US5076872A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Process for preparing a flexible composite material
Assignee: Across Co Ltd
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Filing: 1988-06-09
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Granted: 1991-12-31
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Expires: 2008-06-09
Abstract
Abstract A flexible composite material comprising a core composed of a blend of a thermoplastic resin fiber and a reinforcing fiber, and a flexible sleeve formed of a thermoplastic resin and surrounding the core is prepared by intermixing a thermoplastic resin fiber and a reinforcing fiber to obtain a core, and then extruding a thermoplastic resin over the core.
Inventors
- 👤 Takao Nakagawa
- 👤 Hiroyuki Uchino
- 👤 Mihoko Yamashita
- 👤 Jiro Ichikawa
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 15:29
CPC Classifications
D; D02; D02G; D02G3/00; D02G3/22; D02G3/40; B; B29; B29B; B29B9/00; B29B9/12; B29B9/14; D02G3/44; D02G3/447; B29C; B29C48/00; B29C48/03; B29C48/06; B29C48/15; B29C48/156; B29C48/16; B29C48/18; B29C48/21; D10; D10B; D10B2505/00; D10B2505/02; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T156/00; Y10T156/10; Y10T156/1002; Y10T156/1005; Y10T156/1007; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/23; Y10T428/237; Y10T428/249921; Y10T428/249924; Y10T428/24994; Y10T428/249942; Y10T428/249947; Y10T428/29; Y10T428/2913; Y10T428/2918; Y10T428/292; Y10T428/2929; Y10T428/2931; Y10T428/2933; Y10T428/2935; Y10T428/2964; Y10T428/2967; Y10T428/2969; Y10T428/2973; Y10T428/2976; Y10T428/2978; Y10T428/298
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
122 words
A process for preparing a flexible composite material, comprising: continuously feeding a first bundle of a first type of fiber, composed of a thermoplastic resin, from a first package to a blending station; continuously feeding a second bundle of a second type of fiber, serving as a reinforcing fiber, from a second package to the blending station; spreading apart the fibers of each of said bundles; intermixing the spread fibers of said first bundle by air blowing with the spread fibers of said second bundle, at the blending station, to form a fiber intermixture; assembling said fiber intermixture to obtain a core bundle; and extruding a thermoplastic resin over said core bundle to form a thermoplastic resin sleeve surrounding said core bundle.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
122 words
A process for preparing a flexible composite material, comprising: continuously feeding a first bundle of a first type of fiber, composed of a thermoplastic resin, from a first package to a blending station; continuously feeding a second bundle of a second type of fiber, serving as a reinforcing fiber, from a second package to the blending station; spreading apart the fibers of each of said bundles; intermixing the spread fibers of said first bundle by air blowing with the spread fibers of said second bundle, at the blending station, to form a fiber intermixture; assembling said fiber intermixture to obtain a core bundle; and extruding a thermoplastic resin over said core bundle to form a thermoplastic resin sleeve surrounding said core bundle.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
32 words
A process according to claim 1, wherein said blending is carried out while applying a tension of at least about 2 g to each of said thermoplastic resin fiber and reinforcing fiber.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
A process according to claim 1, further comprising treating said reinforcing fiber with a sizing agent before said blending step.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
19 words
A process according to claim 1, further comprising treating said core with a sizing agent before said extruding step.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
39 words
A process according to claim 1, wherein said extruding step is carried out while maintaining said core under vacuum so as to substantially reduce interstices between the blended fibers of said core and between said core and said sleeve.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
50 words
A process according to claim 1, further comprising radially inwardly hot-pressing the sleeve after said extruding step to form a plurality of axially equally spaced apart annular depressed portions on the periphery of the sleeve so that the blended fibers and the sleeve are tightly bound at each depressed portion.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
25 words
A process according to claim 6, further comprising cutting into chips the product obtained after said hot-pressing step at positions other than the depressed portions.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
24 words
The process of claim 1 wherein a 15-30 volume % of the thermoplastic fiber is blended with 70-85 volume % of the reinforcing fiber.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
18 words
The process of claim 8 wherein said reinforcing fiber is carbon fiber, glass fiber or a mixture thereof.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
18 words
The process of claim 1 wherein said reinforcing fiber is carbon fiber, glass fiber or a mixture thereof.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
11 words
The process of claim 6 wherein said hot-pressing is by stamping.
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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) | 1994-12-30 | 1995-07-01 | 1995-12-31 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1998-12-30 | 1999-07-01 | 1999-12-31 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2002-12-30 | 2003-07-01 | 2003-12-31 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |