JP2516692B2 - Method and apparatus for supplying unidirectional fiber bundle in manufacturing glass fiber mat - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a glass fiber mat production line for producing a glass fiber mat by needling a laminated unidirectional fiber layer and non-directional fiber layer. The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for supplying a unidirectional fiber bundle.

[Conventional technology]

The production line for glass fiber mats is the production of an integrated glass fiber mat by laminating a unidirectional fiber layer and a non-directional (random) fiber layer, and then needling and entangling this laminate with a needler. I do.

An example of this glass fiber mat production line is shown in FIG. In this case, first, at the beginning of the mat production line, glass fiber bundles (cake, roving or yarn)
The unidirectional fiber bundle 2 is supplied from the rewound warp beam 1 onto the belt conveyor 3 to form a unidirectional fiber layer, and the continuous continuous glass fiber bundle 4 is randomly spun on the unidirectional fiber layer to form no direction. The characteristic fiber layer 5 is laminated. The laminate of the unidirectional fiber layer and the non-directional fiber layer 5 is subsequently passed through a dryer 6 to be dried, and then sent to a needler 7 where they are entangled by needling. Thereby, the unidirectional fiber layer and the non-directional fiber layer 5 are integrated into a glass fiber mat.

The glass fiber mat produced in this way is, for example,
It is used to make FRTP stampable sheets. This stampable sheet is available in Japanese Patent Publication Sho 63-15135.
A glass fiber mat is impregnated with a molten resin by a known method as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-112642, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-112642, periodical publication "Plastics Age" page 194 (issued in April 1989) and the like. It is manufactured by The stampable sheet is further cut into a predetermined size and number of sheets, and is stamped and molded into a molded product having high strength and elasticity in one direction, such as a bumper beam of an automobile.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

In the conventional glass fiber mat production line, as described above, the unidirectional fiber layer 2 is extracted from the warp beam 1 to form the unidirectional fiber layer. In the case of the method for supplying the unidirectional fiber bundle 2 by the warp beam 1, many rovings, cakes, and yarn windings are prepared in advance,
Since a process of aligning the tensions in parallel and arranging them in parallel and rewinding the warp beam 1 is required, the cost is high and it is not economical. Furthermore, the length of the glass fiber wound on the warp beam 1 (for example 200 m) limits the time during which a glass fiber mat can be continuously produced. That is, when the glass fiber bundle 2 of the warp beam 1 is used up, the production must be stopped and the warp beam 1 must be replaced. In this replacement work, for example, 540 glass fiber bundles must be re-tie one by one and the length must be adjusted so that a constant tension is applied. This series of work takes several hours,
The efficiency is very poor.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks, to eliminate the need for rewinding a glass fiber bundle into a warp beam, and to enable continuous production of glass fiber mats. It is to provide a method and an apparatus for supplying the same.

[Means for achieving the purpose]

This object, in the case of the invention of the method, in a method of supplying a unidirectional fiber bundle to a production line of a glass fiber mat consisting of a unidirectional fiber layer and a non-directional fiber layer, a predetermined number of glass fiber roving, A glass fiber bundle having water content is pulled out from the roll of cake or yarn, and the pulled out glass fiber bundle is separated by a guide for each predetermined number of fibers, and the direction of the isolated glass fiber bundle is changed. Guide the inside of each of the plurality of pipes having wavy irregularities on the inner wall surface, guide each of the glass fiber bundles introduced into these pipes to the feed roller while separating them with the pipes, and from this feed roller The sent-out glass fiber bundles are arranged at predetermined intervals by a comb-shaped guide to form unidirectional fiber bundles. It is achieved by supplying the cellulose fiber mat production line.

In this case, the comb-shaped guide is preferably provided at the entrance of a needler provided in the glass fiber mat production line.

Further, in the case of the device invention, in a device for supplying a unidirectional fiber bundle to a glass fiber mat production line comprising a unidirectional fiber layer and a non-directional fiber layer, a predetermined number of glass fiber rovings, cakes or A shelf for placing the yarn winding, the glass fiber roving, a cake or a glass fiber bundle having water respectively extracted from the yarn winding is isolated in a predetermined number, and the isolated glass fiber bundle is isolated. A guide that guides the inside of each of a plurality of pipes having wavy irregularities on the inner wall surface of the region whose direction is to be changed, and the glass fiber bundles that are guided inside these pipes are isolated by the pipes. A unidirectional fiber bundle is formed by arranging each of the feed roller fed while being fed and the glass fiber bundle fed from the feed roller at a predetermined interval. Both are accomplished by that it comprises a variable pitch of the comb guide for guiding these unidirectional fiber bundles to the glass fiber mat production line.

In this case, the pipe is composed of a straight-chain pipe that receives a glass fiber bundle from a roll of glass fiber roving, a cake or a yarn, and a flexible pipe that is connected to the straight-chain pipe and has corrugated irregularities on the inner wall surface. Is desirable.

Further, the feed roller is composed of at least two rubber-coated rollers, and an inlet guide for the glass fiber bundle (referred to as an inlet guide because it is located on the inlet side with respect to the feed roller) is provided in front of the first roller. It is desirable that the center line of this inlet guide be oriented in the tangential direction of the first roller.

Further, it is desirable that a comb-shaped guide for arranging the glass fiber bundle is provided between the first roller and the entrance guide.

Further, the comb-shaped guides which are arranged at a predetermined interval for each of the glass fiber bundles sent out from the feed roller to form the unidirectional fiber bundles are arranged at the entrance of the needler provided in the glass fiber mat production line. Is desirable.

[Action]

In the present invention, a glass fiber roving, a glass fiber bundle drawn from a roll of cake or yarn is made into a unidirectional fiber bundle and directly supplied to a glass fiber mat production line (for example, its needler).

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on the embodiments shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a glass fiber mat production line equipped with a unidirectional fiber bundle supply device 10 according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, 11 and 12 are belt conveyors arranged substantially horizontally. A continuous glass long fiber bundle (see reference numeral 4 in FIG. 11) is randomly shaken off by a non-directional fiber bundle supply device (not shown) in the starting end range (range on the right side in FIG. 1) of the belt conveyor 11. As a result, a non-directional fiber layer (random fiber layer) 13 is formed. This non-directional fiber bundle supply device is arranged in a plurality at a constant interval in the conveying direction of the conveyor, and makes a continuous glass fiber bundle spirally drop while reciprocating at a predetermined speed in the width direction (for example, JP-B-63). -6666 publication). A continuous glass fiber bundle is, for example, a bundle of 400 filaments each having a single diameter of 23μ,
The weight per unit area of the non-directional fiber layer 13 is, for example, 440 g / m.
Are thrown off so that the ^2.

The non-directional fiber layer 13 thus formed is conveyed by the belt conveyor 11 and passes through the dryer 14. The dryer 14 blows hot air of about 50 ° C. onto the non-directional fiber layer 13 to dry it.

The non-directional fiber layer 13 is subsequently transferred to the belt conveyor 12. In the end area of the belt conveyor 12, a unidirectional fiber layer composed of a predetermined number of unidirectional fiber bundles 15 supplied from the unidirectional fiber bundle supply device 10 according to the present invention is formed. The unidirectional fiber bundle 15 has, for example, a single system diameter of 23 μ and the number of bundles.
It consists of a glass fiber bundle consisting of 2000 pieces and 2 pieces of glass rovings with a moisture content of 12%, and they are supplied in parallel with each other at 2.2 mm width and 8 mm pitch (the total number of glass rovings used is 540 pieces). The unidirectional fiber bundle supply device 10 will be described in detail later.

Unidirectional fiber bundle supplied from the unidirectional fiber bundle supply device 10.
After passing through the comb-shaped guide 16 that constitutes the unidirectional fiber bundle supply device 10, 15 is supplied and laminated on the non-directional fiber layer 13. The comb guide 16 preferably has a variable pitch. The glass fiber bundles 15A, which are the unidirectional fiber bundles 15, may be passed through the comb-shaped guide 16 one by one or two fibers. The comb guide 16 itself is known in the textile industry and will not be described in detail here.

The laminated unidirectional raw fiber layer and non-directional fiber layer 13 are subsequently supplied to a needler 17, and needling is performed so that the needle enters from the side of the unidirectional raw fiber layer. As a result, both layers are entangled and integrated to form a glass fiber mat. The needler 17 itself is known and will not be described in detail here.

A delivery roller 19 for carrying out the glass fiber mat 18 is provided on the exit side of the needler 17. The delivery roller 19 is intermittently driven to rotate.

The unidirectional fiber bundle supply device 10 substantially includes a shelf 24 on which a glass fiber roving, a roll of cake or yarn (hereinafter, also referred to as “roll of roll of cake or yarn”) 23, and a roving. A hard linear pipe 25 that guides the glass fiber bundles 15B drawn from the cake or yarn roll 23 by separating them by a predetermined number.
A flexible pipe 26 connected to this pipe 25, and a feed roller 27 to which a glass fiber bundle 15A composed of a glass fiber bundle 15B separated by a predetermined number by the flexible pipe 26 is supplied from the flexible pipe 26. There is.

Shelving for rolls of roving, cake or yarn 23
24 is, for example, V in a place away from the mat production line.
It is arranged in a letter shape. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the glass fiber bundle 15B is pulled out from the roll 23 of roving, cake or yarn, and the two bundles are joined together by straddling a stainless guide rod 28 to form a guide plate 29. After passing through the hole, it becomes a glass fiber bundle 15A. The guide plate 29 is fixed to the side surface of the shelf 24 with screws or the like, and a titanium guide 30 is attached to the hole. Next, the glass fiber bundle 15A has a cap 3 at the tip.
It is introduced into a straight pipe 25 made of hard vinyl chloride, to which 1 and a titanium guide 32 are attached (see FIG. 4).

If here, the individual fiberglass bundles 15 by pipes 25
If A is not isolated, the glass fiber bundle 15A will be in a taut state when pulled out, or will be in a largely hung state, so that the glass fiber bundles 15A intertwine with each other and become entangled. Then, the glass fiber bundles 15A proceed while rubbing against each other, a single system break occurs, feathers are generated, and finally the glass fiber bundles 15A are cut. The vinyl chloride pipe 25 functions to isolate the glass fiber bundles 15A from each other and prevent such troubles from occurring.

Furthermore, when the glass fiber bundle 15A moves up and down, the tension applied to the glass fiber bundle 15A also changes. That is, when the glass fiber bundle 15A droops largely, the tension also increases, and when the drooping is small, the tension is small. But,
As described above, when the glass fiber bundle 15A is drawn through the straight pipe 25, the range in which the glass fiber bundle 15A moves up and down can be minimized and the fluctuation in tension can be reduced.

The material of the pipe 25 suitable for these purposes may be made of metal or plastic, but if it is made of metal, the pipe becomes heavy, and the pedestal for suspending it must also be strong, and the glass fiber It is necessary to select one that is also resistant to corrosion by the peroxide contained in the binder of the bundle. On the other hand, if it is made of plastic, a hard plastic that does not have tackiness may be light in weight and have a simple pedestal, and there is no fear of corrosion. If the inner wall surface is smooth, pipes made of, for example, fluorine resin, olefin resin, vinyl chloride, ABS, PC, acrylic can be used. In particular, a hard vinyl chloride pipe that is widely commercially available for piping is preferable in terms of cost and performance.

The glass fiber bundle 15A exiting the linear pipe 25 is guided to the feed roller 27 through a flexible pipe 26 having an inner wall drawing a gentle curve and having a corrugated shape. The role of the flexible pipe 26 is to reduce the abrasion of the glass fiber bundle 15A as much as possible and change the direction gently. Therefore, it is desirable that the flexible pipe 26 has a corrugated inner wall surface and a small contact area between the glass fiber bundle 15A and the pipe 26. Figures 5a to 5e show flexible pipe 26
Shows an example of. In FIG. 5a, the corrugations are independent in a ring shape and are formed at regular intervals. In the case of FIG. 5b, the corrugations are formed in the shape of a single or multiple threads. In the case of FIG. 5c, an independent ring-shaped protrusion is formed on the inner wall surface. Figure 5d has one protrusion
It is formed in a thread or a plurality of threads. In Fig. 5e, a spring is inserted and fixed in the flexible pipe.

 For the material of the flexible pipe 26,
The same as the ones in Group 25 are suitable. In other words, it is lightweight and the inner wall surface
It is recommended that the surface of is finished smoothly. example
For example, Mirai Kogyo, which is widely sold as a wire protection tube
Product name “Miraflexi” SS, MFS-16 "is suitable
Is.

The glass fiber bundle 15A is supplied to the feed roller 27 from the flexible pipe 26 via the inlet guide 35. This inlet guide 35, as shown in FIG.
The outer diameter of the iron pipe 36, the iron plate 37 to which the iron pipe 36 is welded, and the guide retainer 38 in the opening of the iron pipe 36.
It consists of a titanium guide 39 mounted by.
The iron plate 37 extends over the entire length of the feed roller 27, which will be described later, and has a rectangular shape curved in an arc shape. This iron plate 37
As shown in the plan view of FIG.
Are displaced and fixed in the width direction and the longitudinal direction of the iron plate 37. Flexible pipe for each iron pipe 36
26 is inserted and fixed.

From the flexible pipe 26 of the glass fiber bundle 15A, through the titanium guide 39, it is supplied to the feed roller 27 consisting of three rubber-coated rollers 41, 42, 43. At this time, iron plate
If 37 is flat, inlet guide 35 (flexible pipe
26, the center line 40 (see FIG. 6) of the titanium guide 39 or the iron pipe 36) does not coincide with the tangent line of the first roller 41 of the feed roller 27, so that the glass fiber bundle 15A is attached to the titanium guide 3
It runs while being rubbed by the edge of 9. Then, the titanium guide 3
The larger the contact angle at the edge of 9, the more the occurrence of fluff,
The generated fluff adheres to the traveling glass fiber bundle 15A and also moves to the surface of the feed roller 27 to generate fluff one after another, and finally the glass fiber bundle 15A is cut and wound around the feed roller. . In order to prevent such trouble, the center line (normal line) of the inlet guide 35 is arranged so as to coincide with the tangent line of the first roller 41 of the feed roller 27 (see FIG. 8). In this way, the glass fiber bundle
With 15A, the contact angle at the edge of the titanium guide 39 becomes small, and fluff hardly occurs.

The glass fiber bundle 15A exiting the inlet guide 35 is supplied to the feed roller 27 at intervals of the titanium guide 39, but since the pitch of each glass fiber bundle 15A is very narrow at 8 mm, the titanium guide 39 and the feed roller 27 are In the meantime, as shown on the right side of FIG. 9, it may become twilled. When it comes in contact with the feed roller 27 while being twilled, the glass fiber bundle 15a and the glass fiber bundle 15b
Are overlapped with each other and are sandwiched between the rollers of the feed roller 27 (for example, the first roller 41 and the second roller 42) (see FIG. 10). Then, the glass fiber bundle 15c adjacent to the glass fiber bundles 15a and 15b has a smaller force to be sandwiched between the first roller 41 and the second roller 42, and thus the take-up speed becomes slower,
The tension supplied to the needler 17 is higher than that of a normally sent glass fiber bundle. As a result, impregnation of the glass fiber bundle 15c with the resin becomes worse during the production of the stampable sheet, which hinders the development of strength and deteriorates the appearance of the molded product. Therefore, the comb-shaped guide 44 as shown in FIG.
It is provided in front of the roller 41. By this guide 44, the adjacent glass fiber bundle 15A is taken up by the feed roller 27 without being twilled.

The glass fiber bundle 15A becomes a unidirectional fiber bundle 15 from a feed roller 27 through a comb-shaped guide 16 having a variable pitch provided at the entrance of the needler 17, and is supplied to the needler 17 with a uniform arrangement and tension. Thereby, the unidirectional fiber bundle 15
Are laminated on the non-directional fiber layer 13 conveyed from the right side to the left side under the feed roller 27 in FIG.

In the above one-way fiber bundle supply device, the glass fiber bundle
15A is rubbed and worn when passing through the inner walls of the pipes 25 and 26 or the guides, and frequent single yarn breakage causes fluff, which may eventually lead to cutting. In order to prevent this, in the present invention, it is desirable that each glass fiber bundle 15B that is separated into a predetermined number of glass fiber bundles 15A has a water content.

The glass fiber is coated with a sizing agent according to the purpose, is bundled into one strand, and is wound up as a cake or roving. Immediately after being wound, the glass fiber bundle has a water content of 10 to 20%, and in order to make a glass fiber bundle for ordinary FRP or FRTP, these are dried in a drying oven at 100 to 120 degrees Celsius for 10 to 12%. It is dried and packaged and shipped for an hour. Generally, the reason why the glass fiber for the composite material is dried is that the resin to be composited may be hydrolyzed or foamed by water, and the composite effect may be impaired. However, polypropylene resin is highly resistant to hydrolysis, and since the stampable sheet manufacturing device is a device that expels air from the glass fiber mat and pushes the resin in instead, the glass fiber has water content. However, there is practically no effect. On the other hand, a glass fiber sizing agent suitable for FRTP stampable sheets using a polyolefin resin as a matrix, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 53-17720, has an organic peroxide added thereto, such as roving or cake. When the above-mentioned roll is dried under the above-mentioned drying conditions, the organic peroxide is decomposed due to heat and the effect cannot be exhibited. Therefore, usually, glass fiber bundles are thinly spread into a layered form, and hot air of 50 ° C. is applied thereto to dry the bundle. That is, the organic peroxide is dried at a relatively low temperature in a short time so that the organic peroxide is not decomposed and the drying efficiency is good. However, when the glass fiber bundle is wound in the form of roving, it takes about 10 days at 50 ° C and about one month at a well-ventilated place at room temperature. It is impossible to industrially produce this.

As described above, the presence of water can prevent the glass fiber bundle from being worn or fluffed without impairing the effect of the resin composite. In the present invention, roving having a water content of 12% was used, but fluff was hardly accumulated on the comb-shaped guide 16 having a variable pitch, and a uniform glass fiber mat was obtained. The moisture content immediately after the mat production was about 5%.

In the above examples, the glass fiber bundles drawn from the roving, cake or yarn rolls were made into unidirectional fiber bundles and fed directly to the glass fiber mat production line (for example, the needler thereof). There is no need to rewind the yarn into a warp beam. Also, roving, cake or yarn roll replacement is performed by connecting the roving, cake or yarn start end of a new roll in sequence from the one where the glass fiber is near the end. It's very easy because you don't need to adjust the length or tension like. It is also possible to prepare spare rovings, cakes or yarns on the shelves, and connect the winding end and the winding start in advance. Furthermore, since the rolls are exchanged without stopping the glass fiber mat production line, the glass fiber mat can be continuously produced.

In the above embodiment, the unidirectional fiber bundle supply device 10 according to the present invention is arranged between the dryer 14 and the needler 17, but as in the conventional equipment shown in FIG. 11, at the mat production line start end portion. It can also be arranged.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, in the present invention, the glass fiber bundles drawn from the roll of roving, cake or yarn are made into unidirectional fiber bundles and directly supplied to the glass fiber mat production line. There is no need to rewind the warp beam into the warp beam, roving, cake or yarn winding changes are very easy and allow continuous production of fiberglass mats.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a glass fiber mat production line equipped with a unidirectional fiber bundle supply device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a positional relationship among a roving winding body, a shelf, and a hard pipe of the unidirectional fiber bundle supply device. Fig. 3, Fig. 3 is a side view of Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing an inlet portion of a hard pipe, Fig. 5a, Fig. 5b,
5c, 5d and 5e are sectional views showing different examples of flexible pipes, FIG. 6 is a sectional view of an inlet guide provided in front of the feed roller, and FIG. 7 is an iron plate and iron of the inlet guide. FIG. 8 is a plan view of the pipe, FIG. 8 is a schematic side view showing the positional relationship between the inlet guide and the feed roller, FIG. 8A is a partial perspective view of FIG. 8, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the feed roller.
FIG. 10 is a view showing a glass fiber bundle which is twilled and overlapped between feed rollers, and FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a glass fiber mat production line having a conventional unidirectional fiber bundle supply device formed as a warp beam. Is. 10 …… One-way fiber bundle supply device, 11,12 …… Belt conveyor, 13 …… Non-directional fiber layer, 14 …… Dryer, 15 …… One-way fiber bundle, 15A, 15B, 15a, 15b, 15c ...... Glass fiber bundle, 16
...... Comb guide, 17 …… Needler, 18 …… Glass fiber mat, 19 …… Delivery roller, 23 …… Roving,
Roll of cake or yarn, 24 ... Shelf, 25 ... Straight pipe, 26 ... Flexible pipe, 27 ... Feed roller, 28 ... Guide rod, 29 ... Guide plate, 30 ... Titanium guide, 31 … Cap, 32 …… Titanium guide, 35 …… Inlet guide, 36 …… Iron pipe, 37 …… Iron plate, 38 …… Guide retainer, 39 …… Titanium guide, 40 …… Inlet guide center line,
41,42,43 …… Roller, 44 …… Comb shaped guide

Claims (7)

(57) [Claims] 1. A method of supplying a unidirectional fiber bundle to a production line of a glass fiber mat comprising a unidirectional fiber layer and a non-directional fiber layer, comprising a predetermined number of glass fiber rovings, a roll of cake or yarn. A glass fiber bundle having water is drawn out, and the drawn glass fiber bundle is separated by a guide for every predetermined number, and wavy unevenness is formed on the inner wall surface of the region where the direction of the separated glass fiber bundle is to be changed. The glass fibers are introduced into each of the plurality of pipes, and each of the glass fiber bundles introduced into these pipes is guided to a feed roller while being separated by the pipe, and the glass fibers sent out from the feed roller. A unidirectional fiber bundle is formed by arranging the bundle at a predetermined interval with a comb-shaped guide, and the unidirectional fiber bundle is aligned to make the glass fiber mat. And supplying to the line, the method of supplying the unidirectional fiber bundle in the production of glass fiber mats. 2. The method for supplying a unidirectional fiber bundle in the production of a glass fiber mat according to claim 1, wherein the comb-shaped guide is provided at an inlet of a needler provided in a production line of the glass fiber mat. 3. A device for supplying a unidirectional fiber bundle to a glass fiber mat production line comprising a unidirectional fiber layer and a non-directional fiber layer, wherein a predetermined number of glass fiber rovings, cakes or yarn rolls are mounted. Shelf for placing, glass fiber roving, separating the glass fiber bundle having water respectively drawn from the roll of cake or yarn in a predetermined number, and change the direction of the isolated glass fiber bundle A guide that guides the inside of each of the plurality of pipes having wavy irregularities on the inner wall surface of the region to be fed, and a feed roller that supplies the glass fiber bundles introduced into these pipes while being separated by the pipes. , And each of the glass fiber bundles sent out from the feed roller are arranged at predetermined intervals to form a unidirectional fiber bundle, and A device for supplying a unidirectional fiber bundle in the production of a glass fiber mat, comprising a comb-shaped guide with a variable pitch for guiding the unidirectional fiber bundle to the glass fiber mat production line. 4. A straight pipe for receiving a glass fiber bundle from a roll of glass fiber roving, cake or yarn, and a flexible pipe connected to the straight pipe and having corrugated irregularities on its inner wall surface. The device for supplying a unidirectional fiber bundle in the production of a glass fiber mat according to claim 3, wherein 5. The feed roller is composed of at least two rubber-coated rollers, an inlet guide for the glass fiber bundle is provided in front of the first roller, and the center line of the inlet guide is the tangential direction of the first roller. The device for supplying a unidirectional fiber bundle in the production of the glass fiber mat according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that 6. A unidirectional fiber bundle in the production of a glass fiber mat according to claim 5, wherein a comb-shaped guide for arranging the glass fiber bundle is provided between the first roller and the inlet guide. Supply device. 7. A comb-shaped guide for forming a unidirectional fiber bundle by arranging each of the glass fiber bundles fed from a feed roller at a predetermined interval is provided at an inlet of a needler provided in a glass fiber mat production line. Arrangement | positioning is arrange | positioned, The unidirectional fiber bundle supply apparatus in manufacture of the glass fiber mat of any one of Claims 3-6.