PROCESS FOR PREPARING TAPES FROM THERMOPLASTIC POLYMERS AND CARBONFIBERS

摘要

PROCESS FOR PREPARING TAPES FROMTHERMOPLASTIC POLYMERS AND CARBON FIBERSABSTRACT OF DISCLOSUREThe instant invention involves a process for use inpreparing tapes or rovings, which are formed from a thermoplasticmaterial used to impregnate longitudinally extended bundles ofcarbon fibers. The process involves the steps of (a) gas spread-ing a tow of carbon fibers; (b) feeding the spread tow into acrosshead die; (c) impregnating the tow in the die with a thermo-plastic polymer; (d) withdrawing the impregnated tow from thedie; and (e) gas cooling the impregnated tow with a jet of air.The crosshead die useful in the instant inventionincludes a horizontally extended, carbon fiber bundle inletchannel, means for providing melted polymer under pressure to thedie, means for dividing the polymeric material flowing into thedie into an upper flow channel and a lower flow channel disposedabove and below the moving carbon fiber bundle, means for apply-ing the thermoplastic material from both the upper and lowerchannels to the fiber bundle, and means for withdrawing theresulting tape from the die.