US4788104A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Granular composite containing crimped fibers and plastic articles made therefrom
Assignee: Bekaert NV SA
•
Filing: 1987-05-01
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Granted: 1988-11-29
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Expires: 2007-05-01
Abstract
Abstract This granular composite is obtained by chopping granules from a composite strand which contains at least one bundle of gear crimped fibers embedded in a polymer. The fibers can have reinforcing or electrically conductive properties. The granular composite is mixed with another polymer granulate and softened, whereby the fibers are dispersed in the polymer mass, which is then shaped, for example, by injection molding into plastic articles.
Inventors
- 👤 Ludo Adriaensen
- 👤 Frans Verhaeghe
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 08:47
CPC Classifications
B; B29; B29B; B29B9/00; B29B9/02; B29B9/06; D; D01; D01F; D01F8/00; B29B9/12; B29B9/14; B29C; B29C45/00; B29C45/0005; B29C70/00; B29C70/04; B29C70/06; B29C70/10; B29C70/12; B29C70/16; B29C70/20; B29C70/88; B29C70/882; C; C08; C08J; C08J3/00; C08J3/20; C08J3/22; C08J3/226; C08K; C08K7/00; C08K7/02; C08K7/04; C08K7/06; C08K9/00; C08K9/08; B29K; B29K2305/00; B29K2307/00; B29K2995/00; B29K2995/0003; B29K2995/0005; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S428/00; Y10S428/922; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/249921; Y10T428/249924; Y10T428/24994; Y10T428/249942; Y10T428/249943; Y10T428/29; Y10T428/2904; Y10T428/2913; Y10T428/2918; Y10T428/2922; Y10T428/2927; Y10T428/2933; Y10T428/2938; Y10T428/294; Y10T428/2964; Y10T428/2982; Y10T428/2991; Y10T428/2998; Y10T428/31504; Y10T428/31678
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 25
Claim 1
Independent Claim
79 words
A composite strand for use in the manufacture of plastic articles, said strand comprising fibers embedded as a plurality of bundles in a polymer, wherein at least one of said bundles comprises crimped fibers, and wherein said crimped fibers in said at least one of said bundles possess an almost sinusoidal zigzag crimp with a wavelength W between 2 and 30 mm and an amplitude A between 0.2 and 7 mm and in which W/A is larger than 2.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
79 words
A composite strand for use in the manufacture of plastic articles, said strand comprising fibers embedded as a plurality of bundles in a polymer, wherein at least one of said bundles comprises crimped fibers, and wherein said crimped fibers in said at least one of said bundles possess an almost sinusoidal zigzag crimp with a wavelength W between 2 and 30 mm and an amplitude A between 0.2 and 7 mm and in which W/A is larger than 2.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
23 words
A strand according to claim 1, in which the crimp in said crimped fibers is formed by a plurality of superimposed zigzag deformations.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
15 words
A strand according to claim 2, in which said crimped fibers have a three-dimensional crimp.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
21 words
A strand according to claim 1, in which said strand contains a number of adjacent fiber bundles with different crimp profiles.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
20 words
A strand according to claim 1, in which said strand contains at least one additional bundle of almost straight fibers.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
A strand according to claim 1, in which said strand contains metal fibers having a conductivity of at least 0.5% of the copper standard.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
15 words
A strand according to claim 6, in which said metal fibers are stainless steel fibers.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
13 words
A strand according to claim 1, in which said strand contains metallized fibers.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
13 words
A strand according to claim 1, in which said strand contains carbon fibers.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
16 words
A strand according to claim 1, in which said strand contains fibers of different electrical conductivities.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
16 words
A strand according to claim 6, in which said strand contains fibers of different electrical conductivities.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
14 words
A strand according to claim 1, in which said strand contains only nonconducting fibers.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
21 words
A strand according to claim 1, in which the volume percentage of fibers in the strand is between 20 and 80%.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
16 words
A strand according to claim 1, in which said polymer has a relatively low melt viscosity.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
30 words
A granular composite obtained by chopping granules from a strand as defined in claim 1, in which the fibers predominantly extend from one end of the granule to the other.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
16 words
A strand according to claim 1, in which said polymer contains finely divided, electrically conducting compounds.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
16 words
A strand according to claim 1, in which said polymer contains at least one coupling agent.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
24 words
A strand according to claim 1, in which said strand contains a number of polymer impregnated fiber bundles coated with an additional polymer layer.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
29 words
A strand according to claim 18, in which the additional polymer layer has the same or almost the same composition as the polymer used to impregnate the fiber bundles.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
18 words
A strand according to claim 1, in which the strand width w is larger than its thickness t.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
43 words
A plastic article obtained by shaping the granular composite defined in claim 15, wherein said plastic article is comprised of a first polymer component and wherein said polymer in which said fibers are embedded is substantially the same as said first polymer component.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
26 words
A composite molding compound to be used for molding plastic articles comprising a mixture of granular composites as defined in claim 15 and another polymer granulate.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
31 words
A plastic article obtained by shaping the compound defined in claim 22, in which the fibers have been uniformly distributed in predetermined parts of the article or in the entire article.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
37 words
A plastic article according to claim 21, wherein said strand contains a number of polymer impregnated fiber bundles coated with an additional polymer layer having the same or substantially the same composition as said first polymer component.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1991-11-29 | 1992-05-30 | 1992-11-29 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1995-11-29 | 1996-05-30 | 1996-11-29 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1999-11-29 | 2000-05-30 | 2000-11-29 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |