JP4965730B1 - Carbon fiber mat manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A carbon fiber mat manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus for forming a fleece-like fiber mat to be laminated with a uniform thickness while using short-cut carbon fibers as they are.
In a method for producing a carbon fiber mat, a cotton fiber 53 opened from a carbon fiber raw material cut into short fibers is laminated to a predetermined thickness to form a fleece fiber mat 61C. Is suspended in an air chamber 5 provided between the opening cylinder 4 and the suction cage 6 and then sucked into the suction cage 6 and laminated.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a carbon fiber mat manufacturing method and a manufacturing apparatus for forming a fleece-like fiber mat from a short-fiber carbon fiber material.

Since carbon fiber mats are excellent in heat resistance and heat insulation at high temperatures, they are used as heat insulation materials for various high temperature furnaces, exhaust gas filter materials for diesel engine vehicles, heat shield materials at welding sites, and the like.
However, carbon fibers have a problem that the fibers themselves are not easily entangled because they do not have crimpability and are slippery. In addition, there is a problem that the carbon fiber breaks when it is forcibly opened. For this reason, it has been difficult to form a fleece-like fiber mat that is laminated with a uniform thickness from a carbon fiber raw material that has been shortened using a conventional card machine.

In order to cope with this problem, for example, techniques of Patent Documents 1 to 3 are disclosed.
In the technique of Patent Document 1, a woven fabric of polymer fiber that is carbonized or graphitized by firing is placed on at least one side of a bat layer made of carbonized fiber, and integrated by needle punching from the placement surface side. This is a technique relating to a method for producing a high density felt made of carbon fiber for firing this.
In addition, the technique of Patent Document 2 is a method in which a plurality of non-woven fabrics obtained by blending rayon fibers and organic fibers that are softened and melted at a temperature lower than the temperature at which the rayon fibers are carbonized at a predetermined ratio and needle punching are laminated. This is a technique related to a method for producing a carbon fiber heat insulating material that is heat-treated in a non-oxidizing atmosphere while pressing.
Moreover, the technique of patent document 3 carries out a pre-opening by carrying out a fixed amount of inorganic short fibers, such as carbon fiber, to a pre-processing chamber by a carrying-in conveyor at a fixed quantity, and supplying a fixed quantity to a pre-opening cylinder by a feeding roller. Then, the main opening is performed by a plurality of main opening cylinders, the pretreatment agent is sprayed from the pretreatment agent spray nozzle installed in the upper part of the pretreatment chamber during the main opening, and the inorganic short fibers are easily slipped. And it is the technique regarding the preliminary process of nonwoven fabric manufacturing processes, such as carbon fiber, which gives a soft and favorable opening state and performs an aging process while carrying out with a carrying-out conveyor.

JP-A-5-33249 JP 2009-73715 A JP 2000-328419 A

However, the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have the following problems.
In the techniques of Patent Documents 1 and 2, it is necessary to perform heat treatment such as firing after needle punching the polymer fiber or organic fiber before carbonization. Therefore, the process of heat-treating the laminated fiber mat and the heat treatment apparatus cause a problem that a great deal of cost is required.
Also, in heat treatment such as firing, the temperature control in the heat treatment process directly affects the quality of the fired carbon fiber against heat resistance, etc., so carbon fibers whose quality is guaranteed to a certain level in advance are used as they are. Compared to the case, there is a problem that it is difficult to obtain stable quality.

In this regard, in the technique of Patent Document 3, since the carbon fiber is used as it is, there is no need to heat the laminated fiber mat, but a pretreatment agent is sprayed during the main opening, and then an aging treatment ( Dry). Therefore, a new process and apparatus for spraying the pretreatment agent and aging treatment (drying) are required, and the problem of cost increase arises.
Even if the pretreatment agent is sprayed, it is not always easy to uniformly apply the pretreatment agent to the entire fiber. For this reason, a portion where the pretreatment agent is insufficient cannot be opened uniformly by the present opening cylinder. After all, it is not easy to form a fleece fiber mat that is laminated with a uniform thickness from the pretreated carbon fiber raw material using a conventional card machine.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to form a carbon fiber mat that forms a fleece-like fiber mat that is laminated with a uniform thickness while using the carbon fibers shortened as they are. A manufacturing method and a manufacturing apparatus are provided.

In order to solve the above problems, the carbon fiber mat manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus of the present invention have the following configuration.
(1) In the method for producing a carbon fiber mat, a fleece fiber mat is formed by laminating cotton-like fibers opened from a carbon fiber raw material cut into short fibers to a predetermined thickness.
The cotton-like fibers are floated in an air chamber provided between a fiber opening cylinder and a suction cage, and are then sucked and stacked on the suction cage.

(2) In the carbon fiber mat manufacturing apparatus used for the carbon fiber mat manufacturing method described in (1),
The air chamber is provided with a blowing port for blowing air from the opening cylinder side toward the suction cage side.
(3) In the carbon fiber mat manufacturing apparatus described in (2),
The suction cage includes an upper suction cage and a lower suction cage, and the carbon fiber mat passes through a gap between the suction cages.
(4) In the carbon fiber mat manufacturing apparatus described in (3),
The gap between the suction cages is provided above the bottom surface of the air chamber.

Next, the operation and effect of the carbon fiber mat manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention will be described.
(1) In a carbon fiber mat manufacturing method in which cotton-like fibers opened from a carbon fiber raw material cut into short fibers are laminated to a predetermined thickness to form a fleece-like fiber mat, the cotton-like fibers are used as the opening cylinder. It is characterized in that it is floated in an air chamber provided between the suction cage and then sucked into the suction cage to be laminated, so that the carbon fiber shortened is used as it is and laminated to a uniform thickness. A fleece fiber mat can be formed.

Specifically, since the cotton-like fibers are floated in the air chamber provided between the opening cylinder and the suction cage, the cotton-like fibers opened in the opening cylinder are individually one by one in the air chamber. It can be separated into pieces. Therefore, the cotton-like fiber can be uniformly dispersed without forming a bundle-like lump in the air chamber. At this time, since the cotton-like fibers float and disperse in the air, there is no problem that the carbon fibers break.
In addition, since the cotton-like fibers are floated in the air chamber and then sucked into the suction cage and laminated, each carbon fiber is in a disjoint direction so that the outer peripheral surface of the suction cage or the bottom surface of the air chamber before the suction cage Can be laminated. In other words, since the fiber mat is formed by laminating the carbon fibers on the suction cage in the direction of falling apart, the fiber orientation in the fiber mat becomes random, and the fiber density of the mat itself becomes uniform. Further, the tensile strength of the mat itself is uniform in all directions.
Furthermore, since the cotton fibers are sucked into the suction cage and laminated, even if the fiber mat thickness is uneven in the middle of the lamination, the suction force at the thick part decreases and the suction force at the thin part increases. The cotton-like fibers floating in the air chamber or staying at the bottom of the air chamber gather at a thin portion where the suction force is increased. As a result, among the fiber mats laminated on the suction cage, the cotton-like fibers are intensively attracted to a thin portion, and a fiber mat having a uniform thickness as a whole can be formed.
Therefore, according to the invention of (1), it is possible to provide a method for producing a carbon fiber mat that forms a fleece-like fiber mat that is laminated with a uniform thickness while using the short-cut carbon fiber as it is.

(2) In the carbon fiber mat manufacturing apparatus used in the carbon fiber mat manufacturing method described in (1), the air chamber is provided with a blower port for blowing air from the opening cylinder side toward the suction cage side. Therefore, even if the amount of cotton fiber is large and the cotton fiber stays on the bottom of the air chamber between the opening cylinder and the suction cage, The lump of fibrous fibers can be moved to the suction cage side.
Specifically, in order for the laminated fiber mat to have a certain thickness, a certain amount of lump of cotton-like fibers is required, but in order to form a fiber mat having a uniform thickness, The mass must be evenly distributed. The important elements for uniformly distributing the flocs of the cotton-like fibers are the air chamber with sufficient room for the flocculent fibers to float sufficiently and the flocs of the cotton-like fibers staying at the bottom of the air chamber. It is the magnitude | size of the wind force moved from the opening cylinder side to the suction cage side. The opening cylinder is a cylinder having a protrusion for opening, and rotates at high speed, so that wind force is generated by rotation. Further, since the suction cage communicates with the exhaust duct and sucks air in the air chamber into the cage, wind force is generated in the suction direction.
However, with only the wind power generated by the opening cylinder and suction cage, if the amount of cotton-like fibers increases, the lump of cotton-like fibers staying on the bottom of the air chamber between the opening cylinder and the suction cage will move toward the suction cage. In some cases, the wind power to be moved is insufficient.
Therefore, the air chamber is provided with a blowing port for blowing air from the opening cylinder side toward the suction cage side, and the insufficient wind power is replenished. It is more effective to provide a guide plate at the air outlet and adjust the wind direction, air volume, and the like.

(3) In the carbon fiber mat manufacturing apparatus described in (2), the suction cage includes an upper suction cage and a lower suction cage, and the carbon fiber mat passes through a gap between the suction cages. Therefore, a fiber mat having a more uniform thickness can be formed more quickly.
Specifically, since the fiber mat laminated on the upper suction cage and the fiber mat laminated on the lower suction cage overlap when passing through the gap between the two suction cages, the speed of forming a fiber mat with a uniform thickness is improved. . Further, when the carbon fiber mat passes through the gap between the suction cages, even if there is some unevenness in the thickness of the fiber mat, it is corrected, so that a fiber mat with a more uniform thickness can be formed.

(4) In the carbon fiber mat manufacturing apparatus described in (3), the gap between the suction cages is provided above the bottom surface of the air chamber. -Like fibers can be laminated more uniformly.
Specifically, by providing a gap between the two suction cages above the bottom surface of the air chamber, the cotton-like fibers staying on the bottom surface of the air chamber must pass through the circular arc surface facing the air chamber of the lower suction cage. The structure cannot pass through the gap of the suction cage. Therefore, when there is a thin part and a thick part among the fiber mats laminated on the lower suction cage, the thin part when moving the lump of cotton-like fibers staying on the bottom of the air chamber by the wind from the air vent Thus, the cotton-like fibers can be intensively supplied to the fiber mat, and a fiber mat having a uniform thickness as a whole can be formed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a general view of the manufacturing process of the carbon fiber nonwoven fabric containing embodiment of the manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus of carbon fiber mat which concern on this invention. It is sectional drawing of the apparatus principal part in this embodiment. It is a perspective view explaining the state where cotton-like fiber is attracted | sucked and laminated | stacked on the suction cage in this embodiment.

  Next, an embodiment of a carbon fiber mat manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, after explaining the whole structure of the manufacturing process which manufactures a carbon fiber nonwoven fabric first, the manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus of the carbon fiber mat which concern on this embodiment are demonstrated in detail, The operation | movement and an effect are demonstrated.

<Overall configuration of carbon fiber nonwoven fabric manufacturing process>
First, the whole structure of the manufacturing process which manufactures a carbon fiber nonwoven fabric is demonstrated. In FIG. 1, the whole figure of the manufacturing process of the carbon fiber nonwoven fabric containing embodiment of the manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus of the carbon fiber mat concerning this invention is shown.
As shown in FIG. 1, the carbon fiber nonwoven fabric manufacturing process includes a carbon fiber cutting process 1, a blending process 2, 3, a web (referred to herein as “carbon fiber mat”) forming process 10, and a needling process 8. And a cutting step 9.
The carbon fiber cutting step 1 is a step of cutting a carbon fiber bundle wound in a coil shape around a bobbin into a predetermined length. The carbon fiber bundle is, for example, a bundle of PAN-based carbon fibers, and generally has a density of about 1.7 to 2.0 g / cm ^{3 and} a long fiber (filament) of about 5 to 10 microns in diameter of thousands to tens of thousands. It is an aggregate that gathers to a certain extent. In the carbon fiber cutting step 1, the bobbin 11 is placed on the rewinding table 17 to rewind the carbon fiber bundle 12, and the rewinded carbon fiber bundle 12 is inserted into the cutting machine 14 via the guide roller 13. Cut to a predetermined length. The length for cutting the carbon fiber bundle 12 may be set arbitrarily, but for example, it is cut to a length of about 10 cm. The carbon fiber raw material 15 cut into short fibers is accommodated in a pallet 16. The carbon fiber raw material 15 is a raw material of 100% carbon fiber.

  In the blending processes 2 and 3, the carbon fiber raw material 15 that has been shortened is loosened with a general blending machine, and the direction of the fibers is aligned so that a predetermined size of cotton-like lump or continuous coarse is obtained. This is the process of making cotton. The blending machine is provided with a plurality of drums and rollers (not shown), and when the supplied fiber is scraped by the smaller drum and passed to another drum, the fibers are separated and aligned. Since the carbon fiber bundle 12 is a fiber bundle in which very thin fibers are gathered, a plurality of blending machines may be used to form a cotton-like lump separated into fine fibers having a diameter close to the filament diameter. . In this example, two mixed hitting machines 2 and 3 are used.

The short fiber-like carbon fiber raw material 15 accommodated in the pallet 16 is input from the input port 21 of the first blender 2 and is coarsened and comes out from the output port. This coarsened carbon fiber raw material 23 is further transported to the input port 31 of the second blender 3 by the transport conveyor 24 in order to further reduce the diameter into a cotton-like lump. The carbon fiber raw material 23 thrown into the second kneading machine 3 becomes a cotton-like lump that has been reduced to a state close to the filament diameter of each filament while removing foreign matters and the like, and is discharged from the discharge port 32. Discharged.
In the present embodiment, the carbon fiber raw material 34 discharged from the second blender 3 is leveled to become continuous cotton by the spare roller 33 while being placed on the transport conveyor 35 and transported. To the carbon fiber mat forming step 10 according to FIG.

The carbon fiber mat forming step 10 is a step of forming a fleece-like fiber mat that is laminated with a uniform thickness from the carbon fiber raw material 34 that has become continuous cotton. In the carbon fiber mat forming step 10, the cotton fibers are floated in the air chamber 5 provided between the opening cylinder 4 and the suction cage 6 rotating in synchronization with each other, and then sucked into the suction cage 6. A fleece-like fiber mat that is laminated to have a uniform thickness is formed. Air is supplied to the air chamber 5 from below by a blower 7 in a predetermined direction. Details of the carbon fiber mat forming method and apparatus will be described later.
The fleece-like fiber mat formed in the carbon fiber mat forming step 10 is placed on the transfer conveyor 83 and transferred to the needling step 8. During the conveyance, the carbon fiber mat fluffed in a fleece shape is compressed by a plurality of press rollers 82 to increase the fiber density.

The needling step 8 is a step of increasing the fiber density of the carbon fiber mat 84 and mixing the fibers in the thickness direction to improve the strength of the carbon fiber nonwoven fabric. In the needling step 8, a plurality of needles 85 each having a hook-like portion at the tip are inserted from the upper surface of the carbon fiber mat, and the fibers are pulled in the thickness direction while pulling up the fibers hooked by the hook-like portion of the needle 85. It is entangled. It should be noted that the need for a minimum number of times is necessary because if the needling is performed too frequently, the carbon fiber is likely to break.
The last cutting process 9 is a process of cutting the needless carbon fiber nonwoven fabric into a required size. Here, a cutter is installed on the transport conveyor 91 to perform necessary cutting. Further, the cut carbon fiber nonwoven fabric 92 is stored in a product pallet 93.

<Method and apparatus for producing carbon fiber mat>
Next, the carbon fiber mat manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the main part of the apparatus in the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which cotton-like fibers are sucked and stacked on the suction cage in the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 2, the carbon fiber mat manufacturing apparatus 100 includes a fiber opening cylinder 4, an air chamber 5, a suction cage 6, and a blower 7.
The opening cylinder 4 has a cylindrical opening cylinder body 41 in which a plurality of protrusions 42 are installed on the outer periphery. The opening cylinder body 41 is pivotally supported at the rotation center 43 and rotates counterclockwise (in the direction of the arrow P) at a predetermined rotation speed. The rotation speed is set to an optimum speed according to the amount of feed of the cotton-like fiber material 34 and the like. For example, it is about 800 to 1000 rpm.

  Further, the opening cylinder 4 is covered with an arc-shaped cover member 44 at a position where it does not interfere with the protrusion 42 provided on the outer periphery of the opening cylinder body 41. A cover member 44 is cut out at the inlet of the carbon fiber raw material 34 discharged from the second blender 3, and input rollers 49 </ b> A and 49 </ b> B are installed. The continuous cotton carbon fiber material 34 transported by the transport conveyor 35 is input to the lower side of the opening cylinder body 41 by the rotation of the input rollers 49A and 49B. The rotation of the opening cylinder body 41 causes the continuous cotton carbon fiber raw material 34 to be opened by the protrusions 42. The opened cotton-like fiber 53 is blown backward by the wind generated by the rotation of the opening cylinder body 41. Note that a wind cutting plate 45 is provided below the cutout of the cover member 44 to prevent wind from entering from the input roller 49B.

As shown in FIG. 2, the air chamber 5 is provided between the opening cylinder 4 and the suction cage 6. The air chamber 5 is a space for floating or staying the cotton-like fibers 53 opened by the protrusions 42 of the opening cylinder body 41 and flying backward. The air chamber 5 has a ceiling plate 51 and a bottom plate 52, and a space defined by the ceiling plate 51 and the bottom plate 52 has a spatial margin that allows the cotton-like fibers 53 to float sufficiently. The ceiling plate 51 and the bottom plate 52 are formed substantially parallel to each other, and the spatial width facing the opening cylinder 4 and the spatial width facing the suction cage 6 are substantially equal. Therefore, the wind generated by the opening cylinder 4 flows uniformly in the air chamber 5. Since the air in the air chamber 5 flows evenly, the cotton-like fibers 53 can be evenly dispersed and floated throughout the air chamber 5.
A wind-cut plate 46 is provided at the connecting portion between the ceiling plate 51 and the cover member 44 of the opening cylinder 4 to prevent wind from entering the gap between the opening cylinder body 41 and the cover member 44. ing.

  A blower port 47 for blowing air from the opening cylinder 4 side toward the suction cage 6 side is formed at the lower end of the air chamber 5. A guide plate 48 is provided at the air chamber outlet of the air outlet 47 to adjust the wind direction, air volume, air speed, and the like of the air blown from the blower 7. The wind adjusted by the guide plate 48 flows toward the suction cage 6 along the bottom plate 52 provided substantially horizontally. The fan main body 71 and the blower opening 47 of the blower 7 are connected by a blower duct 72.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the suction cage 6 includes cylindrical suction cage bodies 62 and 63 that suck and laminate the cotton fibers 53 that are opened by the opening cylinder 4 and float or stay in the air chamber 5. ing. Filter members 622 and 632 for separating the sucked cotton-like fibers 53 and air are installed on the outer peripheral surfaces of the suction cage bodies 62 and 63. The material of the filter members 622 and 632 is not particularly limited. For example, a stainless steel net or thin plate with fine pores on the entire surface may be used.

  In the present embodiment, there are two suction cage bodies 62 and 63. The two suction cage bodies 62 and 63 are formed with substantially the same outer diameter and are arranged in the vertical direction. Each suction cage main body 62, 63 is pivotally supported by rotation centers 621, 631, and rotates in a direction in which the outer peripheral surfaces on the air chamber 5 side are close to each other. That is, the upper suction cage body 62 rotates counterclockwise (in the direction of arrow Q), and the lower suction cage body 63 rotates in the clockwise direction (in the direction of arrow R). The rotational speeds of the upper suction cage main body 62 and the lower suction cage main body 63 are equal to each other, and are controlled to be synchronized with the rotational speed of the opening cylinder main body 41. However, the rotational speeds of the suction cage bodies 62 and 63 are set slower than the rotational speed of the opening cylinder body 41. The reason why the opening cylinder body 41 is rotated at a high speed is to separate the cotton-like fibers 53 one by one and disperse them uniformly in the air chamber 5. The reason why the suction cage bodies 62 and 63 are rotated at a low speed is to uniformly form the fiber mats 61A and 61B that are sucked and stacked in the suction cage 6 with a predetermined thickness.

The suction cage bodies 62 and 63 are installed with a predetermined gap 64 so that a carbon fiber mat 61C having a predetermined thickness passes therethrough. This is because a fiber mat having a more uniform thickness can be formed more quickly.
Further, the gap 64 between the suction cage bodies 62 and 63 is provided above the bottom plate 52 of the air chamber 5. Therefore, the cotton-like fiber 53 staying in the bottom plate 52 of the air chamber 5 passes through the gap 64 between the suction cage bodies 62 and 63 unless it passes through the arc surface facing the air chamber 5 of the lower suction cage body 63. It has a structure that can not be.

Further, arc-shaped cover members 65A and 65B are covered on the outer peripheral sides of the suction cage bodies 62 and 63 in the vertical direction. A square tubular exhaust introduction tube 66 is connected to both sides of the cover members 65A and 65B (front and back in the drawing). The exhaust introduction cylinder 66 communicates with the inner walls of the suction cage bodies 62 and 63, and air from the suction cage bodies 62 and 63 is introduced. An exhaust duct is connected to the upper end 67 of the exhaust introduction cylinder 66, and the introduced air is sucked by a dust collector (not shown).
The cover members 64 and 65 on the outlet side of the carbon fiber mat are notched, and delivery rollers 81A and 81B are provided. The delivery rollers 81 </ b> A and 81 </ b> B have a role of feeding the carbon fiber mat 61 </ b> C discharged from the gap between the suction cage bodies 62 and 63 to the transport conveyor 83.
Here, the delivery rollers 81A and 81B rotate in conjunction with the suction cage bodies 62 and 63 and can also adjust the rotation speed.

<Description of operation>
Next, the operation | movement method of the manufacturing apparatus 100 of the carbon fiber mat which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated using FIG.2 and FIG.3.
As shown in FIG. 2, the continuous cotton carbon fiber raw material 34 conveyed by the conveyor 35 is introduced below the opening cylinder body 41 by the rotation of the introduction rollers 49A and 49B. The introduced continuous carbon fiber material 34 is separated into individual cotton-like fibers 53 while the opening cylinder body 41 rotates at a high speed in the direction of arrow P and is opened by the protrusions 42. At the same time, by the rotation of the opening cylinder body 41, the wind generated in the direction of the arrow S is blown to the rear air chamber 5.

Since the air chamber 5 has a spatial allowance that allows the cotton-like fibers 53 blown by the rotation of the opening cylinder main body 41 to float sufficiently in quantity, one cotton-like fiber 53 exists in the air chamber 5. It is separated into one piece and floats uniformly dispersed without forming a bundle.
Here, the upper suction cage 62 is sucked from the dust collector through the exhaust duct in the direction of arrow V, and the lower suction cage 63 is sucked in the direction of arrow U. Therefore, the cotton-like fibers 53 floating in the air chamber 5 are sucked (arrows V1, V2, V3... And arrows U1, U2, U3...) By the suction cage bodies 62 and 63. The sucked cotton-like fibers 61A and 61B are laminated on the filter members 622 and 632 provided on the outer peripheral surfaces of the suction cage bodies 62 and 63 in such a manner that each carbon fiber is separated.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, there may be a region where the thickness of the carbon fibers laminated on the filter members 622 and 632 provided on the outer peripheral surfaces of the suction cage bodies 62 and 63 is thin. For example, it is assumed that the carbon fiber is thinner in the region K1 than in other regions. In the thin area K1, since the wind resistance by the carbon fiber is small, the suction force UL1 increases as compared with other areas. Then, the cotton-like fibers 53 floating in the air chamber 5 are concentrated and sucked in the region K1 where the suction force UL1 is increased. Since the difference in the suction force is generated until the carbon fiber in the thin region K1 becomes equal to the thickness of the other region, the thickness of the carbon fiber in the region K1 is substantially equal to the thickness of the other region.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, a blowing port 47 is provided at the lower end of the air chamber 5, and a constant wind T is blown from the opening cylinder 4 side toward the suction cage 6 side. Due to the wind T from the air blowing port 47, the lump of the cotton-like fibers 53 staying on the bottom plate 52 of the air chamber 5 moves to the lower suction cage body 63 side.
At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, if there is a thin area K2 among the fiber mats 61B stacked on the lower suction cage 63, in addition to the increased suction force UL2 described above, The cotton-like fibers 53 are intensively supplied to the thin region K2 by T to form a fiber mat 61C having a uniform thickness as a whole.

As shown in FIG. 2, the suction cage bodies 62 and 63 rotate at the same speed in the direction in which the outer peripheral surfaces on the air chamber 5 side approach each other (directions of arrows Q and R).
Further, since the fiber mat 61A laminated on the upper suction cage body 62 and the fiber mat 61B laminated on the lower suction cage body 63 overlap each other when passing through the gap 64 between both suction cages, a fiber mat 61C having a uniform thickness is formed. To do. Further, when the carbon fiber mat passes through the gap 64 between the suction cages, even if there is some unevenness in the thickness of the fiber mat, it is corrected, so that a fiber mat having a more uniform thickness is formed.
The carbon fiber mat 61C discharged from the gap 64 between the suction cage bodies 62 and 63 is sent out to the conveyor 83 by the rotation of the delivery rollers 81A and 81B. Since the delivery rollers 81A and 81B rotate in conjunction with the suction cage bodies 62 and 63 and the rotation speed can be adjusted, the thickness of the discharged carbon fiber mat 61C can be managed with high accuracy and speed.

<Effect>
As described above in detail, according to the manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus of the present embodiment, it is possible to form a fleece-like fiber mat that is laminated to a uniform thickness while using the carbon fiber raw material shortened as it is. it can. Here, since the carbon fiber raw material is a raw material of 100% carbon fiber, it can be used as a heat-resistant material, a heat insulating material, a heat shielding material or the like without performing a heat treatment such as firing the laminated fleece fiber mat. it can.

  Specifically, since the cotton-like fiber 53 is floated in the air chamber 5 provided between the opening cylinder 4 and the suction cage 6, the cotton-like fiber 53 opened in the opening cylinder 4 is allowed to flow into the air chamber 5. Can be separated one by one. Therefore, the cotton-like fiber 53 can be uniformly dispersed without forming a bundle-like lump in the air chamber 5. At this time, since the cotton-like fiber 53 floats and disperses in the air, there is no problem that the carbon fiber breaks.

  Further, since the cotton-like fibers 53 are floated in the air chamber 5 and then sucked and laminated in the suction cage 6, each carbon fiber is separated so that the outer peripheral surface of the suction cage 6 or the suction cage 6 is aligned. It can be laminated on the bottom surface of the previous air chamber 5. That is, since the carbon mats are laminated on the suction cage 6 in the disjoint direction to form the fiber mats 61A and 61B, the fiber orientation in the fiber mat becomes random, and the fiber density of the mat itself becomes uniform. Further, the tensile strength of the mat itself is uniform in all directions.

  Further, since the cotton-like fibers 53 are sucked into the suction cage 6 and laminated, even if the fiber mat thickness is uneven during the lamination, the suction force at the thick part is lowered and the suction force at the thin part is increased. Therefore, the cotton-like fibers 53 floating in the air chamber 5 or staying on the bottom surface of the air chamber 5 gather at a thin portion where the suction force is increased. As a result, among the fiber mats 61A and 61B laminated on the suction cage 6, the cotton-like fibers 53 are intensively sucked at a thin portion, and a fiber mat having a uniform thickness as a whole can be formed.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, the lower end of the air chamber 5 is provided with the air blowing port 47 for blowing air from the opening cylinder 4 side toward the suction cage 6 side. Even if the amount of 53 is large and the cotton-like fiber 53 stays on the bottom surface of the air chamber 5 between the opening cylinder 4 and the suction cage 6, the staying cotton-like fibers are lumped by the wind T from the air blowing port 47. Can be moved to the suction cage 6 side.
Specifically, in order for the laminated fiber mat to have a certain thickness, a certain amount of the lump of the cotton-like fiber 53 is required, but in order to form a fiber mat having a uniform thickness, the cotton-like fiber is formed. The mass of 53 must be evenly distributed. The important elements for uniformly distributing the mass of the cotton-like fibers 53 are the air chamber 5 having a sufficient space for the cotton-like fibers 53 to float sufficiently and the cotton staying on the bottom surface of the air chamber 5. It is the magnitude | size of the wind force which moves the lump of the fiber 53 to the suction cage 6 side from the opening cylinder 4 side. The opening cylinder 4 is a cylinder having the opening protrusion 42 and rotates at a high speed, so that wind force is generated by the rotation. Further, the suction cage 6 communicates with the exhaust duct and sucks the air in the air chamber 5 into the cage, so that wind force is generated in the suction direction.
However, when only the wind power generated by the opening cylinder 4 and the suction cage 6 is used, if the amount of the cotton-like fiber 53 increases, the cotton-like fibers staying on the bottom surface of the air chamber 5 between the opening cylinder 4 and the suction cage 6. The wind power for moving the mass of 53 toward the suction cage 6 may be insufficient.
Therefore, an air outlet 47 that blows air from the opening cylinder 4 side toward the suction cage 6 side is provided at the lower end of the air chamber 5 to supplement the insufficient wind power. It is more effective to provide a guide plate 48 at this air outlet and adjust the air direction, air volume, etc.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, the suction cage 6 includes the upper suction cage 62 and the lower suction cage 63, and the carbon fiber mat passes through the gap 64 between the suction cages. A thick fiber mat can be formed more quickly.
Specifically, since the fiber mat 61A laminated on the upper suction cage 62 and the fiber mat 61B laminated on the lower suction cage 63 overlap each other when passing through the gap 64 between both suction cages, a fiber mat having a uniform thickness is formed. Speed increases. Further, when the carbon fiber mat passes through the gap 64 between the suction cages, the fiber mat is corrected even if there is some unevenness in the thickness of the fiber mat, so that a fiber mat with a more uniform thickness can be formed.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the gap 64 between the suction cages is provided above the bottom surface of the air chamber 5, so that the cotton fibers 53 laminated on the lower suction cage 63 are more It can be laminated uniformly.
Specifically, by providing the gap 64 between both suction cages above the bottom surface of the air chamber 5, the cotton-like fibers 53 staying on the bottom surface of the air chamber 5 are arcs facing the air chamber 5 of the lower suction cage 63. The structure cannot pass through the gap 64 between the two suction cages without passing through the surface. Therefore, when there are a thin portion and a thick portion among the fiber mats 61 </ b> B laminated on the lower suction cage 63, the lump of the cotton-like fibers 53 staying on the bottom surface of the air chamber 5 due to the wind T from the air blowing port 47. When moving, the cotton-like fibers 53 can be intensively supplied to a thin portion, and a fiber mat having a uniform thickness as a whole can be formed.

In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above. Various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
(1) In the present embodiment described above, the suction cage 6 is divided into the upper suction cage 62 and the lower suction cage 63, and there are two suction cages 6. However, only one suction cage 6 may be used. For example, the upper suction cage 62 may be changed to a compression roller, and suction may be performed only with the lower suction cage 63. Although the formation speed of the carbon fiber mat is reduced, the entire apparatus becomes compact.
In this case, if the needling needle is attached to the compression roller, the needling step 8 can be omitted.
(2) Moreover, in this embodiment mentioned above, although the ventilation port 47 which ventilates toward the suction cage 6 side from the opening cylinder 4 side is provided in the lower end of the air chamber 5, There is no limit. For example, you may provide in the side wall of an air chamber. If the wind blown from the blower port 47 flows from the opening cylinder 4 side toward the suction cage 6 side, the wind T from the blower port 47 causes the cotton fibers 53 staying on the bottom surface of the air chamber 5. This is because the mass can be moved.
(3) Moreover, in this embodiment mentioned above, although the carbon fiber raw material of 100% of carbon fiber was used, it is not necessary to limit to this. For example, it is possible to mix fibers other than carbon fibers depending on the usage environment such as the heat-resistant temperature.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used, for example, as a carbon fiber mat manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus used as heat insulating materials for various high-temperature furnaces, exhaust gas filter materials for diesel engine vehicles, heat shield materials at welding sites, and the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Carbon fiber cutting process 2, 3 Blending process 4 Opening cylinder 5 Air chamber 6 Suction cage 7 Blower 8 Needling process 9 Cutting process 10 Carbon fiber mat formation process 41 Opening cylinder main body 42 Protrusion part 47 Blower port 48 Guide plate 51 Ceiling plate 52 Bottom plate 62 Upper suction cage body 63 Lower suction cage body 64 Clearance 100 Carbon fiber mat manufacturing apparatus

Claims (4)

In the carbon fiber mat manufacturing method of forming a fleece fiber mat by laminating cotton-like fibers opened from a carbon fiber raw material cut into short fibers to a predetermined thickness,
A method for producing a carbon fiber mat, wherein the cotton-like fiber is floated in an air chamber provided between a fiber opening cylinder and a suction cage, and then sucked and laminated in the suction cage. In the carbon fiber mat manufacturing apparatus used for the carbon fiber mat manufacturing method according to claim 1,
An apparatus for producing a carbon fiber mat, wherein the air chamber is provided with a blowing port for blowing air from the opening cylinder side toward the suction cage side. In the carbon fiber mat manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2,
The suction cage includes an upper suction cage and a lower suction cage, and the carbon fiber mat passes through a gap between the suction cages. In the carbon fiber mat manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3,
An apparatus for producing a carbon fiber mat, wherein a gap between the suction cages is provided above a bottom surface of the air chamber.

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