EP0082067A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Graphite fiber tensile strength member, cable assemblies employing same, and method of making
Assignee: SLB NV
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Filing: 1982-12-08
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2002-12-08
Abstract
Abstract A strength member, such as a cable, is made from a tow or multiple tows of graphite fibers or filaments. In one embodiment a tow of graphite filaments of indeterminate length is saturated with an uncured polymeric impregnant to fill voids and interstices between the filaments. Excess saturant is removed and the tow is coated with a release agent. The tow is then cabled together in a helix, such as by cabling onto a central core, and the impregnant is then cured to a solid matrix. In another embodiment multiple tows of high-strength filaments of indeterminate length. each saturated with a semi-cured polymeric impregnant, are heated, to accelerate the curing, shaped, and then are cabled together in a helix, such as by cabling onto a central core, where the impregnant is then cured to a solid matrix. The matrix enhances the effective tensile strength of the tow. The semi-curing and acceleration of the cure just before cabling prevent the individual tows from adhering to one another while assuring that the final cure configuration is a formed helix.
Inventors
- 👤 Richard P. Mcnerney
- 👤 Terry Alan Rostocki
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 23:15
CPC Classifications
D; D07; D07B; D07B1/00; D07B1/02; B; B29; B29B; B29B15/00; B29B15/08; B29B15/10; B29B15/12; B29B15/122; B29B15/125; B29C; B29C70/00; B29C70/04; B29C70/06; B29C70/10; B29C70/16; B29C70/20; D07B1/16; B29K; B29K2105/00; B29K2105/24; B29K2105/243; B29K2307/00; B29L; B29L2031/00; B29L2031/34; B29L2031/3462
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
126 words
A process for making an elongate tensile-strength assembly of indeterminate length, characterized by: accelarating the curing of a plurality of tows of high-strength filaments of indeterminate length saturated with a semi-cured polymeric - impregnant; curing the accelerated impregnant sufficiently to prevent substantial bonding of the saturated tows to one another or other materials which they may contact; helically forming the plurality of impregnated tows about one another; and subsequently allowing the impregnant in the helically formed saturated tows to cure to a solid matrix while in the helical configuration and while remaining essentially dry or non-tacky to cause the tows to act in unison when the assembly thereof is tensioned while affording the assembly substantial flexibility due to the non-bonding of the tows to one another.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
126 words
A process for making an elongate tensile-strength assembly of indeterminate length, characterized by: accelarating the curing of a plurality of tows of high-strength filaments of indeterminate length saturated with a semi-cured polymeric - impregnant; curing the accelerated impregnant sufficiently to prevent substantial bonding of the saturated tows to one another or other materials which they may contact; helically forming the plurality of impregnated tows about one another; and subsequently allowing the impregnant in the helically formed saturated tows to cure to a solid matrix while in the helical configuration and while remaining essentially dry or non-tacky to cause the tows to act in unison when the assembly thereof is tensioned while affording the assembly substantial flexibility due to the non-bonding of the tows to one another.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
23 words
The process of claim 1 characterized by forming each of the accelerated tows into a non-circular cross section prior to helically forming them.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
52 words
The process of claim 1 or 2 characterized in that said step of helically forming the impregnated tows about one another further comprises helically laying the tows on a generally cylindrical cable core member free of bonding of the tows to the cable core member due to the partially cured state thereof.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
22 words
The process of claim 1, 2 or 3 characterized by post-curing the helically formed assembly to further realize the potential strength thereof.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
50 words
The process of any one of claims 1-4 characterized by the step, after substantial curing of the impregnant, of flexing the assembly to break such few bonds of the impregnant as may have formed between adjacent tows during the curing of the saturated tows subsequent to the helical laying thereof.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
38 words
The process of any one of claims 3-5 characterized in that said step of helically laying the tows on a central core further comprises contrahelically laying at least two layers of the impregnated tows around the central core.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
73 words
The process of any one of claims 1-6 characterized in that the saturated tows of step (a) are produced by the steps of: individually saturating a plurality of tows of high-strength filaments of indeterminate length with an uncured polymeric impregnant to fill voids and interstices between the filaments with the impregnant; and semi-curing the saturated tows to prevent substantial bonding of the saturated tows to other tows or materials which they may contact.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
14 words
An elongate tensile-strength assembly made by the process of any one of claims 1-7.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
61 words
An elongate tensile-strength assembly of indeterminate length, characterized by: a plurality of separate, unconnected, helically formed tows of filaments extending helically about one another along the length of the assembly, and saturated with a solid polymeric impregnant to bond the filaments of each said tow in a substantially rigid helical matrix while leaving the tows free of bonding to each other.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
61 words
An elongate tensile-strength assembly of indeterminate length, characterized by: a plurality of separate, unconnected, helically formed tows of filaments extending helically about one another along the length of the assembly, and saturated with a solid polymeric impregnant to bond the filaments of each said tow in a substantially rigid helical matrix while leaving the tows free of bonding to each other.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
14 words
The assembly of claim 9, characterized in that said impregnant comprises an epoxy resin.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
17 words
ll. The assembly of claim 9 or 10 characterized in that said impregnant is substantially hydrolytically stable.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
24 words
The assembly of claim 9, 10 or 11 characterized in that each said tow contains between about 3,000 and about 30,000 continuous-length carbon filaments.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
25 words
The assembly of any one of claims 9-12 characterized in that a release agent is utilized to prevent the tows from bonding to each other.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
18 words
The assembly of any one of claims 9-13 characterized in that said tow is formed in a helix.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
16 words
The assembly of claim 14 characterized in that said helix is formed around a central core.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
21 words
The assembly of claim 15, characterized in that said central core comprises a composite structure having at least one electrical conductor.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
21 words
The assembly of claim 15 characterized in that said central core comprises a composite structure having at least one optical fiber.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
32 words
The assembly of claim 15, 16 or 17 characterized by jacket means surrounding said tensile-strength members to protect said members from abrasion and transverse shear stresses when said assembly is in use.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
95 words
The process of making an elongate tensile-strength member of indeterminate length, characterized by the steps of: saturating a tow of graphite filaments of undeterminate length with an uncured polymeric impregnant to thereby fill voids, and interstices between said filaments; removing excess impregnant from the saturated tow; coating said impregnated tow with a release agent to minimize bonding of said tow to other materials; maintaining said impregnant in an uncured state while forming said impregnated tow in a helix; and subsequently allowing the impregnant in said helically formed saturated tow to cure to a solid matrix.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
95 words
The process of making an elongate tensile-strength member of indeterminate length, characterized by the steps of: saturating a tow of graphite filaments of undeterminate length with an uncured polymeric impregnant to thereby fill voids, and interstices between said filaments; removing excess impregnant from the saturated tow; coating said impregnated tow with a release agent to minimize bonding of said tow to other materials; maintaining said impregnant in an uncured state while forming said impregnated tow in a helix; and subsequently allowing the impregnant in said helically formed saturated tow to cure to a solid matrix.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
11 words
An elongate tensile-strength assembly made by the process of claim 19.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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