JP5919755B2 - Manufacturing method of fiber material - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a fiber material and a manufacturing method thereof.

  Fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) made of reinforced fiber and matrix resin is superior in mechanical properties, light weight, corrosion resistance, etc., and manufactures members for various applications such as aircraft, automobiles, ships, windmills, sports equipment, etc. Widely used as a material to do. Organic fibers such as aramid fibers and high-strength polyethylene fibers are also used as the reinforcing fibers, but in applications where high mechanical properties are required, inorganic fibers such as carbon fibers, glass fibers, and metal fibers are often used. In particular, carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) using carbon fiber is one of the main materials in the aerospace field where high performance is required because it is excellent in strength, elastic modulus, lightness and stability. The use is expected to expand further in the future.

  Reinforcing fibers used for FRP can be classified into continuous reinforcing fibers and discontinuous reinforcing fibers according to their forms. FRP using continuous reinforcing fiber is excellent in mechanical properties because it does not substantially include the end of reinforcing fiber other than the end of FRP, but the reinforcing fiber is difficult to move, so it is reinforced when trying to form into a three-dimensional shape. There is a problem that the mechanical properties of the FRP are deteriorated because the fiber bends greatly or a portion with a small amount of reinforcing fiber and a large amount of resin is generated locally. On the other hand, FRP using discontinuous reinforcing fibers includes a large number of fiber end portions in addition to the end portions of the FRP, and the fibers can move easily so that it can be formed into a complicated shape. However, the degree of opening of the discontinuous reinforcing fibers and the length of the discontinuous reinforcing fibers are important in obtaining FRP composed of such discontinuous reinforcing fibers. Generally, when the FRP receives stress, the stress tends to concentrate on the ends of the reinforcing fibers. However, if the discontinuous reinforcing fibers are not sufficiently opened, the ends of the plurality of reinforcing fibers are adjacent to each other and concentrate there. The stress increases, the FRP is easily broken, and the mechanical properties of the FRP are lowered. Moreover, if the fiber length of the discontinuous reinforcing fiber is too short, the stress that can be borne by the reinforcing fiber becomes small. Conversely, if the fiber length is too long, the reinforcing fiber becomes difficult to move and the range of shapes of members that can be produced becomes narrow.

  As a method of using discontinuous reinforcing fibers for FRP, the discontinuous reinforcing fibers are kneaded with a thermoplastic resin as a matrix resin and extruded or cut, or the continuous reinforcing fibers are a thermoplastic resin as a matrix resin. Obtained by cutting while extruding and cutting the extruded material, a method of injection molding so-called short fiber pellets, obtained by impregnating a continuous reinforcing fiber bundle with a thermoplastic resin as a matrix resin and cutting A so-called SMC (Sheet Molding Compound), which is obtained by injection molding a so-called long fiber pellet, obtained by spreading a cut reinforcing fiber bundle on a sheet made of a matrix resin and then impregnating the matrix resin into the reinforcing fiber bundle. ), Press woven fabrics made using discontinuous reinforcing fibers, and opened reinforcing fibers 1 A so-called prepreg obtained by impregnating a matrix resin into a sheet arranged in the direction is placed in a mold and pressed and heated to form, a sheet of woven fabric, nonwoven fabric, etc. made using discontinuous reinforcing fibers An RTM (Resin Transfer Molding) method in which a resin is placed in a mold and then impregnated with a matrix resin is known.

  For example, in the injection molding technique, a technique is known in which the value Lw / Ln obtained by dividing the weight average fiber length Lw of the reinforcing fiber in the FRP by the number average fiber length Ln is close to 1, that is, the fiber length distribution of the reinforcing fiber is narrowed. (Patent Document 1). Although this technique also provides an FRP that is a part of the effect of the present invention, Lw / Ln is close to 1 and FRP mechanical properties and formability are compatible to some extent, this technique allows the reinforcing fiber to be reinforced by the shearing action of the screw. Since the opening and cutting are performed simultaneously, the number average fiber length Ln of the reinforcing fibers in the obtained FRP was actually about 1 mm.

  As an aggregate of discontinuous fibers having a number average fiber length of 10 mm or more, the discontinuous fibers are present in a state of being aligned and opened in substantially the same direction, and the shape is maintained by friction and / or entanglement between the fibers. A fiber material called a sliver is known. A technique for producing FRP using this sliver is known. As a method for obtaining such a sliver, check spinning is known (for example, Patent Documents 2 and 3). Checking spinning is a technology in which a continuous reinforcing fiber bundle is sandwiched between two or more pairs of rollers, and the reinforcing fiber bundle is torn by a difference in the peripheral speed of the rollers and drawn into a discontinuous reinforcing fiber bundle to produce a sliver. is there. In this check spinning, some reinforcing fibers are torn between rolls to form discontinuous reinforcing fibers, while the remaining reinforcing fibers are not torn by slipping and remain as continuous reinforcing fibers. As a result, the shape can be maintained as a sliver, but it is difficult to control the cutting of the reinforcing fibers, and there are reinforcing fibers having a long fiber length. Since such a long reinforcing fiber is difficult to move during molding, there is a problem that the range of the shape of the moldable member becomes narrow.

  Moreover, after combining continuous carbon fiber and discontinuous fiber into a yarn, a method of obtaining a spun yarn containing carbon fiber by cutting the carbon fiber is known (for example, Patent Document 4). Furthermore, a spun yarn containing carbon fibers having an extremely long fiber length is known (Patent Document 5).

  The sliver or spun yarn obtained by these methods can increase the average fiber length of the carbon fibers contained, but on the other hand, the range of the shape of the member that can be formed due to the presence of extremely long fiber lengths. There was a problem that became narrow.

  When carbon fibers are used as reinforcing fibers, spun yarns, woven fabrics, and nonwoven fabrics are produced from flame-resistant yarns (also called oxidized yarns) that are precursors of carbon fibers, and these are fired to form discontinuous carbon fibers. A method for obtaining a spun yarn, a woven fabric, and a non-woven fabric is known (for example, Patent Document 6). The spun yarn obtained by such a method has a problem in that a portion where the carbon fibers are fused to each other at the time of firing, resulting in poor opening. Furthermore, in the method of firing the flameproof yarn, since the fiber is exposed to a high temperature in the firing step, there is a restriction that a spun yarn in which organic fibers are mixed with carbon fibers cannot be obtained.

  Inorganic fibers are usually handled in the form of fiber bundles consisting of thousands of single fibers, but the tension applied to each single fiber in the fiber bundle is slightly different, so single fibers with lower tension than other single fibers as they are Will relax. When this loose fiber is rubbed by a guide roll or the like in the processing step, it is cut and fluff is generated, causing trouble. Therefore, the sizing agent is attached to the inorganic fiber bundle so that the single fibers are not loosened. For this reason, it was very difficult to open the fiber bundle to make a sliver.

JP-A-8-59889 European Patent Application Publication No. 1319740 US Patent 48256635 specification JP 47-30953 A Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-163208 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-281871

As described above, as a reinforcing fiber included in FRP, a continuous fiber, a discontinuous fiber having a certain length but an irregular length, a discontinuity having a uniform length but insufficient opening There are only fiber materials that provide short, discontinuous fibers with a certain length of fiber and fiber length, but a fiber material that can achieve both a range of shapes that can be molded and the mechanical properties of the resulting FRP at a high level. Did not exist. An object of the present invention is to solve such a problem, that is, to provide a method for producing a fiber material capable of achieving both a shape range that can be molded and the mechanical properties of the obtained FRP at a high level.

To solve the previous SL issues, method for producing a fiber material of the present invention has the following configuration. That is, a discontinuous carbon fiber having a number average fiber length of 10 to 120 mm and a substantially constant fiber length, a crimp number of 5 to 25 crests / 25 mm, a crimp rate of 3 to 30%, and a single fiber fineness of 0.5 A fiber assembly including discontinuous organic fibers of ˜5 dtex is opened by a cotton opening machine and carded , and the weight average fiber length of the discontinuous carbon fibers of the obtained fiber material is Lw, when the number average fiber length of the discontinuous carbon fibers is Ln, Lw / Ln is Ru der 1.0 to 1.3, a method for producing a fiber material.

Fiber materials obtained by the method for producing a fiber material according to the present invention, or impregnated with a similarly sheeting to or as resin and reinforcing fiber bundle continuous, or used as an injection molding material by mixing a thermoplastic resin Thus, it is possible to manufacture FRP having a complicated shape with excellent mechanical characteristics.

Moreover, since the fiber length of the discontinuous inorganic fiber which is a reinforced fiber is long to some extent, FRP obtained using the fiber material obtained by the manufacturing method of the fiber material by this invention can obtain a high mechanical characteristic. Furthermore, since the reinforcing fibers are discontinuous, the fiber lengths are uniform, and extremely long reinforcing fibers are not included, the reinforcing fibers can be easily moved and formed into a member having a complicated shape.

It is a schematic diagram which shows one Embodiment of the process of carding the fiber assembly in this invention.

  The fiber material of the present invention is an aggregate of discontinuous inorganic fibers having a number average fiber length of 10 mm or more, and is present in a state where discontinuous fibers are aligned and opened in substantially the same direction. The shape is maintained by friction and / or entanglement. Specific examples of such a fiber material include a web and a sliver. The web is the fiber material and has a sheet-like form, and the sliver is the fiber material and has a rope-like form.

  Here, the fiber material of the present invention comprises discontinuous inorganic fibers having a substantially constant fiber length. More specifically, when the weight average fiber length of discontinuous inorganic fibers is Lw and the number average fiber length is Ln, Lw / Ln is 1.0 to 1.3. Furthermore, the number average fiber length of the discontinuous inorganic fibers is 10 to 100 mm.

  The discontinuous inorganic fiber Lw / Ln is a measure of the variation in the fiber length of the inorganic fiber, and is 1 if the lengths of all the fibers are the same. The greater the variation in the fiber length, the greater the Lw / Ln. Will grow. In the fiber material of the present invention, Lw / Ln of discontinuous inorganic fibers contained in the fiber material is 1.0 to 1.3, preferably 1.0 to 1.2, and more preferably 1.0. -1.1. When Lw / Ln exceeds 1.3, the fiber length of the discontinuous inorganic fibers included in the FRP varies greatly, and extremely long inorganic fibers and extremely short inorganic fibers are included. Represents that. Since inorganic fibers having an extremely long fiber length are difficult to move during molding, the range of the shape of FRP obtained after molding becomes small. In addition, extremely short inorganic fibers cannot sufficiently bear the stress when the FRP is stressed, and as a result, the mechanical properties of the FRP are low.

  The number average fiber length Ln of the discontinuous inorganic fibers is 10 to 100 mm, preferably 10 to 50 mm. If the number average fiber length is less than 10 mm, the stress that the discontinuous inorganic fibers that are reinforcing fibers can bear is insufficient, or the distance between the reinforcing fiber ends becomes short and the stress tends to concentrate. This is not preferable because the mechanical properties of the resin deteriorate. On the other hand, when the length of the discontinuous inorganic fiber exceeds 100 mm, the discontinuous inorganic fiber becomes difficult to move, and the shape range of the moldable FRP becomes narrow. The fiber material of the present invention may contain fibers other than discontinuous inorganic fibers. For example, a sliver made of only inorganic fibers can be covered with organic fibers to suppress the generation of fluff and the removal of inorganic fibers, or the fiber material can be cut or stretched by mixing continuous organic fibers. Can be prevented. Even in such a case, the content of discontinuous inorganic fibers with respect to the mass of the fiber material is preferably 20% by mass or more, more preferably 50% by mass or more, and further preferably 70% by mass or more. When the content of discontinuous inorganic fibers is less than 20% by mass, the content of reinforcing fibers when FRP is obtained becomes low, and it is difficult to obtain high mechanical properties that are the object of the present invention.

  The fiber material of the present invention may be composed only of discontinuous inorganic fibers, but preferably comprises discontinuous organic fibers. Since inorganic fibers are rigid and brittle, they are difficult to entangle and easily break. Therefore, the fiber material which consists only of inorganic fiber has the problem that it is easy to cut | disconnect during the manufacture, or an inorganic fiber falls off easily. Therefore, a fiber material with high uniformity can be formed by including organic fibers that are flexible, difficult to break, and easily entangled, particularly discontinuous organic fibers. When the fiber material of the present invention contains discontinuous inorganic fibers and discontinuous organic fibers, the content of discontinuous inorganic fibers relative to the total mass of discontinuous inorganic fibers and discontinuous organic fibers is The amount is preferably 20 to 95% by mass, more preferably 50 to 95% by mass, and still more preferably 70 to 95% by mass. As in the case of the fiber material composed only of inorganic fibers, if the proportion of discontinuous inorganic fibers is low, it becomes difficult to obtain high mechanical properties when FRP is used. Conversely, in this case, discontinuous organic fibers are used. If the ratio is too low, the effect of improving the uniformity of the fiber material cannot be obtained.

  As inorganic fibers used in the present invention, carbon fibers, glass fibers, metal fibers such as stainless steel, ceramic fibers such as alumina and silica, and the like can be used. Fiber or glass fiber is preferred, and carbon fiber is particularly preferred.

  Although there is no restriction | limiting in particular as a kind of carbon fiber, A PAN-type carbon fiber, a pitch-type carbon fiber, a cellulose-type carbon fiber, a vapor growth type carbon fiber, these graphitized fibers, etc. are illustrated. PAN-based carbon fibers are carbon fibers made from polyacrylonitrile fibers. Pitch-based carbon fiber is carbon fiber made from petroleum tar or petroleum pitch. Cellulosic carbon fibers are carbon fibers made from viscose rayon, cellulose acetate, or the like. Vapor-grown carbon fibers are carbon fibers made from hydrocarbons or the like. Of these, PAN-based carbon fibers are preferable because they are excellent in balance between strength and elastic modulus. Further, the carbon fiber may be surface-treated for the purpose of improving the adhesion between the carbon fiber and the matrix resin. As the surface treatment method, electrolytic treatment, ozone treatment, ultraviolet treatment or the like can be employed. Further, a sizing agent may be added to the carbon fiber for the purpose of preventing the carbon fiber from fuzzing or improving the adhesion between the carbon fiber and the matrix resin. As the sizing agent, urethane compounds, epoxy compounds and the like can be employed.

  In the present invention, when discontinuous organic fibers are used, the fiber length of the discontinuous organic fibers is particularly within the range in which the object of the present invention of maintaining the shape of the fiber material and preventing the discontinuation of discontinuous inorganic fibers can be achieved. There is no limitation, and generally an organic fiber of about 10 to 100 mm can be used. The fiber length of the discontinuous organic fiber can be relatively determined according to the fiber length of the discontinuous inorganic fiber. For example, when drawing a fiber material, a greater tension is applied to discontinuous fibers having a long fiber length. Therefore, if you want to apply tension to discontinuous inorganic fibers and orient them in the length direction of the fiber material, it is discontinuous. It is possible to make the fiber length of the inorganic fiber longer than the fiber length of the discontinuous organic fiber, and conversely, the fiber length of the discontinuous inorganic fiber can be shorter than the fiber length of the discontinuous organic fiber.

  Moreover, it is preferable to impart crimp to the discontinuous organic fibers for the purpose of enhancing the effect of entanglement by the discontinuous organic fibers. The degree of crimping of the discontinuous fiber length is not particularly limited as long as the object of the present invention can be achieved. Generally, the number of crimps is about 5 to 25/25 mm, and the crimping rate is 3 to 30%. It is preferable that the organic fiber is discontinuous. The single fiber fineness of the organic fiber is preferably 0.5 to 5 dtex. In particular, the number of crimps is preferably 10 to 20 crests / 25 mm, the crimp rate is 10 to 20%, and the fiber diameter is preferably 1 to 5 dtex from the viewpoint of the uniformity of the fiber material.

  There is no restriction | limiting in particular as this discontinuous organic fiber material, It can select suitably in the range which does not reduce the mechanical characteristic of FRP large. For example, polyolefin resins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, polyamide resins such as nylon 6, nylon 6,6, polyester resins such as polyethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate, polyether ketone, polyether sulfone, aromatic polyamide, etc. A fiber obtained by spinning a resin of the above can be used. Such an organic fiber material is preferably selected as appropriate depending on the combination of matrix resins. In particular, an organic fiber using the same resin as the matrix resin used in the case of FRP, a resin compatible with the matrix resin, or a resin having high adhesiveness with the matrix resin is preferable because it does not deteriorate the mechanical properties of the FRP. For example, the organic fiber is preferably at least one fiber selected from the group consisting of polyamide fiber, polyphenylene sulfide fiber, polypropylene fiber, polyether ether ketone fiber, and phenoxy resin fiber.

  It is preferable that the discontinuous inorganic fibers are not substantially fused together. If the discontinuous inorganic fibers are fused, the ends of the discontinuous inorganic fibers gather and stress tends to concentrate, so the mechanical properties of the FRP are likely to deteriorate. For example, when a PAN-based carbon fiber is used as an inorganic fiber, a fiber material is formed using a flame-resistant yarn that is a precursor of the PAN-based carbon fiber, and then the sliver is baked to obtain a carbon fiber fiber material. In this case, the carbon fibers are not preferable because they are often fused together.

  In preparing FRP using the fiber material of the present invention, a discontinuous inorganic fiber and discontinuous organic fiber are mixed to prepare a fiber material, and the organic fiber contained in the fiber material is used as it is as a matrix resin. Of course, a fiber material that does not contain organic fibers may be used as a raw material, and the matrix resin may be impregnated at any stage of producing FRP.

  Further, even when a fiber material containing inorganic fibers and organic fibers is used as a raw material, the matrix resin can be impregnated at an arbitrary stage for producing FRP. In such a case, the resin constituting the organic fiber and the matrix resin may be the same resin or different resins. When the resin constituting the organic fiber is different from the matrix resin, both of them may be thermoplastic resins, or a combination of a thermoplastic resin and a thermosetting resin. However, when the resin and the matrix constituting the organic fiber are different, it is preferable that the two have compatibility or higher affinity. For example, the solubility parameter (SP value) δ defined by the following formula is close. This is preferable because the mechanical properties of FRP are enhanced.

  Here, ΔE is the evaporation energy and V is the molar volume.

  In producing FRP, the fiber material of the present invention can be made directly into FRP, or the sliver can be processed into spun yarn to make a woven fabric before making it into FRP. When a sliver is used as a fiber material, the sliver is directly made into FRP. A sliver cut to a desired length is added to the mold (adding a matrix resin as necessary) and then pressed in the mold. For example, a molding method, a sliver (with a matrix resin added if necessary), an extruder, a melted and kneaded product with a screw, and then injected into a mold can be employed. In addition, when a plurality of slivers are arranged in one direction, a matrix resin is added as necessary and integrated by pressing to produce a prepreg, and then the FRP is produced by pressurizing and pressing the prepreg in a mold. can do.

  In producing FRP by such a method, when an organic fiber is included in the fiber material, it can be used as a matrix resin, or a matrix resin may be added separately. In any of the above cases, the resin constituting the organic fiber is not particularly limited. Polyamide such as nylon 6, nylon 6, 6, nylon 6, 12, etc., polyolefin such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, poly Polyester such as lactic acid, polyphenylene sulfide, polyether ketone, polycarbonate, phenoxy resin and the like can be used. Among them, polyamide, polyphenylene sulfide, polypropylene, polyetheretherketone and phenoxy resin are preferable because they are excellent in mechanical properties and chemical stability of the polymer and can be used as they are as a matrix resin. Also, when impregnating with other matrix resin, it is preferable because it has excellent compatibility with the matrix resin and does not deteriorate the mechanical properties of FRP.

  Conventionally, there has been no technique for producing a fiber material of inorganic fibers having the same fiber length as described above. However, such a fiber material can be obtained by a production method described below.

  The production method according to the present invention comprises a step of carding a fiber aggregate containing discontinuous inorganic fibers having a number average fiber length of 10 to 120 mm, preferably 20 to 120 mm, which is substantially constant. It is a manufacturing method of material.

  Carding as used in the present invention refers to an operation of aligning discontinuous fibers or opening fibers by applying a force in approximately the same direction in a comb-like discontinuous fiber assembly. Say. Generally, it is carried out using a carding apparatus having a roll having a large number of needle-like projections on the surface and / or a roll around which a metallic wire having a saw-like projection of a saw is wound.

  When the number average fiber length of the inorganic fibers is less than 10 mm, there is almost no entanglement between the inorganic fibers, it is difficult to maintain the form of the fiber material, and even in the case of FRP, only low mechanical properties can be obtained. In addition, when the number average fiber length of the inorganic fibers exceeds 120 mm, it is difficult to stably produce the fiber material because the inorganic fibers are easily wound around the roll of the carding device during carding, and it is molded as FRP. In doing so, the movement of the inorganic fibers is restricted, so the range of shapes that can be molded is narrowed.

  In carrying out such carding, it is preferable to shorten the time (residence time) in which the inorganic fiber is present in the carding apparatus for the purpose of preventing the inorganic fiber from being broken. Specifically, it is preferable to transfer the inorganic fibers present on the wire wound around the cylinder roll of the carding apparatus to the doffer roll in as short a time as possible. Therefore, in order to promote such a transition, the rotation speed of the cylinder roll is preferably rotated at a high rotation speed such as 300 rpm or more. For the same reason, the surface speed of the doffer roll is preferably a high speed such as 10 m / min or more.

  Moreover, in the manufacturing method which concerns on this invention, it is preferable that the discontinuous organic fiber is further included in the fiber assembly provided to carding. Even if the discontinuous inorganic fiber does not satisfy the fiber length by including discontinuous organic fibers in the fiber aggregate to be subjected to carding, a fiber material of inorganic fibers having a uniform fiber length is manufactured. be able to. When discontinuous inorganic fibers satisfy the fiber length, it is possible to more easily manufacture a fiber material having a smaller variation in fiber length of inorganic discontinuous fibers.

  In the production method according to the present invention, the step of cutting inorganic long fibers to obtain discontinuous inorganic fibers having a substantially constant fiber length, and (if necessary, discontinuous inorganic fibers and discontinuous organic fibers) And a step of obtaining a fiber assembly containing discontinuous inorganic fibers and a step of producing a fiber material by carding the fiber assembly.

  The inorganic long fibers can be cut, for example, by a normal method using a fiber bundle of inorganic long fibers using a guillotine cutter, a rotary cutter, or the like. By making the cut length constant at this time, a fiber material containing discontinuous inorganic fibers having a substantially constant fiber length can be obtained. The number average fiber length of the discontinuous inorganic fibers obtained by cutting at this time needs to be 10 mm to 120 mm, preferably 20 mm to 120 mm. In carding, it is impossible to completely prevent the inorganic fibers from being cut, and some of the inorganic fibers are inevitably cut to shorten the fiber length. Therefore, by finally carding the inorganic fiber slightly longer than the target fiber length, a sliver including the target length of inorganic fiber can be obtained.

  When discontinuous organic fibers are used, they may be prepared separately from discontinuous inorganic fibers and mixed with discontinuous inorganic fibers, or so-called composite yarn in which continuous inorganic fibers and organic fibers are combined. It is also possible to cut the fiber in the state of FIG. In addition, opening the fiber assembly obtained in this way with a cotton opening machine in which a drum having a large number of needles rotates to open the fiber can improve the uniformity of the fiber material obtained. preferable. In this opening, it is preferable that the discontinuous inorganic fiber is substantially opened to a single fiber, but if the degree of opening is increased too much, the inorganic fiber may be cut and the fiber length may become too short. is there. For this reason, it is preferable to adjust the degree of the spread by comprehensively judging from the process passability through the residual body manufacturing process, the mechanical properties of the obtained FRP, and the like.

  A fiber material is produced by carding the fiber assembly thus prepared using a carding apparatus. More specifically, a web is obtained through a step of carding the fiber assembly prepared in this manner, and the web is converged to produce a sliver.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of a process of carding a fiber assembly. A carding apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is adjacent to an outer peripheral surface of a cylinder roll 2, a take-in roll 3 provided close to the outer peripheral surface thereof, and an opposite side of the take-in roll 3. A provided doffer roll 4, a plurality of worker rolls 5 provided close to the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder roll 2 between the take-in roll 3 and the doffer roll 4, and provided close to the worker roll The stripper roll 6 is mainly composed of a feed roll 7 and a belt conveyor 8 which are provided close to the take-in roll 3.

  The fiber assembly 9 is supplied to the belt conveyor 8, and the fiber assembly 9 is introduced onto the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder roll 2 through the outer peripheral surface of the feed roll 7 and then the outer peripheral surface of the take-in roll 3. A part of the fiber assembly introduced onto the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder roll 2 is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the worker roll 5, but this fiber assembly is peeled off by the stripper roll 6 and again on the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder roll 2. Returned to A large number of needles and protrusions are present on the outer peripheral surface of each of the feed roll 7, the take roll 3, the cylinder roll 2, the worker roll 5, and the stripper roll 6, and the fiber assembly is formed in the above process. The direction is aligned at the same time as the fiber is opened into a single fiber by the action of the needle. The fiber assembly that has been opened through such a process and has advanced fiber orientation moves as a sheet-like web 10 onto the outer peripheral surface of the doffer roll 4. Furthermore, a rope-like sliver can be obtained by pulling the web 10 while reducing its width.

  A spun yarn can be produced by drawing and twisting the sliver thus obtained using a spinning machine or the like.

  For example, a drawing process in which fibers are oriented while reducing the thickness unevenness of the sliver by stretching multiple slivers together, and the strength of the spun yarn is enhanced while twisting the sliver while orienting the fibers. It is possible to obtain a spun yarn by passing through a roving step for producing a so-called roving yarn, a spinning step for twisting the roving yarn while further stretching to increase the strength and simultaneously forming a spun yarn of a predetermined thickness. it can. In such processing, for example, an apparatus such as a ring spinning machine, a compact spinning machine, or an open-end spinning machine can be used in the spinning process. The spun yarn comprising the discontinuous inorganic fibers thus obtained can be made into FRP after being made into a woven fabric. Examples of the woven fabric include a general woven fabric such as a plain woven fabric, a twill woven fabric, and a satin woven fabric, a three-dimensional woven fabric, a multi-axis stitched woven fabric, and a unidirectional woven fabric. Such a woven fabric is molded with a mold to produce FRP. When the sliver contains organic fibers in the sliver, the matrix resin constituting the FRP may be melted and used as it is as a matrix resin, or may be further impregnated with a matrix resin. Further, the resin may be impregnated before putting the woven fabric into the mold, or the FRP may be formed by injecting the resin while the woven fabric is in the mold.

  Further, the fiber material of the present invention is not used as a spun yarn, and can be directly made into FRP by the method exemplified below.

  The sliver according to the present invention can be injection molded using an injection molding machine. As the injection molding machine, an apparatus such as an inline screw type or a screw pre-puller type can be used. Moreover, a resin pellet, a stabilizer, a flame retardant, a coloring agent, etc. can be added to a sliver, and it can supply to an injection molding machine, and a molded article can also be produced. When the sliver is put into an injection molding machine, the apparent density of the sliver can be increased, and the sliver can be twisted or stretched without being caught by fluff.

  Further, the sliver according to the present invention can be cut into an appropriate size and put into a press molding die to be used as a press molding material. In the case of performing press molding, a resin, a stabilizer, a flame retardant, a colorant and the like can be added and molded simultaneously. In that case, when the sliver is press-molded in the mold, it can be mixed with a fibrous material sliver, or formed into a sheet such as a film or a nonwoven fabric and laminated with the sliver and added to the FRP. .

  Further, FRP can be obtained directly from the web of the present invention without using a sliver. For example, the web 10 is pulled out from the doffer roll 4 without being converged, and is laminated to an appropriate basis weight using a cross wrapper or the like. In order to improve the handling property of the laminated web, it is possible to perform a treatment to improve the web form stability. There is no particular limitation on the method for improving the web form stability, and the fibers are entangled. A method of combining fibers, a method of bonding fibers with a binder, or the like can be employed. As a method for intertwining fibers, a method for intertwining fibers using a needle having a barb or hook for hooking the fibers, a method for intertwining fibers by injecting a fluid such as water can be employed. . In addition, as a method of bonding fibers with a binder, the binder may be directly applied to the web, or may be applied in a state of being dissolved or dispersed in a liquid. The method for directly applying the binder to the web is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a method in which the binder is powdered and sprayed on the web, and a method in which the binder is contained during web production.

  The FRP impregnated with the matrix resin by impregnating the laminated web with the matrix resin can be used as a press molding material. The matrix resin used as the press molding material is not particularly limited as long as it is a matrix resin used in FRP, and any of a thermosetting resin and a thermoplastic resin can be used. Examples of such thermosetting resins include epoxy resins, phenol resins, and unsaturated polyester resins. Further, as thermoplastic resins, polyamides such as nylon 6, nylon 6,6, nylon 6,12 and the like, polyolefins such as polypropylene and polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polyester such as polylactic acid, polyphenylene sulfide, polyether ketone, polycarbonate, Phenoxy resin or the like can be used. Next, the web is impregnated with a molten matrix resin under pressure, and the impregnation step can be carried out using a press machine having a heating function. The press machine is not particularly limited as long as it can realize the temperature and pressure necessary for impregnation with the matrix resin, and a normal press machine having a flat platen that moves up and down, and a mechanism in which a pair of endless steel belts travel. A so-called double belt press machine having the following can be used. In such an impregnation step, the matrix resin can be formed into a sheet shape such as a film, a nonwoven fabric, a woven fabric, etc., laminated with a web, and in that state, the matrix resin can be melted and impregnated using the press machine or the like. Also, discontinuous fibers are produced using a matrix resin, and a web containing the matrix resin and inorganic fibers is produced by mixing with inorganic fibers in the process of producing the web. A method of heating and pressurizing can also be employed.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to examples. However, the present invention is not limited to these examples.

  The measuring method of various characteristics used in this example is as follows.

(Average fiber length in fiber material)
In the case of a sliver, the specimen cut to a length of 30 cm, and in the case of the web, the specimen cut into a square with a side of 30 cm is heated in an electric furnace heated to 500 ° C. for 1 hour, and the organic fiber is baked. I skipped. Using the remaining inorganic fiber aggregates, the weight average fiber length Lw and the number average fiber length Ln of the discontinuous inorganic fibers were measured according to the method defined in JIS L1015.

(Bending strength of fiber reinforced composite materials)
According to ISO178 method (1993), bending strength was evaluated by n = 5.

(Content of inorganic fiber in fiber reinforced composite material)
About 2 g of a sample was cut out from the molded product of the fiber reinforced composite material, and its mass was measured. Thereafter, the sample was heated in an electric furnace heated to 500 ° C. for 1 hour to burn off the matrix resin. After cooling to room temperature, the mass of the remaining inorganic fibers was measured. The ratio of the mass of the inorganic fiber to the mass of the sample before the matrix resin was burned off was measured and used as the content of the inorganic fiber.

Example 1
2400 0 pieces of carbon fiber bundle composed of carbon fiber single fiber ( "T700S", manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc.) was cut to a length of 50mm a. Put the cut carbon fiber bundle into a cotton opening machine, open the carbon fiber bundle, and then put it into the opening machine again to obtain a cotton-like carbon fiber with almost no carbon fiber bundle of the original thickness. It was. This cotton-like carbon fiber and nylon 6 discontinuous fiber (single fiber fineness 1.7 dtex, crimp number 12 crests / 25 mm, crimp degree 13%, cut length 51 mm) were mixed at a mass ratio of 50:50. . This mixture was again put into a cotton opening machine to obtain a mixed raw cotton (fiber assembly) composed of carbon fibers and nylon 6 fibers.

  The mixed raw cotton is put into a carding apparatus having a structure as shown in FIG. 1 having a cylinder roll having a diameter of 600 mm, a sheet-like web made of carbon fiber and nylon fiber is formed, and a rope is formed while narrowing the width of the web. The sliver was obtained after taking the shape. The rotation speed of the cylinder roll at this time was 350 rpm, and the speed of the doffer was 15 m / min.

  In the obtained sliver, the weight average fiber length Lw of the carbon fibers was 38 mm, the number average fiber length Ln was 42 mm, and Lw / Ln was 1.11.

  The sliver thus obtained was stretched 5 times with a drawing machine, then two of the stretched slivers were stretched to 5 times, and further, two of these slivers were stretched with a stretching machine to be doubled. One roving was used. This roving was spun using a fine spinning machine at a stretch of 12 times and a Z (left) twist number of 130 times / m to obtain a spun yarn of 70 tex. Next, the two spun yarns were combined with a twisting machine and combined at an S (right) twist of 78 times / m to obtain a spun yarn of 140 tex.

  A plain woven fabric was produced using the obtained spun yarn as warp and weft. Sixteen plain woven fabrics were laminated so as to be quasi-isotropic, and a nylon 6 meltblown nonwoven fabric was laminated so that the mass ratio of carbon fiber to nylon 6 was 40:60 over the laminated sheets. After the polyimide film was laminated, the whole was sandwiched between stainless plates and hot pressed at 240 ° C. for 180 seconds while applying a pressure of 20 MPa. Subsequently, it cooled to 50 degreeC by the pressurization state, and the flat plate of the carbon fiber reinforced composite material was obtained. The bending strength of the obtained flat plate was measured and found to be 630 MPa.

  Eight plain woven fabrics were laminated and placed on a hemispherical female mold having a radius of curvature of 300 mm at the maximum diameter. The arranged plain woven fabric was sandwiched and pressed by a female mold of the same shape having a radius of curvature of 301 mm at the maximum diameter to obtain a hemispherical preform. The resulting preform had no wrinkles and no wrinkles and could be used favorably as a base material for RTM.

Example 2
The same carbon fiber bundle as used in Example 1 was cut to a length of 25 mm. The cut carbon fiber bundle was put into a cotton opening machine to obtain a cotton-like carbon fiber having almost no carbon fiber bundle of the original thickness. This cotton-like carbon fiber and the same nylon 6 discontinuous fiber as used in Example 1 were mixed at a mass ratio of 90:10. This mixture was again put into a cotton opening machine to obtain a fiber assembly composed of carbon fibers and nylon 6 fibers. Using this fiber assembly, a sliver was produced in the same manner as in Example 1.

  In the obtained sliver, the weight average fiber length Lw of the carbon fibers was 21 mm, the number average fiber length Ln was 20 mm, and Lw / Ln was 1.05.

  Using the sliver thus obtained, a spun yarn of 140 tex was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1.

  Using this spun yarn, 8 plain fabrics produced in the same manner as in Example 1 and nylon 6 meltblown nonwoven fabrics were laminated so that the mass ratio of carbon fibers to nylon 6 was 40:60 over the laminated sheets. Further, after a polyimide film was laminated on the upper and lower sides, the whole was sandwiched between stainless plates, and hot pressed at 240 ° C. for 180 seconds while applying a pressure of 20 MPa. Subsequently, it cooled to 50 degreeC by the pressurization state, and the flat plate of the carbon fiber reinforced composite material was obtained. It was 590 MPa when the bending strength of the obtained flat plate was measured.

  Eight plain woven fabrics were laminated and placed on a hemispherical female mold having a radius of curvature of 300 mm at the maximum diameter. The arranged plain woven fabric was sandwiched and pressed by a female mold of the same shape having a radius of curvature of 301 mm at the maximum diameter to obtain a hemispherical preform. The resulting preform was free of wrinkles and could be used favorably as an RTM base material.

Example 3
The same carbon fiber bundle as used in Example 1 was cut to a length of 75 mm. The process of putting the cut carbon fiber bundle into a cotton opening machine and opening the carbon fiber was repeated twice to obtain a cotton-like carbon fiber having almost no carbon fiber bundle of the original thickness. This cotton-like carbon fiber and polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) discontinuous fiber (single fiber fineness 2.2 dtex, crimp number 14 peaks / 25 mm, crimp degree 16%, cut length 51 mm) are in a mass ratio of 95: 5. Mixed. This mixture was again put into a cotton spreader to obtain a fiber assembly composed of carbon fibers and PPS fibers. Using this fiber assembly, a sliver was produced in the same manner as in Example 1.

  In the obtained sliver, the weight average fiber length Lw of the carbon fiber was 70 mm, the number average fiber length Ln was 58 mm, and Lw / Ln was 1.21.

  Using the sliver thus obtained, a spun yarn of 140 tex was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1.

  Using this spun yarn, 8 plain fabrics produced in the same manner as in Example 1 were laminated, and the PPS meltblown nonwoven fabric was further adjusted so that the mass ratio of carbon fibers to PPS was 50:50 in the entire laminated sheet. After laminating polyimide films on the upper and lower sides, the whole was sandwiched between stainless plates and hot pressed at 240 ° C. for 180 seconds while applying a pressure of 20 MPa. Subsequently, it cooled to 50 degreeC by the pressurization state, and the flat plate of the carbon fiber reinforced composite material was obtained. When the bending strength of the obtained flat plate was measured, it was 570 MPa.

  Eight plain woven fabrics were laminated and placed on a hemispherical female mold having a radius of curvature of 300 mm at the maximum diameter. The arranged plain woven fabric was sandwiched and pressed by a female mold of the same shape having a radius of curvature of 301 mm at the maximum diameter to obtain a hemispherical preform. The resulting preform was free of wrinkles and could be used favorably as an RTM base material.

Comparative Example 1
A sliver made of discontinuous carbon fibers was produced using a check spinning device consisting of three pairs of rollers using the same carbon fibers used in Example 1. In the obtained sliver, the weight average fiber length Lw of the carbon fibers was 102 mm, the number average fiber length Ln was 144 mm, and Lw / Ln was 1.41. A sliver composed of this sliver and a separately produced nylon 6 discontinuous fiber (single fiber fineness 1.7 dtex, crimp number 10 crest / 25 mm, crimp degree 11%, cut length 51 mm) at a mass ratio of 50:50. After mixing, a spun yarn was produced in the same manner as in Example 1, and a woven fabric was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 using the spun yarn. The resulting woven fabric was processed in the same manner as in Example 1 to produce a carbon fiber reinforced composite material flat plate. The bending strength of the obtained flat plate was measured and found to be 710 MPa. Eight plain woven fabrics were laminated and placed on a hemispherical female mold having a radius of curvature of 300 mm at the maximum diameter. The arranged plain woven fabric was sandwiched and pressed by a female mold of the same shape having a radius of curvature of 301 mm at the maximum diameter to obtain a hemispherical preform. The resulting preform was wrinkled and could not be used as an RTM substrate.

Example 4
The roving yarn produced in Example 1 was continuously heated with an infrared heater to melt nylon 6, then cooled and solidified, and further cut into 10 mm to produce an injection molding material. This injection molding material and nylon 6 resin (“CM1001”, manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc.) are mixed so that the carbon fiber and nylon 6 are in a mass ratio of 20:80, and injection molding is performed. A flat plate was obtained. The bending strength of the obtained flat plate was measured and found to be 350 MPa. Moreover, when the cross section of the obtained molded product was polished and enlarged and observed, the carbon fibers were uniformly dispersed in the form of single fibers.

Comparative Example 2
The carbon fiber used in Example 1 was run on a crosshead supplying nylon 6 resin ("CM1001", manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc.) melted with an extruder, and the carbon fiber was impregnated with nylon resin. It was taken as a strand through a shape die, cut after cooling, and an injection molding material having a length of 10 mm in which the mass ratio of carbon fiber to nylon resin was 20:80 was obtained. This injection molding material was injection molded to obtain a flat plate of carbon fiber reinforced composite material. The bending strength of the obtained flat plate was measured and found to be 310 MPa. Further, when the cross section of the obtained molded product was polished and enlarged, a part of the carbon fibers existed in a bundle shape, and the distribution of the carbon fibers was not uniform.

Reference example 1
The same carbon fiber bundle as used in Example 1 was cut to a length of 75 mm. Put the cut carbon fiber bundle into a cotton opening machine, open the carbon fiber bundle, and then put it into the cotton opening machine again to obtain a cotton-like fiber assembly with almost no fiber bundle of the original thickness. It was. This fiber assembly is put into the carding apparatus used in Example 1, a web made of carbon fiber is formed, and nylon 6 resin particles (“TR-1”, manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc.) are dispersed on the web. After that, the web was taken down as a rope while narrowing the width of the web and heated with hot air of 250 ° C. while being run to melt the nylon 6 particles, and then cooled with a metal roll to solidify the nylon 6 to obtain a sliver.

  In the obtained sliver, the carbon fiber content was 90% by mass, the carbon fiber weight average fiber length Lw was 69 mm, the number average fiber length Ln was 72 mm, and Lw / Ln was 1.03. .

  The obtained sliver was cut into 25 mm to obtain a press molding material. This press molding material and nylon 6 meltblown nonwoven fabric are laminated so that the mass ratio of carbon fiber to nylon 6 is 40:60, and a polyimide film is further laminated on the top and bottom, and then the whole is sandwiched between stainless plates, and a pressure of 20 MPa Was hot pressed at 240 ° C. for 180 seconds. Subsequently, it cooled to 50 degreeC by the pressurization state, and the flat plate of the carbon fiber reinforced composite material was obtained. It was 590 MPa when the bending strength of the obtained flat plate was measured.

Comparative Example 3
While melting nylon 6 resin ("CM1001", manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc.) from a screw-type extruder and supplying it to a slit-shaped die, the same carbon fiber bundle as used in Example 1 was run in the die. After impregnating the carbon fiber bundle with nylon 6 resin, the nylon 6 was solidified by cooling with a metal roll to obtain a tape-like substrate. This tape-shaped substrate was cut to 25 mm to obtain a press molding material. Using the obtained press molding material, a carbon fiber reinforced composite material flat plate having a mass ratio of carbon fiber to nylon 6 of 40:60 was obtained in the same manner as in Example 5. When the bending strength of the obtained flat plate was measured, it was 315 MPa.

Example 5
The same carbon fiber bundle as used in Example 1 was cut to a length of 25 mm. The cut carbon fiber bundle was put into a cotton opening machine to obtain a cotton-like carbon fiber having almost no carbon fiber bundle of the original thickness. This discontinuous fiber (single fiber fineness 2.5 dtex, crimp number 13 peaks / 25 mm, crimp degree 15%, cut length 51 mm) made of cotton-like carbon fiber and phenoxy resin at a mass ratio of 85:15 Mixed. This mixture was again put into a cotton spreader to obtain a fiber assembly composed of carbon fibers and phenoxy resin fibers. Using this fiber assembly, a sliver was produced in the same manner as in Example 1.

  In the obtained sliver, the weight average fiber length Lw of the carbon fibers was 21 mm, the number average fiber length Ln was 17 mm, and Lw / Ln was 1.24.

  The sliver thus obtained was stretched 3 times with a drawing machine, then two of the stretched slivers were stretched to 3 times, and further, two of these slivers were combined and stretched 2.5 times with a drawing machine. It was drawn into one roving. This roving was spun using a fine spinning machine at a stretch of 12 times and a Z (left) twist number of 130 times / m to obtain a spun yarn of 60 tex. Next, the two spun yarns were put together by a twisting machine and combined at an S (right) twist of 78 times / m to obtain a 120 tex spun yarn.

  A plain woven fabric was produced using the obtained spun yarn as warp and weft. Sixteen plain woven fabrics are laminated so as to be pseudo-isotropic, and a cavity at 40 ° C. is placed in a flat molding die (female die), and then clamped by the molding die (male die). The pressure was reduced to -80 kPa or less. Next, an epoxy resin for RTM ("TR-A31", manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc.) was poured into the molding die while maintaining pressure at 40 ° C. After the impregnation with the resin, the temperature was raised to 80 ° C. and left to cure for 12 hours to remove the mold. After demolding, after further curing at 180 ° C. for 2 hours and further curing, the mass ratio between the carbon fiber and the total of the phenoxy resin and matrix resin present as fibers in the sliver was A flat plate of carbon fiber reinforced composite material of 40:60 was obtained. When the bending strength of the obtained flat plate was measured, it was 425 MPa.

  Eight plain woven fabrics were laminated and placed on a hemispherical female mold having a radius of curvature of 300 mm at the maximum diameter. The arranged plain woven fabric was sandwiched and pressed by a female mold of the same shape having a radius of curvature of 301 mm at the maximum diameter to obtain a hemispherical preform. The resulting preform was free of wrinkles and could be used favorably as an RTM base material.

Example 6
The same carbon fiber bundle as used in Example 1 was cut to a length of 15 mm. The cut carbon fiber bundle was put into a cotton opening machine to obtain a cotton-like carbon fiber having almost no carbon fiber bundle of the original thickness. This cotton-like carbon fiber and nylon 6 discontinuous fiber (single fiber fineness 3.3 dtex, number of crimps 16/25 mm, degree of crimp 15%, cut length 51 mm) were mixed at a mass ratio of 50:50. . This mixture was again put into a cotton opening machine to obtain a mixed raw cotton (fiber assembly) composed of carbon fibers and nylon 6 fibers.

This mixed raw cotton was put into a carding apparatus having a structure as shown in FIG. 1 having a cylinder roll having a diameter of 600 mm, and a sheet-like web composed of carbon fibers and nylon fibers was formed. This web was stacked to prepare a sheet having a basis weight of 110 g / m ² made of carbon fiber and nylon 6 discontinuous fiber. The rotation speed of the cylinder roll at this time was 320 rpm, and the speed of the doffer was 13 m / min.

  In the obtained web, the weight average fiber length Lw of the carbon fibers was 14 mm, the number average fiber length Ln was 12 mm, and Lw / Ln was 1.08.

  After laminating this sheet and nylon 6 meltblown nonwoven fabric so that the mass ratio of carbon fiber to nylon 6 is 30:70, and further laminating polyimide films on the top and bottom, the whole is sandwiched between stainless plates and a pressure of 5 MPa is applied. Hot pressing was performed at 240 ° C. for 180 seconds while applying. Subsequently, it cooled to 50 degreeC by the pressurization state, and the flat plate of the carbon fiber reinforced composite material was obtained. The bending strength of the obtained flat plate was measured and found to be 490 MPa.

Comparative Example 3
The basis weight consisting of carbon fiber and nylon 6 discontinuous fiber in the same manner as in Example 6 except that the length for cutting the carbon fiber bundle is 30 mm, the rotation speed of the cylinder roll is 200 rpm, and the doffer speed is 9 m / min. A 110 g / m ² sheet was produced. In the obtained web, the weight average fiber length Lw of the carbon fibers was 23 mm, the number average fiber length Ln was 12 mm, and Lw / Ln was 1.92. A flat plate of a carbon fiber reinforced composite material was obtained in the same manner as in Example 6 using this sheet. The bending strength of the obtained flat plate was measured and found to be 310 MPa.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Carding apparatus 2 ... Cylinder roll 3 ... Taker roll 4 ... Doffer roll 5 ... Worker roll 6 ... Stripper roll 7 ... Feed roll 8 ... Belt Conveyor 9 ... Fiber assembly 10 ... Web

Claims (2)

Discontinuous carbon fibers having a number average fiber length of 10 to 120 mm and a substantially constant fiber length, a crimp number of 5 to 25 crests / 25 mm, a crimp rate of 3 to 30%, and a single fiber fineness of 0.5 to 5 dtex The fiber aggregate containing the discontinuous organic fibers is opened with a cotton spreader and carded , and the weight average fiber length of the discontinuous carbon fibers of the obtained fiber material is Lw, and the discontinuity when the number average fiber length of the carbon fiber is Ln, Lw / Ln is Ru der 1.0 to 1.3, the production method of the fiber material. The method for producing a fiber material according to claim 1, wherein the organic fiber is at least one fiber selected from the group consisting of polyamide fiber, polyphenylene sulfide fiber, polypropylene fiber, polyetheretherketone fiber, and phenoxy resin fiber .

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