TWI541397B - Equipment and method for treating a continuous filament tow - Google Patents

Description

Continuous fiber tow processing device and method

The present invention relates to a method of treating a continuous fiber tow, and more particularly to a method of reducing the fiber distribution density and making the fiber distribution density uniform, and obtaining a stable and uniform fiber tow width.

The present invention relates to a processing apparatus for a continuous fiber tow which can be used in the above treatment method to achieve a better effect.

The so-called fiber reinforced plastic composite is a composite material in which a resin is used as a substrate and fibers are used as a reinforcing material. Commonly used fiber-reinforced resin composite materials include glass fiber, carbon fiber, boron fiber, and Kevlar. Composite materials such as fibers, for example, glass fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) bathtubs are the most common application of fiberglass composites, and carbon fibers, because of their small specific gravity, high rigidity and strength, can replace metals for products requiring high rigidity and light weight. On the other hand, for example, carbon fiber tennis rackets, golf clubs, bicycles, etc., are common carbon fiber composite materials, and Taiwan was the first country in the world to produce carbon fiber products; in addition, it is produced by Boeing and is called dream. The Boeing 787 (B787) of the Dreamliner is the most weighty, highest-rated and most famous example of carbon fiber composites since its inception, because of its endurance, energy efficiency and comfort.

Carbon fiber epoxy resin composite material, which is the composite material with the most carbon fiber used in aerospace industry or sports equipment. The composite material process with continuous long fiber characteristics is its most important. The required method, in which the carbon fiber impregnated epoxy resin prepreg step can make the resin evenly distributed and the fiber is fully wetted, and the impregnation method can be made into a lightweight, high strength and high modulus carbon fiber composite material. Carbon fiber composites are often used to replace metals to achieve weight reduction.

The raw materials for the production of carbon fiber are mainly polyacrylonitrile, asphalt and lanthanum. Among them, polyacrylonitrile has high strength and low cost, and it is the most important and the largest in productivity. Therefore, polyacrylonitrile resin is used as raw material. Carbon fiber, the wet spinning method using a solvent solution can spin the resin into very fine fibers (generally called raw silk), the process and composition of which are the same as acrylic cotton which is generally known for making artificial wool or carpet. After the polyacrylonitrile precursor is oxidized and carbonized at a high temperature of 1000 to 2000 ° C, the non-carbon element in the component is removed to form a carbon fiber having a high strength and a high modulus having a carbon purity of 99% or more, due to the raw material of the carbon fiber, or The carbonization process is based on the output length per unit time (m/h). When the number of coiling mechanisms is fixed, the carbon fiber of the small tow size is produced, for example, 3K (1K equals 1 仟) carbon fiber, each coil is taken. The weight of the carbon fiber produced by the organization per unit time is 1 kg, and the weight of the 12K carbon fiber can be up to 4 times (ie 4 kg). This means that the process cost of producing 3K carbon fiber is nearly 4 times higher than that of 12K. If it can produce 24K or 48K. Big Tow carbon fiber, the process cost will be lower. When the polyacrylonitrile precursor is drawn, the polyacrylonitrile polymer solution is solidified through the spinning nozzle to the spinning solution, and the 12K raw yarn is a monofilament fiber spun from 12000 spinning holes, which is cooled. And after processing and bundling into 12K carbon fiber, 24K, 48K or 80K carbon fiber larger than 12K is called large tow carbon fiber.

A large number of industrially used carbon fiber impregnated carbon fiber is mainly composed of 12K. The semi-cured material with unidirectional fiber arrangement after impregnating the resin liquid is called unidirectional prepreg, which is easy to handle and easy to make. The advantage of lamination is the important secondary processing of high-performance carbon fiber composites. The quality of the prepreg depends on the fiber impregnating resin, which must be able to fully impregnate the fiber and uniformly disperse or distribute it in the fiber, and the resin should be fully impregnated, and the impregnation step must be carried out at a very low viscosity of the resin. Then the resin cannot penetrate between the tows. The existing methods include a solvent method in which the viscosity of the resin is reduced by adding a solvent, and a hot melt method in which the viscosity of the resin is lowered by heating, wherein the solvent method is low in cost but not environmentally friendly, and the hot melt method is The high cost, but environmentally friendly, and high quality prepreg is the mainstream impregnation method on the market. Whether the fibers can be uniformly dispersed or distributed depends on the fiber density at which the carbon fibers need to be dispersed, the dispersion method, and the quality stability of the carbon fibers.

Carbon fiber composite materials based on epoxy resin are not recyclable due to epoxy resin thermosetting plastics. In recent years, the application of carbon fiber has gradually expanded to people's livelihood applications, such as electronics and automotive industries. The problem of not being able to recycle and remanufacture has forced the industry to switch to the development of thermoplastic carbon fiber composites. Generally used in general grade thermoplastics, such as nylon (Nylon), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS), polycarbonate (PC) and polypropylene (PP). However, since the viscosity of the thermoplastic plastic during melting cannot be as good as that of the epoxy resin, and the viscosity cannot be lowered by a suitable solvent, the impregnation method of the epoxy thermosetting plastic cannot be applied to the carbon fiber of the thermoplastic plastic. Prepreg. Therefore, the unidirectional carbon fiber thermoplastic composite prepreg is an urgent development technology of the carbon fiber industry.

The above general general-purpose thermoplastic plastic has high viscosity due to melting, which makes it difficult for the resin to completely penetrate into the fiber gap of the tow, and cannot be filled into a fiber-reinforced plastic having a low porosity and a uniform resin distribution. To overcome this problem, the resin viscosity must be lowered or the fibers dispersed more easily. Regarding the former, although there are currently aerospace-grade high-temperature resins with low viscosity characteristics, the price is very expensive, and the price of non-general-use grades is comparable. Therefore, there is still a distance to meet the stage of the use of Minsheng Industry, so development The latter - "making fibers more permeable" is inevitably more in line with the current stage.

The method of reducing the distribution density of the large carbon fiber tow (such as 12K, 24K, 48K and 80K) in the wide direction can be called the "unwinding and dispersing method" of the filament bundle, and is applied to the traditional thermosetting plastic prepreg impregnation method. Or published patent documents are as follows:

1. Traditional method:

1-1 thermosetting plastic hot melt adhesive method: the tow is mainly spread by the tension of the guide wire and the friction with the roller, and the resin is driven by the roller extrusion resin to cause the fiber to flow to both sides. The single fiber distribution density is lowered. As mentioned above, 50% of the decrease in the distribution density of the single fiber is extremely limited (the distribution density of the 12K carbon fiber is reduced from 15.75 single fiber overlap to 7.87), and the resin is required to increase the density reduction and reduce the fiber breakage.

1-2 Solvent method: the tension is expanded by the tension of the guide wire and the frictional force with the roller, so the frictional force widens the width of the tow, and also causes a large number of fibers to be broken and the width is not uniform. The distribution is uneven.

2. JP Patent No., 56-43435: The large tow carbon fiber is made into a metal round bar by a tension and friction method to increase the width of the tow and the density of the single fiber in the resin liquid. Reduced, because the resin liquid has a lubricating effect, it can reduce fiber breakage, and the lateral vibration of the round bar can increase the width of the tow. Since the tension is mainly caused by tension and friction, if the tension of the fiber tow is unstable, the width of the tow after unwinding is unstable.

3. JP Patent No. 3-31823: The carbon fiber multifilament bundle is supplemented by vibration in the axial direction by a widening device having a plurality of roller round bars, the roller is arranged in a dislocation manner, and the fiber tow is 30 degrees. The disadvantage of the 90 degree access angle is that the tension of the fiber tow is unstable, which will make the width of the tow unfolded unstable and easily cause a large amount of fiber breakage.

4. JP Patent No. ping 1-228262: Ultrasonic vibration in the direction of the fiber tow, supplemented by a high-pressure gas, so that the width of the tow is increased and the distribution density of the single fiber is reduced, and the disadvantage is that the fiber tow is forward The tension tends to reduce the expansion effect, so it cannot be used to make a large expansion.

5. JP Patent No. Sho 57-77342: in the vertical direction of the direction of travel of the fiber tow, the movement of the fluid of the gas or liquid produces the dispersion force of the fiber tow, and the width of the tow is promoted. The width is large, and the distribution density of the single fiber is reduced. The disadvantage is that the tension of the fiber bundle is easy to reduce the expansion effect, so that it cannot be used for making a large expansion, and the width is difficult to control stably.

6. JP Patent No. Sho 52-151362: Dispersing the fiber tow in the vertical direction of the direction in which the fiber tow travels, by the force of the fluid ejecting gas or liquid, causing the width of the tow to become larger and reducing the distribution density of the single fiber. The disadvantage is that the forward tension of the fiber tow is easy to reduce the expansion effect, so it cannot be used to make a large expansion, and the width is difficult to control stably, and the fiber is easily blown.

7. US 2,244,203: It utilizes a series of star-shaped rollers to expand the fiber tow by striking and vibrating, and the star-shaped roller is additionally provided with a flexible round stick.

8. US 4,959,895: The use of a plurality of rollers that generate vibration by a resonator to expand the fiber tow, the roller is alternately arranged and vibrated, and has tension and shearing action to destroy the fiber sizing agent. Achieve the effect of yarn expansion.

9. US 3,704,485: This is to make the fiber tow vibrate by the sound wave generated by the acoustic pulse in the relaxed state, and achieve the effect of dispersing and expanding the fiber tow.

10. CA 2,045,784: It is arranged on the top of the speaker to connect several pairs of rollers with Z characters alternately up and down, and the vibration effect of the pulse wave air and the path tension of the Z word alternately achieve the effect of dispersing and expanding the fiber bundle.

11. JP Patent No. 7-145556: Vibration is generated by an ultrasonic oscillator in water to cause a carbon fiber fabric to be opened.

12. US 6,094,791: This is a patent for the prepreg of Toray fiber tow, which is characterized by (a) at least one (several) rollers that are vibrating in the axial direction, and (b) using vibration-free The roller is pressed against the fiber bundle of the vibrating roller downwardly, (c) the length of the fiber tow contacting the non-vibrating roller is at least twice the length of the contact vibrating roller, and the pulverizing agent for softening the fiber tow is heated at 50-180 ° C, The fiber tow is easily opened.

13. WO 2005/002819 A2: The device is characterized by (a) a fiber bundle supply wire The unit and a force stabilizing device, the fiber tow is subjected to a tension fluctuation and tension relaxation after the wire is discharged, and (b) the fluid flow disperser is used to weaken the loose fiber tow due to fluid resistance, and The fluid flow downwards causes the fiber tow to bend downward, which drives the fiber tow to expand the fiber and reduce the distribution density. The fluid dispersion device can be repeatedly set several times, and (c) a force variable device can be used as tension and relaxation alternating tension fluctuation. The control, (d) fluid flow disperser can be provided with a floating control bridge that is in the shape of a cylindrical shape that is convex in the middle.

14. CN 1766196: A fiber-wound fiber expanding device characterized by using a driving device in which a plurality of rollers are arranged in parallel in the circumferential direction to drive a rotating roller cage, and a fiber tow is applied under tension. Wrap around the roller cage, and when the fiber tow is expanded by friction between the roller and the roller, the plurality of roller cages are respectively provided with a freely stretchable elastic tube around the core material, and the elastic tube is connected at both ends to adjust the relative The roller cage is immersed in an alkali metal ion water having a pH of 4-10 to have a better fiber expansion effect on the end plate to which the roll shaft is tilted.

15. CN 1766197: It discloses a fiber expanding device for a fiber tow, characterized in that the fiber tow flow portion has a position regulating roller that restricts a fiber tow flow position, and the position regulating roller has a convex curved portion, and A pair of flanges for limiting the fiber expansion width of the fiber tow are disposed on the convex surface, and the restriction roller is supported on the front end portion of the swingable arm, and the inclination angle position can be changed due to the fiber tow deflection, so that the fiber tow is returned central.

16. CN 101680136: It utilizes at least one convexly curved spreading rib for the spread of the fiber tow.

Looking at the method of expanding fiber, spreading yarn or reducing the fiber distribution density of the fiber tow as described in the above patent documents, the method of stretching by a tension method by a round bar (or a roller) or dispersing by a flow force of a fluid is carried out. Or disperse the fibers by the dispersing force of the vibration. Among them, the tension friction dispersion method of the round bar has a good dispersion effect, but the fiber is largely broken due to the friction between the fiber and the surface of the round bar, the tension when the fiber tow is pulled out cannot be stabilized, and the width of the fiber tow after dispersion is different. High quality products with uniform width of single fiber tow, can only be used Conventional thermosetting high fiber distribution density prepreg products; fluid dispersion method or vibration dispersion method in the known patented technology, most of them as an auxiliary method of tension dispersion method, can not be used as the main method of low fiber distribution density process, In order to obtain a product with a uniform width of the fiber bundle after dispersion, it is necessary to have other auxiliary devices for limiting the width or adjustment. For the production of a single fiber tow fiber with a low and uniform distribution of the product technology, most of the known techniques do not fully propose a feasible method, so the industry is still looking for a production that can be applied to thermoplastic one-way prepreg. technology.

In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a fiber strand to perform a fiber-to-bundle (or yarn-expanding) integral solution for reducing the fiber distribution density, thereby obtaining a fiber bundle having a low fiber distribution density. The product has a high quality, ie a stable and consistent fiber tow width and a uniform fiber distribution density.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a continuous fiber tow processing apparatus comprising: a desizing unit comprising means for cleaning the fiber tow; a spreading and dispersing unit comprising one or more round bars, Or a plurality of tension brake rollers and a tension brake, the round bar and the tension brake roller being disposed adjacent to each other, wherein the round bar is fixed and cannot rotate, and the tension brake roller is movable and rotatable, so that the tension brake The distance between the roller and the adjacent round bar is adjustable, the tension brake is connected to each tension brake roller to adjust the tension generated when each tension brake roller rotates; and the sizing unit includes a re-sizing device and drying Device.

The present invention also provides a method for treating a continuous fiber tow comprising the steps of: providing a fiber tow using the above-described processing apparatus; and desizing the fiber tow in a fluid cleaning manner using the desizing unit; Treating the desinated fiber tow with the above-described unwinding and dispersing unit; and feeding the unfolded and dispersed fiber tow into the above-mentioned sizing unit, and re-sizing the fiber tow with the re-sizing device, after which The fiber tow is dried by the drying device to be shaped.

The use of the terms "a", "an", and <RTIgt; </ RTI> <RTIgt; </ RTI> <RTIgt; </ RTI> <RTIgt; In addition, for the sake of clarity, the dimensions of the various elements and regions may be exaggerated in the drawings and are not drawn to the actual scale.

Referring to FIG. 1, a processing apparatus for a continuous fiber tow according to the present invention comprises: a wire feeding unit 1 according to a traveling direction of the fiber tow; which is provided with fixing means 11 and a guide wire according to the traveling direction of the fiber tow F a roller 12 and a guide wire hole 13, wherein the fixing device 11 has a tension controller; a desizing unit 2 comprising at least two guide wire roller groups 21/22, a tension adjusting roller 23 and at least two spraying devices 24, the guide wires The roller group 21/22 is respectively disposed at the feeding port and the discharging port of the desizing unit 2, and each of the wire guiding roller groups 21/22 includes a top roller and a bottom roller, and the tension adjusting roller 23 is disposed at the feeding position respectively. Between the mouth and the discharge guide roller group 21/22, and the spraying device 24 is disposed between the wire guide roller group 21/22 and the tension adjusting roller 23, each spraying device 24 has an output fluid a nozzle 25, the fluid may be water or an organic solvent in the form of a liquid or a vapor; a spreading and dispersing unit 3 provided with a solution tank 31 containing a solution 32, at least three round bars 33a, 33b, 33c, at least two tensions Brake rollers 34a, 34b and 34c and tension brake 35, The solution 32 may be water or a surfactant, and the round bars 33a, 33b, 33c and the tension brake rollers 34a, 34b and 34c are alternately arranged, wherein the round bars 33a, 33b, 33c are fixed and cannot be rotated. Is disposed on the liquid surface of the solution 32 or partially immersed in the solution 32, and the tension brake rollers 34a, 34b and 34c are movable and rotatable Dynamically disposed under the surface of the solution 32 such that the distance between the tension brake rollers 34a, 34b and 34c and the adjacent round bars 33a, 33b, 33c is adjustable such that the fiber tow F is adjacent The contact angle between the round bars 33a, 33b and 33c is greater than 90 degrees and less than 180 degrees, preferably between 105 degrees and 165 degrees, and the tension brake 35 is coupled to each of the tension brake rollers 34a, 34b and 34c to Adjusting the tension generated when each tension brake roller 34a, 34b and 34c rotates; the sizing unit 4 includes a re-sizing device 40, a drying device 50, at least two pressurized guide roller roller sets 44a/44b, and a guide roller set 44c, The re-sizing device 40 includes a re-slurry tank 41 containing a setting liquid 42 and a sizing roller 43 which is a water-soluble acrylic resin, an epoxy resin or a polyurea resin or a water-insoluble resin. a solvent-based thermoplastic powder or a monomer solution, the sizing roller 43 is disposed in the re-slurry tank 41, and at least partially immersed in the setting liquid 42; the drying device 50 includes a heat source and a large roller 51/52 The heat source can be an oven, a hot plate, an infrared heater or a gold tube, etc. The roller 51/52 is disposed in a range in which the heat source can be irradiated, and has an outer diameter of 50 cm or more, preferably 60 to 80 cm; and the pressurized guide roller group 44a/44b is disposed in the shaping unit. Between the feed port of 4 and the re-sizing device 40 and the drying device 50, each of the pressurized guide wire roller sets 44a/44b includes a top roller and a bottom roller, and the wire guide roller set 44c includes a top roller and a bottom roller. It is disposed at the discharge opening of the sizing unit 4 to convey the shaped fiber tow F to the next unit; and the take-up unit 6 includes a roller to make the finalized fiber tow F roll Fiber tow wire roll 7.

Wherein, the fiber tow comprises carbon fiber, glass fiber, Kevlar fiber, basalt fiber, aromatic polyamide fiber, etc. for fabricating the fiber-reinforced resin composite material; the preferred fiber tow is carbon fiber.

The invention also provides a method for treating a continuous fiber tow comprising the following steps: Wire feeding step: providing a fiber tow, preferably using the above-mentioned wire feeding unit to provide a fiber tow; desizing step: desizing the fiber tow in a fluid cleaning manner, the fluid comprising water in the form of liquid or vapor Or an organic solvent, which is cleaned by a spray-type fluid, by a non-discharged flowing fluid, by direct rinsing, or by a non-discharge type of vortex flow with a vortex generating device in a desizing tank. Preferably, the fiber tow is desizing or the non-spraying type is used to clean the vortex flow with the vortex generating device in the de-slurry tank; the unfolding and dispersing step: the fiber tow after desizing Developing and dispersing, preferably using the above-described unwinding and dispersing unit to process the fiber tow; sizing step: re-sizing the fiber tow, and then drying to shape, preferably the fiber tow after unfolding and dispersing Feeding into the above-mentioned sizing unit, and re-sizing the fiber tow with the re-sizing device, then drying the fiber tow by the drying device; and winding step After setting the fiber tow wire coil rolled into a fiber tow, is preferable to use the winding unit after the fiber tow shaped wire coil rolled into a fiber tow.

The invention is preferably carried out in a processing apparatus for the continuous fiber tow described above.

Continuous fiber tow:

In the present invention, carbon fiber is taken as an example. 12K carbon fiber tow after carbon fiber carbonization has a width of about 5.333 mm (5333 μm), a fiber distribution density of 12,000 divided by 5333 μm, equivalent to 2.50 carbon fiber single fiber and a single fine fiber. The degree (diameter) is about 7 μm, so theoretically there are 15.75 single fiber overlaps, and the theoretical thickness of the 12K carbon fiber tow is 110.25 μm (7 μm x 15.75 = 110.25 μm).

Desizing:

For the epoxy prepreg of 12K carbon fiber (0.8 g per meter length) of hot melt adhesive method, 150.0 g prepreg per square meter is produced, which is equivalent to the carbon fiber tow not expanded. The distribution density of the large fiber, 15.75 single fiber overlap, that is, 1 metre wide by 187.5 12K carbon fiber tow, converted to square weight per square meter = 0.8 g / meter x 187.5 = 150.0 g / m ^ 2 . In fact, 12K carbon fiber tow can be made into 125 g/m2, 100 g/m2, 75 g/m2 prepreg, and the fiber distribution density is dispersed to 13.125, 10.5 and 7.875 single fibers. Overlap, converted to single filament bundle width of 6.4mm, 8.0 and 10.666mm, it is quite difficult to make lower fiber density prepreg with 12K carbon fiber, such as 50g/m2, fiber distribution density 5.25, monofilament bundle The width is 16.0mm.30g/m2, the fiber distribution density is 3.15, and the monofilament bundle width is 26.67mm. Without special technique, uniform dispersion density can never be obtained.

In the case of 12K carbon fiber tow, from the spinning to the carbonization process, the fiber has a high modulus and strength from the original filament with low modulus and strength, and the final product has high modulus and strength. It is very brittle. Any friction, twist or bend will break the fiber. Therefore, the carbon fiber tow will be used for sizing or surface lubrication before the roll is formed. The purpose of sizing is to facilitate the reduction of carbon fiber in the composite process. Carbon fiber breakage and easy resin penetration and bonding, sizing engineering is one of the key technologies in the carbon fiber process. Generally, the pulp ratio of carbon fiber is less than 3%. The lower the sizing rate, the easier the fiber is dispersed during post-processing. The higher the sizing rate, the better the wear resistance of the fiber, the more difficult the fiber is to break, and the control of carbon fiber is easy to be processed. Dispersion is not easy to break, it is the technology of sizing agent.

Therefore, in order to disperse the fiber tow, it is first necessary to remove or minimize the slurry so that the fibers are dispersed. Therefore, the method of the present invention contains a step of removing the slurry or a device for reducing the concentration, which is called a desizing unit.

The desizing unit is characterized in that a spray device capable of ejecting a fluid is provided, and the slurry of the fiber tow is removed or at least reduced in slurry content by a fluid discharge method, and the fluid may be water or an organic solvent in the form of liquid or vapor. The organic solvent may be a ketone, an alkane or the like, a ketone such as a commonly used acetone or methyl ethyl ketone, etc., an alkane such as dichloromethane or chloroform, etc., if the non-jetted flowing fluid is soaked or rinsed, the same is true. The effect. In order to be stable The width of the fiber tow is provided on the fixing device for unwinding the fiber tow, and a controller for adjusting the tension is provided to ensure the stability when the tow is delivered.

Expand and spread:

After the fiber tow is subjected to the desizing step, the fiber tow becomes more easily dispersed, so that the fiber tow is expanded and dispersed at this time, so that the fiber density of the fiber tow is lowered, and the present invention provides a "expansion and dispersion unit". The utility model relates to a tension dispersion method which combines a plurality of round bars and a tension brake roller, characterized in that during the unfolding and dispersing process of the fiber tow, a solution such as water or water with interface is added to the device, so that the fiber tow is obtained. Expanding and dispersing under the infiltration of the solution, the unfolding and dispersing unit provided in the present invention is also characterized by the arrangement and number arrangement of the round bar and the tension brake roller, wherein the number of the round bars is at least three, and the number of the tension rollers is at least 2, and the round bar and the tension brake roller are arranged in an alternating manner, wherein the round bar is a fixed device that does not rotate, and the tension brake roller is not limited to rotation or fixation, and the tension brake roller is characterized as having an upward or Move down to adjust the distance from the adjacent round bar as a method of controlling the angle of contact between the fiber tow and the adjacent round bar, when the fiber tow and solid The greater the contact angle of the non-rotating round bar, the greater the frictional force, the greater the positive force with respect to the fiber tow, and the greater the force of the fiber tow as it is pressed down, the fiber tow will It will move to the sides of the width, causing the fiber tow to be dispersed to increase the width and the fiber distribution density to be small. The tension of the tension brake roller is adjustable. When the tension is increased, the greater the friction between the fiber tow and the surface of the roller, the easier the fiber tow is unfolded and dispersed.

The contact angle between the fiber tow and the adjacent round bar is adjusted before the device of the present invention is turned on, and the tension adjustment of the tension brake roller is performed during the operation of the apparatus of the present invention, wherein the former (ie, contact angle adjustment) The main control factor for the unwinding and dispersion of the fiber tow, the latter (the tension adjustment of the tension brake roller) is an auxiliary adjustment. By adjusting the above two, a stable width and a uniform fiber distribution density can be obtained after the fiber tow is unfolded and dispersed.

The greater the number of round bars and tension brake rollers, the easier and more stable and progressively spreading and dispersing the filaments. After the fiber tow is unfolded, the tow is easily retracted back to the original tow width because the tow is subjected to the forward tension. In order to prevent the tow width from returning to the original width, after the round bar is deployed, it can be set. A set of pressurized guide wire rollers that are in contact with each other and freely rotatable, and the pressure of the top roller prevents the fiber tow from unfolding and returning to its original width.

Stereotype:

The purpose of the present invention is to spread and disperse a fiber tow to obtain a fiber tow having a low fiber distribution density but uniformity and a stable width, which can be easily combined with a thermoplastic plastic. Fiber composite. Therefore, when the tow is unfolded, it is necessary to maintain this stable width in various subsequent processing processes. In order to facilitate subsequent processing, the present invention also provides a sizing step or "sizing unit" which includes a resizing step/device and a drying step/device.

The re-sizing device has a re-slurrying tank and a sizing roller. After the fiber tow is unfolded and dispersed, it is immersed in a sizing tank, impregnated into a thin styling liquid, and then transported to the drying device through a large roller. The surface is dried to fix the width of the fiber tow.

The fiber tow having the fixed width can finally be taken up into a film-like fiber tow roll using a take-up unit. The fiber tow wire can be used to directly impregnate the thermoplastic plastic with a prepreg tape which can be wound into a thermoplastic composite or woven into a fabric for use in various composite products.

The above setting liquid may be a water-soluble or water-insoluble solution, and if it is a simple setting, the sizing rate is preferably 5% or less, and the water-soluble setting liquid may be a water-soluble epoxy resin, a water-soluble acrylic resin, or Water-soluble polyurea resin; water-insoluble setting liquid usually uses an organic solvent as a solvent to dissolve a specific thermosetting resin, on the one hand, as an interface treatment agent on the surface of the fiber, and on the other hand, as a setting agent. Water-soluble styling solutions are also contemplated for use as interface treatments that facilitate the bonding of fibers to plastics.

The selection of the above-mentioned setting liquid may be determined according to the kind of the plastic material combined with the fiber tow when the composite material is formed later, because the setting liquid affects the interface bonding between the fiber tow and the plastic material, and therefore, if it is to be manufactured high For quality composites, the correct setting solution must be selected.

After the unfolded and dispersed fiber tow is sizing, even during the baking and drying process, the tension of the fiber tow is pulled forward, which causes the width of the tow after unwinding to become smaller or unstable. The change, so if the traditional oven baking method is used, no holding or fixing device is provided during the fiber tow baking process, so it is impossible to ensure that the width of the fiber tow does not change unstablely. In order to overcome this unfavorable quality production mode, the present invention provides a drying apparatus for stabilizing a fiber tow, characterized in that a large roll surface is used to transport a fiber tow, and the fiber tow is sizing and then introduced into the large roll. The tube is attached to the surface of the large roller. When the large roller rotates, the fiber tow is conveyed forward. At this time, a heat source is provided around or inside the large roller, so that the fiber tow is conveyed while being conveyed while being baked. Baked and dried, because the fiber tow is applied to the surface of the large roller for drying and advancing at the same time, the fiber tow has no advancing tension during the baking process, so that the width of the fiber tow does not become small or unstable. . The 12K carbon fiber of the invention is used for unfolding and dispersing production with a width of 16 mm, or 24K carbon fiber for 26 mm width and spread production, and the tolerance can be controlled within +/- 1 mm, which meets the requirements of subsequent processing quality.

Example:

For a specific embodiment of the processing apparatus for continuous fiber tow of the present invention, please refer to FIG. 1 again, the wire feeding unit 1 fixes the fiber bundle F to the fixing device 11, and the fixing device 11 has a fixed tension controller. When the fiber tow F is pulled to maintain a fixed and stable tension, and then the fiber tow F is output to the yarn supplying unit 1 via the guide wire roller 12 and the guide wire hole 13, the fiber tow F can be avoided. Unsteadyly pulled out or produces an unstable tension state.

To ensure a stable tension and solidity when the fiber tow F enters or leaves the desizing unit 2 a predetermined fiber tow F width, a pair of guide wire rollers 21/22 are respectively disposed at the feeding port and the discharging port of the desizing unit 2, and the wire guiding roller groups 21/22 are respectively disposed on the desizing unit a feed port and a discharge port of 2, the feed port receives the fiber bundle F from the wire guide hole 13 of the wire feed unit 1, and the discharge port conveys the fiber bundle F The desizing unit 2 is moved to the rear unfolding unit 3. When the fiber tow F is in the process of manufacturing the tow, it is inevitable that there will be a change in tension during winding. Therefore, the tension adjusting roller 23 is provided in the desizing unit 2, and when the tension is adjusted to be large, the expansion or dispersion of the tow can be increased. On the contrary, the tension is not easy to be unfolded or dispersed. The desizing unit 2 is mainly provided with two or more spraying devices 24, and has a nozzle 25 thereon. The nozzle 25 can eject a fluid 26 by inputting a fluid and supplying pressure, and the fluid 26 can be water or organic in the form of liquid or vapor. Solvent, since the sizing agent of the fiber tow F is usually water-soluble, the use of water is less expensive, but the vapor has a higher temperature, so the effect of desizing is better. When the fiber tow F passes through the desizing unit 2, most of the sizing agent slurry adhering to the surface of the fiber bundle F can be washed away.

Then, when the fiber tow F enters the unfolding and dispersing unit 3, it will be easily dispersed and unfolded. The unfolding and dispersing unit 3 of the present invention is mainly provided with at least three round bars 33a, 33b and 33c and at least two tension brake rollers 34a, 34b and 34c, each of which is a device that cannot be rotated and fixed, and the tension brake roller 34a, 34b and 34c are adjustable to control the distance from adjacent round bars 33a, 33b and 33c, such as 34b and 33b and 33c, in order to increase the contact angle of 33b and 33c with fiber tow F or Smaller (see Figures 2 and 3), in the same situation as 34c and 33b and 33c, the tension brake rollers 34a, 34b and 34c are designed to gradually increase the distance from adjacent round bars 33a, 33b and 33c so that The contact angle between the round bars 33a, 33b and 33c and the fiber bundle F is gradually increased, preferably between 105 and 165 degrees, and the purpose of gradually increasing the contact angle is to gradually increase The tension of the fiber tow F is unfolded and dispersed. The outer diameters of the round bars 33a, 33b and 33c and the tension brake rollers 34a, 34b and 34c are 10-60 mm, and the preferred outer diameters of the round bars 33a, 33b and 33c are 20-40 mm. The preferred outer diameter of the tension brake rollers 34a, 34b and 34c is With 25-45mm.

The tension brake rollers 34a, 34b and 34c are connected to the tension brake 35, and the tension of the tension brake rollers 34a, 34b and 34c can be adjusted on the line. When the tension is increased, the fiber bundle F and the surface of the tension brake rollers 34a, 34b and 34c are adjusted. The greater the friction, the more easily the fiber tow F is unfolded and dispersed. If the tension brake rollers 34a, 34b and 34c are not rotated by the tension of the advancement of the fiber bundle F, they function the same as the round bars 33a, 33b and 33c, and the fiber bundle F and the adjacent round bars 33a, 33b The contact angle between 33c and 33c is adjusted prior to the operation of the apparatus of the present invention, and the tension adjustment of the tension brake rollers 34a, 34b and 34c is performed while the apparatus of the present invention is being moved. When the tension of the fiber tow F becomes large, the fiber tow F and the non-rotating round bars 33a, 33b and 33c can be forced to generate a frictional force, and a positive force is generated on the fiber tow F due to the surface frictional force, which is equivalent to The fiber tow F is a kind of squeezing force. After the fiber tow F is pressed, it cannot flow or deform downward, causing the fiber tow F to flow in the width direction, that is, in both directions, and the mechanical action makes the fiber tow When F is unfolded or dispersed, the greater the tension, the wider the fiber bundle F is dispersed, and the smaller the fiber distribution density. In the case of 1200 (12k) carbon fiber tow, the width of the fiber bundle before being unfolded or dispersed It is about 5.3 mm, which can be calculated to be 16 mm in width after being dispersed and unfolded by the apparatus of the present invention, and is calculated by the diameter of a single fiber of 7 μm, which means that the original fiber tow has 15.75 fiber overlaps, and after the expansion and dispersion unit 3, The fibers have only 5.25 overlaps. In order to reduce the severe fiber breakage of the fiber tow F due to the friction factor, the present invention particularly provides the deployment and dispersion in the solution 32, the solution 32 may be water, or a small amount of surfactant added to increase the lubrication to prevent the fiber. fracture. The positions of the round bars 33a, 33b and 33c are preferably all immersed in the solution 32, or the round bars 33a, 33b and 33c which can adjust the contact angle are immersed in the solution 32, and the fixed round bars 33a, 33b and 33c are There is a similar effect on the liquid surface. In order to expand and disperse the fiber bundle F width, the width is reduced without being retracted, so that two pairs of pressurized guide roller group 44a are disposed at the boundary between the deployment unit 3 and the sizing unit 4, The pressurized guide wire roller group 44a is free to be pulled by tension, and the top roller is applied. A certain pressure is applied to ensure that the width of the fiber tow F does not become small.

In order to facilitate the impregnation processing of the rear stage (that is, in order to enable the fiber tow F to be fully impregnated with the thermoplastic plastic in the composite material process), it is necessary to fix the expanded and dispersed fiber tow F to ensure the rear stage. The process can achieve a stable and uniform impregnation quality, so the present invention uses the sizing unit 4 to fix the width of the fiber tow F. The sizing unit 4 includes a re-upper device 40 and a drying device 50. After the fiber bundle F is unfolded and dispersed, it is passed through the re-upper device 40, that is, through the re-slurry groove 41, and the fiber tow F is advanced by the sizing roller 43. At the same time, the immersion liquid 42 is impregnated, and then the excess styling liquid 42 is extruded through the two pairs of pressurized guide wire roller groups 44b. The setting liquid 42 generally has a good sizing rate under the control of 5% or less, and is impregnated with the thermoplastic rubber in the back stage, and has a good interface. The setting liquid 42 can be selected from water-soluble acrylic resin. Epoxy resin or polyurea resin, etc., whether it can be followed by the plastic of the latter stage; or a non-aqueous solvent-based thermoplastic powder or a monomer solution can be used as the setting liquid 42. After the fiber tow F is impregnated by the setting liquid 42, the fiber tow F is passed through the drying device 50, and the solvent is volatilized and dried by hot baking. The drying device 50 includes an oven for supplying heat, a hot plate, and an infrared heater. Or a gold lamp tube or the like, the heat source volatilizes the solvent to dry the fiber tow F and fix the width. In order to ensure that the width of the fiber tow F does not change any more, the present invention uses a large roller 51/52 surface to transport the fiber tow F to advance (please refer to FIG. 4), that is, the fiber tow F having the setting liquid 42 is Introduced and applied to the surface of the large roller 51/52, when the large roller 51/52 rotates, the fiber bundle F is conveyed forward, and is heated around the large roller 51 or 52 by, for example, an electric heating tube. Or the internal steam or the like provides a heat source, so that the fiber tow F is baked and dried while being conveyed forward, because the fiber tow F is applied to the surface of the large roller 51/52 to dry and advance at the same time, the fiber tow F There is no forward tension in the baking process, and the width of the fiber tow F does not become small or changes in an unstable manner. The outer diameter of the large roller 51/52 is 50 cm or more, preferably 60 to 80 cm.

The finally dried fiber tow F is passed through a take-up unit 6, and the unrolled and dispersed fiber tow F is wound into a roll 7 like a film. The fiber tow wire roll 7 can be used for direct and heat The plastic plastic is impregnated into a prepreg tape, and the prepreg tape can be made into a thermoplastic composite material by a winding method. The wire roll 7 or the prepreg tape can also be woven into a 2D fabric by weaving, and the composite material of the thermoplastic prepreg fabric in a laminated manner has the characteristics of a high performance thermoplastic composite material.

F‧‧‧Fiber tow

1‧‧‧Supply unit

2‧‧‧Dewatering unit

3‧‧‧Expansion and decentralization unit

4‧‧‧Forming unit

5‧‧‧Drying device

6‧‧‧Winding unit

7‧‧‧ silk roll

11‧‧‧Fixed devices

12‧‧‧Guide Rolla

13‧‧‧ Guide wire hole

21,22‧‧‧Guide Roller Group

23‧‧‧ Tension adjustment roller

24‧‧‧Spray device

25‧‧‧ nozzle

31‧‧‧solution tank

32‧‧‧solution

33a, 33b, 33c‧‧‧ round bars

34a, 34b, 34c‧‧‧ Tension Brake Roller

40‧‧‧Re-sizing device

41‧‧‧Re-slurry tank

42‧‧‧Setting fluid

43‧‧‧Slurry Rolla

44a, 44b‧‧‧ Pressurized guide wire roller group

44c‧‧‧guide roller set

51,52‧‧‧ Large rolls

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of a processing apparatus for a continuous fiber tow of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic view showing a small contact angle of a round bar and a tension brake roller in the unfolding and dispersing unit of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view showing a large contact angle between the round bar and the tension brake roller in the unfolding and dispersing unit of the present invention.

Figure 4 is a schematic illustration of a large roller transporting fiber tow in a sizing unit of the present invention.

F‧‧‧Fiber tow

1‧‧‧Supply unit

2‧‧‧Dewatering unit

3‧‧‧Expansion and decentralization unit

4‧‧‧Forming unit

5‧‧‧Drying device

6‧‧‧Winding unit

7‧‧‧ silk roll

11‧‧‧Fixed devices

12‧‧‧Guide Rolla

13‧‧‧ Guide wire hole

21,22‧‧‧Guide Roller Group

23‧‧‧ Tension adjustment roller

24‧‧‧Spray device

25‧‧‧ nozzle

31‧‧‧solution tank

32‧‧‧solution

33a, 33b, 33c‧‧‧ round bars

34a, 34b, 34c‧‧‧ Tension Brake Roller

40‧‧‧Re-sizing device

41‧‧‧Re-slurry tank

42‧‧‧Setting fluid

43‧‧‧Slurry Rolla

44a, 44b‧‧‧ Pressurized guide wire roller group

44c‧‧‧guide roller set

51,52‧‧‧ Large rolls

Claims (20)

A continuous fiber tow processing apparatus comprising: a desizing unit comprising means for cleaning the fiber tow; a deployment and dispersion unit comprising one or more round bars, one or more tension brake rollers, and tension a brake, the round bar and the tension brake roller are disposed adjacent to each other, wherein the round bar is fixed and cannot rotate, and the tension brake roller is movable and rotatable such that the tension brake roller and the adjacent round bar The distance between the tension brakes is adjustable, and the tension brake is connected to each tension brake roller to adjust the tension generated when each tension brake roller rotates, and the distance between the tension brake roller and the round bar is adjusted to control the round bar and the fiber tow. a contact angle; and a sizing unit comprising a re-sizing device and a drying device. The processing device of claim 1, further comprising a wire feeding unit disposed in front of the desizing unit, the wire feeding unit sequentially providing a fixing device, a guide wire roller and a guide wire according to a traveling direction of the fiber tow a hole, wherein the fixture has a tension controller. The processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a take-up unit disposed after the sizing unit, the take-up unit including a drum that rolls the fiber tow into a roll of fiber tow. The processing apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a take-up unit disposed after the sizing unit, the take-up unit comprising a roll that winds the fiber tow into a roll of fiber tow. The processing apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the means for cleaning the fiber tow in the desizing unit comprises a fluid-filled spraying device for discharging the fluid from the spraying device to clean the fiber tow . The processing device of claim 5, wherein the desizing unit further comprises at least two guide wires a roller group and a tension adjusting roller, wherein the wire guide roller sets are respectively disposed at the feeding port and the discharging port of the desizing unit, and each of the wire guiding roller groups includes a top roller and a bottom roller, and the tension adjusting roller system is disposed in the respective positions Between the feed port and the guide wire roller set of the discharge port, and the number of the spray devices is at least two, respectively disposed between the guide wire roller group and the tension adjustment roller. The processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the expansion and dispersing unit has at least three round bars and the tension brake roller has at least two, and the round bars and the tension brake rollers are alternately arranged. Wherein the round bar and the tension brake roller have an outer diameter of 10 to 60 mm. The processing apparatus of claim 7, wherein the outer diameter of the round bar is 20-40 mm, and the outer diameter of the tension brake roller is 25-45 mm. The processing apparatus of claim 7, wherein the unfolding and dispersing unit further comprises a solution tank containing a solution, wherein the tension brake roller is disposed under the liquid surface of the solution, and the solution is water or added with a surfactant. water. The processing apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a distance between the tension brake roller and an adjacent round bar is adjusted such that a contact angle between the fiber tow and an adjacent round bar is greater than 90 degrees and less than 180 degrees. The processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the distance between the tension brake roller and the adjacent round bar is adjusted such that a contact angle between the fiber tow and an adjacent round bar is between 105 and 165 degrees. The processing apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the re-sizing device of the sizing unit comprises a re-slurry tank containing a setting liquid and a sizing roller, the sizing roller system being disposed in the re-slurry tank And at least partially immersed in the styling liquid, the drying device comprising a heat source for drying the fiber tow. The processing device of claim 11, wherein the sizing unit further comprises at least two pressurized guide roller roller sets and a guide wire roller set respectively disposed in the shaping unit Between the material port and the re-sizing device and the drying device, each of the pressure wire guide roller sets includes a top roller and a bottom roller, and the wire roller group includes a top roller and a bottom roller, and is disposed on the sizing unit The material port, and the drying device of the shaping unit further comprises a large roller having an outer diameter of 50 cm or more. The processing apparatus of claim 13, wherein the outer diameter of the large roller is between 60 and 80 cm. The processing apparatus of claim 12, wherein the setting liquid is a water-soluble acrylic resin, an epoxy resin or a polyurea resin or a water-insoluble solvent-based thermoplastic powder or a monomer solution; the heat source is an oven, Hot plate, infrared heater or gold tube. The processing apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the fiber tow is selected from the group consisting of carbon fiber, glass fiber, Kevlar fiber, basalt fiber, and aromatic polyamide fiber. . A method of treating a continuous fiber tow comprising the steps of: providing a fiber tow using the processing apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 16; and desizing the fiber tow in a fluid cleaning manner using the desizing unit The fiber tow after desizing is treated by the expansion and dispersion unit described above, by adjusting the distance between the tension brake roller and the round bar to control the contact angle between the round bar and the fiber tow; and the expanded and dispersed fiber filament The bundle is fed into the above-mentioned sizing unit, and the fiber tow is re-slurryed by the re-sizing device, and then the fiber tow is dried by the drying device to be shaped. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of providing a fiber tow provides the fiber tow using the wire feed unit. The method of claim 17 or 18, wherein after the fiber tow is dried, further The shaped fiber tow was rolled into a fiber tow roll using the above-described take-up unit. The method of claim 16, wherein the desizing step is to clean the fiber tow in a non-spraying manner in a desander tank with a vortex flow having a vortex generating device.