Fiber-reinforced composite articles made from fibers having coupling-initiator compounds and methods of making the articles

摘要

Methods of making a fiber-reinforced composite article are described. The methods may include providing fibers to an article template, where the fibers have been treated with a coupling-initiator compound. They may further include providing a pre-polymerized mixture that includes a monomer and a catalyst to the article template. The combination of the fibers and the pre-polymerized mixture may be heated to a polymerization temperature where the monomers polymerize around the fibers and form at least a portion of the composite article. The article may then be removed from the article template. Examples of the fiber-reinforced composite articles may include wind turbine blades for electric power generation.

主权项

1. A method of making a fiber-reinforced composite article, the method comprising:
providing a pre-polymerized fiber-containing material comprising fibers in contact with a combination of a monomer and polymerization catalyst, wherein the fibers have been treated with a coupling-initiator compound and the coupling-initiator compound has the formula:
S—X—(I)n wherein n is an integer having a value between 1 and 5,S comprises a silicon-containing coupling moiety through which the coupling-initiator compound bonds to a substrate surface on the fibers,X comprises a linking moiety to link the S moiety with the one or more I moieties, and(I)n comprises one or more polymerization initiator moieties, wherein each of the initiators moieties is capable of initiating a polymerization of the monomer at the polymerization temperature, and wherein each of the initiator moieties is the same or different; applying the pre-polymerized fiber-containing material to an article template; subsequently adding more of the monomer to the article template; and heating the pre-polymerized fiber-containing material to a polymerization temperature where the monomers polymerize around the fibers to form at least a portion of the composite article, wherein the fiber-reinforced composite is bonded to one or more surfaces of the article template such that the composite article formed includes an outer layer comprising at least a portion of the article template within the layer structure.