U.S. patent application number 17/379637 was filed with the patent office on 2022-05-26 for prepregs, cores and composite articles including powder coated layers.
The applicant listed for this patent is Hanwha Azdel, Inc.. Invention is credited to Shriram Joshi, Mark O Mason, Anthony J Messina, Yune Seo Park, Hong Xu.
Application Number | 20220161516 17/379637 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | |
Filed Date | 2022-05-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20220161516 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Park; Yune Seo ; et
al. |
May 26, 2022 |
PREPREGS, CORES AND COMPOSITE ARTICLES INCLUDING POWDER COATED
LAYERS
Abstract
Composite articles comprising a porous prepreg or core layer and
a powder coated layer thereon are described. In some instances, a
thermoplastic composite article comprises a porous core layer
comprising a web of reinforcing fibers held together by a
thermoplastic material, and a powder coated layer disposed on the
porous core layer, in which a particle size of the powder coated
layer is selected to provide an interface between the powder coated
layer and the porous core layer, wherein at least 50% by weight of
the disposed powder coated layer is present above the
interface.
Inventors: |
Park; Yune Seo; (Fenton,
MI) ; Joshi; Shriram; (Lynchburg, VA) ; Xu;
Hong; (Lynchburg, VA) ; Mason; Mark O;
(Covington, VA) ; Messina; Anthony J; (Macomb,
MI) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Hanwha Azdel, Inc. |
Forest |
VA |
US |
|
|
Appl. No.: |
17/379637 |
Filed: |
July 19, 2021 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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15605059 |
May 25, 2017 |
11090899 |
|
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17379637 |
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62341989 |
May 26, 2016 |
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International
Class: |
B32B 5/18 20060101
B32B005/18; B32B 5/02 20060101 B32B005/02; B32B 27/06 20060101
B32B027/06; B32B 27/08 20060101 B32B027/08; B32B 27/10 20060101
B32B027/10; B32B 27/28 20060101 B32B027/28; B32B 25/16 20060101
B32B025/16; B32B 7/12 20060101 B32B007/12; B32B 27/12 20060101
B32B027/12; B32B 25/20 20060101 B32B025/20; B32B 27/36 20060101
B32B027/36; B32B 25/04 20060101 B32B025/04; B32B 27/32 20060101
B32B027/32; B32B 27/30 20060101 B32B027/30; B32B 25/10 20060101
B32B025/10; B32B 37/00 20060101 B32B037/00; B32B 27/34 20060101
B32B027/34; B32B 25/08 20060101 B32B025/08; B32B 7/04 20060101
B32B007/04; B32B 37/08 20060101 B32B037/08; B32B 37/12 20060101
B32B037/12; C08J 7/04 20060101 C08J007/04; C08J 7/043 20060101
C08J007/043; C08J 7/05 20060101 C08J007/05 |
Claims
1.-110. (canceled)
111. A method of producing a thermoplastic composite article
comprising: combining a thermoplastic material and reinforcing
fibers to form an agitated aqueous foam; disposing the agitated
aqueous foam onto a wire support; evacuating water from the
disposed aqueous foam to form a web; heating the web to a first
temperature at or above a melting temperature of the thermoplastic
material; compressing the web to a first thickness to provide a
porous core layer; powder coating a powder material onto the porous
core layer to provide a powder coated layer; and disposing a skin
on the powder coated layer to provide the thermoplastic composite
article.
112. The method of claim 111, further comprising heating the porous
core layer prior to disposing the powder material.
113. The method of claim 112, further comprising disposing the a
skin on the heated porous core layer comprising the powder coated
layer.
114. The method of claim 113, further comprising molding the
thermoplastic composite article.
115. The method of claim 111, further comprising lofting the
thermoplastic article.
116. The method of claim 111, further comprising configuring the
agitated aqueous foam to comprise a lofting agent.
117. The method of claim 111, further comprising configuring the
powder material to comprise a thermoplastic material.
118. The method of claim 117, in which the thermoplastic material
of the powder material comprises a non-polyolefin powder material
and the thermoplastic material of the foam comprises a
polyolefin.
119. The method of claim 118, further comprising configuring the
non-polyolefin powder material to comprise a polyurethane
powder.
120. The method of claim 118, further comprising configuring the
thermoplastic material of the foam to comprise polypropylene and
configuring the reinforcing fibers to comprise glass fibers.
121.-122. (canceled)
123. The method of claim 111, wherein the powder coated layer
comprises a thermoplastic material, in which the thermoplastic
material of the porous core layer is the same as the thermoplastic
material of the powder coated layer.
124. The method of claim 111, wherein the powder coated layer
comprises a thermoplastic material, in which the thermoplastic
material of the porous core layer is different than the
thermoplastic material of the powder coated layer.
125. The method of claim 111, in which no barrier is present
between the porous core layer and the powder coated layer such that
the powder coated layer is disposed directly on the porous core
layer.
126. The method of claim 111, further comprising disposing a skin
layer on the powder coated layer.
127. The method of claim 126, in which the powder coated layer is
effective to provide an average peel strength for the skin layer of
at least 125 N/m in the machine direction and at least 125 N/m in
the cross direction as tested by ASTM D903 Peel 180.degree. dated
2010.
128. The method of claim 126, in which the powder coated layer is
effective to provide an average peel strength for the skin layer of
at least 390 N/m in the machine direction and at least 390 N/m in
the cross direction as tested by ASTM D903 Peel 180.degree. dated
2010.
129. The method of claim 126, in which the powder coated layer is
effective to provide an average peel strength for the skin layer of
at least 250 N/m in the machine direction and at least 250 N/m in
the cross direction as tested by ASTM D903 Peel 180.degree. dated
2010.
130. The method of claim 126, further comprising disposing a
decorative layer on the skin layer.
131. The method of claim 111, in which the thermoplastic material
of the porous core layer is selected from the group consisting of a
polyethylene, a polypropylene, a polystyrene, a polyimide, a
polyetherimide, a polyamide an acrylonitrylstyrene, a butadiene, a
polyethyleneterephthalate, a polybutyleneterephthalate, a
polybutylenetetrachlorate, a polyvinyl chloride, a polyphenylene
ether, a polycarbonate, a polyestercarbonate, a polyester, an
acrylonitrile-butylacrylate-styrene polymer, an amorphous nylon, a
polyarylene ether ketone, a polyphenylene sulfide, a polyaryl
sulfone, a polyether sulfone, a poly(l,4 phenylene) compound, a
silicone and mixtures thereof.
132. The method of claim 111, in which the reinforcing fibers are
selected from the group consisting of glass fibers, aramid fibers,
graphite fibers, carbon fibers, inorganic mineral fibers, metal
fibers, metalized synthetic fibers, and metallized inorganic fibers
and combinations thereof.
Description
PRIORITY APPLICATION
[0001] This application is related to, and claims priority to and
the benefit of, U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/341,989 filed
on May 26, 2016, the entire disclosure of which is hereby
incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD
[0002] This application is related to composite articles that
comprise one or more powder coated layers. In certain
configurations, composite articles that include a porous
thermoplastic core layer comprising at least one powder coated
layer thereon. In some instances, the powder coated layer does not
penetrate into the core layer to any substantial degree prior to
coupling a surface layer to the core layer.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Articles for automotive and building materials applications
typically are designed to meet a number of competing and stringent
performance specifications. In many instances, it may be desirable
for the article to provide both structural and aesthetic
performance.
SUMMARY
[0004] Certain configurations of the prepregs, cores and composite
articles described herein provide desirable attributes including,
but not limited to, reduced cost, lighter weight, enhanced adhesion
and the ability to control the thickness of an adhesive layer with
higher precision. These and other attributes are discussed in more
detail below.
[0005] In a first aspect, a thermoplastic composite article
comprises a porous core layer and a powder coated layer. For
example, the porous core layer comprises a web of reinforcing
fibers held together by a thermoplastic material, e.g., the porous
core layer may be a non-extruded porous core layer. The powder
coated layer comprises a polymeric powder disposed on the porous
core layer, in which an average particle size of the powder is
selected to provide an interface between the powder coated layer
and the porous core layer and where substantially all of the
disposed powder of the powder coated layer is present above the
interface.
[0006] In certain examples, the porosity of the core layer is
greater than 10 by volume of the core layer. In some examples, the
powder coated layer comprises a thermoplastic material, in which
the thermoplastic material of the porous core layer is the same or
different than the thermoplastic material of the powder coated
layer. In other examples, the thermoplastic material of the porous
core layer is a polyolefin and the thermoplastic material of the
powder coated layer is a non-polyolefin or a polyolefin. In some
examples, the thermoplastic material of the porous core layer is
selected from the group consisting of a polyethylene, a
polypropylene, a polystyrene, a polyimide, a polyetherimide, a
polyamide, an acrylonitrylstyrene, a butadiene, a
polyethyleneterephthalate, a polybutyleneterephthalate, a
polybutylenetetrachlorate, a polyvinyl chloride, a polyphenylene
ether, a polycarbonate, a polyestercarbonate, a polyester, an
acrylonitrile-butylacrylate-styrene polymer, an amorphous nylon, a
polyarylene ether ketone, a polyphenylene sulfide, a polyaryl
sulfone, a polyether sulfone, a poly(1,4 phenylene) compound, a
silicone and mixtures thereof. In certain configurations, the
thermoplastic material of the powder coated layer comprises a
polyurethane or a polyamide or a co-polyamide or a polypropylene.
In other instances, the reinforcing fibers are selected from the
group consisting of glass fibers, aramid fibers, graphite fibers,
carbon fibers, inorganic mineral fibers, metal fibers, metalized
synthetic fibers, and metallized inorganic fibers and combinations
thereof. In some examples, the porous core layer further comprises
a lofting agent. In some embodiments, no barrier, e.g., no film or
barrier material, is present between the porous core layer and the
powder coated layer such that the powder coated layer is disposed
directly on the porous core layer.
[0007] In some examples, the article comprises a skin layer
disposed on the powder coated layer. For example, the skin layer
may be selected from the group consisting of a film, a frim, a
scrim, a foil, a paper, a woven fabric, a non-woven fabric, a foam,
an inorganic coating, an organic coating, a thermoplastic coating
and a thermosetting material coating. In some examples, the
composite article comprises a decorative layer disposed on the skin
layer. In other examples, the porous core layer comprises a
porosity of at least 10% by volume of the porous core layer, the
porous core layer further comprising a thermoplastic material
different from a thermoplastic material in the powder coated layer.
In some instances, the porous core layer comprises a porosity of at
least 10% by volume of the porous core layer, the porous core layer
further comprising a thermoplastic material the same as a
thermoplastic material in the powder coated layer. In certain
embodiments, the porous core layer comprises a basis weight of
about 300 gsm to about 3000 gsm and the powder coated layer
comprises a basis weight of about 20 gsm to about 200 gsm. In other
embodiments, the powder coated layer is effective to provide an
average peel strength for the skin layer of at least 125 N/m in the
machine direction and at least 125 N/m in the cross direction as
tested by ASTM D903 Peel 180.degree. dated 2010. In some examples,
the powder coated layer is effective to provide an average peel
strength for the skin layer of at least 390 N/m in the machine
direction and at least 390 N/m in the cross direction as tested by
ASTM D903 Peel 180.degree. dated 2010. In other examples, the
powder coated layer is effective to provide an average peel
strength for the skin layer of at least 250 N/m in the machine
direction and at least 250 N/m in the cross direction as tested by
ASTM D903 Peel 180.degree. dated 2010. In some instances, a basis
weight of the powder coated layer on the porous core layer is
selected to provide a peel strength, as tested by ASTM D903 Peel
180.degree. dated 2010, which is the same as or greater than a
reference peel strength, as tested by ASTM D903 Peel 180.degree.
dated 2010, provided by a thermoplastic film disposed on the porous
core layer. In other examples, the reference peel strength is
determined using a thermoplastic film comprising a basis weight of
about 50 gsm to about 100 gsm.
[0008] In another aspect, a thermoplastic composite article
comprises a porous core layer comprising a web of reinforcing
fibers held together by a thermoplastic material, e.g., the porous
core layer may be a non-extruded porous core layer, and a powder
coated layer comprising a non-polyolefin powder disposed on the
porous core layer. For example, a particle size of non-polyolefin
powder is selected to provide an interface between the powder
coated layer and the porous core layer where substantially all of
the disposed non-polyolefin powder of the powder coated layer is
present above the interface.
[0009] In some examples, the porosity of the core layer is greater
than 10% by volume of the core layer. In other examples, the powder
coated layer further comprises a polyolefin thermoplastic material,
in which the thermoplastic material of the porous core layer is the
same or different than the polyolefin thermoplastic material of the
powder coated layer. In further examples, the thermoplastic
material of the porous core layer is a polyolefin and the
non-polyolefin material of the powder coated layer is a
thermoplastic non-polyolefin powder. In some examples, the
thermoplastic material of the porous core layer is selected from
the group consisting of a polyethylene, a polypropylene, a
polystyrene, a polyimide, a polyetherimide, a polyamide an
acrylonitrylstyrene, a butadiene, a polyethyleneterephthalate, a
polybutyleneterephthalate, a polybutylenetetrachlorate, a polyvinyl
chloride, a polyphenylene ether, a polycarbonate, a
polyestercarbonate, a polyester, an
acrylonitrile-butylacrylate-styrene polymer, an amorphous nylon, a
polyarylene ether ketone, a polyphenylene sulfide, a polyaryl
sulfone, a polyether sulfone, a poly(1,4 phenylene) compound, a
silicone and mixtures thereof. In other instances, the
non-polyolefin material of the powder coated layer is a
polyurethane or a polyamide or a co-polyamide or a polypropylene.
In some embodiments, the reinforcing fibers are selected from the
group consisting of glass fibers, aramid fibers, graphite fibers,
carbon fibers, inorganic mineral fibers, metal fibers, metalized
synthetic fibers, and metallized inorganic fibers and combinations
thereof. In other embodiments, the porous core layer further
comprises a lofting agent. In some examples, no barrier, e.g., no
film or barrier material, is present between the porous core layer
and the powder coated layer such that the powder coated layer is
disposed directly on the porous core layer.
[0010] In some instances, the article comprises a skin layer
disposed on the powder coated layer. For example, the skin layer
can be selected from the group consisting of a film, a frim, a
scrim, a foil, a paper, a woven fabric, a non-woven fabric, a foam,
an inorganic coating, an organic coating, a thermoplastic coating
and a thermosetting material coating. In some examples, a
decorative layer is disposed on the skin layer. In other examples,
the porous core layer comprises a porosity of at least 10% by
volume of the porous core layer, the porous core layer further
comprising a thermoplastic material different from a non-polyolefin
thermoplastic material in the powder coated layer. In some
embodiments, the porous core layer comprises a porosity of at least
10% by volume of the porous core layer, the porous core layer
further comprising a thermoplastic material the same as a
thermoplastic material in the powder coated layer. In some
instances, the porous core layer comprises a basis weight of about
300 gsm to about 3000 gsm and the powder coated layer comprises a
basis weight of about 20 gsm to about 200 gsm. In other examples,
the powder coated layer is effective to provide an average peel
strength for the skin layer of at least 125 N/m in the machine
direction and at least 125 N/m in the cross direction as tested by
ASTM D903 Peel 180.degree. dated 2010. In some examples, the powder
coated layer is effective to provide an average peel strength for
the skin layer of at least 390 N/m in the machine direction and at
least 390 N/m in the cross direction as tested by ASTM D903 Peel
180.degree. dated 2010. In certain examples, the powder coated
layer is effective to provide an average peel strength for the skin
layer of at least 250 N/m in the machine direction and at least 250
N/m in the cross direction as tested by ASTM D903 Peel 180.degree.
dated 2010. In some instances, a basis weight of the powder coated
layer on the porous core layer is selected to provide a peel
strength, as tested by ASTM D903 Peel 180.degree. dated 2010, which
is the same as or greater than a reference peel strength, as tested
by ASTM D903 Peel 180.degree. dated 2010, provided by a
thermoplastic film disposed on the porous core layer. For example,
the reference peel strength is determined using a thermoplastic
film comprising a basis weight of about 50 gsm to about 100
gsm.
[0011] In an additional aspect, a thermoplastic composite article
comprises a porous core layer comprising a web of reinforcing
fibers held together by a thermoplastic material, e.g., the porous
core layer may be a non-extruded porous core layer, a powder coated
layer comprising a powder disposed on the porous core layer, and a
skin layer disposed on the powder coated layer, in which a basis
weight of the powder coated layer is selected to provide a machine
direction peel strength for the skin of at least 125 N/m and a
cross direction peel strength of at least 125 N/m as tested by ASTM
D903 Peel 180.degree. dated 2010.
[0012] In some examples, an average particle size of the powder in
the powder coated layer is selected to provide an interface between
the powder coated layer and the porous core layer where at least
50% by weight of the disposed powder of the powder coated layer is
present above the interface. In other examples, the thermoplastic
material of the porous core layer is selected from the group
consisting of a polyethylene, a polypropylene, a polystyrene, a
polyimide, a polyetherimide, a polyamide, an acrylonitrylstyrene, a
butadiene, a polyethyleneterephthalate, a
polybutyleneterephthalate, a polybutylenetetrachlorate, a polyvinyl
chloride, a polyphenylene ether, a polycarbonate, a
polyestercarbonate, a polyester, an
acrylonitrile-butylacrylate-styrene polymer, an amorphous nylon, a
polyarylene ether ketone, a polyphenylene sulfide, a polyaryl
sulfone, a polyether sulfone, a poly(1,4 phenylene) compound, a
silicone and mixtures thereof. In certain instances, the
reinforcing fibers are selected from the group consisting of glass
fibers, aramid fibers, graphite fibers, carbon fibers, inorganic
mineral fibers, metal fibers, metalized synthetic fibers, and
metallized inorganic fibers and combinations thereof. In some
examples, the porous core layer comprises a basis weight of about
300 gsm to about 3000 gsm and the powder coated layer comprises a
basis weight of about 20 gsm to about 200 gsm. In certain
embodiments, the powder coated layer is effective to provide an
average peel strength for the skin layer of at least 125 N/m in the
machine direction and at least 125 N/m in the cross direction as
tested by ASTM D903 Peel 180.degree. dated 2010. In other
embodiments, the powder coated layer is effective to provide an
average peel strength for the skin layer of at least 390 N/m in the
machine direction and at least 390 N/m in the cross direction as
tested by ASTM D903 Peel 180.degree. dated 2010. In some examples,
the powder coated layer is effective to provide an average peel
strength for the skin layer of at least 250 N/m in the machine
direction and at least 250 N/m in the cross direction as tested by
ASTM D903 Peel 180.degree. dated 2010. In certain examples, a basis
weight of the powder coated layer on the porous core layer is
selected to provide a peel strength, as tested by ASTM D903 Peel
180.degree. dated 2010, which is the same as or greater than a
reference peel strength, as tested by ASTM D903 Peel 180.degree.
dated 2010, provided by a thermoplastic film disposed on the porous
core layer. In other examples, the reference peel strength is
determined using a thermoplastic film comprising a basis weight of
about 50 gsm to about 100 gsm.
[0013] In another aspect, a thermoplastic composite article
comprises a porous core layer comprising a web of reinforcing
fibers held together by a thermoplastic material, e.g., the porous
core layer may be a non-extruded porous core layer, and a powder
coated layer comprising a powder disposed directly on the porous
core layer without any intervening layers, in which the disposed
powder comprises an average particle size selected to prevent
penetration of the powder into voids of the porous core layer.
[0014] In certain examples, an average particle size of the powder
in the powder coated layer is selected to provide an interface
between the powder coated layer and the porous core layer where all
of the disposed powder of the powder coated layer is present above
the interface. In other examples, the thermoplastic material of the
porous core layer is selected from the group consisting of a
polyethylene, a polypropylene, a polystyrene, a polyimide, a
polyetherimide, a polyamide, an acrylonitrylstyrene, a butadiene, a
polyethyleneterephthalate, a polybutyleneterephthalate, a
polybutylenetetrachlorate, a polyvinyl chloride, a polyphenylene
ether, a polycarbonate, a polyestercarbonate, a polyester, an
acrylonitrile-butylacrylate-styrene polymer, an amorphous nylon, a
polyarylene ether ketone, a polyphenylene sulfide, a polyaryl
sulfone, a polyether sulfone, a poly(1,4 phenylene) compound, a
silicone and mixtures thereof. In some embodiments, the reinforcing
fibers are selected from the group consisting of glass fibers,
aramid fibers, graphite fibers, carbon fibers, inorganic mineral
fibers, metal fibers, metalized synthetic fibers, and metallized
inorganic fibers and combinations thereof. In other embodiments,
the porous core layer comprises a basis weight of about 300 gsm to
about 3000 gsm and the powder coated layer comprises a basis weight
of about 20 gsm to about 200 gsm. In some instances, the powder
coated layer is effective to provide an average peel strength for
the skin layer of at least 125 N/m in the machine direction and at
least 125 N/m in the cross direction as tested by ASTM D903 Peel
180.degree. dated 2010. In other instances, the powder coated layer
is effective to provide an average peel strength for the skin layer
of at least 390 N/m in the machine direction and at least 390 N/m
in the cross direction as tested by ASTM D903 Peel 180.degree.
dated 2010. In certain examples, the powder coated layer is
effective to provide an average peel strength for the skin layer of
at least 250 N/m in the machine direction and at least 250 N/m in
the cross direction as tested by ASTM D903 Peel 180.degree. dated
2010. In other examples, a basis weight of the powder coated layer
on the porous core layer is selected to provide a peel strength, as
tested by ASTM D903 Peel 180.degree. dated 2010, which is the same
as or greater than a reference peel strength, as tested by ASTM
D903 Peel 180.degree. dated 2010, provided by a thermoplastic film
disposed on the porous core layer. In some examples, the reference
peel strength is determined using a thermoplastic film comprising a
basis weight of about 50 gsm to about 100 gsm.
[0015] In an additional aspect, a thermoplastic composite article
comprises a porous core layer comprising a web of reinforcing
fibers held together by a thermoplastic material, e.g., the porous
core layer may be a non-extruded porous core layer, a film disposed
on the porous core layer, a powder coated layer comprising a powder
disposed on the film, and a skin disposed on the powder coated
layer, in which a basis weight of the powder coated layer is
selected to provide a machine direction peel strength for the skin
of at least 125 N/m and a cross direction peel strength of at least
125 N/m as tested by ASTM D903 Peel 180.degree. dated 2010. In some
examples, the film may comprise a thickness of 500 mils or
less.
[0016] In certain examples, an average particle size of the powder
in the powder coated layer is selected to provide an interface
between the powder coated layer and the porous core layer wherein
at least 50% by weight of the disposed powder of the powder coated
layer is present above the interface. In other examples, the
thermoplastic material of the porous core layer is selected from
the group consisting of a polyethylene, a polypropylene, a
polystyrene, a polyimide, a polyetherimide, a polyamide, an
acrylonitrylstyrene, a butadiene, a polyethyleneterephthalate, a
polybutyleneterephthalate, a polybutylenetetrachlorate, a polyvinyl
chloride, a polyphenylene ether, a polycarbonate, a
polyestercarbonate, a polyester, an
acrylonitrile-butylacrylate-styrene polymer, an amorphous nylon, a
polyarylene ether ketone, a polyphenylene sulfide, a polyaryl
sulfone, a polyether sulfone, a poly(1,4 phenylene) compound, a
silicone and mixtures thereof. In some embodiments, the reinforcing
fibers are selected from the group consisting of glass fibers,
aramid fibers, graphite fibers, carbon fibers, inorganic mineral
fibers, metal fibers, metalized synthetic fibers, and metallized
inorganic fibers and combinations thereof. In other examples, the
porous core layer comprises a basis weight of about 300 gsm to
about 3000 gsm and the powder coated layer comprises a basis weight
of about 20 gsm to about 200 gsm. In certain examples, the powder
of the powder coated layer comprises a non-polyolefin thermoplastic
material and the core comprises a polyolefin thermoplastic
material. In some examples, the porous core layer comprises a
porosity of at least 10% by volume of the core layer. In certain
configurations, the powder comprises a polyurethane powder or a
co-polyamide powder or a polypropylene powder. In some examples, a
decorative layer is disposed on the skin. In other examples, the
composite article comprises a foam disposed between the skin and
the decorative layer.
[0017] In another aspect, a vehicle headliner article comprises a
porous core layer comprising a web of reinforcing fibers held
together by a polymeric material, e.g., the porous core layer may
be a non-extruded porous core layer, a powder coated layer
comprising a polymeric powder disposed on the porous core layer, in
which an average particle size of the powder is selected to provide
an interface between the powder coated layer and the porous core
layer, and a decorative layer coupled to the powder coated layer,
in which the headliner article is constructed and arranged to
couple to an underside of a roof of a vehicle and span from a front
windshield of the vehicle to a back windshield of the vehicle and
to span from a left side of the vehicle to a right side of the
vehicle.
[0018] In some examples, at least 50% by weight of the disposed
powder of the powder coated layer is present above the interface.
In other examples, the porosity of the core layer is greater than
10 by volume of the core layer. In some configurations, each of the
powder coated layer and the porous core layer comprises a
thermoplastic material, in which the thermoplastic material of the
porous core layer is the same or different than the thermoplastic
material of the powder coated layer. In other configurations, the
thermoplastic material of the porous core layer is selected from
the group consisting of a polyethylene, a polypropylene, a
polystyrene, a polyimide, a polyetherimide, a polyamide, an
acrylonitrylstyrene, a butadiene, a polyethyleneterephthalate, a
polybutyleneterephthalate, a polybutylenetetrachlorate, a polyvinyl
chloride, a polyphenylene ether, a polycarbonate, a
polyestercarbonate, a polyester, an
acrylonitrile-butylacrylate-styrene polymer, an amorphous nylon, a
polyarylene ether ketone, a polyphenylene sulfide, a polyaryl
sulfone, a polyether sulfone, a poly(1,4 phenylene) compound, a
silicone and mixtures thereof. In some examples, the thermoplastic
material of the powder coated layer comprises a polyurethane or a
polyamide or a co-polyamide or a polypropylene. In some examples,
the reinforcing fibers are selected from the group consisting of
glass fibers, aramid fibers, graphite fibers, carbon fibers,
inorganic mineral fibers, metal fibers, metalized synthetic fibers,
and metallized inorganic fibers and combinations thereof. In other
examples, the polymeric material of the core layer comprises a
thermoplastic material or a thermosetting material or both. In
certain examples, no barrier, e.g., no film or barrier material, is
present between the porous core layer and the powder coated layer
such that the powder coated layer is disposed directly on the
porous core layer. In other examples, the vehicle headliner article
comprises a skin layer disposed on the powder coated layer and
positioned between the powder coated layer and the decorative
layer.
[0019] In another aspect, an underbody shield comprises a porous
core layer comprising a web of reinforcing fibers held together by
a polymeric material, e.g., the porous core layer may be a
non-extruded porous core layer, a powder coated layer comprising a
polymeric powder disposed on the porous core layer, in which an
average particle size of the powder is selected to provide an
interface between the powder coated layer and the porous core
layer, and a skin layer coupled to the powder coated layer, in
which the underbody shield is constructed and arranged to couple to
an underbody of a vehicle.
[0020] In some examples, at least 50% by weight of the disposed
powder of the powder coated layer is present above the interface.
In other examples, the porosity of the core layer is greater than
10 by volume of the core layer. In some embodiments, each of the
porous core layer and the powder coated layer comprises a
thermoplastic material, in which the thermoplastic material of the
porous core layer is the same or different than the thermoplastic
material of the powder coated layer. In other embodiments, the
thermoplastic material of the porous core layer is selected from
the group consisting of a polyethylene, a polypropylene, a
polystyrene, a polyimide, a polyetherimide, a polyamide, an
acrylonitrylstyrene, a butadiene, a polyethyleneterephthalate, a
polybutyleneterephthalate, a polybutylenetetrachlorate, a polyvinyl
chloride, a polyphenylene ether, a polycarbonate, a
polyestercarbonate, a polyester, an
acrylonitrile-butylacrylate-styrene polymer, an amorphous nylon, a
polyarylene ether ketone, a polyphenylene sulfide, a polyaryl
sulfone, a polyether sulfone, a poly(l,4 phenylene) compound, a
silicone and mixtures thereof. In some configurations, the
thermoplastic material of the powder coated layer comprises a
polyurethane or a polyamide or a co-polyamide or a polypropylene.
In other examples, the reinforcing fibers are selected from the
group consisting of glass fibers, aramid fibers, graphite fibers,
carbon fibers, inorganic mineral fibers, metal fibers, metalized
synthetic fibers, and metallized inorganic fibers and combinations
thereof. In some instances, the polymeric material of the porous
core layer comprises a thermoplastic material or a thermosetting
material or both. In other examples, no barrier, e.g., no film or
barrier material, is present between the porous core layer and the
powder coated layer such that the powder coated layer is disposed
directly on the porous core layer. In certain instances, the
underbody shield comprises a skin layer disposed on the powder
coated layer and positioned between the powder coated layer and the
decorative layer.
[0021] In another aspect, a method of producing a thermoplastic
composite article comprises disposing a skin on a porous core
layer, the method comprising disposing a skin on a powder coated
layer disposed on the porous core layer, the powder coated layer
providing an interface between the porous core layer and effective
to adhere the skin to the porous core layer to provide a peel
strength for the skin of at least 125 N/m in the machine direction
and a peel strength of at least 125 N/m in the cross direction as
tested by ASTM D903 Peel 180.degree. dated 2010. If desired, the
powder coated layer may be directly disposed on the porous core
layer without any intervening materials.
[0022] In some examples, the method comprises selecting a
thermoplastic material of the powder coated layer to be the same or
different than a thermoplastic material of the porous core layer.
In other examples, the method comprises selecting the thermoplastic
material of the porous core layer to comprise a polyolefin and
selecting the thermoplastic material of the powder coated layer to
comprise a non-polyolefin or a polyolefin. In further examples, the
method comprises selecting a thermoplastic material of the powder
coated layer and the thermoplastic material of the porous core
layer to be a same material, and selecting an average particle size
of the thermoplastic material of the powder coated layer to be
larger than an average particle size of the thermoplastic material
of the porous core layer. In some instances, the method comprises
compressing the porous core layer prior to disposing the powder
coated layer on the porous core layer. In other examples, the
method comprises compressing the thermoplastic composite article
after disposing the skin on the powder coated layer. In some
examples, the method comprises molding the thermoplastic composite
article after disposing the skin on the powder coated layer. In
some configurations, the method comprises disposing an additional
skin on an opposite surface of porous core layer that comprises the
powder coated layer and the skin. In other configurations, the
method comprises disposing a decorative layer on the skin. In some
examples, the method comprises forming the porous core layer by:
combining a thermoplastic material and reinforcing fibers to form
an agitated aqueous foam, disposing the agitated aqueous foam onto
a wire support, evacuating the water to form a web, heating the web
to a first temperature at or above the melting temperature of the
thermoplastic material, and compressing the web to a first
thickness.
[0023] In an additional aspect, a method of producing a
thermoplastic composite article comprises disposing a powder coated
layer onto a porous core layer in an effective amount to provide a
peel strength for a skin disposed on the powder coated layer of at
least 125 N/m in the machine direction and a peel strength of at
least 125 N/m in the cross direction as tested by ASTM D903 Peel
180.degree. dated 2010, and disposing the skin on the disposed
powder coated layer.
[0024] In certain examples, the method comprises selecting a
thermoplastic material of the powder coated layer to be the same or
different than a thermoplastic material of the porous core layer.
In some examples, the method comprises selecting the thermoplastic
material of the porous core layer to comprise a polyolefin and
selecting the thermoplastic material of the powder coated layer to
comprise a non-polyolefin or a polyolefin. In other examples, the
method comprises selecting a thermoplastic material of the powder
coated layer and the thermoplastic material of the porous core
layer to be a same material, and selecting an average particle size
of the thermoplastic material of the powder coated layer to be
larger than an average particle size of the thermoplastic material
of the porous core layer. In some examples, the method comprises
compressing the porous core layer prior to disposing the powder
coated layer on the porous core layer. In some instances, the
method comprises compressing the thermoplastic composite article
after disposing the skin on the powder coated layer. In other
examples, the method comprises molding the thermoplastic composite
article after disposing the skin on the powder coated layer. In
some embodiments, the method comprises disposing an additional skin
on an opposite surface of porous core layer that comprises the
powder coated layer and the skin. In other examples, the method
comprises disposing a decorative layer on the skin. In some
examples, the method comprises forming the porous core layer by:
combining a thermoplastic material and reinforcing fibers to form
an agitated aqueous foam, disposing the agitated aqueous foam onto
a wire support, evacuating the water to form a web, heating the web
to a first temperature at or above the melting temperature of the
thermoplastic material, and compressing the web to a first
thickness.
[0025] In another aspect, a method of producing a thermoplastic
composite article comprises combining a thermoplastic material and
reinforcing fibers to form an agitated aqueous foam, disposing the
agitated aqueous foam onto a wire support, evacuating the water to
form a web, heating the web to a first temperature at or above the
melting temperature of the thermoplastic material, compressing the
web to a first thickness to provide a porous core layer, powder
coating a powder material onto the porous core layer to provide a
powder coated layer, and disposing a skin on the powder coated
layer to provide the thermoplastic composite article.
[0026] In certain examples, the method comprises heating the porous
core layer prior to disposing the powder material. In other
examples, the method comprises disposing the skin on the heated
porous core layer comprising the powder coated layer. In some
instances, the method comprises molding the thermoplastic composite
article. In some examples, the method comprises lofting the
thermoplastic article. In other embodiments, the method comprises
configuring the agitated aqueous foam to comprise a lofting agent.
In certain instances, the method comprises configuring the powder
material to comprise a thermoplastic material. In some examples,
the thermoplastic material of the powder material comprises a
non-polyolefin powder material and the thermoplastic material of
the foam comprises a polyolefin. For example, the non-polyolefin
powder material may comprise a polyurethane powder or other
non-polyolefin powder materials. In some examples, the method
comprises configuring the thermoplastic material of the foam to
comprise polypropylene and configuring the reinforcing fibers to
comprise glass fibers.
[0027] If desired, one or more additional powder coated layers can
be present on the articles described herein.
[0028] Additional features, aspect, examples, configurations and
embodiments are described in more detail below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0029] Certain embodiments are described with reference to the
accompanying figures in which:
[0030] FIG. 1 is an illustration of a prepreg comprising a powder
coated layer, in accordance with certain examples;
[0031] FIG. 2 is an illustration of a prepreg comprising a powder
coated layer and a skin, in accordance with certain
embodiments;
[0032] FIG. 3 is an illustration of a prepreg comprising a powder
coated layer on each surface of a core layer, in accordance with
certain examples;
[0033] FIG. 4 is an illustration of a prepreg comprising a skin and
a powder coated layer on the skin, in accordance with certain
configurations;
[0034] FIG. 5 is an illustration of two core layers coupled to each
other through a powder coated layer, in accordance with certain
instances;
[0035] FIG. 6 is an illustration of two core layers coupled to each
other with a powder coated layer disposed on one of the core
layers, in accordance with certain instances;
[0036] FIG. 7 is an illustration of an article comprising a core, a
powder coated layer and a skin on the powder coated layer, in
accordance with certain examples;
[0037] FIG. 8 is an illustration of an article comprising a core, a
powder coated layer and a skin on the powder coated layer and an
additional skin on an opposite surface of the core, in accordance
with certain examples;
[0038] FIG. 9 is an illustration of an article comprising a core, a
powder coated layer, a skin on the powder coated layer, and a
decorative layer on the skin in accordance with certain
examples;
[0039] FIG. 10 is an illustration of an article comprising two or
more cores separated by a powder coated layer and skin, in
accordance with certain embodiments;
[0040] FIG. 11 is an illustration of two or more cores with a
powder coated layer on one of the cores, in accordance with certain
instances;
[0041] FIG. 12 is an illustration of an article comprising strips
of powder coated material on a core, in accordance with certain
examples;
[0042] FIG. 13 is an illustration of an article comprising strips
of a surface layer disposed on a powder coated layer, in accordance
with certain configurations;
[0043] FIG. 14 is a top view illustration of a vehicle headliner,
in accordance with certain instances;
[0044] FIG. 15A is an illustration of an underbody shield, and FIG.
15B is a top view illustration of rear window trim, in accordance
with certain examples;
[0045] FIG. 16 is an illustration of a powder coating system which
can be used to provide a powder coated layer on a prepreg or core,
in accordance with some embodiments;
[0046] FIG. 17 is a block diagram of a process which can be used to
produce an article, in accordance with certain examples; and
[0047] FIGS. 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24 are graphs showing sound
absorption as a function of frequency for various composite
articles.
[0048] It will be recognized by the person of ordinary skill in the
art, given the benefit of this disclosure, that certain dimensions
or features in the figures may have been enlarged, distorted or
shown in an otherwise unconventional or non-proportional manner to
provide a more user friendly version of the figures. No particular
thickness, width or length is intended by the depictions in the
figures, and relative sizes or thickness of different layers in the
figure components are not intended to limit the sizes of any of the
components or layers in the figures. Where dimensions or values are
specified in the description below, the dimensions or values are
provided for illustrative purposes only. In addition, no particular
material or arrangement is intended to be required by virtue of
shading of certain portions of the figures, and even though
different components in the figures may include shading for
purposes of distinction, the different components can include the
same or similar materials, if desired. In some instances, the
various layers are shown as including stubble, dots, slashes, etc.
for illustration purposes. The arrangement of the stubbles, dots,
slashes, etc. is not intended to imply any particular material or
distribution unless otherwise specified in the context of
describing that particular figure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0049] Certain embodiments are described below with reference to
singular and plural terms in order to provide a more user friendly
description of the technology disclosed herein. These terms are
used for convenience purposes only and are not intended to limit
the prepregs, cores, articles, composites and other subject matter
as including or excluding certain features unless otherwise noted
as being present in, or excluded from, a particular embodiment
described herein. As noted in more detail herein, the prepregs or
core layers may take the form of non-extruded core layers or
non-extruded prepreg layers to provide for a desired amount of
porosity in the prepreg or core layers.
[0050] In certain instances, thermoplastic composite articles are
often molded or processed into various shapes to provide a final
formed part or article. The exact final article formed may depend
on the particular use application. For example, in some instances,
the prepregs and cores described herein may be provided in sheet
form which can then be molded, trimmed or shaped to a desired
geometry or structure. In certain instances, the sheets may be
processed to provide a vehicular headliner, a vehicle underbody
shield, a vehicle cargo tray or storage compartment, etc. In other
instances, the composite articles can be molded or processed to
provide office furniture or indoor building products including, but
not limited to, cubicles, wall coverings, e.g., wall covering which
can attached to wall studs or cover existing drywall or other
materials attached to wall studs, seatbacks, seat frames, roofing
panels, ceiling panels, flooring or other articles which may be
used in office or building applications.
[0051] In certain configurations, the articles described herein may
comprise a prepreg layer or a core layer. While not wishing to be
bound by any particular theory, a prepreg layer is generally not a
fully formed or processed version of a core layer. For example, a
partially formed layer comprising a thermoplastic material (or
other polymeric material) and a plurality of fibers is generally
referred to as a prepreg layer, whereas a fully formed layer
comprising a thermoplastic material (or other polymeric material)
and a plurality of fibers is generally referred to as a core layer.
As noted herein, even though the core layer may be considered
formed or cured, the core layer can still be coupled to one or more
skin layers, power coated layers, etc. to alter the overall
properties of a composite article comprising the core layer. The
description below makes reference to both a prepreg and a core
layers and the materials (and their amounts and properties) used in
connection with a prepreg layer can also be used in a core layer if
desired.
[0052] In certain examples and referring to FIG. 1, a simplified
illustration of a prepreg 100 is shown. The prepreg 100 comprises a
core layer 105 coupled to a powder coated layer 110 disposed on a
first surface 107 of the core layer 105. Where the core layer 105
takes three-dimensional forms, the powder coated layer 110 (or
other layers) may also be present on one or more side surfaces of
the core layer 110. In other configurations, the powder coated
layer may be disposed such that it is present only on a planar
surface (or some portion thereof) of the core layer 105. As
discussed in more detail below, the core layer 105 is typically a
porous structure which may comprise a web comprising a plurality of
reinforcing fibers held together by a thermoplastic material. The
porosity of the web can be particularly high, e.g., greater than
20%, 30%, 40% or even greater than 50% by volume, if desired. The
powder coating material and conditions can be selected such that no
powder coated material penetrates into the web, e.g., a defined
interface between the powder coated layer 110 and the core layer
105 exists, or can be selected such that some amount of the powder
coated material may penetrate or occupy void space of the core
layer 105. For example, the particle size and powder coating
conditions can be selected such that all of the powder coated
material (or substantially all of the powder coated material)
remains on the surface 107 of the core layer 105. Where the powder
coated layer 110 is effective to function as an adhesive, this
resulting layering can provide for enhanced amounts of material,
e.g., powder coating material, to be present on the surface 107 to
bond with another layer to be coupled to the prepreg 100 through
the powder coated layer 110. While the exact average particle size
of the powder material used in the powder coated layer 110 can
vary, in some instances the average particle diameter of the
particles used in the powder coated layer 110 can be greater than
the average pore size to enhance retention of the powder material
on top of the prepreg 100.
[0053] In certain instances, at least one material of the powder
coated layer 110 may be the same as one material present in the
core layer 105, e.g., each of the core layer and powder coated
layer may comprise a thermoplastic, thermosetting material or other
material. In some instances, the layers 105, 110 may share one or
more common materials but the exact form or size of the common
material may be different in the different layers 105, 110. For
example, the core layer 105 and the powder coated layer 110 may
each comprise the same polyolefin type, e.g., polyethylene,
polypropylene, etc., but the form or size of the materials may be
different in the different layers. In some instances where a common
material is present in the layers 105, 110, the average particle
size of the common material in the core layer 105 may be greater
than the average particle size of the material in the layer 110. It
may be desirable, however, to configure the layer 110 with an
average particle size larger than the average particle size of the
common material in the core layer 105 to enhance surface retention
of the powder coated material on the core layer 105. In some
instances, the common material may be present in a different form
in the core layer 105 than in the powder coated layer 110. For
example, each of the core layer 105 and the powder coated layer 110
may comprise a thermoplastic material (which may be the same or
different), but the thermoplastic material in the core layer 105
may be present in a first form, e.g., fiber form, and the
thermoplastic material in the layer 110 may be present in a second
form different than the first form, e.g., as particles. In other
instances, the core layer 105 may comprise a mixture of types of
materials, e.g., fibers and particles, and the layer 110 may
comprise, for example, only fibers or only particles. If desired,
the layer 110 could instead comprise a mixture of types of
materials, e.g., fibers and particles, and the core layer 105 may
comprise only fibers or only particles, for example. In other
configurations, there are no common materials present in the core
layer 105 and the powder coated layer 110. Where the core layer 105
and the layer 110 each comprise a thermoplastic material (or
thermosetting material or other material), the thermoplastic
material (or thermosetting material or other material) may be the
same or may be different. In certain configurations, the core layer
105 may comprise a thermoplastic material in combination with
reinforcing fibers, and the layer 110 may comprise a thermoplastic
material, e.g., polyolefin, thermoplastic polyurethane, etc. or
other materials such as thermosetting materials, e.g.,
thermosetting polyurethanes, etc. without any fibers present in the
layer 110.
[0054] In certain examples, the powder coated layers described
herein can be used to couple an additional layer to the core layer.
Referring to FIG. 2, a prepreg 200 is shown that comprises a core
layer 205 comprising a first surface 207 and a second surface 209.
A powder coated layer 210 is present on the first surface 207. A
skin 220 is disposed on the powder coated layer 210 to provide the
prepreg 200. While various methods to produce the prepreg 200 are
described in more detail below, the powder coated layer 210 can be
disposed on the core layer 205 prior to disposing the skin 220 on
the powder coated layer 210, or the powder coated layer can be
disposed on the additional layer 220 prior to coupling the
additional layer 220 to the core layer 205 through the powder
coated layer 210. The layer 220 may take various forms including,
but not limited to, a film (e.g., thermoplastic film or elastomeric
film), a frim (e.g., a combination of a film and a scrim), a scrim
(e.g., fiber based scrim), a foil, a paper, a woven fabric, a
non-woven fabric, a foam, or be present as an inorganic coating, an
organic coating, thermoplastic coating or a thermosetting material
coating. In other instances, the layer 220 may comprise a limiting
oxygen index greater than about 22, as measured per ISO 4589 dated
1996. Where a thermoplastic film is present as (or as part of) the
layer 220, the thermoplastic film may comprise at least one of
polyolefin, poly(ether imide), poly(ether ketone), poly(ether-ether
ketone), poly(phenylene sulfide), poly(arylene sulfone), poly(ether
sulfone), poly(amide-imide), poly(1,4-phenylene), polycarbonate,
nylon, and silicone. Where a fiber based scrim is present as (or as
part of) the layer 220, the fiber based scrim may comprise at least
one of glass fibers, aramid fibers, graphite fibers, carbon fibers,
inorganic mineral fibers, metal fibers, metalized synthetic fibers,
polymer fiber and metalized inorganic fibers. Where a thermosetting
material coating is present as (or as part of) the layer 220, the
coating may comprise at least one of unsaturated polyurethanes,
vinyl esters, phenolics and epoxies. Where an inorganic coating is
present as (or as part of) the layer 220, the inorganic coating may
comprise minerals containing cations selected from Ca, Mg, Ba, Si,
Zn, Ti and Al or may comprise at least one of gypsum, calcium
carbonate and mortar. Where a non-woven fabric is present as (or as
part of) the layer 220, the non-woven fabric may comprise a
thermoplastic material, a thermal setting binder, inorganic fibers,
polymer fiber, metal fibers, metallized inorganic fibers and
metallized synthetic fibers.
[0055] In certain examples and referring to FIG. 3, an illustration
of a prepreg 300 is shown. The prepreg 300 comprises a core layer
305 coupled to a first powder coated layer 310 disposed on a first
surface 307 of the core layer 305. The prepreg 300 also comprises a
second powder coated layer 315 disposed on a second surface 309 of
the core layer 305. As noted in connection with FIG. 1, the powder
coating material and conditions can be selected such that no powder
coated material, or substantially no powder coated material,
penetrates into a web of the core layer 305, e.g., a first
interface between the powder coated layer 310 and the core layer
305 and a second interface between the powder coated layer 315 and
the core layer 305 can exist. For example, the particle size and
powder coating conditions can be selected such that all of the
powder coated material (or substantially all of the powder coated
material) remains on the surface 307, 309 of the core layer 305. If
desired, however, certain amounts of the powder coated material may
penetrate into the core. The particular particle size used, e.g.,
the average particle diameter of the powder coated layer, may vary
depending on the particular material selected for use as a powder
and the overall size of the pores in the underlying core layer 305.
In some instances, the powder is a non-polyolefin powder including,
but not limited to, a polyamide, a thermoplastic polyurethane, a
co-polyamide or other suitable materials. In some instances, the
powder is a polyolefin powder including, but not limited to, a
polypropylene, a polyethylene and other suitable materials and
combinations thereof. Where each of the powder coated layers 310,
315 is effective to function as an adhesive, this resulting
layering can provide for enhanced amounts of material to be present
on the surfaces 307, 309 to bond with another layer to be coupled
to the prepreg 300 through the powder coated layers 310, 315.
[0056] In certain instances, at least one material in one or both
of the powder coated layers 310, 315 may be the same as one
material present in the core layer 305, e.g., each of the core
layer and powder coated layer may comprise a thermoplastic,
thermoset or other material. In some instances, the layers 305,
310, 315 may all share one or more common materials but the exact
form or size of the common material may be different in the
different layers 305, 310, 315. For example, the core layer 305 and
the powder coated layers 310, 315 may each comprise the same
polyolefin type, e.g., polyethylene, polypropylene, etc., but the
form or size of the materials may be different in the different
layers. In some instances where a common material is present in the
layers 305, 310, 315 the average particle size of the common
material in the core layer 305 may be greater than the average
particle size of the material in the layer 310 or the layer 315. It
may be desirable, however, to configure the layers 310, 315 with an
average particle size larger than the average particle size of the
common material in the core layer 305 to enhance surface retention
of the powder coated material on the core layer 305. In some
instances, the common material may be present in a different form
in the core layer 305 than in the powder coated layers 310, 315.
For example, each of the core layer 305 and the powder coated
layers 310, 315 may comprise a thermoplastic material (which may be
the same or different), but the thermoplastic material in the core
layer 305 may be present in a first form, e.g., fiber form, and the
thermoplastic material in the layers 310, 315 may be present in a
form different than the first form, e.g., as particles. In other
instances, the core layer 305 may comprise a mixture of types of
materials, e.g., fibers and particles, and the layers 310, 315 may
comprise, for example, only fibers or only particles. If desired,
the layers 310, 315 could instead comprise a mixture of types of
materials, e.g., fibers and particles, and the core layer 305 may
comprise only fibers or only particles, for example. In other
configurations, there are no common materials present in the core
layer 305 and the powder coated layers 310, 315. Where the core
layer 305 and the layers 310, 315 each comprise a thermoplastic
material, the thermoplastic material may be the same or may be
different. In certain configurations, the core layer 305 may
comprise a thermoplastic material in combination with reinforcing
fibers, and the layers 310, 315 may comprise a thermoplastic
material, e.g., polyolefin, thermoplastic polyurethane, etc. or
other materials such as thermosetting materials, e.g.,
thermosetting polyurethanes, etc. without any fibers present in the
layers 310, 315.
[0057] In certain configurations, the materials present in the
layers 310, 315 may be the same or may be different. For example,
the materials in the layer 310, 315 may be the same and may
comprise substantially the same size and/or form. In other
instances, the layers 310, 315 may comprise the same materials but
may be present at a different thickness. In additional
configurations, the materials in the layers 310, 315 may be
different. In other instances, the particular pattern provided by
disposing the powder coated layer on a core layer may be different
in the layers 310, 315. For example, the layer 310 may be disposed
as a generally planar layer across the entire surface 307, whereas
the layer 315 can be disposed as strips or areas of material on the
surface 309 rather than a continuous layer to permit exposure of
the core layer 305 in certain areas. While the various powder
coated layers are shown in FIGS. 1-3 (and other figures herein) as
a single layer, the powder coated layers may be produced by
successive deposition of a plurality of individual layers to build
up the overall layer to a desired thickness or shape. Successive
layers may be the same powder coated material or may comprise
different powder coated materials.
[0058] In certain embodiments, it may be desirable to first couple
a skin or other material to the core layer prior to disposing the
powder coated material onto the prepreg surface. Referring to FIG.
4, a prepreg 400 is shown comprising a core layer 405 with a first
surface 407 and a second surface 409. A skin 420 has been disposed
on the first surface 407. While not shown, either a skin or a
powder coated layer may be disposed on the second surface 409. A
powder coated layer 410 is disposed on the skin 420. The powder
coated layer 410 may comprise one or more of the same materials as
is present in the skin 420 and the core layer 405. In some
instances, the materials in the powder coated layer 410 are
different than the materials of the skin 420 and/or the core layer
405. While various methods to produce the prepreg 400 are described
in more detail below, the powder coated layer 410 can be disposed
on the skin 420 prior to disposing the skin 420 on the core layer
405, or the powder coated layer can be disposed on the skin 420
after the skin has been disposed on the core layer 405. The skin
420 may take various forms including, but not limited to, a film
(e.g., thermoplastic film or elastomeric film), a frim (e.g., a
combination of a film and a scrim), a scrim (e.g., fiber based
scrim), a foil, a paper, a woven fabric, a non-woven fabric, a
foam, or be present as an inorganic coating, an organic coating, a
thermoplastic coating or a thermosetting material coating. In other
instances, the skin 420 may comprise a limiting oxygen index
greater than about 22, as measured per ISO 4589 dated 1996. Where a
thermoplastic film is present as (or as part of) the skin 420, the
thermoplastic film may comprise at least one of polyolefin,
poly(ether imide), poly(ether ketone), poly(ether-ether ketone),
poly(phenylene sulfide), poly(arylene sulfone), poly(ether
sulfone), poly(amide-imide), poly(1,4-phenylene), polycarbonate,
nylon, and silicone. Where a fiber based scrim is present as (or as
part of) the skin 420, the fiber based scrim may comprise at least
one of glass fibers, aramid fibers, graphite fibers, carbon fibers,
inorganic mineral fibers, metal fibers, polymer fibers, metalized
synthetic fibers, and metalized inorganic fibers. Where a
thermosetting material coating is present as (or as part of) the
skin 420, the coating may comprise at least one of unsaturated
polyurethanes, vinyl esters, phenolics and epoxies. Where an
inorganic coating is present as (or as part of) the skin 420, the
inorganic coating may comprise minerals containing cations selected
from Ca, Mg, Ba, Si, Zn, Ti and Al or may comprise at least one of
gypsum, calcium carbonate and mortar. Where a non-woven fabric is
present as (or as part of) the skin 420, the non-woven fabric may
comprise a thermoplastic material, a thermal setting binder,
inorganic fibers, polymer fibers, metal fibers, metallized
inorganic fibers and metallized synthetic fibers. In some
instances, the skin 420 may comprise a generally non-porous
material which permits formation of an interface between the skin
420 and the powder coated layer 410, whereas in other instances the
skin 420 may be porous at least to some degree. For example, it may
be desirable to configure the skin 420 as a very thin non-porous
film, e.g., 1-5 mils thick, which can act as a barrier to deter the
powder coated material in the layer 410 from entering into the core
layer 405. In certain instances, the skin 420 may comprise a film
comprising the same thermoplastic material as is present in the
core layer 405, whereas in other examples the skin 420 may comprise
materials that are different than the materials of the core layer
405. Heating of the prepreg 400 during molding or other processing
steps can result in melting of the film of the skin 420 into the
core layer 405.
[0059] In certain embodiments, the powder coated layers described
herein can be used to couple two or more core layers to each other.
Referring to FIG. 5, a first core layer 505 is coupled to a second
core layer 550 through a powder coated layer 510. Each of the first
and second core layers 505, 550 may be the same or may be
different. In some instances, the core layers 505, 550 may comprise
the same materials but may comprise a different porosity or basis
weight or other different physical properties. In producing the
prepreg of FIG. 5, the powder coated layer 510 may be disposed on
one or both of the core layers 505, 550 prior to coupling them. In
addition, a skin may be disposed on one or both of the core layers
505, 550 prior to coupling them. For example, a skin may be present
on an outer surface of one or both of the core layers 505, 550 or
may be present between the powder coated layer 510 and one of the
core layers 505, 550. In some instances, one or both of the core
layers 505, 550 may be compressed prior to coupling of the two core
layers 505, 550. In other instances, one or both of the core layers
505, 550 may be lofted prior to coupling the two core layers 505,
550 to each other. If desired, one of the core layers 505, 550 can
be molded to a desired shape and the other core layer may then be
coupled to the molded core layer through the powder coated layer
510. In some instances, the entire prepreg 500 may be molded. In
certain configurations, one or more skins may be added to the
prepreg 500 prior to molding. In other instances, an additional
powder coated layer may be present on an outer surface of the core
layer 505 or the core layer 550 or both.
[0060] In certain examples where multiple core layers are present,
the core layers need not be coupled to each other through a powder
coated layer. Referring to FIG. 6, a prepreg 600 is shown that
comprises a first core layer 605 coupled to a second core layer 650
that comprises a powder coated layer 610 on a surface. Each of the
first and second core layers 605, 650 may be the same or may be
different. In some instances, the core layers 605, 650 may comprise
the same materials but may comprise a different porosity or basis
weight or other different physical properties. In producing the
prepreg of FIG. 6, the powder coated layer 610 may be disposed on
the core layer 650 prior to coupling the core layer 650 to the core
layer 605 or may be disposed on the core layer 650 after the two
core layers 605, 650 have been coupled to each other. While not
shown, a skin may be disposed on one or both of the core layer 605
and the powder coated layer 610. For example, a skin may be present
on an outer surface of the prepreg and couple to the core layer 650
through the powder coated layer 610. In some instances, one or both
of the core layers 605, 650 may be compressed prior to coupling of
the two core layers 605, 650. In other instances, one or both of
the core layers 605, 650 may be lofted prior to coupling the two
core layers 605, 650 to each other. If desired, one of the core
layers 605, 650 can be molded to a desired shape and the other core
layer may then be coupled to the molded core layer. In some
instances, the entire prepreg 600 may be molded. In certain
configurations, one or more skins may be added to the prepreg 600
prior to molding. In other instances, an additional powder coated
layer may be present on an outer surface of the core layer 605 if
desired.
[0061] In some instances, the prepregs, cores and articles
described herein are porous or permeable materials that comprise
open cell structures, e.g., voids. The presence of such open cell
structures that are formed from thermoplastic material renders it
more difficult for the prepregs, cores and articles to retain
powder coated materials on their surface. By selecting the
appropriate size and type of powder coated materials, the powder
coated layer can be present with a defined interface, e.g., so that
two distinct layers or structures can be ascertained, such that
either a major amount, e.g., greater than 50% by weight of the
powder coated material is retained above the defined interface. For
example, at least 60%, 70%, 80% or more by weight of the powder
coated material may be present above the interface. In other
instances, the powder coated material is selected such that
substantially all, e.g., greater than 90% by weight, of the powder
coated material is present in a layer above the interface between
the powder coated layer and the prepreg or core layer. In yet other
configurations, essentially all of the powder coated material,
e.g., 99% by weight or more, is present in the powder coated layer
above the defined interface between the powder coated layer and the
prepreg or core layer. As noted herein, the exact amount of
material which penetrates into the porous core or prepreg later can
be controlled or tuned by selecting the particle size of the powder
coated material, the porosity of the prepreg or core layer and/or
by including suitable barrier layers between the powder coated
layer and the prepreg or core layer.
[0062] In certain configurations, a porous prepreg comprising one
or more thermoplastic materials and a plurality of fibers that
together provide an open cell structure, e.g., void space, can be
produced. If desired, one or more flame retardants can be present
in the void space and/or may also be present in any powder coated
layer. For example, a flame retardant material can be loaded into
the void space in a manner where the flame retardant material
resides (at least in part) within the void space formed by crossing
over of the fibers, which can be held in place by the thermoplastic
material. In some instances, the thermoplastic materials and/or the
fibers can be selected so that they are generally inert or
non-reactive with the flame retardant material.
[0063] In certain configurations, the thermoplastic material of the
prepreg or core layer may be present in fiber form, particle form,
resin form or other suitable forms. In some instances, the
thermoplastic material used in the prepreg can be present in
particle form and have an average particle size that is
substantially the same as the average particle size of the
materials in the powder coated layer. In other configurations, the
average particle size of the thermoplastic material in the prepreg
or core layer may be less than that of the materials in the powder
coated layer. In additional instances, the average particle size of
the thermoplastic material in the prepreg or core layer may be
greater than that of the materials in the powder coated layer. In
some instances, the average particle size of the powder coated
material and the average particle size of the thermoplastic
material can vary by about 10% to about 15%. In certain
configurations, the average particle size of each of the
thermoplastic material and the powder coated material in the
prepreg or core can differ by about 50 microns to about 1000
microns, more particularly about 50 microns to about 500 microns,
e.g., about 50 microns to about 100 microns. In certain instances,
the average particle size of the powder coated material may be in
the range of about 50 microns to about 1000 microns, more
particularly about 100 microns to about 500 microns, e.g., about
200 microns to about 300 microns. In some configurations, the
average particle size of the powder coated material is at least 50%
greater than the average particle size of the thermoplastic
material particles to provide for enhanced processing. Even though
the average particle size of the powder coated material may differ
from the thermoplastic material, the chemical composition of the
thermoplastic material and powder coated material can be the same
or can be different. For example, two or more thermoplastic
materials with different average particle sizes can be present in
the core layer and the powder coated layer. Further, the powder
coated layer itself may comprise two or more materials which may be
the same, e.g., may be the same but have a different particle size,
or may be different. If desired, the average particle size of at
least one material in the prepreg or core may be about the same as
an average particle size of the powder coated material. In some
instances, an average particle size of each material in the prepreg
or core may be about the same as an average particle size of the
powder coated material.
[0064] In certain embodiments, the prepreg or core layers described
herein generally comprise a substantial amount of open cell
structure such that void space is present in the prepreg. For
example, the prepreg may comprise a void content or porosity of
0-30%, 10-40%, 20-50%, 30-60%, 40-70%, 50-80%, 60-90%,
0-40%,0-50%,0-60%,0-70%,0-80%,0-90%, 10-50%, 10-60%, 10-70%,
10-80%, 10-90%, 10-95%, 20-60%, 20-70%, 20-80%, 20-90%, 20-95%,
30-70%, 30-80%, 30-90%, 30-95%, 40-80%, 40-90%, 40-95%, 50-90%,
50-95%, 60-95% 70-80%, 70-90%, 70-95%, 80-90%, 80-95% or any
illustrative value within these exemplary ranges. This void space
may be created by formation of a web that comprises a plurality of
reinforcing fibers held in place by the thermoplastic material. The
porous web generally provides a porosity or void content of greater
than 0%, e.g., is not fully consolidated, up to about 95%. Unless
otherwise stated, the reference to the prepreg comprising a certain
void content or porosity is based on the total volume of the
prepreg and not necessarily the total volume of the prepreg plus
any other materials or layers coupled to the prepreg.
[0065] In certain embodiments, the thermoplastic material of the
prepreg and core layers described herein may comprise, at least in
part, one or more of polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene,
acrylonitrylstyrene, butadiene, polyethyleneterephthalate,
polybutyleneterephthalate, polybutylenetetrachlorate, and polyvinyl
chloride, both plasticized and unplasticized, and blends of these
materials with each other or other polymeric materials. Other
suitable thermoplastics include, but are not limited to,
polyarylene ethers, polycarbonates, polyestercarbonates,
thermoplastic polyesters, polyimides, polyetherimides, polyamides,
co-polyamides, acrylonitrile-butylacrylate-styrene polymers,
amorphous nylon, polyarylene ether ketone, polyphenylene sulfide,
polyaryl sulfone, polyether sulfone, liquid crystalline polymers,
poly(1,4 phenylene) compounds commercially known as PARMAX.RTM.,
high heat polycarbonate such as Bayer's APEC.RTM. PC, high
temperature nylon, and silicones, as well as alloys and blends of
these materials with each other or other polymeric materials. Where
the powder coated material also comprises a thermoplastic material,
the thermoplastic material of the powder coated material may be the
same material as that selected for use in the prepreg or core layer
or may be different. The thermoplastic material used to form the
prepreg or core layer can be used in powder form, resin form, rosin
form, fiber form or other suitable forms. The thermoplastic
material of the powder coated material is typically used in
particle form though other forms which can be powder coated can
also be used. Illustrative thermoplastic materials in various forms
are described herein and are also described, for example in U.S.
Publication Nos. 20130244528 and US20120065283. The exact amount of
thermoplastic material present in the prepreg or core layer can
vary and illustrative amounts range from about 20% by weight to
about 80% by weight. The amount of thermoplastic material present
in the powder coated material may be around 20% to about 99%, more
particularly, about 50% to about 99%, based on the weight of the
powder coated material.
[0066] In other configurations, the articles described herein may
comprise a prepreg or core layer comprising a thermoplastic
materials and reinforcing fibers in combination with a powder
coated material which comprises a non-thermoplastic material. In
some instances, the powder coated material consists essentially of
a non-thermoplastic material. In other instances, the powder coated
material consists of a non-thermoplastic material. Illustrative
non-thermoplastic materials include thermosetting materials such as
thermosetting polyurethanes, metals, non-thermoplastic adhesive
materials and non-thermoplastic materials which can adhere to at
the prepreg or core layer to at least some degree but do not
necessarily provide suitable adhesive strength to be considered an
adhesive. Where a thermosetting material powder is used instead of
a thermoplastic material or in addition to a thermoplastic
material, the amount of thermosetting material in the powder coated
material may be greater than 0% up to about 99% by weight of the
powder coated layer, e.g., around 20% to about 99% by weight of the
powder coated layer, more particularly, about 50% to about 99%,
e.g. about 80% to about 99%, based on the weight of the powder
coated layer.
[0067] In certain examples, the fibers of the prepregs and core
layers described herein can comprise glass fibers, carbon fibers,
graphite fibers, synthetic organic fibers, particularly high
modulus organic fibers such as, for example, para- and meta-aramid
fibers, nylon fibers, polyester fibers, or any of the high melt
flow index resins described herein that are suitable for use as
fibers, natural fibers such as hemp, sisal, jute, flax, coir, kenaf
and cellulosic fibers, mineral fibers such as basalt, mineral wool
(e.g., rock or slag wool), wollastonite, alumina silica, and the
like, or mixtures thereof, metal fibers, metalized natural and/or
synthetic fibers, ceramic fibers, yarn fibers, or mixtures thereof.
In some embodiments, any of the aforementioned fibers can be
chemically treated prior to use to provide desired functional
groups or to impart other physical properties to the fibers, e.g.,
may be chemically treated so that they can react with the
thermoplastic material. In some configurations, the fiber content
in the prepreg may be from about 20% to about 90% by weight of the
prepreg, more particularly from about 30% to about 70%, by weight
of the prepreg. Typically, the fiber content of a composite article
comprising the prepreg varies between about 20% to about 90% by
weight, more particularly about 30% by weight to about 80% by
weight, e.g., about 40% to about 70% by weight of the composite.
The particular size and/or orientation of the fibers used may
depend, at least in part, on the polymer material used and/or the
desired properties of the resulting prepreg. Suitable additional
types of fibers, fiber sizes and amounts will be readily selected
by the person of ordinary skill in the art, given the benefit of
this disclosure. In one non-limiting illustration, fibers dispersed
within a thermoplastic material to provide a prepreg generally have
a diameter of greater than about 5 microns, more particularly from
about 5 microns to about 22 microns, and a length of from about 5
mm to about 200 mm; more particularly, the fiber diameter may be
from about microns to about 22 microns and the fiber length may be
from about 5 mm to about 75 mm.
[0068] In some configurations, the prepreg or core layer may be a
substantially halogen free or halogen free prepreg or core layer to
meet the restrictions on hazardous substances requirements for
certain applications. In other instances, the prepreg or core layer
may comprise a halogenated flame retardant agent such as, for
example, a halogenated flame retardant that comprises one of more
of F, Cl, Br, I, and At or compounds that including such halogens,
e.g., tetrabromo bisphenol-A polycarbonate or monohalo-, dihalo-,
trihalo- or tetrahalo-polycarbonates. In some instances, the
thermoplastic material used in the prepregs and core layers may
comprise one or more halogens to impart some flame retardancy
without the addition of another flame retardant agent. Where
halogenated flame retardants are present, the flame retardant is
desirably present in a flame retardant amount, which can vary
depending on the other components which are present. For example,
the halogenated flame retardant may be present in about 0.1 weight
percent to about 15 weight percent (based on the weight of the
prepreg or core layer), more particularly about 1 weight percent to
about 13 weight percent, e.g., about 5 weight percent to about 13
weight percent. If desired, two different halogenated flame
retardants may be added to the prepregs or core layers. In other
instances, a non-halogenated flame retardant agent such as, for
example, a flame retardant agent comprising one or more of N, P,
As, Sb, Bi, S, Se, and Te can be added. In some embodiments, the
non-halogenated flame retardant may comprise a phosphorated
material so the prepreg or core layers may be more environmentally
friendly. Where non-halogenated or substantially halogen free flame
retardants are present, the flame retardant is desirably present in
a flame retardant amount, which can vary depending on the other
components which are present. For example, the substantially
halogen free flame retardant may be present in about 0.1 weight
percent to about 15 weight percent (based on the weight of the
prepreg or core layer), more particularly about 1 weight percent to
about 13 weight percent, e.g., about 5 weight percent to about 13
weight percent based on the weight of the prepreg or core layer. If
desired, two different substantially halogen free flame retardants
may be added to the prepreg or core layer. In certain instances,
the prepreg or core layers described herein may comprise one or
more halogenated flame retardants in combination with one or more
substantially halogen free flame retardants. Where two different
flame retardants are present, the combination of the two flame
retardants may be present in a flame retardant amount, which can
vary depending on the other components which are present. For
example, the total weight of present may be about 0.1 weight
percent to about 20 weight percent (based on the weight of the
prepreg or core layer), more particularly about 1 weight percent to
about 15 weight percent, e.g., about 2 weight percent to about 14
weight percent based on the weight of the prepreg or core layer.
The flame retardant agents used in the prepreg or core layers
described herein can be added to the mixture comprising the
thermoplastic material and fibers (prior to disposal of the mixture
on a wire screen or other processing component) or can be added
after the prepreg or core layer is formed.
[0069] In other configurations, the prepreg or core layer may be
substantially free of any flame retardants, and one or more flame
retardant materials can be present in the powder coated layer
disposed on the prepreg or core layer. For example, the powder
coated layer may comprise a thermoplastic material or a
non-thermoplastic material, either of which can function to at
least some extent as an adhesive, in combination with one or more
flame retardant materials. The flame retardant materials in the
powder coated layer are typically present in a flame retardant
amount, which may vary depending on the other components present in
the article. In some instance, a flame retardant skin may be
present in the article in addition to the presence of a powder
coated layer comprising a flame retardant material.
[0070] In certain configurations, the prepregs and core layers
described herein can be used to provide articles comprising a
porous core. In certain examples, the porous core comprises one or
more thermoplastic materials and a plurality of fibers that can be
held in place by the formed thermoplastic material in a web or
network structure to provide a plurality of open cells, void space
or a web in the core. The core may be formed as described herein,
e.g., by disposing the dispersion on a wire screen using a suitable
laying process followed by compressing and/or curing of the
thermoplastic material of the core. A powder coated layer can then
be disposed onto a surface of the porous core, which may still be
in a "soft" state or may be fully formed prior to disposal of the
powder coated material onto the surface of the porous core. In
other instances, a skin can then be coupled to the porous core
through the powder coated layer, which can act to provide increase
adhesion between the porous core and the skin. If desired and as
described in more detail below, an additional skin or other surface
layers can then be added to the first skin layer for additional
chemical, physical or aesthetic functionality.
[0071] In certain embodiments, the formed porous core generally
comprises a substantial amount of open cell structure such that
void space is present in the core. For example, the core layer may
comprise a void content or porosity of 0-30%, 10-40%, 20-50%,
30-60%, 40-70%, 50-80%, 60-90%,
0-40%,0-50%,0-60%,0-70%,0-80%,0-90%, 5-30%, 5-40%, 5-50%, 5-60%,
5-70%, 5-80%, 5-90%, 5-95%, 10-50%, 10-60%, 10-70%, 10-80%, 10-90%,
10-95%, 20-60%, 20-70%, 20-80%, 20-90%, 20-95%, 30-70%, 30-80%,
30-90%, 30-95%, 40-80%, 40-90%, 40-95%, 50-90%, 50-95%, 60-95%
70-80%, 70-90%, 70-95%, 80-90%, 80-95% or any illustrative value
within these exemplary ranges. In some instances, the core
comprises a porosity or void content of greater than 0%, e.g., is
not fully consolidated, up to about 95%. Unless otherwise stated,
the reference to the core comprising a certain void content or
porosity is based on the total volume of the core and not
necessarily the total volume of the core plus any other materials
or layers coupled to the core. Compared to a prepreg or not fully
formed core layer, the porosity of the core can be the same or can
be different. For example, in many instances, a prepreg can be
processed into a porous core by passing a prepreg through a set of
rollers or by pressing one surfaces of the prepreg. In such
instances, the porosity of the core may be different than the
porosity of the prepreg, e.g., can be lower. In some instances, the
porosity of the core is intentionally selected to be less than a
comparable prepreg to provide for increased lofting of the core
into a final formed article or product. For example, some of the
materials present in the fully formed core can expand to increase
the overall volume, e.g., thickness, of the core upon lofting. In
certain configurations, the thermoplastic material of the core may
be effective to loft, whereas in other configurations one or more
lofting agents such as microspheres or other materials may be
present to increase the overall thickness of the core upon lofting.
For example, lofting agents such as microspheres or expandable
graphite materials may be added to the prepregs or core to permit
adjustment of the overall thickness of the prepreg or core. Without
wishing to be bound by any particular theory, as the prepreg or
core is heated, the lofting agent may function to increase the
overall thickness of the prepreg or core. If desired, the prepregs
or cores with the lofting agents may be compressed to permit an end
user to apply heat to expand the prepreg or core thickness to a
desired amount. Depending on the end use of the prepreg or core, it
may be desirable to have different overall thickness for different
types of articles.
[0072] In certain embodiments, the prepregs or cores described
herein may comprise one or more skins disposed on a surface of the
prepreg or core to provide an article. Referring to FIG. 7, an
article 700 comprises a prepreg or core 710 that comprises a
thermoplastic material and a plurality of fibers. The article 700
comprises a powder coated layer 715 disposed on the prepreg or core
710. The article 700 also comprises a first skin 720 disposed on
the powder coated layer 715. The skin 720 may comprise an open cell
structure or a closed cell structure. In certain configurations,
the skin 720 may comprise, for example, a film (e.g., thermoplastic
film or elastomeric film), a frim, a scrim (e.g., fiber based
scrim), a paper, a foil, a woven fabric, a non-woven fabric, a
foam, or be present as an inorganic coating, an organic coating, a
thermoplastic coating or a thermosetting material coating disposed
on the powder coated layer 715. In other instances, the skin 720
may comprise a limiting oxygen index greater than about 22, as
measured per ISO 4589 dated 1996. Where a thermoplastic film is
present as (or as part of) the skin 720, the thermoplastic film may
comprise at least one of polyolefin, poly(ether imide), poly(ether
ketone), poly(ether-ether ketone), poly(phenylene sulfide),
poly(arylene sulfone), poly(ether sulfone), poly(amide-imide),
poly(1,4-phenylene), polycarbonate, nylon, and silicone. Where a
fiber based scrim is present as (or as part of) the skin 720, the
fiber based scrim may comprise at least one of glass fibers, aramid
fibers, graphite fibers, carbon fibers, inorganic mineral fibers,
metal fibers, polymer fibers metalized synthetic fibers, and
metalized inorganic fibers. Where a thermosetting material coating
is present as (or as part of) the skin 720, the coating may
comprise at least one of unsaturated polyurethanes, vinyl esters,
phenolics and epoxies. Where an inorganic coating is present as (or
as part of) the skin 720, the inorganic coating may comprise
minerals containing cations selected from Ca, Mg, Ba, Si, Zn, Ti
and Al or may comprise at least one of gypsum, calcium carbonate
and mortar. Where a non-woven fabric is present as (or as part of)
the skin 720, the non-woven fabric may comprise a thermoplastic
material, a thermal setting binder, inorganic fibers, polymer
fibers, metal fibers, metallized inorganic fibers and metallized
synthetic fibers. The prepreg or core 710 may comprise any of the
materials described herein in connection with prepregs and cores,
e.g., a thermoplastic material, reinforcing fibers and an optional
flame retardant material. If desired, the skin 720 may comprise a
flame retardant material as well. The powder coated layer 715 may
comprise a thermoplastic material or a non-thermoplastic material,
e.g., a non-thermoplastic polyurethane powder coated material,
which can, for example, function to increase adhesion between the
core layer 710 and the skin 720. While not shown, an additional
powder coated layer can be present an opposite surface of the core
layer 710. In addition, another powder coated layer can be disposed
on top of the skin 720 if desired.
[0073] In certain configurations, the prepregs and cores described
herein can be used to provide an article comprising a skin on each
side of the prepreg or core. Referring to FIG. 8, an article 800 is
shown comprising a prepreg or core 810, a powder coated layer 815
disposed on the core 810, a first skin 820 disposed on the powder
coated layer 815 and a second skin 830 disposed on a surface of the
prepreg or core 810. The prepreg or core 810 may comprise any of
the materials described herein in connection with prepregs and
cores, e.g., a thermoplastic material, reinforcing fibers and an
optional flame retardant material. Each of the first skin 820 and
the second skin 830 can be independently selected from a film
(e.g., thermoplastic film or elastomeric film), a frim, a scrim
(e.g., fiber based scrim), a foil, a paper, a woven fabric, a
non-woven fabric, a foam, or be present as an inorganic coating, an
organic coating, a thermoplastic coating or a thermosetting
material coating. In other instances, the skin 820 or the skin 830
(or both) may comprise a limiting oxygen index greater than about
22, as measured per ISO 4589 dated 1996. Where a thermoplastic film
is present as (or as part of) the skin 820 or the skin 830 (or
both), the thermoplastic film may comprise at least one of
polyolefin, poly(ether imide), poly(ether ketone), poly(ether-ether
ketone), poly(phenylene sulfide), poly(arylene sulfone), poly(ether
sulfone), poly(amide-imide), poly(1,4-phenylene), polycarbonate,
nylon, and silicone. Where a fiber based scrim is present as (or as
part of) the skin 820 or the skin 830 (or both), the fiber based
scrim may comprise at least one of glass fibers, aramid fibers,
graphite fibers, carbon fibers, inorganic mineral fibers, metal
fibers, polymer fibers, metalized synthetic fibers, and metalized
inorganic fibers. Where a thermosetting material coating is present
as (or as part of) the skin 820 or the skin 830 (or both), the
coating may comprise at least one of unsaturated polyurethanes,
vinyl esters, phenolics and epoxies. Where an inorganic coating is
present as (or as part of) the skin 820 or the skin 830 (or both),
the inorganic coating may comprise minerals containing cations
selected from Ca, Mg, Ba, Si, Zn, Ti and Al or may comprise at
least one of gypsum, calcium carbonate and mortar. Where a
non-woven fabric is present as (or as part of) the skin 820 or the
skin 830 (or both), the non-woven fabric may comprise a
thermoplastic material, a thermal setting binder, inorganic fibers,
polymer fibers, metal fibers, metallized inorganic fibers and
metallized synthetic fibers. If desired, one or both of the skins
820, 830 may comprise a flame retardant material. As noted herein,
one or both of the skins 820, 830 may comprise an open cell
structure or a closed cell structure. The powder coated layer 815
may comprise a thermoplastic material or a non-thermoplastic
material, e.g., a non-thermoplastic polyurethane powder coated
material, which can, for example, function to increase adhesion
between the core layer 810 and the skin 820. While not shown, an
additional powder coated layer can be present between the core
layer 810 and the skin 830. In addition, another powder coated
layer can be disposed on top of the skin 820 or the skin 830 or
both if desired.
[0074] In certain instances, an article can comprise a prepreg or
core, at least one skin disposed on the prepreg or core and a
decorative or cover layer disposed on the skin. Referring to FIG.
9, an article 900 is shown comprising a prepreg or core 910, a
powder coated layer 915 disposed on the prepreg or core 910, a skin
920 disposed on the powder coated layer 915 and another layer 930,
e.g., a decorative layer or other layer which can be positioned on
the outer surface of the article 900 or may be covered by other
layers, disposed on the skin 920. The prepreg or core 910 may
comprise any of the materials described herein in connection with
prepregs and cores, e.g., a thermoplastic material, reinforcing
fibers, microspheres, etc. The skin 920 may comprise, for example,
a film (e.g., thermoplastic film or elastomeric film), a frim, a
scrim (e.g., fiber based scrim), a foil, a paper, a woven fabric, a
non-woven fabric, a foam, or be present as an inorganic coating, an
organic coating, a thermoplastic coating or a thermosetting
material coating. In other instances, the skin 920 may comprise a
limiting oxygen index greater than about 22, as measured per ISO
4589 dated 1996. Where a thermoplastic film is present, the
thermoplastic film may comprise at least one of polyolefin,
poly(ether imide), poly(ether ketone), poly(ether-ether ketone),
poly(phenylene sulfide), poly(arylene sulfone), poly(ether
sulfone), poly(amide-imide), poly(1,4-phenylene), polycarbonate,
nylon, and silicone. Where a fiber based scrim is present, the
fiber based scrim may comprise at least one of glass fibers, aramid
fibers, graphite fibers, carbon fibers, inorganic mineral fibers,
metal fibers, polymer fibers, metalized synthetic fibers, and
metalized inorganic fibers. Where a thermosetting material coating
is present, the coating may comprise at least one of unsaturated
polyurethanes, vinyl esters, phenolics and epoxies. Where an
inorganic coating is present, the inorganic coating may comprise
minerals containing cations selected from Ca, Mg, Ba, Si, Zn, Ti
and Al or may comprise at least one of gypsum, calcium carbonate
and mortar. Where a non-woven fabric is present, the non-woven
fabric may comprise a thermoplastic material, a thermal setting
binder, inorganic fibers, polymer fibers, metal fibers, metallized
inorganic fibers and metallized synthetic fibers. The decorative
layer 930 may be formed, e.g., from a thermoplastic film of
polyvinyl chloride, polyolefins, thermoplastic polyesters,
thermoplastic elastomers, or the like. The decorative layer 930 may
also be a multi-layered structure that includes a foam core formed
from, e.g., polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride,
polyurethane, and the like. A fabric may be bonded to the foam
core, such as woven fabrics made from natural and synthetic fibers,
organic fiber non-woven fabric after needle punching or the like,
raised fabric, knitted goods, flocked fabric, or other such
materials. The fabric may also be bonded to the foam core with a
thermoplastic adhesive, including pressure sensitive adhesives and
hot melt adhesives, such as polyamides, modified polyolefins,
urethanes and polyolefins. The decorative layer 930 may also be
produced using spunbond, thermal bonded, spun lace, melt-blown,
wet-laid, and/or dry-laid processes. In some configurations, the
skin 920 may comprise an open cell structure or a closed cell
structure. While not shown an additional powder coated layer may be
present between the skin 920 and the decorative layer 930. The
powder coated layer 915 may comprise a thermoplastic material or a
non-thermoplastic material, e.g., a non-thermoplastic polyurethane
powder coated material, which can, for example, function to
increase adhesion between the core layer 910 and the skin 920. In
addition, another powder coated layer can be disposed on top of the
layer 930 if desired.
[0075] In certain configurations, two or more prepregs or cores can
be coupled to each other through an intervening or intermediate
layer such as, for example, a combination of a powder coated layer
and a skin. Referring to FIG. 10, an article 1000 comprises a
prepreg or core 1010 coupled to a prepreg or core 1030 through a
powder coated layer 1015 and a skin 1020. Each of the prepregs or
cores 1010, 1030 may be the same or may be different. In some
instances, the thermoplastic materials and fibers of the prepregs
or cores 1010, 1030 are the same, but the loading of thermoplastic
material or fibers present in the prepregs or cores 1010, 1030 is
different. If desired, one or more suitable flame retardant agents,
e.g., halogenated or non-halogenated flame retardant agents may be
present in one or both of the cores 1010, 1030. While the thickness
of the prepregs or cores 1010, 1030 is shown as being about the
same in FIG. 10, the thickness of the prepregs or cores 1010, 1030
can vary. Where an article comprising a "thick" core is desired, it
may be desirable to couple two "thin" core layers to each other
through skin layer 1020 and the powder coated layer 1015. In some
configurations, one of the prepregs or cores 1010, 1030 may
comprise a lofting agent, e.g., microspheres. The skin 1020
desirably may comprise an open cell structure or a closed cell
structure. For example, the skin 1020 may comprise a film (e.g.,
thermoplastic film or elastomeric film), a frim, a scrim (e.g.,
fiber based scrim), a foil, a paper, a woven fabric, a non-woven
fabric, a foam, or be present as an inorganic coating, an organic
coating, a thermoplastic coating or a thermosetting material
coating. In other instances, the skin 1020 may comprise a limiting
oxygen index greater than about 22, as measured per ISO 4589 dated
1996. Where a thermoplastic film is present, the thermoplastic film
may comprise at least one of polyolefin, poly(ether imide),
poly(ether ketone), poly(ether-ether ketone), poly(phenylene
sulfide), poly(arylene sulfone), poly(ether sulfone),
poly(amide-imide), poly(1,4-phenylene), polycarbonate, nylon, and
silicone. Where a fiber based scrim is present as or in the skin
1020, the fiber based scrim may comprise at least one of glass
fibers, aramid fibers, graphite fibers, carbon fibers, inorganic
mineral fibers, metal fibers, polymer fibers, metalized synthetic
fibers, and metalized inorganic fibers. Where a thermosetting
material coating is present as or in the skin 1020, the coating may
comprise at least one of unsaturated polyurethanes, vinyl esters,
phenolics and epoxies. Where an inorganic coating is present as or
in the skin 1020, the inorganic coating may comprise minerals
containing cations selected from Ca, Mg, Ba, Si, Zn, Ti and Al or
may comprise at least one of gypsum, calcium carbonate and mortar.
Where a non-woven fabric is present as or in the layer 1020, the
non-woven fabric may comprise a thermoplastic material, a thermal
setting binder, inorganic fibers, polymer fibers, metal fibers,
metallized inorganic fibers and metallized synthetic fibers. While
not shown, a decorative layer can be coupled to either (or both) of
the prepregs or cores 1010, 1030. As noted herein, the decorative
layer may be formed, e.g., from a thermoplastic film of polyvinyl
chloride, polyolefins, thermoplastic polyesters, thermoplastic
elastomers, or the like. The decorative layer may also be a
multi-layered structure that includes a foam core formed from,
e.g., polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride,
polyurethane, and the like. A fabric may be bonded to the foam
core, such as woven fabrics made from natural and synthetic fibers,
organic fiber non-woven fabric after needle punching or the like,
raised fabric, knitted goods, flocked fabric, or other such
materials. The fabric may also be bonded to the foam core with a
thermoplastic adhesive, including pressure sensitive adhesives and
hot melt adhesives, such as polyamides, modified polyolefins,
urethanes and polyolefins. The decorative layer may also be
produced using spunbond, thermal bonded, spun lace, melt-blown,
wet-laid, and/or dry-laid processes. If desired, the decorative
layer may comprise a closed cell structure or an open cell
structure. The powder coated layer 1015 may comprise a
thermoplastic material or a non-thermoplastic material, e.g., a
non-thermoplastic polyurethane powder coated material, which can,
for example, function to increase adhesion between the core layer
1010 and the skin 1020. In addition, another powder coated layer
can be disposed on top of the core 1030 if desired. Further, a
powder coated layer may be present between the skin 1020 and the
core 1030.
[0076] In certain embodiments, two or more cores can be coupled to
each other and then a skin may be disposed on one surface of the
cores. Referring to FIG. 11, an article 1100 comprising a core
1110, another core 1130 coupled to the core 1130 and a skin 1120
coupled to the core 1130 coupled through a powder coated layer 1115
is shown. Each of the cores 1110, 1130 may be the same or may be
different. In some instances, the thermoplastic materials and
fibers of the cores 1110, 1130 are the same, but the exact amounts
of thermoplastic materials and/or fibers may be different in the
cores 1110, 1130 is different. If desired, one or more suitable
flame retardant agents, e.g., halogenated or non-halogenated flame
retardant agents may be present in one or both of the prepregs or
cores 1110, 1130. While the thickness of the prepregs or cores
1110, 1130 is shown as being about the same in FIG. 11, the
thickness of the prepregs or cores 1110, 1130 can vary. It may be
desirable to build up a composite article using successive thin
core layers to provide a desired overall core thickness. In some
configurations, one of the prepregs or cores 1110, 1130 may
comprise a lofting agent such as, for example, an expandable
graphite material or microspheres or other materials. The skin 1120
may comprise, for example, a film (e.g., thermoplastic film or
elastomeric film), a frim, a scrim (e.g., fiber based scrim), a
foil, a paper, a woven fabric, a non-woven fabric, a foam, or be
present as an inorganic coating, an organic coating, a
thermoplastic coating or a thermosetting material coating. In other
instances, the skin 1120 may comprise a limiting oxygen index
greater than about 22, as measured per ISO 4589 dated 1996. Where a
thermoplastic film is present as or in the skin 1120, the
thermoplastic film may comprise at least one of polyolefin,
poly(ether imide), poly(ether ketone), poly(ether-ether ketone),
poly(phenylene sulfide), poly(arylene sulfone), poly(ether
sulfone), poly(amide-imide), poly(1,4-phenylene), polycarbonate,
nylon, and silicone. Where a fiber based scrim is present as or in
the skin 1120, the fiber based scrim may comprise at least one of
glass fibers, aramid fibers, graphite fibers, carbon fibers,
inorganic mineral fibers, metal fibers, polymer fiber, metalized
synthetic fibers, and metalized inorganic fibers. Where a
thermosetting material coating is present as or in the skin 1120,
the coating may comprise at least one of unsaturated polyurethanes,
vinyl esters, phenolics and epoxies. Where an inorganic coating is
present as or in the skin 1120, the inorganic coating may comprise
minerals containing cations selected from Ca, Mg, Ba, Si, Zn, Ti
and Al or may comprise at least one of gypsum, calcium carbonate
and mortar. Where a non-woven fabric is present as or in the skin
1120, the non-woven fabric may comprise a thermoplastic material, a
thermal setting binder, inorganic fibers, polymer fibers, metal
fibers, metallized inorganic fibers and metallized synthetic
fibers. Depending on the final configuration of the article 1100,
the skin 1120 may be an open cell skin to permit, for example,
sound energy to pass through the skin or may be a closed cell skin
to reflect sound energy back into the cores 1110, 1130. While not
shown, a decorative layer can be coupled to the skin 1120 or to a
surface of the core 1110. As noted herein, the decorative layer may
be formed, e.g., from a thermoplastic film of polyvinyl chloride,
polyolefins, thermoplastic polyesters, thermoplastic elastomers, or
the like. The decorative layer may also be a multi-layered
structure that includes a foam core formed from, e.g.,
polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyurethane, and
the like. A fabric may be bonded to the foam core, such as woven
fabrics made from natural and synthetic fibers, organic fiber non-
woven fabric after needle punching or the like, raised fabric,
knitted goods, flocked fabric, or other such materials. The fabric
may also be bonded to the foam core with a thermoplastic adhesive,
including pressure sensitive adhesives and hot melt adhesives, such
as polyamides, modified polyolefins, urethanes and polyolefins. The
decorative layer may also be produced using spunbond, thermal
bonded, spun lace, melt-blown, wet-laid, and/or dry-laid processes.
The powder coated layer 1115 may comprise a thermoplastic material
or a non-thermoplastic material, e.g., a non-thermoplastic
polyurethane powder coated material, which can, for example,
function to increase adhesion between the core layer 1130 and the
skin 1120. In addition, another powder coated layer can be disposed
on top of the skin 1120 if desired. Further, a powder coated layer
may be present on the core layer 1110.
[0077] In some configurations, the powder coated material may be
disposed on the core layer in strips or areas rather than an entire
layer. Referring to FIG. 12, an article 1200 comprises a core 1210
with a first area 1215 of powder coated material disposed on the
core 1210 and a second area 1220 of powder coated material disposed
on the core. While not shown, a skin layer, decorative layer, etc.
can be disposed on the areas 1215, 1220 to couple those layers to
the core layer 1210. The areas 1215, 1220 can be the same or can be
different, e.g., may comprise the same or different materials. In
some instances, areas of powder coated material may be disposed at
the edges of the top surface of the core 1210 to provide increase
adhesion at those areas. For example, if a skin or other layer is
coupled to the core 1210, the skin may peel away from the core 1210
at the edges during processing of article 1200. To increase the
peel strength between the skin and the core 1210 at the edges, the
powder coated areas can be deposited only at the edges or at the
edges and other areas on the surface of the core 1210. In some
examples, the powder coated material at the edges may be different
than the powder coated material present at other areas on the core
1210. For example, polyurethane powder coated material may be
present at the edges while non-polyurethane based materials may be
present on the core 1210 in areas other than the edges. The powder
coated areas 1215, 12220 may independently comprise a thermoplastic
material or a non-thermoplastic material, e.g., a non-thermoplastic
polyurethane powder coated material, which can, for example,
function to increase adhesion between the core layer 1210 and
another layer. In addition, another powder coated layer can be
disposed on top of the areas 1215, 1220 if desired. Further, a
powder coated layer may be present on an opposite surface of the
core 1210.
[0078] In certain embodiments, strips of materials can be disposed
on a prepreg or core comprising a powder coated layer. Referring to
FIG. 13, an article 1300 comprising a prepreg or core 1310 with
strips 1320, 1330 disposed on a powder coated layer 1315 present on
the prepreg or core 1310 is shown. If desired, such strips can be
present on any of the illustrative embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-12.
The strips 1320, 1330 may be the same or may be different. In some
instances, the strips 1320, 1330 may comprise a flame retardant
material as noted herein. In some instances, the strips 1320, 1330
may independently take the form of a prepreg or core as described
herein. In other configurations, the strips may take the form of a
skin or layer as described herein. In certain instances, the strips
can be disposed, for example, on areas of the article 1300 where a
differential thickness is desired. In other configurations, strips
comprising flame retardant material may be disposed at areas where
increased or enhanced flame retardancy is desired. In additional
configurations, the strips may be disposed at areas where enhanced
bonding is desired.
[0079] In some embodiments, the prepregs and cores may include
additional materials or additives to impart desired physical or
chemical properties. For example, the articles may be colored or
dyed to provide a desired color, texture, pattern, etc. For
example, one or more dyes, texturizing agents, colorants, viscosity
modifiers, smoke suppressants, synergistic materials, lofting
agents, particles, powders, biocidal agents, foams or other
materials can be mixed with or added to the prepregs or the cores
to impart a desired color, texture or properties. In some
instances, the prepregs or cores may comprise one or more smoke
suppressant compositions in the amount of about 0.2 weight percent
to about 10 weight percent. Illustrative smoke suppressant
compositions include, but are not limited to, stannates, zinc
borates, zinc molybdate, magnesium silicates, calcium zinc
molybdate, calcium silicates, calcium hydroxides, and mixtures
thereof. If desired, a synergist material can be present to enhance
the physical properties of the prepregs or cores. For example, a
synergist that enhances flame retardancy may be present.
[0080] In other instances, the prepregs or cores described herein
may comprise a thermosetting material in a desired amount, e.g., in
a minor amount less than about 50 weight percent based on the total
weight of the prepreg or core, to impart desired properties to the
core. The thermosetting material may be mixed with the
thermoplastic material or may be added as a coating on one or more
surfaces of the prepregs or cores.
[0081] In certain embodiments, the prepregs or cores described
herein can be configured as (or used in) a glass mat thermoplastic
composite (GMT) or a light weight reinforced thermoplastic (LWRT).
One such LWRT is prepared by HANWHA AZDEL, Inc. and sold under the
trademark SUPERLITE.TM. material. The areal density of such a GMT
or LWRT can range from about 300 grams per square meter (gsm) of
the GMT or LWRT to about 4000 gsm, although the areal density may
be less than 300 gsm or greater than 4000 gsm depending on the
specific application needs. In some embodiments, the upper density
can be less than about 4000 gsm. In certain instances, the GMT or
the LWRT be a porous GMT or the LWRT, e.g., one with a porosity of
about 20 percent to about 90 percent by volume, more particularly
about 40 percent to about 80 percent by volume. In some examples,
the overall thickness of the GMT or LWRT may be about 25 mm or less
post lofting, 20 mm or less post lofting, greater than 3 mm
pre-lofted or greater than 6 mm pre-lofted. In some instances, the
pre-lofted thickness may be between about 3 mm and about 7 mm, and
the post-lofted thickness may be between about 10 mm and about 25
mm.
[0082] In certain configurations, the prepregs or cores described
herein in combination with a powder coated layer can be used to
provide a vehicle headliner. Illustrative vehicles include, but are
not limited to, automotive vehicles, trucks, trains, subways,
recreational vehicles, aircraft, ships, submarines, space craft and
other vehicles which can transport humans or cargo. In some
instances, the headliner typically comprises at least one prepreg
or core layer comprising a powder coated layer thereon and a
decorative layer, e.g., a decorative fabric, disposed on the powder
coated layer. The decorative layer, in addition to being
aesthetically and/or visually pleasing, can also enhance sound
absorption and may optionally include foam, insulation or other
materials. An illustration of a top view of a headliner is shown in
FIG. 14. The headliner 1400 comprises a body 1410 and an opening
1420, e.g., for a sunroof, moonroof, etc., though more than a
single opening may be present if desired. The body of the headliner
1410 can be produced by initially heating a prepreg or core layer
comprising powder coated layer to a desired temperature in an
infrared oven, e.g., about 180-230.degree. C., and then moved to a
press with matching male and female mold halves where the
decorative fabric is put on the powder side and pressed with the
desired mold to convert the article into a headliner. The opening
1420 may then be provided by trimming the headliner 1400. In other
configurations, the decorative fabric itself may instead comprise
the powder coated layer which is placed on the heated prepreg or
core layer and molded as noted herein. The "C" surface or roof side
of the headliner typically consists of a PET non-woven scrim layer
for handling purposes. The overall shape and geometry of the
headliner may be selected based on the area of the vehicle which
the headliner is to be coupled. For example, the length of the
headliner can be sized and arranged so it spans from the front
windshield to the rear windshield, and the width of the headliner
can be sized and arranged so it spans from the left side of the
vehicle to the right side of the vehicle.
[0083] In certain instances, similar methods can be used to produce
underbody shields and rear window trim pieces or parts from the
prepreg or core layer comprising the powder coated layer. An
illustration of an underbody shield 1500 is shown in FIG. 15A, and
an illustration of top view of a rear window trim 1550 is shown in
FIG. 15B. The particular outer layers used in the underbody shield
1500 and the rear window trim 1550 may be different from the
headliner. For example, the underbody shield may comprise a scrim
or other outer layer to increase its durability and/or the acoustic
characteristics. The inner surface of the underbody shield, e.g.,
which sits adjacent to the bottom of the engine may comprise one or
more layer designed to absorb and/or retain automotive fluids such
as motor oil, antifreeze, brake fluid or the like. While various
openings are shown in the rear window trim 1550, the positions and
geometries of these openings may vary. In addition, typical rear
window trim decorative material may comprise a non-backed PET or PP
carpet.
[0084] In producing core layers, prepregs and articles that include
a powder coated layer, it may be desirable to first produce the
core layer or prepreg and then powder coat the material onto a
surface or surfaces of the core layer or prepreg. Referring to FIG.
16, a system is shown where a prepreg or core from plurality of
prepregs or cores in a stack 1600 can be fed into a belt conveyor
1605. For example, a core layer 1610 comprising a thermoplastic
material and reinforcing fibers in the form of a web is shown. The
core 1610 is fed to a belt conveyor 1615 under a powder scattering
unit 1620. The unit 1620 coats the powder onto a surface of the
core 1610. The powder coated core is then passed to a roller
conveyor 1630 positioned underneath a heater 1625, e.g., an
infrared heater. Heating of the coated prepreg or core can also act
to soften it if softening of the prepreg or core is desired. In
other instances, a suitable temperature is selected to soften the
powder coated material but not the prepreg or core. The article may
then be passed to a flatbed press 1640 which includes belts 1645a,
1645b, heating sections 1650a, 1650b, nip rolls 1655a, 1655b and
cooling sections 1660a, 1660b. The resulting composite article may
exit the press 1640 and be stacked to form a plurality of powder
coated articles shown in a stack 1690.
[0085] In certain embodiments, the exact form of the powder and
devices used to dispense the powder onto the porous prepreg or core
may vary. For example, the powder material may be present as
particles, granules, pellets, etc. which are typically ground
and/or sized to provide a desired average particle size. While the
particle size may vary from material to material, illustrative
average particle diameter sizes for the powder material are from
about 50 microns to about 1000 microns, more particularly about 100
microns to about 750 microns, e.g., about 100 microns to about 500
microns, more particularly about 200 microns to about 500 microns
or about 400 microns to about 500 microns. Average particle size
may be determined, for example, using ASTM E2980 dated 2014 or
other suitable tests.
[0086] In certain configurations, the powder material may be heated
and/or softened prior to application to the surface of the prepreg
or core. In other instances, however, the porous prepreg or core is
heated and the powder material is disposed on the heated prepreg or
core at ambient temperature. In addition, the prepreg or core may
remain at ambient temperature during power coating, and, if
desired, the resulting composite can be subsequently heated. While
heating is not required, heating of the powder coated material can
soften the material and permit better adherence of a skin, e.g., a
surface layer or some other component, to the porous prepreg or
core through the powder coated layer.
[0087] In some embodiments, the powder material can be sprayed,
scattered or otherwise disposed on the surface of the prepreg or
core. In some instances, a gas, e.g., an inert gas such as air,
nitrogen or argon, can be used as a carrier for the powder
material. Further an assist gas may be used to direct the powder
material to certain areas or portions of the surface of the prepreg
or core. In some instances, multiple sprays or passes of the powder
material may be coated into the surface of the prepreg or core. The
material deposited in different passes can be the same or can be
different. For example, the chemical composition of the material
disposed in successive passes or layers can be different, the
particle size of the material disposed in successive passes or
layer can be different, or both composition and particle size can
be different in successive passes.
[0088] In producing the prepregs and cores described herein, it may
be desirable to use a wet-laid process. A block diagram showing the
process steps is present in FIG. 17. For example, a liquid or fluid
medium 1740 comprising dispersed material, e.g., thermoplastic
material 1720, fibers 1710 and optional additional materials 1730,
e.g., microspheres, flame retardants, etc., may be stirred or
agitated in the presence of a gas, e.g., air or other gas. The
dispersion may then be laid onto a support, e.g., a wire screen or
other support material to provide a laid material 1750. If desired,
the stirred dispersion may comprise one or more active agents,
e.g., anionic, cationic, or non-ionic such as, for example, those
sold under the name ACE liquid by Industrial Soaps Ltd., that sold
as TEXOFOR.RTM. FN 15 material, by Glover Chemicals Ltd., and those
sold as AMINE Fb 19 material by Float-Ore Ltd. These agents can
assist in dispersal of air in the liquid dispersion. The components
can be added to a mixing tank, flotation cell or other suitable
devices in the presence of air to provide the dispersion. While an
aqueous dispersion is desirably used, one or more non-aqueous
fluids may also be present to assist in dispersion, alter the
viscosity of the fluid or otherwise impart a desired physical or
chemical property to the dispersion or the prepreg, core or
article.
[0089] In certain instances, after the dispersion has been mixed
for a sufficient period, the fluid with the suspended materials can
be disposed onto a screen, moving wire or other suitable support
structure to provide a web of laid material. Suction or reduced
pressure may be provided to the web to remove any liquid from laid
material to leave behind the thermoplastic material and any other
materials that are present, e.g., fibers, additives, etc. The
resulting web 1760 can be dried and optionally consolidated or
pressed to a desired thickness prior to fully forming it to provide
a desired prepreg or core 1770. While wet laid processes may be
used, depending on the nature of the thermoplastic material, it may
be desirable to instead use an air laid process, a dry blend
process, a carding and needle process, or other known process that
are employed for making non-woven products. In some instances, a
powder material 1765 may be coated onto the core 1770 to provide an
article 1780. While not shown, a skin, decorative layers, etc. may
also be disposed onto the disposed powder material as noted
elsewhere herein.
[0090] In certain examples, a prepreg or core in the form of a
porous GMT can be produced. In certain instances, the GMT can be
generally prepared using chopped glass fibers, a thermoplastic
material, and an optional thermoplastic polymer film or films
and/or woven or non-woven fabrics made with glass fibers or
thermoplastic resin fibers such as, for example, polypropylene
(PP), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyethylene terephthalate
(PET), polycarbonate (PC), a blend of PC/PBT, or a blend of PC/PET.
In some embodiments, a PP, a PBT, a PET, a PC/PET blend or a PC/PBT
blend are can be used as the high melt flow index resin. To produce
the glass mat, a thermoplastic material, reinforcing materials,
and/or other additives can be added or metered into a dispersing
foam contained in an open top mixing tank fitted with an impeller.
Without wishing to be bound by any particular theory, the presence
of trapped pockets of air of the foam can assist in dispersing the
glass fibers and the thermoplastic material. In some examples, the
dispersed mixture of glass and resin can be pumped to a head-box
located above a wire section of a paper machine via a distribution
manifold. The foam, not the glass fiber or thermoplastic material,
can then be removed as the dispersed mixture is provided to a
moving wire screen using a vacuum, continuously producing a
uniform, fibrous wet web. The wet web can be passed through a dryer
at a suitable temperature to reduce moisture content and to melt or
soften the thermoplastic material. When the hot web exits the
dryer, a surface layer such as, for example, a powder coating may
be applied to the web by passing the web underneath a nozzle or
spray jet which can dispense the powder material. If desired,
additional layers such as, for example, a non-woven and/or woven
fabric layer may also be attached to the powder coated material on
one side or to both sides of the web to facilitate ease of handling
the glass fiber-reinforced mat. The composite can then be passed
through tension rolls and continuously cut (guillotined) into the
desired size for later forming into an end product article. Further
information concerning the preparation of such GMT composites,
including suitable materials and processing conditions used in
forming such composites, are described, for example, in U.S. Pat.
Nos. 6,923,494, 4,978,489, 4,944,843, 4,964,935, 4,734,321,
5,053,449, 4,925,615, 5,609,966 and U.S. Patent Application
Publication Nos. US 2005/0082881, US2005/0228108, US 2005/0217932,
US 2005/0215698, US 2005/0164023, and US 2005/0161865.
[0091] In certain embodiments, a method of producing a
thermoplastic composite article is provided. The method may
comprise disposing a skin on a powder coated layer directly
disposed on the porous core layer, e.g., without any intervening
barrier or film between the powder coated layer and the core layer.
In some instances, the powder coated layer provides an interface
between the porous core layer and is effective to adhere the skin
to the porous core layer. For example, the skin may have a peel
strength for the skin of at least 125 N/m in the machine direction
and a peel strength of at least 125 N/m in the cross direction as
tested by ASTM D903 Peel 180.degree. dated 2010. In some examples,
the thermoplastic material of the powder coated layer is different
than a thermoplastic material of the porous core layer. For
example, the thermoplastic material of the porous core layer may be
a polyolefin, and the thermoplastic material of the powder coated
may be a non-polyolefin, e.g., a polyurethane, polyamide,
co-polyamide, etc. In some instances, the method comprises
selecting a thermoplastic material of the powder coated layer and
the thermoplastic material of the porous core layer to be a same
material, and selecting an average particle size of the
thermoplastic material of the powder coated layer to be larger than
an average particle size of the thermoplastic material of the
porous core layer. In some examples, the porous core layer can be
compresses prior to disposing the powder coated layer on the porous
core layer and/or after disposing the powder coated layer. For
example, the thermoplastic composite article can be compressed
after disposing the skin on the powder coated layer. If desired,
the article may be processed by thermoforming, molding, shaping,
trimming, cutting, sizing, etc. depending on the particular end use
of the article. One or more additional skins, cover layers,
decorative layers, coatings, or other materials can also be coupled
to the article.
[0092] Certain examples are described below to illustrate better
some of the novel aspects and configurations described herein.
EXAMPLE 1
[0093] Several composite articles comprising a powder coated layer
disposed on a core layer were prepared. Table 1 summarizes the
different powder types used. Certain of these different powders
were used separately in the other examples below.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Melt Flow Melting Particle Size Index Point
Distribution Powder Material (g/10 min.) (deg. Celsius) (microns)
Polypropylene powder 8 144 100-500 Co-polyamide (Co-PA) 19 124
200-500 powder Thermoplastic 40 137 100-500 Polyurethane (TPU)
powder
EXAMPLE 2
[0094] A powder coating process was used to separately coat each of
the powders of Example 1 onto a lightweight reinforced
thermoplastic composite board (Superlite.TM. composite article).
The process used a setup similar to that shown in FIG. 16. The
lamination temperature used was 140-200 deg. Celsius. The line
speed used was 5-30 m/minute. The nip gap distance used was 0.5-8
mm.
EXAMPLE 3
[0095] The co-polyamide powder from Table 1 was coated onto a
Superlite.TM. board which comprises polypropylene and glass fibers.
The boards were then placed in a heated thermoformer where a fabric
(bi-laminate or bi lam fabric in this example) was added to the
side of the Superlite.TM. board containing the powder or the film.
The composite was then molded to different thicknesses including
2.25 mm thick (Table 2) and 3.0 mm thick (Table 3). The peel
strength of the fabric layer coupled to the powder coated layer or
control film was measured according to the ASTM D903 Peel
180.degree. dated 2010. The basis weight of the Superlite.TM. board
was 900 gsm.
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Avg. Basis Avg. Peel Strength Peel Strength
Sample Weight (gsm) Ash (%) MD (N/m) CD (N/m) Superlite .TM. board
+ 1000 49.5 318.9 369.5 Co-PA Powder 80 gsm Superlite .TM. board +
990 50.0 235.0 291.0 PP/Co-PA control 70 gsm film
[0096] In comparing the properties to the 70 gsm film control (no
powder coated layer), the peel strength measurements are consistent
with an 80 gsm Co-PA powder coated layer providing better peel
strength in the machine direction and cross direction than the 70
gsm film at a comparable basis weight.
TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Avg. Basis Avg. Peel Strength Peel Strength
Sample Weight (gsm) Ash (%) MD (N/m) CD (N/m) Superlite .TM. board
+ 1000 49.5 259.1 230.9 Co-PA Powder 80 gsm Superlite .TM. board +
990 50.0 196.0 193.7 PP/Co-PA control 70 gsm film
In comparing the properties to the 70 gsm film control (no powder
coated layer), the peel strength measurements are consistent with
an 80 gsm Co-PA powder coated layer providing better peel strength
in the machine direction and cross direction than the 70 gsm film
at a comparable basis weight and a comparable average ash
content.
EXAMPLE 4
[0097] Resistance to compression of the Superlite.TM. board with
the Co-PA powder was also measured. The composite used was the same
as the one used in Table 3 (80 gsm Co-PA powder layer). The results
are shown in Table 4. The values in the table are the resulting
thickness in mm after subjecting the board to the various weights
listed in Table 4.
TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 0 0.25 0.5 1.0 2.0 4.0 8.0 Sample lbs lbs
lbs lbs lbs lbs lbs Superlite .TM. 6.1 3.5 2.9 2.4 2.0 1.7 1.8
board + Co-PA powder 80 gsm Superlite .TM. 5.8 3.3 2.8 2.5 2.0 1.8
1.6 board + PP/Co-PA control 70 gsm film
In comparing the thickness change between the powder coated board
and the board with the film control, the resulting board
thicknesses are consistent with the powder coated board being
compressed about the same amount at the different weights as the
film control board.
EXAMPLE 5
[0098] The Co-PA powder coated board was tested for peel strength
in the machine direction after being subjected to various
conditions. The results are shown in Table 5. Environmental cycle
refers to the conditions specified in the Ford-BN 151-05 test dated
2010. The peel strength test used was the same as used in Example
3.
TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Conditions Peel Strength (N/m) Ambient
Temperature 444.3 After heat Aging 358.1 After humidity aging 303.3
Environmental cycle 334.6
The results were consistent with the peel adhesion of the powder
coated samples being sufficient to meet desired specification.
EXAMPLE 6
[0099] The polypropylene powder material from Table 1 was coated
onto a Superlite.TM. board at different basis weights. The boards
were then placed in a heated thermoformer where a fabric (a
non-woven fabric in this example) was added to the side of the
Superlite.TM. board containing the powder or the film. The
composite was then molded to different thickness including 3.25 mm
(Table 6) and 3.5 mm (Table 7). Certain physical properties of the
boards were measured and compared to a control Superlite.TM. board
which included a 98 gsm polypropylene (PP) film and the non-woven
fabric. The basis weight of the Superlite.TM. board was 1000 gsm in
Table 6 and 1300 gsm in Table 7. The peel strength was measured
using is ASTM D903 Peel 180.degree. dated 2010.
TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 6 Avg. Basis Avg. Peel Strength Peel Strength
Sample Weight (gsm) Ash (%) MD (N/m) CD (N/m) Superlite .TM. + PP
1070 51.4 214.3 184.5 powder 50 gsm Superlite .TM. + PP 1100 50.0
1287.0 631.9 powder 90 gsm Superlite .TM. + PP 1118 49.2 816.2
504.1 control 98 gsm film
In comparing the powder coated PP boards to the film control board,
the results are consistent with the peel strength of the PP powder
boards being the same as or greater than the film board at 90 gsm
powder coating. The peel strength was less at the lower powder
coating (50 gsm).
TABLE-US-00007 TABLE 7 Avg. Basis Avg. Peel Peel Weight Ash
Strength Strength Sample (gsm) (%) MD (N/m) CD (N/m) Superlite .TM.
board + 1390 51.4 396.7 407.5 PP powder 70 gsm Superlite .TM. board
+ 1418 50.4 490.0 512.3 PP control 98 gsm film
At a higher molding thickness, the 70 gsm powder coated material
provided lower peel strengths than the 98 gsm control film. The
peel strength values at the higher molding thickness are still
acceptable for the powder coated boards.
EXAMPLE 7
[0100] Resistance to compression of the Superlite.TM. board with
the PP powder was also measured. The composites used were the same
as the ones used in Table 7 (70 gsm PP powder layer). The results
are shown in Table 8. The values in the table are the resulting
thickness in mm after subjecting the board to the various weights
listed in the table.
TABLE-US-00008 TABLE 8 0 0.25 0.5 1.0 2.0 4.0 8.0 Sample lbs lbs
lbs lbs lbs lbs lbs Superlite .TM. 7.2 4.4 4.1 3.1 3.0 2.6 2.3
board +PP powder 70 gsm Superlite .TM. 7.7 4.9 3.9 3.6 3.0 2.8 2.3
board + PP control 98 gsm film
[0101] In comparing the thickness change between the powder coated
board and the board with the control film, the resulting board
thicknesses are consistent with the powder coated board being
compressed about the same amount at the different weights as the
film control board.
EXAMPLE 8
[0102] The thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) powder material from
Table 1 was coated onto Superlite.TM. boards. The boards were then
placed in a heated thermoformer where a fabric (a bilaminate fabric
for Table 9) was added to the side of the Superlite.TM. board
containing the powder or the film. The composite was then molded to
a thickness of 3.0 mm. Certain physical properties of the boards
were measured and compared to a control Superlite.TM. board which
included a 70 gm and 80 gsm gsm PP/Co-PA film (Table 9) and the
same type of fabric layer. The basis weight of the Superlite.TM.
board was 1000 gsm in Tables 9. The peel strength was measured
using ASTM D903 Peel 180.degree. dated 2010.
TABLE-US-00009 TABLE 9 Avg. Basis Avg. Peel Peel Weight Ash
Strength Strength Sample (gsm) (%) MD (N/m) CD (N/m) Superlite .TM.
+ TPU 1070 51.4 395.9 340.6 powder 50 gsm Superlite .TM. + PP/Co-PA
1090 50.4 293.5 249.7 control film 70 gsm Superlite .TM. + PP/Co-PA
1100 50.0 531.2 539.2 control film 80 gsm
The results from Table 9 were consistent with the TPU powder coated
board providing better peel strength than a 70 gsm control film
board. The peel strength of the TPU powder coated board was not as
good as the 80 gsm PP/Co-PA film control board, but the basis
weight of the TPU coating was almost 40% lower than the 80gsm
PP/Co-PA film.
EXAMPLE 9
[0103] Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) powder material (80 gsm)
was powder coated onto composite boards including polypropylene and
glass fibers. For each board basis weight, one board included an 80
gsm PP/CoPA film and the board with the TPU coating lacked the
film. Two different board basis weights (800 gsm XL2.TM. core and
900 gsm Superlite.TM. core) were used for a total of four boards.
Certain physical properties of the four boards were measured and
compared. Each of the boards was placed in a heated thermoformer
where a fabric (a bilaminate or bi lam fabric (PU/polyester) in
this example) was added to the side of the board containing the TPU
powder or the PP/Co-PA film. The composite was then molded to a
thickness of 2.5 mm or 3.5 mm with the XL2.TM. core having a
thickness of 3.5 mm and the Superlite.TM. core having a thickness
of 2.5 mm.
[0104] Acoustic absorption measurements as a function of frequency
were measured from 0 Hz to 7000 Hz according to ASTM E1050 dated
2004 for the TPU coated boards the boards with the control film.
FIG. 18 shows the results for the 800 gsm board using an XL2.TM.
core (including polypropylene, glass fibers and microspheres), and
FIG. 19 shows the results for the 900 gsm board using a
Superlite.TM. core (including polypropylene and glass fibers) and
60 gsm TPU powder with and a 70 gsm PP/Co-PA film. The absorption
measurements for the TPU powder coated board were higher when the
frequency exceeds about 2500 Hz, and the absorption values are not
substantially lower than the control film at values below 2500
Hz.
[0105] Additional boards were produced using the same materials
(900 gsm board with a Superlite.TM. core) but using 40 gsm TPU
powder with and a 40 gsm PP/Co-PA film. Acoustics measurements of
these two boards were also measured. The results are shown in FIG.
20. At the lower TPU basis weight, the powder coated board still
provided better acoustic absorption than the control film board and
at an overall lower board weight. In addition, the acoustic
absorption values at 40 gsm TPU were similar to those at 80 gsm TPU
over a wide frequency range.
EXAMPLE 10
[0106] Powder coated PP boards of varying basis weights were
produced using similar processes as the TPU coated boards of
Example 9. The basis weights used were 800 gsm (XLT.TM. core
including polypropylene, glass fibers and microspheres), 1400 gsm
(Superlite.TM. core including polypropylene and glass fibers), 1600
gsm (Superlite.TM. core including polypropylene and glass fibers)
and 2000 gsm (Superlite.TM. core including polypropylene and glass
fibers). No cover layer was present on the PP powder coated boards
in this example. Acoustic measurements of boards with 80 gsm PP
powder were compared to boards with a 98 gsm solid PP film (FIGS.
21 and 22). Acoustic measurements of boards with 80 gsm PP powder
were compared to boards with an 88 gsm perforated PP film (FIGS. 23
and 24). The results are shown graphically in FIGS. 21-24.
[0107] The 80 gsm PP powder coating provided higher absorption
above 2000 Hz than the 98 gsm control solid PP film at both 800 gsm
and 1400 gsm. The 80 gsm PP powder provided better absorption above
6000 Hz than the perforated PP control film at 1600 gsm. The
absorption for the 2000 gsm board was about the same from 500 Hz to
about 4500 Hz, and the absorption by the 80 gsm PP powder coating
exceeded the 88 gsm perforated PP film above 4500 Hz. The results
were consistent with being able to replace the PP film with a PP
powder coat to provide similar or better acoustic properties over a
wide basis weight range.
EXAMPLE 11
[0108] Various physical parameters were tested on the boards of
Example 9 including basis weight and ash (Table 10), peel testing
at ambient temperature (Table 11), peel testing after environmental
cycling at 90 degrees Celsius (Table 12), and air flow resistance
(Table 13). The boards tested in Table 11 did not include any cover
material and were tested as produced before any molding.
TABLE-US-00010 TABLE 10 Sample Basis Weight (gsm) Ash (%) XL2 .TM.
800 gsm + 897 39.0 PP/Co-PA control film 80 gsm XL2 .TM. 800 gsm +
897 39.0 TPU powder 80 gsm XL2 .TM. 800 gsm + 917 38.2 Co-PA powder
100 gsm Superlite .TM. 900 gsm + 987 50.2 PP/Co-PA control film 70
gsm Superlite .TM. 900 gsm + 977 50.7 TPU powder 60 gsm Superlit
.TM. 900 gsm + 987 50.2 co-PA powder 70 gsm Superlite .TM. 900 gsm
+ 957 51.7 PP/Co-PA control film 40 gsm Superlite .TM. 900 gsm +
957 51.7 TPU powder 40 gsm Superlite .TM. 900 gsm + 967 51.2 Co-PA
powder 50 gsm
The basis weight and ash percentage of the XL2.TM. core samples
were measured to be about the same. Similarly, the basis weight and
ash percentage of the SL core samples were measured to be about the
same. The boards tested in Tables 11 and 12 did include a
bilaminate fabric (PU/polyester fabric) cover material.
TABLE-US-00011 TABLE 11 Peel strength Peel strength Samples MD
(N/m) CD (N/m) XL2 .TM. 800 gsm + 526.5 506.3 PP/Co-PA control film
80 gsm XL2 .TM. 800 gsm + 512.8 539.9 TPU powder 80 gsm XL2 .TM.
800 gsm + 435.1 436.2 Co-PA powder 100 gsm Superlite .TM. 900 gsm +
348.6 353.7 PP/Co-PA control film 70 gsm Superlite .TM. 900 gsm +
433.9 449.2 TPU powder 60 gsm Superlite .TM. 900 gsm + 380.3 346.8
Co-PA powder 70 gsm Superlite .TM. 900 gsm + 366.9 434.5 PP/Co-PA
control film 40 gsm Superlite .TM. 900 gsm + 375.2 400.7 TPU powder
40 gsm Superlite .TM. 900 gsm + 236.1 255.3 Co-PA powder 50 gsm
[0109] Table 11 shows that the peel strength measurements at
ambient temperature for the powder coated samples for the XL2.TM.
800 gsm boards had a reduced peel strength in the machine direction
(MD) compared to the control film. The TPU powder coated sample had
a larger peel strength in the cross direction (CD) than the control
film.
[0110] The peel strength measurements for the Superlite.TM. 900 gsm
samples show that the powder coated samples generally have a
similar peel strength in the machine direction as the control film,
and a similar or better peel strength in the cross direction
compared to the peel strength of the control PP film. As powder
basis weight increased, peel strength generally was observed to
increase.
TABLE-US-00012 TABLE 12 Peel strength Peel strength Samples MD
(N/m) CD (N/m) XL2 .TM. 800 gsm + 513.1 517.0 PP/Co-PA control film
80 gsm XL2 .TM. 800 gsm + 574.3 528.6 TPU powder 80 gsm XL2 .TM.
800 gsm + 386.7 402.6 Co-PA powder 100 gsm Superlite .TM. 900 gsm +
287.4 345.2 PP/Co-PA control film 70 gsm Superlite .TM. 900 gsm +
433.0 366.3 TPU powder 60 gsm Superlite .TM. 900 gsm + 333.3 295.8
Co-PA powder 70 gsm Superlite .TM. 900 gsm + 419.6 454.4 PP/Co-PA
control film 40 gsm Superlite .TM. 900 gsm + 352.7 399.2 TPU powder
40 gsm Superlite .TM. 900 gsm + 198.6 195.8 Co-PA powder 50 gsm
[0111] Table 12 shows that the peel strength measurements after
heat aging for the powder coated samples for the XL2.TM. 800 gsm
boards had a better peel strength (TPU powder) or reduced peel
strength (Co-PA powder) in the machine direction (MD) compared to
the control film. The TPU powder coated sample had a larger peel
strength in the cross direction (CD) than the control film.
[0112] The peel strength measurements for the Superlite.TM. 900 gsm
samples show that the powder coated samples generally have a
similar peel strength in the machine direction as the control film,
and a similar or better peel strength in the cross direction
compared to the peel strength of the control PP film. As powder
basis weight increased, peel strength generally was observed to
increase. Compared to the ambient conditions, peel strength
generally decreased after the environmental cycle for all
boards.
TABLE-US-00013 TABLE 13 Samples Specific airflow resistance (Pa
s/m) XL2 .TM. 800 gsm + 6569 PP/Co-PA control film 80 gsm XL2 .TM.
800 gsm + 1346 TPU powder 80 gsm XL2 .TM. 800 gsm + 1854 Co-PA
powder 100 gsm Superlite .TM. 900 gsm + 6555 PP/Co-PA control film
70 gsm Superlite .TM. 900 gsm + 856 TPU powder 60 gsm Superlite
.TM. 900 gsm + 1056 Co-PA powder 70 gsm Superlite .TM. 900 gsm +
930 PP/Co-PA control film 40 gsm Superlite .TM. 900 gsm + 825 TPU
powder 40 gsm Superlite .TM. 900 gsm + 726 Co-PA powder 50 gsm
[0113] The boards tested in Table 13 did include a bi lam cover
material. The resistance to air flow was measured using a
perpendicular flow through the board. More resistance to air flow
correlates with a lower sound absorption. As can be seen from the
results, the powder coated samples all had much lower airflow
resistance indicating powder coating can provide better sound
absorption than the control films.
EXAMPLE 12
[0114] Peel strength measurements were performed on the various
cores shown in Table 14. Table 14 shows the results for both
ambient conditions and after heat aging. The boards tested in Table
14 did include a bi lam cover material.
TABLE-US-00014 TABLE 14 Peel strength Peel strength Samples MD(N/m)
CD (N/m) Ambient XLTB .TM. 800 gsm + COULD NOT BE PEELED PP control
film 98 gsm XLTB .TM. 800 gsm + COULD NOT BE PEELED PP powder 80
gsm Superlite .TM. 1400 gsm + COULD NOT BE PEELED PP control film
98 gsm Superlite .TM. 1400 gsm + 1091.8 2179.1 PP powder 80 gsm
Superlite .TM. 1600 gsm + COULD NOT BE PEELED PP control film 88
gsm Superlite .TM. 1600 gsm + 1432.5 1903.8 PP powder 80 gsm
Superlite .TM. 2000 gsm + COULD NOT BE PEELED PP control film 88
gsm Superlite .TM. 2000 gsm + 1500.5 1585.2 PP powder 80 gsm After
heat aging XLTB .TM. 800 gsm + COULD NOT BE PEELED PP control film
98 gsm XLTB .TM. 800 gsm + 1916.5 1762.2 PP powder 80 gsm Superlite
.TM. 1400 gsm + 2355.2 2545.6 PP control film 98 gsm Superlite .TM.
1400 gsm + 2028.8 1664.3 PP powder 80 gsm Superlite .TM. 1600 gsm +
COULD NOT BE PEELED PP film control 88 gsm Superlite .TM. 1600 gsm
+ 1483.8 2195.0 PP powder 80 gsm Superlite .TM. 2000 gsm + COULD
NOT BE PEELED PP control film 88 gsm Superlite .TM. 2000 gsm +
1729.1 1915.1 PP powder 80 gsm
[0115] For the ambient conditions, no peeling was possible for the
800 gsm XLT.TM. boards. Peeling was possible for the 1400 gsm, 1600
gsm and 2000 gsm Superlite.TM. (SL) boards which included the 80
gsm PP powder coating.
[0116] After heat aging, no peeling was possible for the 800 gsm
XLT.TM. control film board but was possible for the 800 gsm XLT.TM.
powder coated board. Peeling was possible for both 1400 gsm boards
and only the powder coated 1600 gsm and 2000 gsm boards. These
results are consistent with the PP powder coated boards providing
high peel strength particularly at lower core basis weight.
[0117] When introducing elements of the examples disclosed herein,
the articles "a," "an," "the" and "said" are intended to mean that
there are one or more of the elements. The terms "comprising,"
"including" and "having" are intended to be open-ended and mean
that there may be additional elements other than the listed
elements. It will be recognized by the person of ordinary skill in
the art, given the benefit of this disclosure, that various
components of the examples can be interchanged or substituted with
various components in other examples.
[0118] Although certain aspects, examples and embodiments have been
described above, it will be recognized by the person of ordinary
skill in the art, given the benefit of this disclosure, that
additions, substitutions, modifications, and alterations of the
disclosed illustrative aspects, examples and embodiments are
possible.
* * * * *