One-piece fiber reinforcement for a reinforced polymer combining aligned and random fiber layers

摘要

A one-piece fiber reinforcement for a reinforced polymer is described. In an embodiment, a one-piece reinforcement is fabricated by first assembling an interior randomly oriented fiber layer between two exterior aligned fiber layers. With all layers in face to face contact, a preselected number of fibers from the aligned layer is conveyed out of its aligned layer and threaded into at least the random fiber layer so that the conveyed fibers engage and mechanically and frictionally interfere with the random fibers. The fibers may be conveyed from one aligned layer to the other for yet greater interference. The interfering fibers serve to secure and interlock the layers together, producing a one-piece reinforcement which, when impregnated with a polymer precursor, shaped and cured may be incorporated in a polymer reinforced composite article.

主权项

1. A one-piece fiber reinforcement for a reinforced polymer article formed from a plurality of stacked, separate and distinct, reinforcing fibrous structures arranged in layers, the layers being at least partially coextensive and in face-to-face contact, the one-piece fiber reinforcement comprising:
a fiber layer reinforcing structure with an area and a thickness and comprising aligned fibers which are either woven or stitched together, for placement of the aligned fiber layer in contacting face-to-face relation with a second fiber layer reinforcing structure having a thickness and an area and comprising a mat of randomly oriented fibers, at least a portion of the mat fiber layer area being placed coextensively with at least a portion of the area of the aligned fiber layer; a plurality of the aligned fibers of the aligned fiber layer reinforcing structure being extended out of the aligned fiber layer and inserted into the thickness of the mat fiber layer reinforcing structure to engage and interfere with at least some of the random fibers of the mat fiber layer so as to securely bind the mat fiber layer to the aligned fiber layer; the fibers extending out of the aligned fiber layer being distributed over the coextensive portions of the areas of the aligned and mat fiber layers to form a one-piece fiber reinforcement adapted for impregnation with a polymer or polymer precursor, before or after it is placed in a mold, for fabrication of a reinforced polymer article.