JPH02220816A - Molding method for composite material - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To manufacture a molded product of good surface condition by disposing a reinforcing material in a cavity of a molding die having a communicating line communicating with the outside, containing the molding die in a vacuum container and exhausting therefrom, and then injecting curing resin liquid into the cavity. CONSTITUTION:A reinforcing material is set in a cavity 6, and then a molding die 32 is closed and then a vacuum container 30 is closed. Then when an exhaust device 3 is operated to exhaust air in the vacuum container 30, the air in the molding die 32 flows out into the vacuum container 30 through a space between an exhaust vent 11 and a mating section 35. Then, atmosphere is introduced from an atmosphere introducing pipe 17 into a tank 9 of an injection device 2, and curing resin liquid is injected from an injection pipe 10 into the cavity 6 of the molding die 1 by utilizing the air pressure difference. When injection is finished, valves 22, 21 of the exhaust pipe 12 and the injection pipe 10 are closed and an atmosphere introducing pipe 14 is opened to restore the inside of the vacuum container 30 to normal pressure and also the inside of the molding die 32 to normal pressure. Then, the molding die 32 is heated and curing resin liquid in the cavity 6 is cured. As the air is not remaining in the mating section 35 of the molding die 32, a molded product without voids, pinholes and the like on its surface is manufactured.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention "Field of Industrial Application" The present invention relates to a composite material molding method called the so-called vacuum assisted resin injection method, in which the cavity of a mold is evacuated and a curable resin liquid is injected. It is something.

"Prior Art" FIG. 11 shows a molding apparatus used in a conventional composite material molding method. This device generally includes a mold 1, a curable resin liquid injection device (hereinafter abbreviated as injection device) 2, and an exhaust device 3.

The mold 1 consists of an upper mold 4 and a lower mold 5, and a cavity 6 is formed between the upper and lower molds 4 and 5. A ring-shaped seal 7 made of a flexible material such as rubber is attached to the mating surface 5a of the lower mold 5, and when the upper mold 4 and the lower mold 5 are closed, the cavity 6 is airtightly isolated from the outside air. It is now possible to do so. The lower mold 5 of this mold l has a curable resin liquid injection hole 8, and the upper mold 4 has an exhaust hole! ! is drilled.

The injection device 2 includes a tank 9, an injection pipe IO, and a degassing pipe 15.
and an outside air introduction pipe 17. tank 9
The curable resin liquid constituting the composite material is temporarily stored in a flowable state, and an injection pipe 10 equipped with a valve 21 is connected to the lower part of the curable resin liquid. The injection pipe 10 is connected to the injection hole 8 of the mold 1. Also, at the top of the tank 9 is a degassing pipe equipped with a valve 26! 5 and an outside air introduction pipe 17 equipped with a valve 16 are continuously installed. and deaeration tube 1
5 is connected to an exhaust pipe 12 of an exhaust device 3, which will be described later. Further, the outside air introduction pipe I7 is open to the outside air.

The exhaust device 3 consists of an exhaust pipe 12 equipped with a valve 22 and a vacuum pump 19, and the exhaust pipe 12 is connected to the mold 1.
It is connected to the exhaust hole 11 of.

Further, an outside air introduction pipe 14 provided with a valve 13 is connected to the exhaust pipe 12 on the side closer to the exhaust hole 11 than the valve 22 .

A conventional composite material molding method was carried out as follows using the above-mentioned molding apparatus.

(1) First, a reinforcing material is placed in the cavity 6 of the divided mold 1.

■ Close the mold 1 and exhaust the air in the cavity 6 using the exhaust device 3. At this time, the valve 21 of the injection pipe 10 and the valve 13 of the outside air introduction pipe 14 are closed, and the valve 22 of the exhaust pipe 12 is opened.

■ On the other hand, after storing the curable resin liquid in the tank 9 of the injection device 2, the pressure inside the tank 9 is lowered to a predetermined degree of vacuum using the exhaust device 3 via the degassing pipe 15, and the curable resin liquid is degassed. . At this time, the valve 26 of the degassing pipe 15 is opened, and the outside air introducing pipe 17
valve 16 is closed.

■ Next, close the valve 26 of the deaeration pipe 15 of the injection device 2, open the valve 16 of the outside air introduction pipe 17, and the valve 21 of the injection pipe 1O, and use the atmospheric pressure difference to fill the cavity 6 of the mold 1 with hardening material. Inject resin liquid.

■ Once the cavity 6 is filled with the curable resin liquid, close the valve 22 of the exhaust pipe 12 and the valve 21 of the injection pipe 10, and open the outside air introduction pipe! Open the valve 13 of No. 4 to return the inside of the mold l to normal pressure.

■ After that, heat the mold l to form the cavity 6.
The curable resin liquid filled inside is cured to complete the molding.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Such conventional composite material molding methods have the following problems.

I) Since the cavity 6 of the mold l must be hermetically sealed off by the ring-shaped nol 7, the mating portion 27 of the upper and lower molds 4.5 becomes a bag-like shape due to the ring-shaped seal 7. For this reason, it is difficult to completely exhaust the air present in this joint part 27, and the air remaining in this joint part 27 is drawn into the cavity 6 as the curable resin liquid contracts during curing, and the surface of the molded product is Defects such as voids and pinholes occur.

For this reason, when manufacturing molded products that require aesthetic appearance, it is recommended to apply a gel coat curable resin liquid to the cavity surface of the cavity 6 of the mold l in advance and harden it, or to apply a resin coat with putty to fill in surface defects after molding. , it was necessary to process the surface grinding.

(2) When the inside of the cavity 6 is evacuated, external pressure is applied to the mold 1, so the mold 1 must be manufactured to be able to withstand this external pressure, making the mold 1 expensive.

■) If the connection between the injection hole 8 of the mold l and the injection pipe 10 of the injection device 2 is even slightly poor, outside air will flow in through this connection during injection of the curable resin, which will impair the quality of the molded product. Therefore, it is necessary to manufacture this connection part accurately and airtight, and it is also necessary to pay a high degree of attention to the connection of this part.

``Object of the Invention'' The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, so that it is possible to manufacture molded products with good surface conditions, to easily connect the mold and the injection device, and to use an inexpensive mold. The purpose is to provide a method for molding composite materials that can be used.

"Means for Solving the Problems" In the composite material molding method of the present invention, a reinforcing material is placed in the cavity of a mold having a cavity and a communication path that communicates the cavity with the outside, and then the mold is closed. The above problem was solved by airtightly accommodating the device in a vacuum container, then evacuating the vacuum container, and then injecting a curable resin liquid into the cavity.

In the composite material molding method of the present invention, good results can be obtained when the curable resin liquid is injected into the cavity by supplying the curable resin liquid trix in a flowable state to the cavity.

The composite material molding method of the present invention uses a mold in which the joining part of the upper mold and the lower mold extends horizontally from the middle of the side of the cavity, rises to a position higher than the cavity, and then extends horizontally again. It is preferable to use

Further, in the composite material molding method of the present invention, the curable resin liquid is injected into the cavity of the mold from a tank that stores the curable resin liquid in a flowable state. It is preferable to maintain the height position of the curved tank into which the resin liquid is injected so that the level of the curable resin liquid stored therein is lower than the position of the cavity of the mold.

Furthermore, in the composite material molding method of the present invention, the curable resin liquid is injected into the cavity of the mold from a tank that stores the curable resin liquid in a flowable state, and the curable resin liquid is injected into the cavity. After that, it is desirable to lower the height of the mold to prevent the curable resin liquid from flowing back into the cavity.

Yes.

In the method of the present invention, the effects of the present invention can also be obtained even if the reinforcing material placed in the cavity of the mold is impregnated in advance with a relatively small amount of curable resin to bring it into a semi-cured state. When such a reinforcing material is used, effects such as prevention of deformation of the shape of the reinforcing material, prevention of disturbance of the weave width form, and improvement of handling of the reinforcing material can be obtained.

"Function" In the composite material molding method of the present invention, when the inside of the vacuum container is evacuated, the cavity of the mold is formed so as to communicate with the outside of the mold, so that the inside of the cavity of the mold is evacuated.

In the molding method of the present invention, the mold is isolated from the outside air by a vacuum container, and the inside (cavity, etc.) and outside of the mold are placed under the same atmospheric pressure, so it is necessary to form the cavity of the mold airtight. There is no. Therefore, the mating portion of the mold can be formed so that gas can flow therethrough. If the joints of the molds are formed in such a way that gas can flow (that is, there is a slight gap), the air in these parts will be easily sucked out of the mold. Air inside the mold can be completely removed.

Furthermore, in the composite material molding method of the present invention, the cavity of the mold is indirectly evacuated by evacuating the vacuum container in which the mold is housed, so that the pressure inside and outside the mold is always equal. .

Furthermore, in the composite material molding method of the present invention, as a result of the mold being housed in the vacuum container, the part of the device for injecting the curable resin liquid into the mold that is connected to the mold is also housed in the pressure container. The connection part is isolated from the outside air. Therefore, even if the connection state of this part is slightly defective, the inflow of outside air from this part during injection of the curable resin liquid is prevented.

Furthermore, according to the composite material molding method of claim 2, since the shrinkage of the curable resin liquid during curing is compensated for, there is no gap between the surface of the molded product and the cavity surface, and the surface condition is improved. Good molded products can be manufactured.

Furthermore, in the method for molding a composite material according to claim 3, since a mold is used in which the joining part of the upper and lower molds has a horizontally extending part formed at a position higher than the cavity, the curable resin is prevented from flowing out into the cavity. Ru. Further, the curable resin liquid that has flowed into the mating portion compensates for the shrinkage when the resin liquid hardens.

According to the composite material molding method of claim 4, the position of the tank before the curable resin liquid is injected into the mold cavity is such that the level of the curable resin liquid stored therein is the same as the liquid level of the curable resin liquid stored in the tank before the curable resin liquid is injected into the mold cavity. Since it is kept lower than the position of
At the same time as the inside of the mold is evacuated through a vacuum container, when the inside of the tank is evacuated and the curable resin liquid is degassed, the curability inside the tank is reduced due to the pressure difference between the inside of the tank and the inside of the mold. It is possible to prevent the resin liquid from flowing into the mold without blocking the curable resin liquid injection pipe that communicates the tank and the mold.

Further, according to the composite material molding method of claim 5, after the curable resin liquid is injected into the cavity, the position of the mold is lowered to prevent the injected curable resin liquid from flowing back toward the tank. There is no need to provide a backflow prevention mechanism such as a valve in the tube for injecting the curable resin liquid that communicates with the mold.

"Example" Hereinafter, the composite material molding method of the present invention will be explained in detail.

(Example 1) FIG. 1 shows a molding apparatus suitable for the first example of the composite material molding method of the present invention, in which reference numeral 30 is a vacuum container;
Reference numeral 32 is a mold.

The reduced pressure container 30 accommodates the mold 32 so that it can be taken in and taken out. At the top of this decompression vessel 30, an exhaust device 3 is provided.
An exhaust pipe 12 is connected thereto.

Further, the injection pipe 10 of the injection device 2 is drawn into the lower part of the reduced pressure container 30.

The mold 32 consists of an upper mold 33 and a lower mold 34, and the lower mold 34 has an injection hole 8 opened at the lowest point of the cavity 6.

An injection pipe IO of the injection device 2 drawn into the reduced pressure container 30 is connected to the injection hole 8 . Further, an exhaust hole 11 serving as a communication path is bored in the upper die 33 so as to be located at the highest point of the cavity 6. This exhaust hole +1 is
It opens into the reduced pressure container 30, and communicates the cavity 6 with the inside of the coercion container 30.

The joint part 35 between the upper mold 33 and the lower mold 34 forms a cavity 6.
After rising slightly along the side portions 6a, 6a, it extends horizontally, and reaches the outer surface of the mold 32 at a position above the cavity 6. The upper and lower molds 3 at this joint portion 35
The gap between 3.34 and 3.34 is approximately 0.05 mm.

Next, a first embodiment of the composite material molding method of the present invention, which is carried out using this molding apparatus, will be described.

In this molding method, a reinforcing material is first placed in the cavity 6 of the mold 32 in a divided state. Specific examples of the material of this reinforcing material include glass, carbon, polyamide, and alumina. Further, these glasses and the like may be used together with polyurethane or wood sealed with resin or the like. Specific examples of the form of the reinforcing material include fiber, cloth, chopped strand cloak, continuous mat,
Examples include tapes, plates, etc.

After setting the reinforcing material in the cavity 6, the mold 32 is closed, and then the vacuum container 30 is sealed. After that, the exhaust device 3 is operated to exhaust the air inside the reduced pressure container 30.

At this time, the valve 22 of the exhaust pipe I2 is opened, and the outside air introduction pipe 14
The valve 13 of the injection tube 10 and the valve 21 of the injection tube 10 are closed.

When the air in the reduced pressure volume 7s30 is discharged, the air in the mold 32 flows into the reduced pressure container 30 through the gap between the exhaust hole 11 and the joint portion 35 and is discharged.

On the other hand, the curable resin liquid is degassed in the tank 9 of the injection device 2.
The procedure is similar to that described in the "Prior Art" section above.

Next, outside air is introduced into the tank 9 of the injection device 2 from the outside air introduction pipe 17, and the curable resin liquid is injected into the cavity 6 of the mold l from the injection pipe IO using the pressure difference. At this time, if it is desired to perform the injection in a short time, the inside of the tank 9 of the injection device 2 is pressurized.

Specific examples of the curable resin liquid that can be used include resins commonly used in FRP, such as epoxy resin, vinyl ester resin, and unsaturated polyester resin. The degree of vacuum when degassing these curable resin liquids is set such that the curable resin liquid is saturated at the temperature at the time of injection so that the curable resin liquid does not boil when it is injected into the mold 32. Must be below vapor pressure. In addition, the viscosity of the curable resin liquid is 1500 cPs or less, especially 500 CPS at the time of injection.
The following is desirable. Further, it is desirable that the vapor pressure of the curable resin liquid is 10 Torr or less at the temperature at the time of injection.

When the injection of the curable resin liquid into the cavity 6 is completed as described above, the valve 22 of the exhaust pipe 12 and the valve 2 of the injection pipe 10 are
1 and open the outside air introduction pipe 14 to return the inside of the vacuum container 30 to normal pressure. When the inside of the vacuum container 3° is returned to normal pressure, the mold 32
The pressure inside is also normal. Thereafter, the curable resin liquid in the cavity 6 is cured by means such as heating the mold 32, and the molding is completed.

In this composite material molding method, a mold 3 is placed in a vacuum container 3o.
2, so when the air in the vacuum container 3o is discharged, the air in the mold 32 is also discharged via the vacuum container 30.

A gap of about 0.05 mm is formed in the joint part 35 of the mold 32, and air can easily circulate, so that the air existing in the joint part 35 is easily sucked toward the reduced pressure container 30 and removed. . Therefore, according to this composite material molding method, it is possible to eliminate the situation where air remains in the mating portion 35 of the mold 32, and it is possible to manufacture a molded product without defects such as voids and pinholes on the surface.

In addition, in this composite material molding method, the mold 32 is housed in a vacuum container 3°, and the air inside the mold 32 is exhausted through the vacuum container 30, so the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the mold 32 becomes zero. . Therefore, according to this composite material molding method, the strength required of the mold 32 used is small, and the mold 32 can be manufactured at low cost. That is, a general 1 that does not exhaust the inside of the cavity? l l) The mold 32 can be manufactured using iron, aluminum, plastic, etc., similar to molds used in the molding method that do not require strength.

Furthermore, in this composite material molding method, since the mold 32 is housed in the vacuum container 30, the connecting portion 37 of the injection pipe 10 on the mold 32 side is also housed in the vacuum container 3o and is shielded from the outside air. The vacuum level is maintained at the same level as inside. Therefore, if the connection state of this connection part 37 is slightly defective,
At the time of injection, outside air does not flow in from this part, and no air bubbles are mixed into the curable resin liquid that is injected.

In addition, in this composite material molding method, since the outer end of the mating portion 35 of the mold 32 is provided at a position above the cavity 6, the curable resin liquid has high fluidity. Second, there is no fear that the curable resin liquid filled in the cavity 6 will leak out.

In addition, when the mold 35 is used in this molding method, a gap of about 0.05 mm is formed in the mating part 35 of the mold 32, so the liquid curable resin liquid into the cavity 6 is poured into the joint part 35 of the mold 32. Invades even part 35. When the curable resin liquid hardens and contracts, this joint part 3
The curable resin liquid present in step 5 is pulled back and the shrinkage amount is Nl.
I can do it.

Therefore, when the mold 35 is used in this molding method, a molded product with a good surface condition can be easily molded.

(Example 2) FIG. 2 shows a molding apparatus suitable for a second example of the composite material molding method of the present invention.

This molding apparatus has an injection device 2 housed together with a mold 32 in a reduced pressure container 30.

In this molding device, the injection pipe of injection device 2! 0 is made of inexpensive vinyl pipe with the intention of being disposable. Further, the tank 9 of the injection device 2 is installed such that the curable resin liquid contained therein is located at a lower position than the cavity 6 of the mold 32.

In the mold 32 of this molding apparatus, an excess curable resin liquid storage space 39 is formed at a position higher than the cavity 6. This surplus curable resin liquid storage space 39 is formed at a position higher than the cavity 6 of the mating portion 35 of the mold 32 so as to surround the cavity 6 . Further, this surplus curable resin liquid storage space 39 communicates with the cavity 6 through a gap formed in the mating portion 35 of the mold 32 .

Next, a second embodiment of a composite material molding method performed using this molding apparatus will be described.

When molding a composite material with this device, the height position of the tank 9 before injecting the curable resin liquid into the cavity 6 of the mold 32 is determined by the level of the curable resin liquid stored therein. It is kept lower than the position of the cavity 6 of the mold 32. In this state, the reinforcing material is first housed in the cavity in the same manner as in Example 1, the inside of the reduced pressure container 30 is evacuated, and the curable resin liquid is degassed.

After that, outside air is introduced into the tank 9 from the outside air introduction pipe 17, and the curable resin liquid is forced into the cavity 6 of the mold 32.

Then, the curable resin liquid in the mold 32 fills the cavity 6, and then travels along the ridge portion 35 between the upper and lower molds 33, 34 to fill the excess curable resin liquid storage space 39. When the curable resin liquid reaches the surplus curable resin liquid storage space 39 in this way, outside air is introduced into the decompression container 30 to return it to normal pressure, and then the injection pipe IO made of vinyl pipe is connected using a clip or the like. to prevent backflow, and the curable resin liquid is cured in this state.

During the curing process of this curable resin liquid, if the curable resin liquid contracts and a gap is created in the cavity 6, the curable resin liquid stored in the surplus curable resin liquid storage space 39 fills the gap. and the shrinkage is captured.

In this composite material molding method, the cavity 6 is replenished with the curable resin liquid from the excess curable resin liquid storage space 39 provided in the mold 32 to compensate for the shrinkage caused by the curing of the curable resin liquid. A molded product that closely corresponds to the surface of the cavity 6 can be obtained without creating a gap between the surface of the mold and the cavity surface. Therefore, this composite material molding method has the advantage of being able to produce molded products with extremely good surface conditions.

In addition, in this composite material molding method, the tank before injecting the curable resin liquid into the cavity 6 of the mold 32? Since the liquid level of the curable resin liquid in the tank 9 is kept lower than the position of the cavity of the mold, the inside of the tank 9 is evacuated at the same time as the inside of the mold 32 is evacuated via the vacuum container. When degassing the resin liquid, the tank 9 and the mold 32 are separated to prevent the curable resin liquid in the tank 9 from flowing into the mold 32 due to the pressure difference between the tank 9 and the mold 32. This can be prevented without blocking the communicating injection pipe 10.

Therefore, this composite material molding method allows the injection tube 10 to have a simple structure. If the injection tube 10 is made of an inexpensive vinyl pipe, etc., when changing the curable resin liquid, it is possible to save time and effort such as cleaning the injection tube 10 by replacing it with a new vinyl pipe.
Set-up can be completed in a short time.

(Example 3) FIG. 3 shows a molding apparatus suitably used in the composite material molding method of the third example of the present invention.

In this molding apparatus, a mold 32 is installed in a lifting mechanism 40F. This elevating mechanism 40 is made up of an air cylinder with a length of 10M, and is provided inside the decompression container 30.

In the method for molding a material according to the third embodiment using this molding apparatus, the liquid level of the curable resin liquid stored in the tank 9 is determined before the curable resin liquid is injected into the cavity of the mold. The mold 32 is held at a high position by the elevating mechanism 40 so that the position of the mold 32 is lower than the position of the cavity 6 of the mold 32.

In this state, after degassing the curable resin liquid in the tank 9, outside air is introduced into the tank 9 from the outside air introduction pipe 17, and the curable resin liquid is introduced into the cavity 6 of the mold 32 by the outside air pressure. inject.

After the curable resin liquid has been injected into the cavity 6 in this way, the height of the mold 32 is adjusted by driving the lifting device 40 while introducing outside air into the decompression container 30 from the outside air introduction pipe 14. The cured resin liquid is lowered into the tank 9 so as not to flow back. Finally, the position of the mold 32 is lowered until the cavity 6 of the mold 32 is below the level of the curable resin liquid in the tank 9 of the injection device 2.

When the pressure inside the reduced pressure container 30 has returned to normal pressure in this way, the curable resin liquid is subjected to a curing process.

In this composite material molding method, the cavity 6 of the mold 32
After the curable resin liquid is filled into the mold 32, the mold 32 is lowered to prevent the curable resin liquid from flowing back into the mold 32 toward the injection device 2, so it is necessary to close the injection pipe 10 after injecting the curable resin liquid. This facilitates the molding operation using the injection pipe IQ, which is not provided with a valve.

(Example 4) FIG. 4 shows another example of the mold 32 used in the composite material molding method of the present invention. This mold 32 is
The joining part 35 of the upper mold 33 and the lower mold 34 forms the cavity 6
It is formed so that it extends slightly horizontally from the middle of the side portions 6a, 6a, rises to a position higher than the cavity 6, and then extends horizontally again.

The composite material molding method of the present invention can also be carried out using this mold 32.

(Example 5) FIG. 5 shows another example of the mold 32 that can be used in the composite material molding method of the present invention.

In this mold 32, a curable resin liquid flow path 41 is formed on the lower surface 6b of the cavity 6. As shown in FIG. 6, the curable resin liquid flow path 41...
extending radially from. The curable resin liquid flow path 41 is formed into a V-shaped groove with a width of about 0.5 tams fl and a length of about 2IIIm, or a cross-sectional area of about Iam''.

When this mold 32 is used, the curable resin liquid injected from the injection hole 8 spreads into the cavity 6 through the curable resin liquid flow paths 41, so that the curable resin liquid flows easily. Therefore, by using this mold 32, the curable resin liquid can be injected in a short time, and the volume fraction (Vf) of the reinforcing material can be increased.

(Example 6) FIGS. 7 and 8 show a mold 45 that can be used when carrying out the molding method of the present invention.

This molding die 45 consists of a core member 46 and a pair of mating molds 47 that form a cavity 6 around the core member 46 with the core member 46 in between. It is composed of a mold 49.

The core member 46 is shaped like a vibrator, and a pipe-shaped cavity 6 is formed around it. Further, an exhaust hole 11 is formed in the upper mold 48, and an injection hole 8 is formed in the lower mold 49. The joining part 35 of the upper mold 48 and the lower mold 49 extends horizontally from the widest point of the cavity 6, rises to a position higher than the upper part of the cavity 6, and then extends horizontally again. A replenishment curable resin liquid storage space 39 is formed along the length of the cavity 6 at the upper end of the raised portion.

Flanges 50 that come into close contact with the end surfaces of the mating mold 47 are provided at both ends of the sprouting core member 46. An O-ring 51 is attached to the inner periphery of this Franz 50. Further, a packing 52 is attached to the surface of the flange 50 that comes into contact with the mating die 47.

When this mold 45 is used, the core member 46 of the mold 45 is formed so that its diameter gradually decreases from one end to the other, and the core member 46 is pulled out after molding. , a vibrator-shaped composite material molded article can be manufactured.

In addition, when this mold 45 is used, the core member 46 of the mold 45 is formed of an aluminum pipe or the like, and fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) is molded in the cavity 6.
Aluminum pipe whose outer surface is integrally covered with FRP
Can form PRP composite pipes.

Furthermore, by using the core member 46 made of foamed plastic, a foam-FrtP composite vibe can be manufactured.

(Example 7) FIGS. 9 and 10 show other examples of the core member 46 constituting the mold 45 described in Example 6.

The core member 46 is formed by a solid interest section 53 and an elastic tube 54 covering the outer periphery thereof. The elastic tube 54 is made of a stretchable material such as silicone rubber, and both ends thereof are hermetically sealed to the region of interest 53. Further, the region of interest 53 is provided with an air introduction hole 55 . The air introduction hole 55 is formed to open at the outer peripheral surface of the region of interest 53 covered with the elastic tube 54 and the end surface of the region of interest 53 .

Next, a composite material molding method using this core member 46 will be explained.

This core member 46 is used by being set in a mold 45 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. And this core member 46
After attaching the mold 45 set with the mold to the molding device,
The cavity 6 of the mold 45 is filled with a curable resin liquid according to the procedure described in the previous embodiment.

After filling with the curable resin liquid, air is forcedly fed between the region of interest 53 of the core member 46 and the elastic duplex 54 through the air introduction hole 55 . Then, the elastic tube 54 expands, and some of the curable resin liquid enters the cavity 6.
is discharged from. In this state, the curable resin liquid remaining in the cavity 6 is cured to complete the molded product.

In this molding method, since the outer periphery of the core member 46 is formed of the elastic duplex 54, by expanding the elastic duplex 54, the surplus of the curable resin liquid filled in the cavity 6 can be discharged. Therefore, according to this molding method,
Molded products with a large volume fraction (Vf) of reinforcing material can be manufactured.

Furthermore, when air is discharged between the region of interest 53 of the core member 46 and the elastic tube 54, a gap is formed between the molded product and the core member 46. There is an advantage that 46 can be easily extracted.

"Effects of the Invention" As explained above, in the composite material molding method of the present invention, the mold is housed in a vacuum container, so the mold is isolated from the outside air by the vacuum container, and the mating part of the mold is airtightly isolated. There is no need to do so. Therefore, in the molding method of the present invention, the mating portion of the mold can be formed to allow air to flow, and the air present in the mating portion can be easily removed.

Therefore, according to the molding method of the present invention, it is possible to eliminate the situation where air remains in the mating portion of the mold, and to prevent defects such as voids and pinholes from occurring on the surface of the molded product. Therefore, according to the molding method of the present invention, a molded product with a beautiful surface can be manufactured without any post-treatment.

Further, in the composite material molding method of the present invention, since the mold is housed in a reduced pressure container, the pressure inside and outside the mold is equalized, and the strength required of the mold is reduced. Therefore, according to the molding method of the present invention, there is an advantage that an inexpensive mold with low strength can be used without any problem.

Furthermore, in the composite material molding method of the present invention, the mold is housed in a vacuum container, so the part of the injection device connected to the mold is housed in the vacuum container and is under the same pressure as inside the mold. It will be placed.

As a result of this, even if the connection condition of this connection part is slightly defective, outside air will flow in from this part and force! This prevents outside air from entering the injected curable resin liquid. Therefore, according to the molding method of the present invention, the connecting part between the mold and the injection device can be manufactured with loose precision, and this part can be easily connected, making it easy to replace the mold.

Furthermore, in the composite material molding method of claim 2, since the shrinkage of the curable resin liquid during curing is captured, there is no gap between the cavity and the molded product even if the shrinkage of the curable resin liquid during curing is extremely large. It never occurs.

Therefore, with this composite material molding method, high-quality molded products can be manufactured even from a curable resin liquid with large shrinkage.

Furthermore, according to the composite material molding method of claim 3, since a mold is used in which a portion extending horizontally at a position higher than the cavity is formed at the joining part of the upper mold and the lower mold, the curable resin flows into the cavity. Even if the resin has high properties, the curable resin will not flow out of the mold from the mating part of the mold. Further, according to the method of claim 3, since the curable resin liquid is stored in the mating portion of the mold, the shrinkage of the curable resin liquid during curing is compensated for by this curable resin liquid.

Furthermore, according to the composite material molding method of claim 4, the height position of the tank before injecting the curable resin liquid into the cavity is
Since the liquid level of the curable resin liquid stored in the tank is maintained lower than the position of the mold cavity, the inside of the tank is evacuated at the same time as the mold is evacuated, and the curable resin liquid is When performing the degassing process, the curable resin liquid in the tank flows into the mold due to the pressure difference between the tank and the mold. This can be prevented without blocking the pipe.

Therefore, with this molding method, the structure of the injection tube can be simplified, making the injection tube made of inexpensive vinyl vibrator, etc., disposable, eliminating the need for cleaning when changing the curable resin liquid, and reducing setup time. can be achieved.

Further, according to the composite material molding method of claim 5, after the curable resin liquid is injected into the cavity, the position of the mold is lowered to prevent the injected curable resin liquid from flowing back toward the tank. There is no need to provide a mechanism for preventing backflow, such as a valve, in the tube for injecting the curable resin liquid that communicates with the mold.

Therefore, according to this molding method, the structure of the tube for injecting the curable resin liquid that connects the tank and the mold can be further simplified.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a molding device suitable for a first embodiment of the composite material molding method of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a molding device suitable for a second embodiment of the composite material molding method of the present invention. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a molding apparatus suitable for the third embodiment of the composite material molding method of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a cross section showing a mold that can be used in the composite material molding method of the present invention. Figure 5 is a sectional view showing the main parts of a mold that can be used in the composite material molding method of the present invention, Figure 6 is a plan view of the main parts of the mold, and Figure 7 is a composite material molding method of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a side view of the main parts of the mold that can be used in the method; FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the main parts of the mold that can be used in the composite material molding method of the present invention. 10 is a side view of the main parts of the same mold, and FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a molding apparatus used in a conventional composite material molding method.

Claims (5)

[Claims] (1) disposing a reinforcing material in the cavity of a mold having a cavity and a communication path that communicates the cavity with the outside, housing the mold in a vacuum container, and then evacuating the vacuum container; A composite material molding method characterized by subsequently injecting a curable resin liquid into the cavity of the mold. (2) The composite material molding method according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the curable resin liquid injected into the cavity of the mold is cured, the curable resin liquid is supplied to the cavity to compensate for shrinkage due to curing. (3) A mold is used in which the joining part of the upper mold and lower mold extends horizontally from the middle of the side of the cavity, rises to a position higher than the cavity, and then extends horizontally again. The composite material molding method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: (4) When injecting the curable resin liquid into the cavity of the mold from a tank that stores the curable resin liquid in a flowable state, before injecting the curable resin liquid into the cavity of the mold, 2. The composite material molding method according to claim 1, wherein the height of the tank is maintained such that the level of the curable resin liquid stored therein is lower than the position of the cavity of the mold. (5) The curable resin liquid is injected into the cavity of the mold from a tank that stores the curable resin liquid in a flowable state, and after the curable resin liquid is injected into the cavity, the height of the mold is 2. The composite material molding method according to claim 1, further comprising lowering the position to prevent backflow of the curable resin liquid injected into the cavity.