JPH05237853A - Composite material molding method and molding apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a composite material molding method and a device therefor in which a large area can be easily molded and a light-weight and low-cost mold can be realized in a composite material-molding method in which a rein forced fiber preform set in a mold is impregnated with a resin under pressure and cured. CONSTITUTION:A mold 2 in which a preform 1 to be set is contained in a pressurizing can 15. After the preform is set, the mold 2 is sealed. A pressure P1 in the pressurizing can 15 is kept higher than a pressure P3 of a resin to be injected. After the preform is impregnated with the resin, it is thermally molded. As a mold sealing member, a pressure bag 25 is suitably used.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for molding a fiber-reinforced composite material.

[0002]

Conventionally, high strength fiber-reinforced composite material, previously uncured (usually B- stage and refers semi-cured state) reinforcing fibers resin impregnated prepreg (pre -im, preg NATed
Has been made by a method of laminating and heat-curing this with a predetermined pressure. There are other methods such as a wet lay-up molding method and a filament winding molding method in which the resin solution is impregnated in the molding step, but it is generally difficult to obtain high strength.

However, in recent years, with the progress of analysis techniques for optimizing the strength and rigidity design of fiber-reinforced composite materials, it has become necessary to orient the reinforcing fibers three-dimensionally. Further, when the optimization design of the structure using the composite material is advanced, it has become clear that the molding method using the prepreg is greatly restricted and some parts cannot be molded sufficiently.

As a method for molding a high-strength composite material that solves this problem, the fiber is preliminarily arbitrarily oriented and woven or conformed to the shape of the product to some extent or accurately shaped with only the reinforcing fiber material. A method is known in which a (usually called preform) is made, impregnated with a resin, then cured, and molded.

This molding method has been known for a long time, as described in Japanese Patent No. 966879 (CIBAGEIGY, pressure gelation method), etc., but it has been known so far. Due to the lack of specific fields of application and the lack of superior impregnating resins, this molding method has not yet reached the level of practical application in the field of high-strength structural applications. What is aimed at high strength or at low cost is currently in the research stage.

As a method of impregnating a preform with a resin by the above-mentioned molding method, it has been found that a method of pressurizing and impregnating a resin is effective.

[0007] The typical method currently being studied is Resin Transfer Molding (RTM) or Reac.
This is a method called tion Injection Molding (RIM). This is a method in which a liquefied resin or a liquid resin is sent to a preform by a hose, a tube or the like, impregnated by pressurization, and then cured by heating or the like to be molded.

FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing an example of a molding apparatus therefor. A preform 1 formed in advance into a three-dimensional predetermined shape by reinforcing fibers such as carbon fiber, glass fiber, and alumina fiber is set in a mold space in a mold 2 which is divided into two, and a pair of molds are The circumference is fastened with bolts and nuts. A heater 3 is arranged in the mold to heat and cure the resin. An air vent hole for resin injection is provided at the top of the mold space and can be closed by the blind plug 4.

The resin is composed of a main agent 5 and a curing agent 6, which are contained in tanks 7 and 8, respectively. The pipes connected to the lower ends of the tanks 7 and 8 are provided with a flow rate control valve 9 and an on-off valve 10, respectively, and the main agent 5 and the curing agent 6 are mixed at a predetermined ratio.
1 is supplied. A mixer 12 is provided in the mixing tank 11 and agitated to make it uniform. Bubbles generated in the liquid due to material supply and stirring are degassed by vacuum suction inside the tank through a vacuum and pressurizing tube 13 provided at the top of the mixing tank 11. After sufficient defoaming, open the valve 10 'and reconnect the vacuum and pressure tube 13 to the pressure line,
Compressed air is supplied to pressurize the resin in the tank 11. The pressurized liquid is injected into the mold space in the mold 2 via the hose 14, and the preform 1 set therein is pressure-impregnated.

In this case, the preform must be accurately sealed and fixed in the mold space of the mold, but a pair of the preform is formed by the internal pressure (resin pressure) of the mold when the preform is impregnated with resin under pressure. The mold must be held firmly so that the mold does not separate and pressure does not leak. Conventionally, the force of “internal pressure × molding area” was held by the tightening force of a large number of bolts / nuts provided around the periphery of the mold.

However, such a conventional method has the following problems. (1) In order to avoid deformation and distortion of the molding die (mold) in the bulging direction due to internal pressure, the molding die needs to have sufficient rigidity, resulting in a thick and heavy product. (2) Therefore, it is difficult to mold a component having a large molding area. (3) In order to prevent resin leakage and pressure drop, it is necessary to perform pressure sealing between a pair of molding dies, which leads to an increase in manufacturing precision of the molding dies, processing of the sealing portion, and cost increase of the sealing material and the like. There is. (4) The molding die is dedicated to each part, which has no applicability and causes an increase in cost. (5) Since the molding die becomes a thick and heavy object, the heat capacity of the molding die increases, and effective heating is difficult with hot air heating as a countermeasure, so an embedded or insertion type heater is required. The cost will be further increased. (6) As the molding area increases, the number of bolts and nuts for fastening around the molding die per unit length increases, tightening work increases, cost increases, and it becomes difficult to arrange bolts and nuts. ..

[0012]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention has the above-mentioned problems of a conventional composite material molding method and molding apparatus in which a preform is hermetically sealed and fixed in a mold, and a liquid matrix material is pressure-impregnated and cured. Considering the points, it is possible and easy to mold large-area composite material parts, and the weight of the mold is reduced.
An object of the present invention is to provide a molding method and a molding device for a composite material, which can reduce the cost and facilitate the molding of a component having a complicated shape.

[0013]

In the molding method according to the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems, a reinforcing fiber is preliminarily prepared in a predetermined amount.
A preform formed into a three-dimensional shape is placed in a mold space and sealed, and a liquid matrix material is pressure-fed into the space to impregnate the preform under pressure, followed by curing to mold a fiber-reinforced composite material. In the method, the step of pressure impregnation of the liquid matrix material into the preform is performed by placing the mold in a pressure can and making the pressure in the pressure can higher than the pressure in the mold space. Characterize.

The molding apparatus according to the present invention for carrying out this molding method can accommodate the mold and has an internal pressure higher than the pressure in the mold space of the mold during pressure impregnation of the liquid matrix material. And a pressurizing means capable of pressurizing the pressure in the pressurizing can to the above-mentioned pressure.

[0015]

Since the composite material molding method and molding apparatus of the present invention are configured as described above, the preform is installed in the mold, and the sealed mold is housed in the pressurizing can. While closing the can and adjusting the pressure in the pressurizing can to be higher than the pressure in the mold space inside the mold, inject a liquid matrix material such as resin into the mold and pressurize the preform. Since the pressure inside the pressure can is higher than the pressure inside the mold due to the impregnation, the force to inflate the mold and the force to separate the pair of molds do not work. Since a force to close the joint is applied, it is possible to reliably seal with a simple sealing means. Further, the number and size of the bolts and nuts for fastening the mold can be reduced, so that the material cost and the number of fastening work steps can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced. Also, by reducing the difference between the pressure inside the pressurizing can and the pressure inside the mold, the force acting on the mold is moderately reduced, making it possible to mold large-area parts and reduce the wall thickness of the mold. Since the mold can be made thin, the mold can be made lightweight, and the capacity of the heater for heat curing can be reduced. Further, a mold having a complicated shape can be easily made.

According to the molding method of the present invention, since the pressure inside the mold is lower than the pressure inside the pressure can during the pressure impregnation step of the liquid matrix material, if a pressure bag is used as the sealing means, the pressure will increase. Since the pressure bag can cover the entire mold and / or the seam of the mold, the pressure bag can be easily and surely sealed.

Further, an injection pipe into a mold for impregnating the above-mentioned preform with a liquid matrix material under pressure, a vacuum suction pipe from the mold, and a mold for heat-curing the impregnated liquid matrix material are provided in the mold. The power supply line to the heater and the mold temperature detection signal take-out line that penetrate the wall of the pressure can to enable piping or wiring. If a connectable port is provided, piping and wiring will be easy.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a view showing an embodiment of a molding apparatus according to the present invention for carrying out the composite material molding method according to the present invention. In the following description, an example in which a resin is used as the matrix of the composite material is shown, but it is not limited to the resin as long as it is a liquid at the matrix impregnation stage.

The molding apparatus according to this embodiment has a preform 1
Can be housed inside, can be opened and closed, and the pressure P ₁ inside when closed can be lower than the pressure inside the mold 2 when the preform 1 is pressure-impregnated with resin. Pressure can 15 which can be slightly raised, resin injection tank 16 for injecting the resin into the mold space of the mold 1 housed in the pressure can 15, and whether the resin has been sufficiently injected into the preform A resin stop tank 17 for checking whether or not excess resin does not flow into the piping system,
A pressure pump 19 for pressurizing the resin in the resin injection tank 16 via a pressure adjusting valve 18a and pressurizing the inside of the pressurizing pipe 15 via a valve 35a and a pressure adjusting valve 18b, and a vacuum suction inside the resin stop tank 17. In addition, the vacuum pump 20 vacuum-sucks the inside of the tank 16 to defoam the resin before starting the injection, and the mold 1 is provided based on the temperature detected by a thermocouple that measures the temperature of each part of the mold. The multi-channel temperature controller 21 that adjusts the power supplied to the plurality of heaters 3 is a main component.

The resin in the resin injection tank 16 is pressurized with the pressure can 15
A resin injection port 22 for connecting a pipe for injecting into the mold 1 inside, and a pipe for sucking the space inside the mold 1 to the resin stop tank 17 while maintaining airtightness inside and outside the pressure can 15.
Vacuum suction and resin outflow port 23, pressurization port 24 for connecting a pipe that supplies pressurized air to pressurization can 15 from pressurization pump 19 through valve 35a and pressure control valve 18b, and as a sealing means for mold 1. The degassing tube 27 for degassing the local residual air in the pressure bag 25 of FIG. 2 is connected to the degassing port 27 from the inside of the pressure can, and the temperature detected by the thermocouple for detecting the temperature of each part of the mold is multi-channel. A thermocouple port 28 and a power terminal port 29 are provided to connect a wire sent to the temperature controller and a wire for supplying electric power from the temperature controller to the plurality of heaters 3 provided in the mold from inside and outside the pressurizing can 15, respectively. Each one is airtightly attached to the wall of the pressure can 15 by welding or the like. Here, the degassing port 27 is not necessarily required by guiding the degassing tube 26 into the nipple 30D, but is preferably equipped.

The resin injection port 22, the vacuum suction and resin outflow port 23 are provided inside and outside the can with the nipples 30B, 30C, 3 and 3.
Female threads are screwed into which one end of each of 0D and 30E is screwed. Since this part is pressure-sealed, it is practical to use a taper screw for pipes. However, if it is easy to remove and only pressure-sealing is possible, use any method such as the O-ring fastening method or the Swagelok fastening method. You can

On both inner and outer surfaces of the thermocouple port 28 and the power terminal port 29, there are provided a plurality of insertion ports which are electrically connected to each other, so that terminals of the thermocouple lead wire and the feeder wire to the heater can be inserted. It is like this.

An exhaust valve 32 having a safety valve 31 is provided on the wall of the pressurizing can 15.

The resin injecting tank 16 and the resin stopping tank 17 each have a lid capable of being sealed, and each lid has 1 to 2 pieces.
Individual viewing windows 33 are provided.

The pressure P ₂ in the resin stop tank 17 can be switched to and connected to the pressurizing pump 19 through the vacuum pump, the atmosphere and the pressure adjusting valve by the pressure switching valve 34a, and the resin by the pressure switching valve 34b. It is also possible to communicate with the pressure P ₃ in the injection tank 16. When the pressure switching valve 34b is tilted to the blind side, the pressure P ₃ communicates with the atmosphere.

The resin injection tank 16 includes a nipple 30F, a valve 35b, a nipple 30A, an elbow and a nipple 30B.
And is connected to the resin injection port 22 via.

A blind plug 36 is provided at the outer opening of the deaeration port 27.

Each of the above pressure lines is completely sealed so that there is no pressure leak.

At least the nipples 30C, 30D and, in some cases, the nipples 30A, 30B, 30E are disposable, inexpensive ones, for example, steel pipes for gas piping. This is because, in these pipes, the resin generally hardens in the pipes, and therefore it is cheaper to dispose the pipes than to remove them.

It is desirable that the resin injection tank 16 be provided with an appropriate heating means. The reason is that the defoaming and degassing of the liquid resin are effectively performed by heating the resin to reduce its viscosity, and the efficiency is improved, and the types of applicable resins are expanded. Therefore, heating is not necessary when using a low-viscosity liquid resin at room temperature.

For the same reason, it is desirable to provide a heating means also in the resin stop tank 17.

Further, for the same reason, the nipples 30A, 30
If B, ..., 30F, and the valve 35b can also be kept warm, the efficiency of defoaming and degassing will improve, and the types of applicable resins will expand.

The defoaming state of the resin in each of the tanks 16 and 17,
The flow and outflow state is the viewing window 33 provided in each tank.
Can be observed from.

The degassing tube 26 is made of a resin and a material that is not melted by heat, and a thin tube that does not allow the resin to flow out but allows gas to pass can be used. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a glass fiber bundle 26a is sandwiched between the adhesive tapes 26b so that both edges of the tape are adhered to each other, whereby a conduit having the glass fiber bundle 26a as a ventilation area can be easily formed.
It is necessary to provide a plurality of degassing tubes because the degassing property disappears when the resin permeates into this tube.

A method of molding a composite material using the molding apparatus having the above structure will be described below.

(1) Initial state setting Pressurizing can 15 → open valve 35a → close valve 35b → close pressure switching valve 34a → atmospheric pressure adjusting valve 18a → loose to the lowest side. Exhaust valve 32 → close Resin stop tank 17 → close The piping system outside the pressure can 15 is connected as shown in FIG. The resin may be added to the resin injection tank 16 or may be added in the step (13) described below, but the preform is reacted within a range of room temperature and does not thicken. It is necessary that the impregnation can be completed.

(2) The preform 1 is set in the mold 2. This may be done inside the pressure can 15 or outside the can.

(3) Attach the die 40a to the resin injection port of the die 2. This attachment may be performed by fastening with an adhesive tape, but if it is attached by a mechanical fastening method such as bolts and nuts, the stability of the mold is improved and the workability is improved. However, since this part is hardened by resin during molding, it is necessary to devise a mold release process so that it can be easily removed after molding.

(4) The base 40a is connected to the inside of the can of the resin injection port 22 via the nipple 30C. Note that this may be performed before the step (3).

(5) Mold 2 as in (3) and (4) above.
To the inside of the can of the vacuum suction and resin outflow port 23 via the nipple 30D.

(6) Deaeration tubes 26 are attached with adhesive tape or the like to various places on the mold 2, the ends of the preform 1, the surface of the central portion where bubbles are likely to remain, and the other end of each tube is attached. Is inserted into the degassing port 27.

(7) After all the deaeration tubes 26 are attached to the deaeration port 27, the inside of the deaeration port 27 is made of rubber clay and a pressure bag so that internal pressure gas does not leak from the inside. Seal it.

(8) The die 2 including the die 40a and 40b, on which the preform 1 is set, is surrounded by the pressure back film 25 to completely seal the whole.

The method of hanging the bag 25 and the sealing method can be carried out in accordance with a known autoclave molding technique which has been conventionally practiced.

(9) In this case, the degassing tube 26, the power supply line to the heater, and the portion where the thermocouple line penetrates the bag 25 are also completely sealed by using rubber clay or a pressure seal type through terminal.

(10) In this state, the pressure switching valve 34a is switched to the vacuum pump 20 side, and the pressure P in the resin stop tank 17 is changed.
_{When 2} is evacuated, the pressure bag 25 clamps the entire mold 2 in which the preform 1 is set at atmospheric pressure.

At this time, if there is a pressure leakage part (sealing defect part), the seal is completely reinforced with rubber clay, a pressure back film or the like.

(11) All the power supply lines to the heaters and the wires to the thermocouples provided in the mold 2 are connected to the insertion port of the power terminal port 29, ..., COMMON and the thermocouple port 28. Connect to the outlets', ',' ,.

(12) Close the lid of the pressure can 15 to close the pressure can 15.
Is closed, the valve 35a is opened, and the pressure control valve 18b is adjusted to raise the internal pressure P ₁ of the can to a predetermined pressure, for example, 7 kgf / cm ² .

(13) A resin blended with a predetermined chemical agent (main agent and curing agent) is put in the resin injection tank 16 and sealed, and then the pressure switching valve 34b is moved to the resin injection tank 16 side.
Degass and defoams the resin. The resin injection tank 16
The resin injection, deaeration, and defoaming into the resin may be performed from the steps prior to this stage.

(14) After the above degassing and defoaming is completed, the pressure switching valve 34b is tilted to the "blind" side to release the vacuum of the pressure P ₃ in the resin injection tank 16 to the atmosphere. At this stage, the pressure P ₂ inside the resin stopper tank 17 is a vacuum.

(15) When the valve 35b is opened at this point, the resin in the resin injection tank 16 becomes nipples 30F, 30A,
The resin passes through 30B and 30C, flows into the mold 2, and the preform 1 is impregnated with the resin. When the impregnation progresses to some extent, the resin flows out to the resin stopper tank through the nipples 30D and 30E.

(16) After confirming this outflow through the viewing window 33, the pressure switching valve 34a is switched to the atmosphere side, then the pressure switching valve 34b is switched to the resin injection tank 16 side, and the pressure switching valve 34a is switched to the pressurizing pump 19. Tilt to the side and fill the resin injection tank 1
And 6 in the pressure P ₃ and the resin stopper tank 17 internal pressure P _2, pressurized with sufficiently low the same pressure than pressure P ₁ at the same time (12) Step pressurized pressurized can in 15 of. For example, P ₁ = 7Kgf
If set to / cm ² , then P ₂ = P ₃ = 5 Kgf / cm ² . This difference of ² Kgf / cm ² becomes the sealing pressure of the pressure bag 25 and the pressure for tightening the mold 2.

(17) After performing the above operation, the heater 3 provided in the mold is attached to the multi-channel temperature controller 21.
The resin is subjected to an optimum temperature cycle through the mold so that the resin is completely impregnated and gelled and cured.

(18) After the completion of the curing time, after sufficient cooling, the pressure switching valve 34a is switched to the atmosphere side, and the pressures P ₂ and P ₃ in the resin stop tank 17 and the resin injection tank 16 are changed.
Is opened, and then the exhaust valve 32 is opened to return the pressure P ₁ in the pressure can 15 to the atmosphere.

(19) Open the pressure can 15 and press the pressure bag 25.
Break the mold, remove the mold 2, and take out the molded product inside. At this time, the power line, thermocouple line, and degassing tube 26 are also removed.

(20) Insert the nipple 30C into the resin injection port 2
2 and remove the nipple 30D from the vacuum suction and resin outflow port.

(21) All the resin remaining in the resin flow path is removed. Replace each nipple with a new one.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 described above, the mold 2 is composed of a pair of mold elements that sandwich the mold space for setting the preform 1 from both sides, and one of them has a resin injection nipple. , An example in which a die for connecting a vacuum suction and a resin outflow nipple is provided on the other side, but in the composite material molding method of the present invention, the pressure in the mold space of the mold is the pressure of the atmosphere outside the mold. Since the resin is injected and the preform is impregnated at a lower temperature, the structure of the mold can be further rationalized. An example will be described below.

FIG. 3 is a view showing the structure of a mold for molding a composite material part having an I-shaped cross section as shown in FIG. When molding parts with such a shape,
In the case of the conventional molding method described with reference to FIG. 6, it is configured by combining several mold elements having thick dents and protrusions according to the shape of parts, but in the example of FIG. One flat plate 2a
And two "U" -shaped cross-section members 2b and some spacers 2
It is composed of c and c, and all can be thin type.
Since it can be completely sealed with, it is easy to divide the mold. In addition, it becomes lightweight. Therefore, the mold element has a diversion property and can be used for molding parts having other shapes.

In another example of the molding die shown in FIG. 5, it is only necessary to prepare one die having the shape of one side of the product, and the preform 1 is set on the die surface of the die 2, A pressure bag 25 is placed on top. The caps 40a and 40b are attached to the mold 2 at positions separated from each other, and the resin is injected from the cap 40a into the space between the pressure bag 25 and the mold _{2 at} a pressure of P ₂ . At this time, the pressure in the pressurizing can 15 is set to a pressure P ₁ higher than P ₂ . By doing so, the pressure bag 25
Is pressed against the surface of the preform 1 by the pressure of P ₁ -P ₂ , and a mold space having the shape of the preform is formed by the mold 2 and the pressure bag 25. Therefore, it is not necessary to make both a male mold and a female mold, and the mold cost can be reduced. Further, the heat capacity of the mold is smaller than that in the case of forming both sides, and the heating power by the heater is also small. Also, since only one side needs to be made, a complicated shape can be easily made.

[0063]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to mold a large area product by the fiber reinforced composite material in which a preform made of reinforcing fibers is pressure-impregnated with a matrix material such as a resin for molding. In addition, the molding die can be reduced in weight and cost, and manufacturing of a complicated shape is facilitated.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view including a system diagram showing an overall configuration of an embodiment of a molding apparatus of the present invention for carrying out a molding method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a configuration of a degassing tube of the above embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of another example of a molding die used for carrying out the method of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a composite material product manufactured by the molding die shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of still another example of a molding die used for carrying out the method of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a configuration of an example of a conventional composite material molding apparatus for molding a preform by impregnating a preform with resin.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Preform 2 Mold 3 Heater 15 Pressurizing Can 16 Resin Injection Tank 17 Resin Stop Tank 18a, 18b Pressure Control Valve 19 Pressure Pump 20 Vacuum Pump 21 Multi-Channel Temperature Controller 22 Resin Injection Port 23 Vacuum Suction and Resin Outflow Port 24 Pressurized Port 25 Pressurized Back 26 Degassing Tube 27 Degassing Port 28 Thermocouple Port 29 Power Terminal Ports 30A, 30B, 30C, 30D, 30E, 30F ... Nipple 32 Exhaust Valve 34a, 34b Pressure Switching Valve

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A preform in which reinforcing fibers are preliminarily formed into a predetermined three-dimensional shape is installed in a mold space of a mold and hermetically sealed,
In the method of molding a fiber-reinforced composite material, in which a liquid matrix material is pressure-impregnated into a preform by pressure-impregnating the liquid matrix material into the space, and is then cured, the preform of the liquid matrix material is impregnated under pressure. A molding method characterized in that the mold is housed in a pressure can and the pressure in the pressure can is made higher than the pressure in the mold space of the mold. 2. The molding method according to claim 1, wherein a pressure bag is used as a sealing means for the mold. 3. A preform in which reinforcing fibers are formed in a predetermined three-dimensional shape in advance is installed in a mold space of a mold and hermetically sealed,
In the molding apparatus of the fiber-reinforced composite material, the liquid matrix material is pressure-fed into the space, the liquid matrix material is pressure-fed into the preform, the preform is pressure-impregnated with the liquid matrix material, and the mixture is heat-cured to be molded. And a pressure can capable of increasing the internal pressure to a pressure higher than the pressure inside the mold space of the mold during pressure impregnation of the liquid matrix material, and the pressure in the pressure can to the above pressure. A molding apparatus comprising: a pressurizing unit capable of pressurizing. 4. The molding apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the sealing means of the mold is a pressure bag. 5. A liquid matrix material injection pipe into a mold for pressure-impregnating the above-mentioned preform with a liquid matrix material, a vacuum suction pipe from the mold, and a gold for heat-curing the impregnated liquid matrix material. In order to make it possible to connect the power supply line to the heater provided in the mold and the mold temperature detection signal take-out line through the wall of the pressurizing can by piping or wiring,
4. The wall of the pressurizing can is provided with a port capable of connecting from inside and outside while keeping the tubes and wires airtight.
The molding apparatus according to 1.