U.S. patent application number 11/415402 was filed with the patent office on 2007-01-18 for joiner panel system.
Invention is credited to Jerome P. Fanucci, Michael McAleenan.
Application Number | 20070011987 11/415402 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37660383 |
Filed Date | 2007-01-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070011987 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
McAleenan; Michael ; et
al. |
January 18, 2007 |
Joiner panel system
Abstract
A composite panel system has a plurality of planar joiner panels
joined along longitudinal side edges arranged to interlock when
axial tensile and compressive forces are exerted in the plane of
the joiner panels and when out-of-plane bending stresses are
exerted on the joiner panels. In a method of forming the joiner
panels, a phenolic resin core material is fed into a hopper and
pushed out onto a moving conveyor formed by a layer of material
that forms a bottom face skin. The core material is covered with an
upper face skin and fed into a pultrusion die.
Inventors: |
McAleenan; Michael;
(Georgetown, ME) ; Fanucci; Jerome P.; (Lexington,
MA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WEINGARTEN, SCHURGIN, GAGNEBIN & LEBOVICI LLP
TEN POST OFFICE SQUARE
BOSTON
MA
02109
US
|
Family ID: |
37660383 |
Appl. No.: |
11/415402 |
Filed: |
May 1, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60676357 |
Apr 29, 2005 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
52/782.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B29C 70/521 20130101;
E04B 1/6179 20130101; E04B 1/6116 20130101; E04C 2/292 20130101;
B29K 2061/04 20130101; E04C 2/296 20130101; B29C 70/865 20130101;
E04B 2/7401 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
052/782.1 |
International
Class: |
E04C 2/00 20060101
E04C002/00 |
Goverment Interests
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0003] The work leading to this invention received support from the
United States federal government under SBIR Grant, Contract No.
N00024-0-C-4152. The federal government may have certain rights in
this invention.
Claims
1. A composite panel system comprising: a plurality of planar
joiner panels, each joiner panel comprising two planar faces, a top
edge, a bottom edge, and two longitudinal side edges; wherein the
longitudinal side edges comprise longitudinally extending faces
arranged to abut opposing longitudinally extending faces of an
adjacent longitudinal side edge of an adjacent interlocked joiner
panel when axial tensile and compressive forces are exerted in the
plane of the joiner panels and to abut when out-of-plane bending
stresses are exerted on the joiner panels.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein each longitudinal side edge
comprises a longitudinally extending flange, the flange including a
longitudinally extending lip, the flange and the lip forming the
longitudinally extending faces of the side edge.
3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a cover disposed over
a joint between adjacent interlocked joiner panels.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein the cover comprises a plate, tabs
extending from the plate, and the adjacent interlocked joiner
panels include recesses therein to receive the tabs.
5. The system of claim 3, wherein the cover comprises a
longitudinally extending groove therein arranged over a reinforcing
beam portion of the joiner panels.
6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a structural load
bearing beam embedded and extending longitudinally within the
joiner panels.
7. The system of claim 6, wherein the load bearing beam is
comprises of a reinforcing fiber fabric embedded in a matrix
material.
8. The system of claim 6, wherein the joiner panels comprise a
longitudinally extending groove therein arranged over the load
bearing beam.
9. The system of claim 1, wherein the joiner panels comprise a core
material faced with skins on the opposed planar sides.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein the core material includes a
phenolic resin syntactic foam.
11. The system of claim 9, wherein the face skins comprise a
reinforcing fiber fabric embedded in a phenolic resin matrix.
12. The system of claim 11, wherein the reinforcing fiber fabric is
comprised of glass.
13. The system of claim 11, wherein the reinforcing fiber fabric is
comprised of carbon.
14. The system of claim 9, further comprising a fire resistant
additive in the core material.
15. The system of claim 1, further comprising a shoe attachable to
a support surface, the shoe formed of a composite material,
comprising a pair of webs, a recess between the webs forming a seat
for the bottom edge of the plurality of joiner panels.
16. The system of claim 15, wherein the webs include lower webs
having an increased thickness forming a pair of shoulders, the
bottom edge of the plurality of joiner panels supported on the pair
of shoulders.
17. The system of claim 15, wherein the webs include inwardly
facing lips, the bottom edge of the plurality of joiner panels
supported on the inwardly facing lips.
18. The system of claim 15, wherein the shoe is formed of a
composite material.
19. A method of producing a composite panel comprising a sandwich
structure having a core having opposed surfaces and face skins on
the opposed surfaces, comprising: feeding a core material
comprising a phenolic resin into a hopper; pushing the core
material out the hopper onto a moving conveyor, the moving conveyor
comprising a layer of material to form a bottom face skin; applying
a layer of material to form a top face skin over the core material;
and feeding the core material and covering face skins into a
pultrusion die.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein the core material is pushed
through the hopper vertically with a pusher mechanism.
21. The method of claim 19, wherein the core material is pushed
through a mesh at the bottom of the hopper.
22. The method of claim 21, wherein the core material is scraped
off the mesh with a scraper mechanism arranged below the mesh.
23. The method of claim 19, wherein the hopper is vibrated.
24. The method of claim 19, wherein the hopper is heated.
25. The method of claim 19, wherein the core material is pushed
through the hopper vertically with an auger mechanism.
26. The method of claim 19, wherein the core material is pushed
through the hopper horizontally.
27. The method of claim 19, wherein the core material is compressed
and shaped after exiting the hopper and before entering the
pultrusion die.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.
119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/676,357, filed
on Apr. 29, 2005, the disclosure of which is incorporated by
reference herein.
[0002] This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 10/947,977, filed on Sep. 23, 2004, entitled Joiner Panel
System, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference
herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] Joiner panels are nonstructural partitions used to subdivide
areas within a structure such as a building or ship. For example,
joiner panels subdivide the area between major structural bulkheads
of a ship into smaller public and private cabins, passageways and
other spaces. While not part of the ship's primary structure,
joiner panels are required to provide some level of structural
performance, because items are frequently mounted to their faces.
Therefore, the joiner panels must not only be able to statically
support the weight of attached hardware, but also must be able to
withstand shock loads associated with the attached equipment. Other
important characteristics of joiner panels include corrosion
resistance, puncture and impact damage resistance associated with
routine encounters with people and their equipment, ability to
repair or replace damaged sections, rodent proofing, and acceptable
flame, smoke and toxicity performance. Weight and installed cost of
the joiner panel system are also important parameters.
[0005] A conventional joiner panel system has three primary
hardware components: a flat panel, a shoe or coaming at the bottom
of the panel, and a curtain plate at the top of the panel. The
panels are usually fabricated as either sandwich panels, made with
two thin fiberglass, aluminum or steel face sheets surfacing a core
of foam or honeycomb, or integrally-stiffened panels, usually
welded from aluminum or steel.
[0006] The shoe or coaming is used to connect the bottom of the
panel to the support surface, such as the deck of a ship. The shoe
is typically made of two elongated pieces of steel. The upper edge
of the larger piece is bent into a Z-section with its upper edge
some distance, for example, at least 6 inches, above the support
surface. A smaller piece is welded to the side of the Z-section,
forming a U-shaped channel along the upper edge of the shoe. The
lower end of the joiner panel sits in the U-shaped channel of the
shoe. Commonly, the joiner panel is attached to the shoe with
occasional fasteners through both sides of the U-shaped channel and
the panel. The lower edge of the larger piece of the shoe is
sculpted to fit the contours of the supporting surface, such as an
out-of-flat deck, and either welded continuously along the length
of the shoe or spot welded.
[0007] The curtain plate provides the overhead connection for the
upper edge of the joiner panel. A downwardly-opening U-shaped
channel is formed along the lower edge of the curtain plate. In
applications subject to movements, such as on a ship, the upper
edge of the joiner panel can slide vertically in the U-shaped
channel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] A composite panel system according to the present invention
includes a plurality of planar joiner panels, each joiner panel
comprising two planar faces, a top edge, a bottom edge, and two
longitudinal side edges. The longitudinal side edges are arranged
to interlock when axial tensile and compressive forces are exerted
in the plane of the joiner panels and when out-of-plane bending
stresses are exerted on the joiner panels.
[0009] A cover may be disposed over the joint between adjacent
interlocked joiner panels. A structural load bearing beam may be
embedded longitudinally within the joiner panels. A longitudinally
extending groove may be arranged over the reinforcing beam portion
or the cover of the joiner panels. The groove indicates where other
items, such as cabinetry can be mounted to the joiner panels.
[0010] In a method of producing the joiner panels as a sandwich
structure having a core covered with face skins, a core material
comprising a phenolic resin mixture is fed into a hopper. The core
material is pushed out of the hopper onto a moving conveyor formed
of a layer of material to form the bottom face skin. A layer of
material to form the top face skin is laid over the core material.
The core material and covering face skins are fed into a pultrusion
die.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The invention will be more fully understood by reference to
the following detailed description when considered in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0012] FIG. 1 illustrates a joiner panel system of the present
invention;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view through two interlocked
joiner panels of FIG. 1;
[0014] FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the two interlocked joiner
panels of FIG. 2;
[0015] FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a reinforcing beam in a
joiner panel;
[0016] FIG. 5A is an isometric view of an embodiment of a composite
material shoe according to the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 5B is an isometric view of a further embodiment of a
composite material shoe according to the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 6 is an isometric view of an embodiment of an extruded
metal shoe according to the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 7 is an isometric view of an embodiment of a feed
system for the core material according to the present
invention;
[0020] FIG. 8 is an isometric view of the bottom of the feed system
of FIG. 7;
[0021] FIG. 9 is a partial view of the feed system of FIG. 7
illustrating adjustable hopper walls;
[0022] FIG. 10 is a front view of the feed system of FIG. 7;
[0023] FIG. 11 is a schematic view of a pultrusion process
incorporating the feed system of FIG. 7;
[0024] FIG. 12 is an isometric view of the first roller of FIG.
11;
[0025] FIG. 13 is an isometric view of the second roller of FIG.
11;
[0026] FIG. 14 is an isometric view of a further embodiment of a
feed system incorporating vertical augers according to the present
invention;
[0027] FIG. 15 is an isometric view of a still further embodiment
of a feed system incorporating vertical augers;
[0028] FIG. 16 is an isometric view of a still further embodiment
of a feed system incorporating vertical augers;
[0029] FIG. 17 is an isometric view of a still further embodiment
of a feed system according to the present invention;
[0030] FIG. 18 is an isometric view of a still further embodiment
of a feed system incorporating a horizontal pusher mechanism
according to the present invention;
[0031] FIG. 19 is an isometric view of a still further embodiment
of a feed system incorporating a horizontal auger according to the
present invention;
[0032] FIG. 20 is an isometric view of the feed system of FIG. 19
without a narrowing neck region;
[0033] FIG. 21 is an isometric illustration of a corner joint;
and
[0034] FIG. 22 is an isometric illustration of a flexible angled
joint.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0035] FIG. 1 illustrates a joiner panel system of the present
invention. The system includes a joiner panel 12 attached at its
lower edge to a deck 14 by a coaming or shoe 16 and attached at its
upper edge to a curtain plate 18. The curtain plate is formed from
a number of curtain plate sections 18a, 18b, 18c that have been cut
to fit around overhead obstructions, such as pipes 20a, 20b, 20c. A
joint section 22 is provided to join the upper edge of the joiner
panel to the curtain plate.
[0036] The joiner panel 12 can be formed in any width, for example,
from one foot wide to twelve feet wide. Multiple joiner panels are
joined together along their vertical edges 30 to achieve the
desired length of wall. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the
longitudinal vertical edges of the panels are formed with an
interlocking joint that increases mechanical locking forces with
axial and out-of-plane loading. The joint includes a flange having
a lip on each panel's longitudinal edge. The lips interlock in the
assembled configuration. Rounded faces 46 allow the lips to snap
together during assembly.
[0037] The lips include opposed faces 48, preferably at a small
angle to a transverse plane through the joint, that abut when the
joint is subjected to axial tensile loading. In this manner, the
joint mechanically interlocks under tensile loading, rather than
pulls apart. In compression, faces 52 of the flanges and angled
faces 54 of the lips abut, again mechanically locking the joint
together. Similarly, under bending, various ones of the faces 48,
52, 54 abut and the joint mechanically locks together rather than
shears apart. Assembly of the panels is also improved, because one
person working on one side of the joiner panel bulkhead can
assemble the panels.
[0038] The panel is preferably formed of a core material covered
with face skins. The core can be any suitable material. In one
preferred embodiment, the core material is a phenolic resin
syntactic foam. The face skins may be formed of any suitable
material, such as glass or carbon fibers in a suitable resin
material. A fiberglass material wet out with a suitable resin
provides good mechanical properties and reduced weight. Preferably,
the same resin used for the foam core, a phenolic resin, is used to
wet out the face skins. Other materials, such as stainless steel,
can, however, be used for the face skins, depending on the
application. The flange and lip of the joint are preferably made
from the same reinforcing resin and matrix material as the face
skins. The panels can be readily formed with the longitudinal edge
configuration by a pultrusion process. Alternatively, any other
suitable process to from the panels may be used.
[0039] A cover 60 is provided over the joint to further limit
out-of-plane movement. The cover includes tabs that snap into
complementary recesses on adjacent joiner panels. The cover is
preferably formed of a same or similar composite material as the
panels.
[0040] In one embodiment, the joiner panel incorporates a
structural load bearing beam 64, formed of, for example, glass or
carbon fibers. See FIG. 4. The beams are located at suitable
intervals, such as every twelve inches. A pultrusion process allows
ready incorporation of the beam within the panel.
[0041] A groove 72 may be formed along the joint and/or along the
reinforcing beams. The groove provides an indication of where
items, such as cabinetry, should be attached to the panels, for
best structural support.
[0042] FIG. 21 illustrates an embodiment of a joint for two joiner
panels at right angles. FIG. 22 illustrates an embodiment of a
flexible joint for joining two joiner panels at variable
angles.
[0043] An embodiment of a deck shoe 16 is illustrated in FIG. 5A.
The deck shoe extends in a longitudinal direction for any desired
length. The deck shoe includes two upstanding legs or webs 82
connected by a floor plate 83 that form a recess 84 therebetween
for seating the bottom edge of the joiner panels. The webs are
comprised of upper web sections 86 and lower web sections 88. The
lower web sections are thicker toward the interior of the recess
than the upper web sections, providing a pair of shoulders. The
panel fits between the upper web sections and rests on the
shoulders of the lower web sections. The shoe can be connected to a
deck in any suitable manner, such as by bolts or rivets through the
floor plate 83 or by adhesive.
[0044] The deck shoe is preferably formed of a composite material,
such as layers of E glass fabric impregnated with a suitable resin.
The layers of fabric can be laid at varying angles to provide
strength in different directions. For example, one suitable
orientation is a layer at 0.degree., a layer at +45.degree., a
layer at -45.degree., and a layer at 90.degree.. The upstanding
legs can be of any suitable height. In one embodiment, the overall
leg height is 2 inches, and the gap between the upper leg sections
allows for insertion of a panel that is 0.75 inch thick. The
thickness of the upper leg sections is 0.06 inch, and the thickness
of the lower leg sections is 0.13 inch.
[0045] Another embodiment of a composite material deck shoe is
illustrated in FIG. 5B. The upstanding webs 82 include inwardly
facing lips 94 on which the joiner panel is supported.
[0046] FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of a deck shoe formed by an
extrusion of a suitable metal such as aluminum. The shoe includes
upstanding webs 102 that form a recess 104. A plate 106 is attached
to the deck in any suitable manner, such as with bolts or
rivets.
[0047] A panel suitable for the joiner panel system of the present
invention is fabricated from a phenolic resin syntactic foam core
covered with face skins on the upper and lower faces. See U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 10/947,977. Phenolic resins provide
good fire, smoke and toxicity properties. They are, however, more
brittle than other resins, and thus, in prior art panels, have
inferior mechanical properties. The present invention provides a
panel incorporating a phenolic resin matrix material for the panel
core having improved mechanical properties, including greater
strength and ductility.
[0048] The syntactic foam core material is made from a mixture of a
phenolic resin foam, hollow micro-balloons, and fibers. Borden
Durite SC1008 laminating phenolic resin is a suitable resin to
provide good fire performance. Other suitable commercially
available phenolic resins include GP 5236 from Georgia-Pacific and
Shea Technologies Fireban room temperature cure phenolic resin.
Other additives can be included in the mixture for other purposes.
For example, carbon nanotubes can be added to enhance static
dissipation. Fire resistant additives can be incorporated to
increase fire resistance.
[0049] The phenolic resin is selected for good fire, smoke, and
toxicity properties. Phenolic resins typically are available
commercially with a catalyst system. The catalyst system can affect
the acidity or pH of the resin, which in turn can affect the other
components of the core, such as the glass fibers and glass
micro-balloons. The Dow Accelacure resin system has been found to
be suitable and provides an improvement in strength of the cured
core material. It will be appreciated that other phenolic resins
may be suitable for other core mixtures that use different
additives for the mechanical properties.
[0050] The foam porosity provides increased surface area to aid in
face sheet adhesion. The face skins may be formed of any suitable
material, such as glass or carbon fibers in a suitable resin
material. A fiberglass material wet out with a suitable resin
provides good mechanical properties and reduced weight. Preferably,
the same resin used for the form core, a phenolic resin, is used to
wet out the face skins. Other materials, such as stainless steel,
can, however, be used for the face skins, depending on the
application. For example, stainless steel may be a preferred choice
in areas, such as kitchens, where a sterile environment is
important.
[0051] The phenolic resin core material used for the panel has
traditionally been difficult to form into panels by a pultrusion
process. The present invention provides a feed system for a
pultrusion process that allows the phenolic resin to be formed into
a panel.
[0052] In one embodiment, referring to FIGS. 7-10, the uncured core
material, the phenolic resin mixture discussed above, is placed
into a hopper 202 and pushed through a mesh 204, such as a wire
mesh grate, to achieve a desired density, which varies depending on
the application. The core material is then wrapped in wet-out
reinforcing fabric, such as glass fabric, and pulled through a die.
See FIG. 11.
[0053] The feed system pushes the core material through the mesh,
for example, using a piston mechanism 206 (illustrated
schematically in FIG. 10). A scraping mechanism 208 can also be
included to scrape the core material off the mesh. For example, a
wire 210 actuated by a linkage system 212 moves along the bottom of
the grate, scraping the core material off as it travels.
[0054] The hopper includes four side walls 214 formed in a
generally rectangular shape. The bottom of the hopper is comprised
of the mesh grate 204. A cover 216 is provided that includes a
center plate 218 that extends downwardly into the interior of the
hopper to about one-half to two-thirds of the hopper depth. The
center plate divides the upper portion of the hopper into two
chambers. One side wall is hinged 220 to allow the core material to
be loaded into the hopper. One or more hopper walls can be
adjustable to accommodate panels of various widths. In the
embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the wall 214 can be located at one of
three locations, indicated by the three columns of bolts 222. The
hopper walls can be heated if desired, to preheat the core material
prior to entry into the heated pultrusion die for complete
curing.
[0055] A pusher mechanism is located at the upper end of the
hopper. The pusher mechanism preferably includes two pistons 206
located on either side of the center plate. (See FIG. 10.) The
pistons preferably move in opposite directions, so that, as one
piston is moving up, the other piston is moving down. In this
manner, pressure is always placed down on the core material, and
there is no time when core material is not exiting the hopper
through the mesh. It will be appreciated that the pusher mechanism
can take other forms.
[0056] As noted above, the scraping mechanism 208 includes a wire
210 that extends from one side of the mesh 204 to the other below
the mesh. The linkage mechanism 212 includes levers 230 pivoted at
their upper ends to opposed hopper walls. The ends of the wires are
attached to the lower ends of the levers. As the levers are
pivoted, manually or automatically, the wire travels along beneath
the mesh, scraping material off and allowing it to drop down. It
will be appreciated that the scraping mechanism can take other
forms.
[0057] After the core material is forced through the mesh, it drops
onto one or more layers of fabric 240 (e.g., glass) that will form
one of the face skins upon curing. See FIG. 11. The fabric forms a
conveyor and moves the core material along into a series of rollers
242, 244. The rollers compact the core material before it is
wrapped with an upper layer of wet-out reinforcing fabric 246
(e.g., glass) and enters the die 248. In the embodiment
illustrated, the first roller 242 (FIG. 12) compacts the core, and
the second roller 244 (FIG. 13) forms the core into a desired
shape. Following compaction and shaping, the core is wrapped with
wet-out glass fabric, and enters the heated die for curing. The
glass fabric is wet out with a suitable resin, preferably a
phenolic resin. The glass fabric can be fed onto all surfaces if
desired, such as all four sides in a core having a rectangular
cross-section and/or longitudinal edge joint details. The wet-out
glass fabric forms the face skins that are co-cured with the core
during the pultrusion process to ensure a good bond between the
face skins and the core, rather than adhering face skins to
precured cores. By curing the core and face skins together, there
is no hard or discrete boundary between the core and the face
skins. Rather, the resin matrix forms a continuum from the core to
the face skins and good bonding results. Phenolic resins typically
begin cross linking at temperatures about 220.degree. F. and reach
final cure at about 400.degree. F. The die length and pulling speed
through the die can be selected to achieve a sufficient temperature
and dwell time to ensure that the resin fully cures. Similarly, the
core can be preheated prior to entering the die. A continuous panel
exits the pultrusion die and is cut into smaller panels of any
desired length.
[0058] In another embodiment, the feed system for the core material
comprises an auger assembly 250 to assist in pushing the core
material through a hopper 252. FIG. 14 illustrates a mechanism in
which vertically arranged augers pass through a plate 254 forming
the bottom floor of a hopper. The core material is pushed through
openings in the plate onto a fabric conveyor 256, as described
above.
[0059] FIG. 15 illustrates vertically arranged augers 260 and a
pressure plate 262 operable to push down on the top surface of the
core material in a hopper 264. The augers move downwardly with the
pressure plate.
[0060] FIG. 16 illustrates a hopper 270 having a narrowed mouth
region 272 with vertically arranged augers 274 that extend to the
top of the mouth region. The augers are arranged in line
perpendicular to the direction of pultrusion, indicated by arrow
276. The augers distribute the uncured core material across the
width the hopper, which is the width of the panel. The hopper
includes a funnel section 278 above the narrower mouth section. The
augers extend within the funnel section to the top of the mouth
section, to prevent compression of the material in the mouth
section. The axes of the augers are spaced close together but
without touching to eliminate any dead zones lacking movement of
core material across the width of the panel.
[0061] FIG. 17 illustrates a hopper 280 with a constant cross
section in which pre-made loaves 282 of uncured core material are
placed. The loaves are formed to have the proper uncured density to
achieve the desired post cured density.
[0062] In another embodiment, a hopper 290 with a constant cross
section distributes core material onto a smooth horizontal surface
292. See FIG. 18. A thrusting device 294, such as a pneumatic
cylinder, provides horizontal movement of the core material onto a
moving fabric (not shown in FIG. 18). A vibration device 296 can be
included to assist movement of the core downwardly within the
hopper. The vibration device preferably has a low frequency and
high amplitude and is attached to one or more of the hopper walls
in any suitable location. Alternatively or in addition, a pressure
plate 298 can be included to assist movement of the core material
downwardly within the hopper.
[0063] The embodiments utilizing an auger assembly tend to compress
the core material to a greater density, and so are less preferred
for many sandwich panel applications. However, they can be used
when a greater density is desirable.
[0064] FIG. 19 illustrates a further feed system incorporating a
hopper 302 and a horizontal auger 304 at the bottom of the hopper.
The auger pushes the core material into a feed pipe 306 that
transitions via a narrower compression 308 to a mouth 310 or core
shape changer having the desired shape of the core material. The
interior of the feed pipe and mouth can be coated with a
friction-reducing coating, such as a smooth gel coat surface, to
ease passage of the core material therethrough. The auger blades
and shaft can be similarly coated with a smooth gel coat. The
hopper can also be similarly coated, for example with a PTFE tape.
Upon exiting the mouth, the core material exits onto one or more
layers of the face skin material moving toward the pultrusion die,
as described above. FIG. 20 illustrates a feed system similar to
FIG. 19 without the mouth 310.
[0065] The invention is not to be limited by what has been
particularly shown and described, except as indicated by the
appended claims.
* * * * *