Method for producing fiber-reinforced plastic sheet structures

Claim 1

A method for producing a fiber reinforced plastic sheet laminate structure comprised of at least two laminable members, said method comprising: (a) impregnating a first member comprised of fiber reinforcing material with a hardenable binder to form a first laminable member, (b) bringing the first laminable member comprised of the fiber reinforcing material into contact with a relatively flat surface of a second laminable member comprised of a relatively rigid member, (c) passing the pair of laminable members in contact with each other into a gap formed between a pair of spaced apart belts and which belts have first surfaces facing away from each other and second surfaces facing each other and spaced apart to form said gap, (d) moving the laminable members between the opposed second surfaces of said belts and with each of said belts disposed about a separate housing with each housing having a plenum chamber and a wall facing the first surface of the belt surrounding that housing, each housing also having a continuous seal on said wall of that housing and extending toward and engaging said first surface of the belt surrounding that housing to create a gas receiving area formed by said wall of said housing and said first surface of said belt surrounding that housing and said continuous seal on that housing, (e) introducing a gas under pressure to form a body of gas in said gas receiving area to bear against the first surface of each said belt to urge said second surface of each said belt into contact with one of said laminable members with relatively uniform pressure in the gas receiving area to cause contact of opposed surfaces of said laminable members, with relatively uniform pressure and thereby enable a curing of a hardenable binder impregnated in said reinforcing material and relatively uniform lamination of said laminable members, and (f) imparting a driving force directly to said laminable members for driving said laminable members through said opening between said belts without any driving force created by said belts so that the laminable members passing through said opening engage and impart a driving force to said belts, but which belts nevetheless apply a laminating pressure to the laminable members therebetween, and thereby also permitting each belt to be essentially floatable about the associated housing.

Claim 2

A method for producing a fiber reinforced plastic sheet laminate structure comprised of at least two laminable members, said method comprising: (a) impregnating a first member comprised of fiber reinforcing material with a hardenable binder to form a first laminable member, (b) bringing the first laminable member comprised of the fiber reinforcing material into contact with a relatively flat surface of a second laminable member comprised of a relatively rigid member, (c) passing the pair of laminable members in contact with each other into a gap formed between a pair of spaced apart belts and which belts have first surfaces facing away from each other and second surfaces facing each other and spaced apart to form said gap, (d) moving the laminable members between the opposed second surfaces of said belts and with each of said belts disposed about a separate housing with each housing having a plenum chamber and a wall facing the first surface of the belt surrounding that housing, each housing also having a continuous seal on said wall of that housing and extending toward and engaging said first surface of the belt surrounding that housing to create a gas receiving area formed by said wall of said housing and said first surface of said belt surrounding that housing and said continuous seal on that housing, (e) introducing a gas under pressure to form a body of gas in said gas receiving area to bear against the first surface of each said belt to urge said second surface of each said belt into contact with one of said laminable members with relatively uniform pressure in the gas receiving area to cause contact of opposed surfaces of said laminable members, with relatively uniform pressure and thereby enable a curing of a hardenable binder impregnated in said reinforcing material and relatively uniform lamination of said laminable members, and (f) imparting a driving force directly to said laminable members for driving said laminable members through said opening between said belts without any driving force created by said belts so that the laminable members passing through said opening engage and impart a driving force to said belts, but which belts nevetheless apply a laminating pressure to the laminable members therebetween, and thereby also permitting each belt to be essentially floatable about the associated housing.

Claim 13

A method for producing a fiber reinforced plastic sheet structure, said method comprising: (a) impregnating a fiber containing reinforcing material with a hardenable binder, (b) passing the binder impregnated material into a gap formed between a pair of spaced apart belts having first surfaces facing away from each other and second surfaces facing each other and with the second surfaces spaced apart to form said gap, (c) introducing a gas under pressure with respect to each of said belt to form a body of gas bearing against the first surface of each of said belts, (d) urging said belts into contact with said material by the pressure of the gas with relatively uniform pressure across the entire surface thereof in the region of the bodies of gas, (e) simultaneously, with the urging of the belts into contact with the material, applying a curing radiation and thereby hardening the binder material impregnated into said material, and (f) imparting a driving force directly to said material driving said material through said opening between said belts without any driving force created by said belts so that the material passing through said opening engage and impart a driving force to said belts, but which belts nevertheless apply a laminating pressure to the material therebetween, and thereby also permitting the belts to be essentially floatable.

Claim 14

A method for producing a fiber reinforced plastic sheet structure, said method comprising: (a) impregnating a fiber containing reinforcing material with a hardenable binder, (b) passing the binder impregnated material into a gap formed between a pair of spaced apart belts having first surfaces facing away from each other and second surfaces facing each other and with the second surfaces spaced apart to form said gap, (c) introducing a gas under pressure with respect to each of said belt to form a body of gas bearing against the first surface of each of said belts, (d) urging said belts into contact with said material by the pressure of the gas with relatively uniform pressure across the entire surface thereof in the region of the bodies of gas, (e) simultaneously, with the urging of the belts into contact with the material, applying a curing radiation and thereby hardening the binder material impregnated into said material, and (f) imparting a driving force directly to said material driving said material through said opening between said belts without any driving force created by said belts so that the material passing through said opening engage and impart a driving force to said belts, but which belts nevertheless apply a laminating pressure to the material therebetween, and thereby also permitting the belts to be essentially floatable.

Claim 29

A method for producing a fiber reinforced plastic sheet structure, said method comprising: (a) impregnating a fiber containing reinforcing material with a hardenable binder, (b) moving the curable resin impregnated material into a processing path, (c) initiating a hardening of the binder while said material is moving in said processing path but which binder will not be fully hardened until it reaches some downstream portion of processing path, (d) passing said material into an opening formed by a pair of continuous belts with each of said belts having first surfaces and opposed second surface with the second surfaces of said belts forming said opening for receiving said material during movement of said material and where each of said belts are disposed about individual ones of housings with each housing having a plenum chamber therein, (e) creating a gaseous pressure in the plenum chamber of each housing with respect to and against the first surface of the first of said belts and urging said belts into contact with said material with relatively uniform pressure across the entire surface thereof in the region of the gaseous pressure, (f) introducing a gas into a continuous sealing element on each said housing and where the sealing element has a continuous gas pocket extending throughout each said sealing element, (g) expanding said sealing elements when gas is introduced therein so that the sealing element on each housing engages the first surfaces of each of said belts causing said sealing element to engage the belts in slideable but nevertheless sealing engagement, and (h) hardening the binder impregnated into said material so that the binder is completely hardened.

Claim 30

A method for producing a fiber reinforced plastic sheet structure, said method comprising: (a) impregnating a fiber containing reinforcing material with a hardenable binder, (b) moving the curable resin impregnated material into a processing path, (c) initiating a hardening of the binder while said material is moving in said processing path but which binder will not be fully hardened until it reaches some downstream portion of processing path, (d) passing said material into an opening formed by a pair of continuous belts with each of said belts having first surfaces and opposed second surface with the second surfaces of said belts forming said opening for receiving said material during movement of said material and where each of said belts are disposed about individual ones of housings with each housing having a plenum chamber therein, (e) creating a gaseous pressure in the plenum chamber of each housing with respect to and against the first surface of the first of said belts and urging said belts into contact with said material with relatively uniform pressure across the entire surface thereof in the region of the gaseous pressure, (f) introducing a gas into a continuous sealing element on each said housing and where the sealing element has a continuous gas pocket extending throughout each said sealing element, (g) expanding said sealing elements when gas is introduced therein so that the sealing element on each housing engages the first surfaces of each of said belts causing said sealing element to engage the belts in slideable but nevertheless sealing engagement, and (h) hardening the binder impregnated into said material so that the binder is completely hardened.

Claim 40

A method for producing a reinforced plastic sheet structure, said method comprising: (a) providing a sheet of a fiber containing reinforcing material, (b) impregnating said reinforcing material with a curable binder which forms a reinforced plastic composite with said reinforcing material when cured, (c) bringing a liquid type surface sealing material into contact with the curable binder before the binder has completely cured and still possesses an adhesive quality, and (d) allowing said binder to fully cure with said sealing material in contact therewith so that said impregnated reinforcing material becomes a rigid reinforced plastic composite structure with surface sealing material rigidly bonded thereto and providing a sealing quality to said composite structure.

Claim 41

A method for producing a reinforced plastic sheet structure, said method comprising: (a) providing a sheet of a fiber containing reinforcing material, (b) impregnating said reinforcing material with a curable binder which forms a reinforced plastic composite with said reinforcing material when cured, (c) bringing a liquid type surface sealing material into contact with the curable binder before the binder has completely cured and still possesses an adhesive quality, and (d) allowing said binder to fully cure with said sealing material in contact therewith so that said impregnated reinforcing material becomes a rigid reinforced plastic composite structure with surface sealing material rigidly bonded thereto and providing a sealing quality to said composite structure.

Claim 48

A method for producig a fiber reinforced plastic sheet laminate structure comprised of at least two laminable members, said method comprising: (a) impregnating a first member comprised of fiber reinforced material with a hardenable binder to form a first laminable member, (b) bringing the first laminable member comprised of the fiber reinforced material into contact with a relatively flat surface of a second laminable member comprised of a relatively rigid member, (c) passing the pair of laminable members in contact with each other into a gap formed between a pair of spaced apart belts and which belts have first surfaces facing away from each other and second surfaces facing each other and spaced apart to form said gap, (d) moving the laminable members between the opposed second surfaces of said belts and with each of said belts disposed about a separate housing with each housing having a plenum chamber and a wall facing the first surface of the belt surrounding that housing, each housing also having a continuous sealing element on said wall of that housing facing the other housing and which sealing elements extend toward and engages said first surface of the belt surrounding that housing to create a gas receiving area formed by said wall of said housing and said first surface of said belt surrounding that housing and said continuous sealing element on that housing, each sealing element having a gas pocket extending throughout said sealing element, (e) introducing a gas under pressure to form a body of gas in said gas receiving area to bear against the first surface of each said belt to urge said second surface of each said belt into contact with one of said laminable members with relatively uniform pressure in the gas receiving area to cause contact of opposed surfaces of said laminable members, and thereby enable a curing of a hardenable binder impregnated in said reinforcing material and relatively uniform lamination of said laminable members, (f) introducing a gas into each of said continuous sealing elements, (g) expanding said sealing elements when gas is introduced therein so that the sealing element on each housing engages the first surfaces of each of said belts causing said sealing elements to engage the belts in slideable but nevertheless sealing engagement, (h) hardening the binder impregnated into said material so that the binder is completely hardened, and (i) imparting a driving force directly to said laminable members for driving said laminable members through said opening between said belts without any driving force created by said belts so that the laminable members passing through said opening engage and impart a driving force to said belts, but which belts nevertheless apply a laminating pressure to the laminable members therebetween, and thereby also permitting each belt to be essentially floatable about the associated housing.

Claim 49

A method for producig a fiber reinforced plastic sheet laminate structure comprised of at least two laminable members, said method comprising: (a) impregnating a first member comprised of fiber reinforced material with a hardenable binder to form a first laminable member, (b) bringing the first laminable member comprised of the fiber reinforced material into contact with a relatively flat surface of a second laminable member comprised of a relatively rigid member, (c) passing the pair of laminable members in contact with each other into a gap formed between a pair of spaced apart belts and which belts have first surfaces facing away from each other and second surfaces facing each other and spaced apart to form said gap, (d) moving the laminable members between the opposed second surfaces of said belts and with each of said belts disposed about a separate housing with each housing having a plenum chamber and a wall facing the first surface of the belt surrounding that housing, each housing also having a continuous sealing element on said wall of that housing facing the other housing and which sealing elements extend toward and engages said first surface of the belt surrounding that housing to create a gas receiving area formed by said wall of said housing and said first surface of said belt surrounding that housing and said continuous sealing element on that housing, each sealing element having a gas pocket extending throughout said sealing element, (e) introducing a gas under pressure to form a body of gas in said gas receiving area to bear against the first surface of each said belt to urge said second surface of each said belt into contact with one of said laminable members with relatively uniform pressure in the gas receiving area to cause contact of opposed surfaces of said laminable members, and thereby enable a curing of a hardenable binder impregnated in said reinforcing material and relatively uniform lamination of said laminable members, (f) introducing a gas into each of said continuous sealing elements, (g) expanding said sealing elements when gas is introduced therein so that the sealing element on each housing engages the first surfaces of each of said belts causing said sealing elements to engage the belts in slideable but nevertheless sealing engagement, (h) hardening the binder impregnated into said material so that the binder is completely hardened, and (i) imparting a driving force directly to said laminable members for driving said laminable members through said opening between said belts without any driving force created by said belts so that the laminable members passing through said opening engage and impart a driving force to said belts, but which belts nevertheless apply a laminating pressure to the laminable members therebetween, and thereby also permitting each belt to be essentially floatable about the associated housing.