JPS63139707A - Production device for thin unidirectional prepreg sheet - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To adjust the quantity of a nip roll deflected, and to obtain a thin prepreg sheet in uniform thickness by each arranging back-up rolls, to which independent pressure regulating mechanisms are set up, in the cross direction of a nip roll. CONSTITUTION:A pair or a plurality of back-up rolls 2 are disposed to the upper and lower sections of a nip roll 1 while being brought into contact with the surface of the nip roll 1, and connected to pressure regulating mechanisms 5 through shafts 7, holding frames 3 and lifting shafts 4. Thickness in the cross direction of a prepreg sheet during manufacture is measured, the back-up rolls are each arranged to upper and lower sections to positions on the surfaces of the nip rolls corresponding to a position where thickness is increased, and desired pressure is applied to the back-up rolls, thus correcting the deflection of the nip-rolls, then acquiring the prepreg sheet in uniform thickness.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing thin unidirectional prepreg sheets, and more specifically, a real melt sheet with uniform thickness and no openings, which is particularly suitable for manufacturing thin prepreg sheets. The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing a unidirectional prepreg sheet.

[Conventional technology]

In recent years, epoxy resin, phenolic resin,
Alternatively, unidirectional prepreg sheets impregnated with thermosetting resin such as unsaturated polyester resin are widely used as sports leisure goods, aerospace equipment, axle equipment, and other industrial materials. It is highly valuable as an intermediate base material, as it can be used efficiently and is easy to handle.

The performance required for these unidirectional Bripreg sheets is that the fiber sheet has a smooth surface with no openings between the fibers, has a uniform thickness, and is uniformly impregnated with resin. It is in.

The manufacturing method for achieving these is, for example, JP-A-55-
No. 16056, JP-A-58-23830, JP-A-58
As seen in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 185216 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-2313, fibers aligned in one direction are arranged on coated paper or between two coated papers, and then heated Currently, the mainstream is one that is impregnated under pressure by passing it between tubular rolls.

However, the quality requirements for unidirectional prepreg sheets are becoming increasingly sophisticated, such as thinner sheets, lower resin content, and wider widths. This is becoming impossible to meet the quality standards, especially when a nip roll reduction blade is used to spread the fiber bundles in order to keep thin prepreg sheets without openings and to achieve uniform thickness and surface smoothness. , the amount of roll deflection in the direction of the nip roll is a major problem.If the deflection force of the nip roll is large compared to the target thickness of the prepreg sheet, the reduction blade of the nip roll is sufficient for the fiber bundles, especially near the center of the prepreg sheet. As a result, the spread of fiber bundles in the width direction of the prepreg sheet becomes uneven.
Eye opening becomes noticeable. To achieve such a state without openings, increase the number of nip roll reduction blades,
Matrix resin flows out of the prepreg sheet located at the end of the nip roll, resulting in poor impregnation and non-uniform resin content.As a result, the sheeting in the width direction of the prepreg sheet! This results in a prepreg with non-uniform thickness, which is undesirable, and in severe cases, fiber bundle breakage may occur. Therefore, in order to obtain a prepreg sheet of uniform thickness, it is necessary to prevent the occurrence of nip roll slack. As measures to prevent such thickness fluctuations in the width direction due to nip roll deflection, for example, in the case of rolling steel materials, there are measures such as adding a roll crown or performing roll bending, as described in the book compiled by the Iron and Steel Institute of Japan. Steel Manufacturing Methods (Volume 3)” (September 3, 1971)
0 day Maruzen) pages 539-540 or 611-6
This can be seen on page 12. However, these techniques
Since it is intended for steel materials that have overwhelmingly higher rolling resistance than resin or prepreg sheets, it has a much larger diameter and is stronger than normal work rolls (equivalent to nip rolls for prepreg sheet production). Only one backup roll is used at the top and bottom, and although it is effective in preventing roll deflection, it is not suitable for finely adjusting the thickness of each section across the entire rolling width direction. hard.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

As described above, it is difficult to eliminate non-uniformity in thickness across the width of the sheet when manufacturing a thin prepreg sheet using conventional equipment.

In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, the present invention has developed a thin prepreg sheet called S! ! To provide an improved 'IJ' manufacturing device that can stably and efficiently produce a thin prepreg sheet having a uniform thickness in the width direction without any openings that are likely to occur when the TA fibers expand. The purpose is to

[Means for solving problems]

The present inventors have conducted various studies regarding means for making the thickness of the prepreg sheet uniform in the width direction as described above, and as a result, back unrolls each having an independent pressure adjustment mechanism are arranged in the width direction of the nip rolls. The present invention was made based on the discovery that it is possible to obtain a thin prepreg sheet of uniform thickness by adjusting the deflection of the nip roll.

That is, the present invention can be applied to coated paper coated with resin in advance, or
Long fibers aligned in one direction are arranged between sheets of the coated paper, and at least one heated
A unidirectional blip preg manufacturing apparatus having a pair of two-piece rolls, wherein one or more pairs of upper and lower bank up rolls each having an independent pressure adjustment mechanism in the direction of the nip roll are brought into contact with the surface of the nip roll. This is an apparatus for manufacturing directional prepreg sheets.

The present invention will be explained in detail below.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing one embodiment of the manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, in which (a) is a front view and (b) is a side view of the main part. This is a pair of nip rolls that serve as a heating mechanism (not shown). Above and below the nip roll l, one or more pairs of backup rolls 2 are arranged in contact with the surface of the nip roll l, and a rotating shaft 7. It is connected to a pressure adjustment mechanism 5 via a holding frame 3 and a lifting shaft 4. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the pressure adjustment mechanism 5 is attached to the frame 6, and the rotating shaft 7 of the nip roll 1 is also attached to the frame 6, but this is not necessarily the case. (The frame that supports the back-up roll/pressure adjustment mechanism system and the frame that supports the nip roll may be separate frames; in short, the bank-up roll 2 is in contact with the surface of the nip roll l.) Any configuration may be used as long as the pressure can be adjusted by contacting the base.

In addition, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, an example is shown in which the backup rolls 2 are arranged in the width direction of the nip roll l, with the left and right sides of the width direction center line 8 being approximately symmetrical. It is only necessary that one or more pairs of backup rolls 2 are brought into contact with the surface mainly in the vicinity of the center m8, for example, the back-up rolls 2 are brought into contact with the upper and lower two roll surfaces on the center line 8, respectively, or Of the upper and lower nip rolls l, one backup roll 2 is placed in contact with the center line 8 of the upper roll, while the lower nip roll 1 is placed in contact with the center line 8 of the upper roll.
Needless to say, two backup rolls may be brought into contact with each other at a predetermined interval across the center wA8, or further backup rolls may be installed at a predetermined interval on either side of these rolls as necessary.

Next, the pressure adjustment mechanism 5 may be a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder, or a screw drive structure, as long as it can precisely control the pressure to the desired pressure.
Any connection may be used, and the same effect can be obtained by connecting the back unroll 2 without necessarily using the lifting shaft 4 or the holding frame 3, as long as the pressure of the adjustment mechanism 5 can be transmitted. Any instrument that plays the sound is fine.

Furthermore, in FIG. 1, an apparatus equipped with one pair of nip rolls l is illustrated, but the thickness of the prepreg to be manufactured is 2.
The present invention also includes a device in which a plurality of devices similar to the device shown in FIG. 1 are arranged in series in the prepreg running direction (perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. 1(a)) depending on the width etc. Of course there is. Further, as the heating means for the nip roll, any ordinary means used for this type of roll may be appropriately selected and used.

The bank up roll may be made of any material as long as it does not damage the surface of the nip roll, but from the above point of view, it is effective to use a material similar to that of the nip roll.

Next, as for the number of backup rolls, the greater the number, the more precise the nip roll deflection control, that is, the thickness adjustment of the prepreg. If at least one pair of bank up rolls is provided above and below the nip roll, it will be much easier to control the deflection of the nip rolls compared to the conventional case. Ta. In this case, as described above, the present invention also includes one having one bank up roll above the nip roll and two bank up rolls below the nip roll, and further providing a desired number of back up rolls on the left and right sides of the nip roll as necessary. Of course, it is possible. In addition, when providing multiple backup rolls, the spacing depends on the dimensions of the banokatsu roll, the holding structure, or the dimensional accuracy of the prepreg to be manufactured, but the distance between the backup roll centers in the width direction of the nip rolls is approximately 150 mm. ~250w is appropriate.

Also, regarding the width and diameter of the bank up roll, the amount of deflection of the nip roll, that is, the diameter and length of the nip roll,
An appropriate diameter should be selected depending on the pressure applied to the nip roll, but the diameter of the nip roll is generally sufficient, and the smaller the roll width, the more the load can be concentrated. By properly arranging the nip roll in the width direction, more precise deflection adjustment can be performed, but if the rigidity of the backup roll is taken into account, the appropriate roll width is approximately 10 to 40 fins. be.

The amount of deflection of the nip roll is determined by the diameter of the nip roll,
Needless to say, it is controlled by the length or the rolling blade applied to the nip roll during the manufacture of the prepreg sheet, but as a specific adjustment method, for example, the thickness in the width direction of the prepreg sheet being manufactured is measured, and the thickness is determined. Backup rolls are placed on the top and bottom of the nip roll surface corresponding to the areas where the rolls become larger, and by applying a desired pressure to these rolls, the deflection of the nip roll is corrected and a prepreg sheet of uniform thickness is obtained.

Since the apparatus of the present invention has the above configuration, in this case, the upper and lower backup rolls do not necessarily apply the same pressure, but different pressures can be applied from the upper and lower pressure adjustment mechanisms as necessary, It is also possible to apply separate pressure to the upper and lower nip rolls to achieve more precise control of the prepreg thickness.

Furthermore, because of this configuration, even if uneven thickness occurs for some reason at a location outside the vicinity of the center line 8 in the nip roll width direction, the pressure of the pressure adjustment mechanism near the location can be controlled. Accordingly, the non-uniformity can be easily eliminated. Incidentally, the device having the structure of the present invention is effective when the nip roll has a small diameter, and the effect is particularly remarkable when using a two-tipped roll having a diameter of 400 mm or less.

〔Example〕

The effects of the present invention will be explained in more detail below based on Examples. Commercially available PAN-based CF TORAYCA T-3
120 strands of carbon fiber 3000 filament of 00 (manufactured by Toshi ■) are aligned at a spacing of 10 m between each strand, and epoxy resin is used as the matrix resin, impregnated under pressure with nip rolls to produce a unidirectionally aligned carbon fiber prepreg sheet. was manufactured. As manufacturing equipment, a device having a conventional nip roll without a backup roll and a device of the present invention equipped with a backup roll were used to compare the impregnation state with and without correction of the deflection of the nip roll.

Mata, the nip roll is roll a 300mm diameter.

A pair of rolls with a surface length of 1300 m were used for each device.

Further, in the case of the apparatus of the present invention, six pairs of back-amp rolls, which are the same as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, were used. The bank up roll dimensions are 100wφ in roll diameter and 30mm in width.
As the pressure adjustment mechanism, air pressure from a 140flφ air cylinder was used. The arrangement of the backup rolls is as shown in FIG. In the figure, the bank up roll 2 has a center line 8 in the width direction of the nip roll 1 on the surface of the nip roll 1.
Magnets 1 to 6 are arranged symmetrically on the left and right, and the spacing between them is R1/180 Tsuru and Pz/195 Tsuru. Table 1 summarizes the prepreg sheet specifications, manufacturing conditions, and other specifications, as well as the test results. Note that the backup roll position is indicated by the distance from the center line 8.

As shown in Table 1, when using the device of the present invention equipped with a back-up roll, good prepreg was obtained despite the lower nip line pressure compared to the conventional case without a bank-up roll. A sheet could be obtained, and the thickness of the prepreg sheet could be manufactured within an error of ±1 g/- in terms of CF basis weight. Furthermore, since the nip linear pressure was reduced, it was also possible to prevent the occurrence of breakage of the fiber bundle. (The following is a blank space) [Effects of the invention] As is clear from the above examples, by using the apparatus of the present invention, a thin material having a uniform thickness, no openings, and further preventing fiber bundle breakage can be produced. This makes it possible to manufacture oriented prepreg sheets, and the industrial effect is extremely significant.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing one aspect of the manufacturing apparatus of the present invention (a
) is a front view, (b) is a side view, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the bank anno roll arrangement of the device used in the example. 1...Nip roll, 2...Back around roll 3
... Holding frame, 4... Lifting axis. 5...Pressure adjustment mechanism, 6...Frame.

Claims (1)

[Claims] Long fibers aligned in one direction are arranged on a coated paper coated with a resin in advance or between two sheets of the coated paper, and heated to impregnate the fibers under pressure. A unidirectional prepreg manufacturing apparatus having at least one pair of nip rolls, wherein at least one pair of upper and lower backup rolls each having an independent pressure adjustment mechanism is brought into contact with the surface of the nip roll in the width direction thereof. Directional prepreg sheet manufacturing equipment.