IP Library Granted Patent US 10,370,506
Granted Patent B2
US 10,370,506 · App. 14/387,008 · Granted Aug 6, 2019

Carbon fiber thermoplastic resin prepreg, carbon fiber composite material and producing method

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,370,506
App. No.
14/387,008
Granted
Aug 6, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

Provided are a carbon fiber thermoplastic resin prepreg which is a carbon fiber prepreg obtained by impregnating a PAN-based carbon fiber in which the average fiber fineness of a single fiber is 1.0 dtex to 2.4 dtex with a thermoplastic resin, wherein the thermoplastic resin satisfies 20≤(FM/FS)≤40 (where FM: flexural modulus (MPa) of a resin sheet comprising only the thermoplastic resin, and FS: flexural strength (MPa) of the resin sheet), a method for manufacturing the same, and a carbon fiber composite material employing the carbon fiber prepreg.

Claims (36)

1. A carbon fiber thermoplastic resin prepreg obtained by a process comprising: impregnating a carbon fiber bundle of plural carbon fibers having an average single fiber fineness of from 1.1 dtex to 2.4 dtex with a thermoplastic resin composition, wherein a single fiber of the carbon fiber in the carbon fiber bundle has plural surface asperity structures extending over 2 μm or more in the fiber longitudinal direction, and the difference of elevation between the peak and the bottom (Rp−v) in a region having a circumferential length of the single fiber of 2000 nm×a length in the fiber axial direction of 2000 nm is in the range of 60 nm to 200 nm.

2. The carbon fiber thermoplastic resin prepreg according to claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic resin composition is a thermoplastic resin that satisfies Formula (1):

20≤(FM/FS)≤40  (1)

where,

FM represents a flexural modulus (MPa) of a resin plate formed from the thermoplastic resin composition only; and

FS represents a flexural strength (MPa) of the resin plate.

3. The carbon fiber thermoplastic resin prepreg according to claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic resin composition is a thermoplastic resin composition that satisfies Formula (2):

25≤(FM/FS)≤35  (2)

where,

FM represents a flexural modulus (MPa) of a resin plate formed from the thermoplastic resin composition only; and

FS represents a flexural strength (MPa) of the resin plate.

4. The carbon fiber thermoplastic resin prepreg according to claim 1 , wherein the carbon fiber bundle is a PAN-based carbon fiber bundle.

5. A carbon fiber composite material formed from the carbon fiber thermoplastic resin prepreg according to claim 1 .

6. The carbon fiber thermoplastic resin prepreg according to claim 1 , wherein a degree of circularity of a single fiber of the carbon fibers in the carbon fiber bundle is from 0.70 to 0.90,

provided that the degree of circularity is determined by Formula (4):

Degree of circularity=4 πS/L 2   (4)

where

S represents an area of a cross-section of the single fiber; and

L represents a circumferential length of the cross-section of the single fiber.

7. The carbon fiber thermoplastic resin prepreg according to claim 6 , satisfying Formula (5):

β×( Tc− 25)×(100 −Vf )>0.5  (5)

where

β represents a coefficient of linear expansion (1/° C.) of the thermoplastic resin composition;

Tc represents a lower limit temperature for molding (° C.) of the thermoplastic resin composition, when the thermoplastic resin composition has a melting point, the lower limit temperature for molding is the melting point of the composition, and when the thermoplastic resin composition does not have a melting point, the lower limit temperature for molding is a temperature at which the composition has a viscosity of 1×10 4 Pa·s; and

Vf represents a fiber volume percentage content (% by volume) of the carbon fiber thermoplastic resin prepreg.

8. The carbon fiber thermoplastic resin prepreg according to claim 6 , wherein the thermoplastic resin composition is at least one selected from the group consisting of a polypropylene resin, a polyamide resin, a modified resin of a polypropylene resin, and a modified resin of a polyamide resin.

9. A carbon fiber thermoplastic resin prepreg flake, obtained by using the carbon fiber thermoplastic resin prepreg according to claim 6 .

10. A carbon fiber-reinforced composite material, obtained by using the carbon fiber thermoplastic resin prepreg flake according to claim 9 .

11. A carbon fiber-reinforced composite material, obtained by using the carbon fiber thermoplastic resin prepreg according to claim 6 .

12. An automobile part, obtained by using the carbon fiber-reinforced composite material according to claim 11 .

13. A method for producing a carbon fiber thermoplastic resin prepreg, the method comprising: impregnating a PAN-based carbon fiber bundle having an average single fiber fineness of from 1.1 dtex to 2.4 dtex with a thermoplastic resin composition, thereby obtaining the carbon fiber thermoplastic resin prepreg,

wherein the thermoplastic resin composition is a thermoplastic resin composition that satisfies Formula (3):

20≤(FM/FS)≤40  (3)

where, FM represents a flexural modulus (MPa) of a resin plate formed from the thermoplastic resin composition only; and FS represents a flexural strength (MPa) of the resin plate, and

a single fiber of the carbon fiber in the carbon fiber bundle has plural surface asperity structures extending over 2 μm or more in the fiber longitudinal direction, and the difference of elevation between the peak and the bottom (Rp−v) in a region having a circumferential length of the single fiber of 2000 nm×a length in the fiber axial direction of 2000 nm is in the range of 60 nm to 200 nm.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the thermoplastic resin composition is a film.

Assignments (2)
CORPORATE NAME CHANGE Recorded Jun 19, 2017
From: MITSUBISHI RAYON CO., LTD.
To: MITSUBISHI CHEMICAL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 042886/0294 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 22, 2014
From: TOMIOKA, MASAO; HAYASHI, TAKAHIRO; FUJITA, SAKI; ISHIKAWA, TAKESHI; YOSHIDA, KEIGO; TERANISHI, TAKUYA; TAKAHASHI, ATSUSHI; WATANABE, KENICHI; KATAGIRI, MORIO; SASAKI, AKINOBU; OOSUKA, MASAHIRO; TATEGAKI, HIROSHI; KOBAYASHI, TAKAYUKI
To: MITSUBISHI RAYON CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 033788/0405 →