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EP-3430075-B1 - STRUCTURAL REINFORCEMENTS

EP3430075B1EP 3430075 B1EP3430075 B1EP 3430075B1EP-3430075-B1

Inventors

  • RICHARDSON, HENRY
  • HOLSTINE, Nick

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20170315

Claims (10)

  1. A device comprising: a. a carrier that includes: i. a mass of polymeric material having an outer surface and including a first polymeric material comprising a polyamide material; and ii. at least one fibrous composite material insert or overlay having an outer surface and including at least one elongated glass fiber arrangement having a plurality of ordered fibers distributed in a predetermined manner in a second polymeric material, the fibrous insert adjoining the mass of the polymeric material in a predetermined location for carrying a predetermined load that is subjected upon the predetermined location; wherein the fibrous insert or overlay and the mass of polymeric material include compatible materials, structures or both, for allowing the fibrous insert to be generally co-extensive with the outer surface of the mass of polymeric material; wherein the outer surface of the fibrous insert is generally co-extensive with the outer surface of the mass of polymeric material and positioned on top of the outer surface of the mass of polymeric material; and b. a mass of epoxy-based activatable material selectively applied over at least a portion of one or both of the outer surface of the mass of the polymeric material or the at least one fibrous insert, the mass of activatable material being capable of activation for expansion by an external stimulus and being capable of curing to form an adhesive bond to at least one surface of the article; wherein the outer surface of the fibrous insert is at least partially co-extensive and continuous with the outer surface of the mass of polymeric material, c. wherein the second polymeric material is a thermoset polyurethane material.
  2. The device of claim 1, wherein the material of the fibrous insert and the mass of polymeric material are chemically bonded together.
  3. The device of any of claims 1-2, wherein the at least one elongated fiber arrangement is a woven fiber arrangement.
  4. The device of any of claims 1 through 3, wherein the fibrous insert includes a plurality of layers each including an elongated fiber arrangement, and each layer being anisotropic in its mechanical properties.
  5. The device of any of claims 1 through 4, wherein an orientation of one or more fibers in the elongated fiber arrangement is selected for providing localized rigidity in response to a predetermined load that is applied to the elongated fiber arrangement
  6. The device of any of claims 1 through 5, wherein a resulting outer surface of the carrier is substantially free of knit lines or other imperfections that could provide a source of localized weakening of the carrier.
  7. The device of any of claims 1 through 6, wherein the at least one consolidated fibrous insert has an exposed outer surface and an exposed inner surface.
  8. The device of any of claims 1 through 7, wherein the carrier has (i) a polymeric portion defined by the mass of polymeric material, (ii) a localized reinforcement portion defined by the at least one consolidated fibrous insert or overlay, and (iii) an interface portion between the polymeric portion and the localized reinforcement portion wherein the polymeric portion, the interface portion and the localized reinforcement portion are a generally smooth and/or continuous structure.
  9. The device of claim 8, wherein the interface portion includes (i) an interpenetrating network defined by the first and second polymeric materials, (ii) chemical bonds between the first and second polymeric materials, or both (i) and (ii).
  10. The device of any of claims 1 through 9, wherein the article is a transportation vehicle.

Description

Technical Field The present invention relates generally to composite materials, particularly to composites having a thermoset matrix phase, which can be employed in a number of applications, such as for use in transportation vehicles, building materials, sporting equipment or other rigid, lightweight articles. Background There is an ongoing effort in many industries to lighten the weight of articles. In many instances, this is achieved by the selection of materials that have a lower density, thinner section thicknesses or both, as compared with prior materials or structures. As a result, there is a potential for the weakening of structures, and the consequent need for stiffening or other structural reinforcement. In the field of automotive vehicle manufacturing it is common to employ structural reinforcements within cavities of the vehicle body structure. For instance, it has become common to employ within a cavity of the vehicle body structure a relatively rigid molded polymeric carrier that carries an activatable material on one or more of its outer surfaces. For certain activatable materials, upon being activated (e.g., by the heat from a coating bake oven), the activatable material can expand and bond to a surface defining the cavity. In order to selectively control the properties of the article reinforcement structure, it has been taught to use hybrid reinforcement structures that include a combination of multiple materials for the carrier. See, e.g., United States (U.S.) Patent No. 8,430,448. See also, Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Application No. WO 2010/054194. In the automotive vehicle industry, the use of computer modeling (e.g., finite element analysis) has been employed for simulating a vehicle crash, and for modeling how a particular section of a vehicle will respond to the crash. Such modeling can be utilized to determine appropriate locations for the placement of reinforcing structures. Notwithstanding the above efforts there remains a need for alternative carrier structures. For example, there remains a need for alternative carrier structures that employ a combination of different materials that, even though they are dissimilar, are still generally compatible (e.g., chemically and/or physically compatible) with each other so that they can be joined together without the need for an adhesive, a mechanical fastener, or other means for physically joining two or more different materials. There also remains an ongoing need for alternative carrier structures that employ a combination of different materials that each contains a substantial polymeric portion (e.g., a non-metallic portion) so that weight savings can be attained. There is also a need for polymeric materials that can be combined to increase the overall modulus and flexural strength of a reinforcement, such that it exceeds that of any of the materials on their own. There also remains an ongoing need for alternative carrier structures that employ a combination of different materials that join together at an interface region that is generally continuous with the portions of the carrier defined by the different respective materials. There also remains an ongoing need for an alternative carrier that can employ one or more localized reinforcement regions by use of a particular material within the carrier, and which may be achieved in the absence of a need for a structural feature (e.g., a rib) for imparting additional strength to the localized reinforcement. Examples of composite structures are illustrated in PCT Publication No. WO2007/008569, United States Published Patent Application Nos. 2011/0039470 and 2012/0251863, and United States Patent No. 7,581,932. See also, U.S. Patent Nos. 6,855,652, 7,125,461 and 7,318,873, and United States Published Patent Application Nos. 2003/0039792, 2010/0289242, 2011/0278802, and 2009/0202294. . Other relevant state in the art include United States Publication No. US 2015/0165737, PCT Publication Nos. WO 2015/061291 A1 and WO 2015/168440 Al. Summary of the Invention One or more of the above needs are met by the present teachings which contemplate improved structures and methods that can be employed advantageously for sealing, baffling and/or structurally reinforcing various articles, and particularly for structurally reinforcing transportation vehicles, such as automotive vehicles. The materials of the present teachings also find application in a number of other applications as will be gleaned from the following discussion. That is, the present teachings relate generally to composite materials. As one example, the present teachings relate to fibrous composite materials that employ a distributed phase (e.g., a fibrous phase) and a thermoset polyurethane material. The material offers the benefit of mechanical properties typically achieved through the use of thermoset polyurethane materials (i.e., a thermoset polyurethane material) as some or all of a matrix phase of a composite. However, the material has