer and covers the first fiber layer,
The second fiber layer is
a third region in which the second fiber bundle is sewn at a third pitch;
a fourth region in which the second fiber bundle is sewn at a fourth pitch different from the third pitch;
has
The third region overlaps the first region,
The fourth region overlaps the second region,
A fiber-reinforced material in which at least a portion of the second fiber bundle is sewn across the third region and the fourth region. The fiber reinforced material according to claim 3,
The first fiber bundle has a first folded part that is folded back near the boundary between the first region and the second region,
The second fiber bundle has a second folded part that is folded back near the boundary between the third region and the fourth region,
The first folded part of the first fiber bundle and the second folded part of the second fiber bundle are arranged at positions shifted from the thickness direction of the base layer. The fiber reinforced material according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The first fiber layer further includes a fifth region in which the first fiber bundles are sewn at a fifth pitch different from the first pitch,
A fiber-reinforced material in which at least a portion of the first fiber bundle is sewn across the first region and the fifth region. The fiber reinforced material according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The first fiber layer further includes a sixth region in which the first fiber bundles are sewn together at a sixth pitch that is larger than the first pitch and smaller than the second pitch,
The sixth region is arranged to connect the first region and the second region,
A fiber-reinforced material in which at least a portion of the first fiber bundle is sewn across the first region, the sixth region, and the second region.

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