Unidirectional sheet molding composition and process of preparing same

Claim 1

A process of preparing a thickened resinous sheet molding composition suitable for compression molding containing axially aligned continuous filaments and cut filaments which comprises preparing a slurry of an unsaturated cross linkable polyester of a dicarboxy acid and a dihydric alcohol, a liquid cross linking monomer capable of cross linking with said polyester to produce a thermosetting resin, a catalyst for the cross linking reaction, an inhibitor for the cross linking reaction, and a mold release compound, adding a thickening reactant to said mixture, stirring the resultant mixture, forming said mixture into a first layer on a strippable carrier sheet, adding 10% to 70% by weight of continuous high modulus elasticity filaments unidirectionally to said layer, adding randomly deposited cut filaments to said layer, applying a second layer of said composition and a second strippable sheet to the top of said layer to produce a composite molding sheet in which said continuous filaments are embedded unidirectionally in said resinous molding sheet, and ageing said composite molding sheet until a dry handable composite sheet is obtained from which said strippable sheets can be stripped and which is then suitable for compression molding between matched dies.