Gear comprising fiber-reinforced anisotropic melt-forming polymer formed via injection molding under specified conditions

Claim 2

An improved gear formed by the injection molding of a composition comprising 30 to 98 percent by weight of a melt-processable polymer which is capable of forming an anisotropic melt phase and 2 to 70 percent by weight of reinforcing fibers, wherein the mold gate at the time of gear formation was located at approximately the axial center of the gear.

Claim 3

An improved gear according to claim 1 wherein said molding composition comprises 50 to 90 percent by weight of said melt-processable polymer which is capable of forming an anisotropic melt phase and 10 to 50 percent by weight of reinforcing fibers.

Claim 4

An improved gear according to claim 1 wherein the melt-processable polymer which is capable of forming an anisotropic melt phase contains more than approximately 10 mol percent of naphthalene units.

Claim 5

An improved gear according to claim 3 wherein said naphthalene units of said melt-processable polymer which is capable of forming an anisotropic melt phase are selected from the group consisting of 6-hydroxy-2-naphthoyl, 2,6-dioxynaphthalene, and 2,6-dicarboxynaphthalene.

Claim 6

An improved gear according to claim 1 wherein said melt-processable polymer which is capable of forming an anisotropic melt phase exhibits an intrinsic viscosity of at least 2.0 dl./g. when dissolved in a concentration of 0.1 percent by weight in pentafluorphenol at 60° C.

Claim 7

An improved gear according to claim 1 wherein said melt-processable polymer which is capable of forming an anisotropic melt phase is a polyester which consists essentially of the recurring moieties I and II which may include substitution of at least some of the hydrogen atoms present upon an aromatic ring wherein: ##STR27## with said optional substitution if present being selected from the group consisting of an alkyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, an alkoxyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, halogen, phenyl, substituted phenyl, and mixtures of the foregoing, and wherein said polyester comprises approximately 10 to 90 mol percent of moiety I, and approximately 10 to 90 mol percent of moiety II.

Claim 8

An improved gear according to claim 1, wherein said melt processable polymer which is capable of forming an anisotropic melt phase is a polyester which consists essentially of recurring moieties I, II and III where: ##STR28## with said optional substitution if present being selected from the group consisting of an alkyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, an alkoxyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, halogen, phenyl, substituted phenyl, and mixtures of the foregoing, and wherein said polyester comprises about 30 to 70 mol percent of moiety I.

Claim 9

An improved gear according to claim 7 wherein moiety I is present in a concentration of about 40 to 60 mol percent, moiety II is present in a concentration of about 20 to 30 mol percent, and moiety III is present in a concentration of about 20 to 30 mol percent.

Claim 10

An improved gear according to claim 1 wherein said melt-processable polymer which is capable of forming an anisotropic melt phase is a polyester which consists essentially of the recurring moieties I, II, III and IV wherein: ##STR29## where R is methyl, chloro, bromo, and mixtures thereof, and is substituted for a hydrogen atom present upon the aromatic ring, and wherein the polyester comprises about 20 to 60 mol percent of moiety I, about 5 to 18 mol percent of moiety II, about 5 to 35 mol percent of moiety III, and about 20 to 40 mol percent of moiety IV.

Claim 11

An improved gear according to claim 9 wherein moiety I is present in a concentration of about 35 to 45 mol percent, moiety II is present in a concentration of about 10 to 15 mol percent, moiety III is present in a concentration of about 15 to 25 mol percent, and moiety IV is present in a concentration of about 25 to 35 mol percent.

Claim 12

An improved gear according to claim 1 wherein said melt-processable polymer which is capable of forming an anisotropic melt phase is a polyester which consists essentially of moieties I, II, III and IV which may include substitution of at least some of the hydrogen atoms present upon an aromatic ring wherein: ##STR30## III is a dioxyaryl moiety of the formula --O--Ar--O-- where Ar is a divalent radical comprising at least one benzene ring, and IV is a dicarboxyaryl moiety of the formula ##STR31## where Ar' is a divalent radical comprising at least one benzene ring, with said optional substitution if present being selected from the group consisting of an alkyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, an alkoxyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, halogen, phenyl, substituted phenyl, and mixtures of the foregoing, and wherein said polyester comprises about 20 to 40 mol percent of moiety I, in excess of 10 mol percent but less than about 50 mol percent of moiety II, in excess of 5 mol percent but less than about 30 mol percent of moiety III, and in excess of 5 mol percent but less than 30 mol percent of moiety IV.

Claim 13

An improved gear according to claim 11 wherein moiety I is present in a concentration of about 20 to 30 mol percent, moiety II is present in a concentration of bout 25 to 40 mol percent, moiety III is present in a concentration of about 15 to 25 mol percent, and moiety IV is present in a concentration of about 15 to 25 mol percent.

Claim 14

An improved gear according to claim 1 wherein said melt-processable polymer which is capable of forming an anisotropic melt phase is a polyester which consists essentially of recurring moieties I, II, and III which may include substitution of at least some of the hydrogen atoms present upon an aromatic ring wherein: ##STR32##

Claim 15

II is a dioxyaryl moiety of the formula --O--Ar--O-- where Ar is a divalent radical comprising at least one benzene ring, and

Claim 16

II is a dioxyaryl moiety of the formula --O--Ar--O-- where Ar is a divalent radical comprising at least one benzene ring, and

Claim 17

III is a dicarboxyaryl moiety of the formula ##STR33## where Ar' is a divalent radical comprising at least one benzene ring, with said optional substitution if present being selected from the group consisting of an alkyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, an alkoxyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, halogen, phenyl, substituted phenyl, and mixtures of the foregoing, and wherein said polyester comprises about 10 to 90 mol percent of moiety I, about 5 to 45 mol percent of moiety II, and about 5 to 45 mol percent of moiety III.

Claim 18

III is a dicarboxyaryl moiety of the formula ##STR33## where Ar' is a divalent radical comprising at least one benzene ring, with said optional substitution if present being selected from the group consisting of an alkyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, an alkoxyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, halogen, phenyl, substituted phenyl, and mixtures of the foregoing, and wherein said polyester comprises about 10 to 90 mol percent of moiety I, about 5 to 45 mol percent of moiety II, and about 5 to 45 mol percent of moiety III.

Claim 19

An improved gear according to claim 13 wherein moiety I is present in a concentration of about 60 to 80 mol percent, moiety II is present in a concentration of about 10 to 20 mol percent, and moiety III is present in a concentration of about 10 to 20 mol percent.

Claim 20

An improved gear according to claim 1 wherein said melt-processable polymer which is capable of forming an anisotropic melt phase is a poly(ester-amide) which consists essentially of recurring moieties I, II, and III, and optionally IV, wherein: ##STR34##

Claim 21

II is ##STR35## where A is a divalent radical comprising at least one benzene ring or a divalent trans-cyclohexane radical,

Claim 22

II is ##STR35## where A is a divalent radical comprising at least one benzene ring or a divalent trans-cyclohexane radical,

Claim 23

III is a --Y--Ar--Z-- where Ar is a divalent radical comprising at least one benzene ring, Y is O, NH, or NR, and Z is NH or NR, where R is an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms or an aryl group, and

Claim 24

III is a --Y--Ar--Z-- where Ar is a divalent radical comprising at least one benzene ring, Y is O, NH, or NR, and Z is NH or NR, where R is an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms or an aryl group, and

Claim 25

IV is --O--Ar'--O-- where Ar' is a divalent radical comprising at least one benzene ring, with said optional substitution if present being selected from the group consisting of an alkyl group of 1 to 4carbon atoms, and alkoxyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, halogen, phenyl, substituted phenyl, and mixtures of the foregoing, and wherein said poly(ester-amide) comprises about 10 to 90 mol percent of moiety I, about 5 to 45 mol percent of moiety II, about 5 to 45 mol percent of moiety III, and about 0 to 40 mol percent of moiety IV.

Claim 26

IV is --O--Ar'--O-- where Ar' is a divalent radical comprising at least one benzene ring, with said optional substitution if present being selected from the group consisting of an alkyl group of 1 to 4carbon atoms, and alkoxyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, halogen, phenyl, substituted phenyl, and mixtures of the foregoing, and wherein said poly(ester-amide) comprises about 10 to 90 mol percent of moiety I, about 5 to 45 mol percent of moiety II, about 5 to 45 mol percent of moiety III, and about 0 to 40 mol percent of moiety IV.

Claim 27

An improved gear according to claim 15 wherein ##STR36##

Claim 28

An improved gear according to claim 1 wherein said reinforcing fibers are selected from the group consisting of metallic fibers, carbon fibers, glass fibers, synthetic polymeric fibers, and combinations of two or more of the foregoing.

Claim 29

An improved gear according to claim 1 wherein said reinforcing fibers are carbon fibers.

Claim 30

An improved gear according to claim 1 wherein said reinforcing fibers are glass fibers.