WO1998053918A1 - Spray gun for applying fiber-reinforced resins - Google Patents
Spray gun for applying fiber-reinforced resins Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO1998053918A1 WO1998053918A1 PCT/US1998/010539 US9810539W WO9853918A1 WO 1998053918 A1 WO1998053918 A1 WO 1998053918A1 US 9810539 W US9810539 W US 9810539W WO 9853918 A1 WO9853918 A1 WO 9853918A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- resin
- inlet
- catalyst
- fiber
- spray gun
- Prior art date
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C70/00—Shaping composites, i.e. plastics material comprising reinforcements, fillers or preformed parts, e.g. inserts
- B29C70/04—Shaping composites, i.e. plastics material comprising reinforcements, fillers or preformed parts, e.g. inserts comprising reinforcements only, e.g. self-reinforcing plastics
- B29C70/28—Shaping operations therefor
- B29C70/30—Shaping by lay-up, i.e. applying fibres, tape or broadsheet on a mould, former or core; Shaping by spray-up, i.e. spraying of fibres on a mould, former or core
- B29C70/305—Spray-up of reinforcing fibres with or without matrix to form a non-coherent mat in or on a mould
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10S239/00—Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing
- Y10S239/08—Cutter sprayer
Definitions
- the present invention relates generally to fiber-reinforced molding of parts and more particularly to spray equipment for spray-applying fiber-reinforced heat-curable resins containing high ceramic fiber loadings.
- a unsaturated resin catalyzed, heat-curable, unsaturated polyester resin
- a high loading e.g., say, 55% to 75% by weight
- reinforcing fiber e.g., ceramic fiber like wollastinite fibers of 0.0017 to 0.0059 mm in average particle diameter with aspect ratios of from about 5 to 17
- conventional spray equipment will not properly spray such resins with such high fiber loadings.
- the spray equipment, especially the spray guns become plugged easily by the ceramic fibers which makes down time of the equipment particularly troublesome at commercial operations.
- the present invention addresses the foregoing problems associated with spray-applying high fiber loaded, thermally-curable, catalyzed resins used in molding of fiber reinforced parts by use of uniquely designed spray equipment.
- One aspect of the present invention is a spray gun adapted for spray-applying fiber-reinforced resins with ceramic fiber loadings of at least about 55 wt-%.
- Such novel spray gun has an inlet for admitting the fiber-reinforced resin; an air inlet for atomizing the fiber-reinforced resin; a catalyst inlet; and an outlet for expelling catalyzed fiber-reinforced resin from the spray gun.
- the spray gun also has a straight-line delivery channel in fluid communication with the resin inlet, the catalyst inlet, and the outlet.
- a flow actuator is provided for selectively actuating admission of the fiber-reinforced resin and the catalyst into the spray gun.
- the resin inlet and the catalyst inlet are disposed for admitting resin and catalyst, respectively, in line into the straight-line delivery channel.
- the air inlet is disposed for admitting air into the straight-line delivery channel at an acute angle with and in the direction of flow in the straight-line channel and is located after both the resin inlet and the catalyst inlet.
- Another aspect of the present invention is an apparatus for spray-applying fiber-reinforced resins with ceramic fiber loadings of at least about 55 wt-%.
- Such apparatus includes the novel spray gun, a tank for housing a fiber-reinforced resin; a pump for pumping fiber-reinforced resin from the resin tank to the spray gun resin inlet; a tank for housing catalyst for the resin; a pump for pumping catalyst from the catalyst tank to the spray gun catalyst inlet; and an atomizing air supply in communication with the spray gun air inlet.
- Advantages of the present invention include the ability to spray apply curable resins that contain from between about 55 wt-% and 75 wt-% ceramic fiber.
- Another aspect of the present invention is spray equipment that can be cleaned readily during down time cycles.
- a further advantage of the present invention is spray equipment that does not become easily plugged by the high ceramic fiber content in the resin being sprayed.
- a yet further advantage of the present invention is spray equipment that can deliver a bead of high ceramic fiber content resin by merely discontinuing the flow of atomizing air.
- Fig. 1 is a side view of the novel spray gun that can spray fiber-reinforced resins with ceramic fiber loadings;
- Fig. 2 is an overhead view of the spray gun of Fig. 1;
- Fig. 3 is a side view of the opposite side of the spray gun shown in Fig. 1; and
- Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the apparatus system used in conjunction with the spray gun of Fig. 1.
- molding processes can use the inventive spray gun and system to advantage. These molding processes include, inter alia, open molding, resin transfer molding (RTM), press molding, thermoplastic injection molding, blow molding, shrink fixtures, scrimp molding, and the like. These molding processes are used to manufacture a wide variety of parts including, inter alia., transportation components (e.g., van running boards, van tops, automobile bodies, truck caps, deck lids), architectural components (e.g., shower stalls, tanks, cowlings), boat hulls, pultrusion parts, heat shields, abrasion resistant surfaces, BMC (bulk molding compounds) parts, SMC (sheet molding compounds) parts, and the like.
- transportation components e.g., van running boards, van tops, automobile bodies, truck caps, deck lids
- architectural components e.g., shower stalls, tanks, cowlings
- boat hulls pultrusion parts
- heat shields abrasion resistant surfaces
- BMC bulk molding compounds
- SMC sheet molding compounds
- gun 10 is seen to be composed generally of handle assembly 12, mixing tip 14, and valve body 16.
- Handle assembly 12 is composed of handle 18, trigger 20, and trigger guard 22.
- Valve body 16 has resin inlet 24 and catalyst inlet 26 (see Figs. 2 and 3) through which fiber-reinforced resin and catalyst, respectively are admitted into gun 10.
- a unique design feature of gun 10 is the flow path for resin and catalyst. Work on the present invention revealed that the resin flow path for resins with high ceramic fiber loadings could not have any sharp bends; otherwise, the reinforcing fiber would agglomerate causing plugging problems.
- the flow path of resin through gun 10 commences with inlet 24 which admits resin inline with a straight flow path which has been constructed into gun 10.
- This flow path commences in valve body 16 and continues into mixing chamber 28, and thence into mixing tip 14.
- Catalyst inlet 26 similarly is parallel to the resin inlet 24 in establishing a similar co-current in-line flow path.
- Atomizing air line 30 feeds atomizing air (atomizing gas generally, although air is predominantly used in industry) into gun 10 for mixing with the catalyst/resin mix already established in valve body 16.
- atomizing air atomizing gas generally, although air is predominantly used in industry
- Work on the present invention also revealed that if atomizing air were admitted at a 90° angle into the resin/catalyst flow path that agglomeration of the ceramic fiber with consequent plugging also would occur for resins highly loaded with ceramic fiber.
- the angle of entry of atomizing air into gun 10 via line 30 is at an acute angle with, and in the same direction as, the flow of resin/catalyst in gun 10.
- mixing tip 14 is a typical in-line spiral mixer (e.g., TAH static mixer).
- Gun 10 is supplied resin, catalyst, and air from an apparatus such as is illustrated in Fig. 4. All of the equipment necessary for spraying resins containing a high content of ceramic fiber conveniently can be mounted on wheeled cart 36. This makes the apparatus portable in a plant so that molds in different locations and in different parts lines can be serviced by the same spray equipment. This flexibility makes the inventive equipment even more useful in commercial operations.
- Resin tank 38 preferably is made from stainless steel and is fitted with lid 40 which is attached to resin tank 38 by lid clamps 42a-f, and resin tank gauge assembly 44.
- Resin tank 38 is pressured by air (from a source not shown) via manifold 64 (described later) to, say, about 20 psi.
- Resin mix housed in resin tank 38 is withdrawn via 2 in line 46 through ball valve 48, tee valve 50, pump tee 52, and out valve 66 for feeding to gun 10 (via a line not shown).
- Resin is pumped to gun 10 via pump assembly 56 which can be set at, say about 25 psi, for delivering the resin mix to the gun at, say, about 575 psi.
- Ball valve 54 completes the piping for resin from tank 38.
- Cart 36 also is fitted with catalyst bottle 58 which is fed via catalyst pump 60 to gun 10 via a line not shown.
- Slave assembly 62 allows for quick adjustment of the catalyst level fed to gun 10 for the resin mix.
- Air manifold 64 air lines therefrom not shown distributes air to resin tank 38, as well as to solvent flush tanks 68 and 70 (described below), and to pump assembly 56 which is an air-activated pump.
- the solvent flush system incorporated into the inventive spray apparatus system involves solvent from solvent flush tank 68 (similar in construction to resin tank 38) being fed to the valve on tee valve 50.
- solvent from tank 68 can be fed to gun 10 via resin inlet 24 by shutting valve 66 and opening valve 50. Atomizing air to gun 10 via air inlet 30 can be maintained along with the flow of solvent to effectively clean gun 10.
- resin flush tank 70 (similar in construction to resin tank 38) is piped to pump solvent through tank 38 to flush it during down-time cycles of use of the inventive spray system.
- Cart 36 also can be fitted with a tank for a blowing agent (conventional nitrogen blowing agent, for example, such as Chrom-Tek Alcel blowing agent, Chrom- Tek, Collierville, TN), slave assembly (like slave assembly 62), pump, and appropriate lines for incorporation of a blowing agent into the resinous composition sprayed by gun 10.
- a blowing agent conventional nitrogen blowing agent, for example, such as Chrom-Tek Alcel blowing agent, Chrom- Tek, Collierville, TN
- slave assembly like slave assembly 62
- pump pump
- Suitable resins for use with the inventive spray system are conventional for the molding art and include, for example, unsaturated polyester resins admixed with styrene and suitably formulated depending upon the part being produced, the type of reinforcemen ⁇ and like factors well known to those skilled in this art.
- the use of peroxide and like catalysts also is well known in this art as appropriate solvents.
- the reinforcing agents also are known and include, for example, calcium silicate (e.g.,. wollastinite) admixed with mica.
- the inventive spray system can be used to spray fibrous- reinforced curable resin systems in conventional spray patterns, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,568,604, cited above.
- the resin system can blown by use of a blowing agent to achieve a volumetric expansion and to speed cure of the resin due to the presence of nitrogen gas.
- a bead of the resin matrix can be expelled from the gun for use, for example, to fill sharp corners, or for bonding and bedding parts in assembly.
- inventive spray system initially was designed for the rigors of spraying resins with high ceramic fiber loadings, it will be appreciated that it could be used to spray syntactic foams, bondo-type products, and like products.
- inventive spray gun and apparatus can be modified in accordance with the precepts of the present invention and still be within the scope of the present invention.
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
CA002291007A CA2291007A1 (en) | 1997-05-29 | 1998-05-22 | Spray gun for applying fiber-reinforced resins |
AU75926/98A AU7592698A (en) | 1997-05-29 | 1998-05-22 | Spray gun for applying fiber-reinforced resins |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US08/865,210 | 1997-05-29 | ||
US08/865,210 US6045057A (en) | 1997-05-29 | 1997-05-29 | Method and apparatus for spray applying fiber-reinforced resins with high ceramic fiber loading |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO1998053918A1 true WO1998053918A1 (en) | 1998-12-03 |
Family
ID=25344955
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/US1998/010539 WO1998053918A1 (en) | 1997-05-29 | 1998-05-22 | Spray gun for applying fiber-reinforced resins |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US6045057A (en) |
AU (1) | AU7592698A (en) |
CA (1) | CA2291007A1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO1998053918A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (23)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
NZ521491A (en) | 2000-03-14 | 2004-06-25 | James Hardie Res Pty Ltd | Fiber cement building materials with low density additives and cellulose fibers |
CN1568293A (en) * | 2000-10-04 | 2005-01-19 | 詹姆斯·哈迪研究有限公司 | Fiber cement composite materials using sized cellulose fibers |
WO2002028795A2 (en) | 2000-10-04 | 2002-04-11 | James Hardie Research Pty Limited | Fiber cement composite materials using sized cellulose fibers |
BR0114671A (en) | 2000-10-17 | 2003-10-07 | James Hardie Res Pty Ltd | Method and mechanism for reducing impurities in cellulose fibers for the manufacture of fiber reinforced cement composite materials |
US20050126430A1 (en) * | 2000-10-17 | 2005-06-16 | Lightner James E.Jr. | Building materials with bioresistant properties |
DE60122561T2 (en) * | 2000-10-17 | 2007-09-20 | James Hardie International Finance B.V. | Fiber cement composite with biocide treated, durable cellulosic fibers |
EP1368285B1 (en) * | 2001-03-09 | 2007-04-11 | James Hardie International Finance B.V. | Fiber reinforced cement composite materials using chemically treated fibers with improved dispersibility |
US6808122B2 (en) * | 2002-08-19 | 2004-10-26 | Illinois Tool Works, Inc. | Spray gun with improved pre-atomization fluid mixing and breakup |
US7762476B2 (en) * | 2002-08-19 | 2010-07-27 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Spray gun with improved atomization |
US7993570B2 (en) | 2002-10-07 | 2011-08-09 | James Hardie Technology Limited | Durable medium-density fibre cement composite |
JP2006518323A (en) | 2003-01-09 | 2006-08-10 | ジェイムズ ハーディー インターナショナル ファイナンス ベスローテン フェンノートシャップ | Fiber cement composites using bleached cellulose fibers |
US6935577B2 (en) * | 2003-02-28 | 2005-08-30 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | One-piece fluid nozzle |
US20050152621A1 (en) * | 2004-01-09 | 2005-07-14 | Healy Paul T. | Computer mounted file folder apparatus |
US7220001B2 (en) * | 2004-02-24 | 2007-05-22 | Searete, Llc | Defect correction based on “virtual” lenslets |
US7926733B2 (en) * | 2004-06-30 | 2011-04-19 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Fluid atomizing system and method |
US7883026B2 (en) * | 2004-06-30 | 2011-02-08 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Fluid atomizing system and method |
US7998571B2 (en) | 2004-07-09 | 2011-08-16 | James Hardie Technology Limited | Composite cement article incorporating a powder coating and methods of making same |
US7568635B2 (en) * | 2004-09-28 | 2009-08-04 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Turbo spray nozzle and spray coating device incorporating same |
US8684281B2 (en) * | 2006-03-24 | 2014-04-01 | Finishing Brands Holdings Inc. | Spray device having removable hard coated tip |
NZ571874A (en) | 2006-04-12 | 2010-11-26 | Hardie James Technology Ltd | A surface sealed reinforced building element |
US20080017734A1 (en) * | 2006-07-10 | 2008-01-24 | Micheli Paul R | System and method of uniform spray coating |
US7744019B2 (en) * | 2006-09-27 | 2010-06-29 | Alphagen Materials Technology, Inc. | Spray gun |
US8209927B2 (en) | 2007-12-20 | 2012-07-03 | James Hardie Technology Limited | Structural fiber cement building materials |
Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3111272A (en) * | 1959-09-28 | 1963-11-19 | John W Underdown | Fiberglass spray gun |
US3801009A (en) * | 1973-05-29 | 1974-04-02 | J Marshall | Applicator gun for applying hardenable plastic compositions containing fibers |
US3829016A (en) * | 1970-11-12 | 1974-08-13 | Ransburg Electro Coating Corp | Apparatus for spraying resin and expanded thermoplastic spheres |
US3905856A (en) * | 1972-08-21 | 1975-09-16 | Donald L Magee | Method and apparatus for filament winding on a corrugated form to produce a cylindrical corrugated glass fiber part |
US4824017A (en) * | 1986-07-14 | 1989-04-25 | Glas-Craft, Inc. | External mix spraying system |
Family Cites Families (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3066874A (en) * | 1960-04-06 | 1962-12-04 | Ibis Euterprises Ltd | Catalyst spray gun and method of spraying resins |
US5388764A (en) * | 1993-09-20 | 1995-02-14 | American Matrix Technologies, Inc. | Spray gun with orifice union |
US5388767A (en) * | 1993-09-20 | 1995-02-14 | American Matrix Technologies, Inc. | Spray gun with check valve |
US5388768A (en) * | 1993-09-20 | 1995-02-14 | American Matrix Technologies, Inc. | Spray gun with a catalyst injector and a manifold block |
US5405083A (en) * | 1993-09-20 | 1995-04-11 | American Matrix Technologies, Inc. | Spray gun with disposable mixer |
-
1997
- 1997-05-29 US US08/865,210 patent/US6045057A/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
1998
- 1998-05-22 CA CA002291007A patent/CA2291007A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 1998-05-22 WO PCT/US1998/010539 patent/WO1998053918A1/en active Application Filing
- 1998-05-22 AU AU75926/98A patent/AU7592698A/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3111272A (en) * | 1959-09-28 | 1963-11-19 | John W Underdown | Fiberglass spray gun |
US3829016A (en) * | 1970-11-12 | 1974-08-13 | Ransburg Electro Coating Corp | Apparatus for spraying resin and expanded thermoplastic spheres |
US3905856A (en) * | 1972-08-21 | 1975-09-16 | Donald L Magee | Method and apparatus for filament winding on a corrugated form to produce a cylindrical corrugated glass fiber part |
US3801009A (en) * | 1973-05-29 | 1974-04-02 | J Marshall | Applicator gun for applying hardenable plastic compositions containing fibers |
US4824017A (en) * | 1986-07-14 | 1989-04-25 | Glas-Craft, Inc. | External mix spraying system |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US6045057A (en) | 2000-04-04 |
AU7592698A (en) | 1998-12-30 |
CA2291007A1 (en) | 1998-12-03 |
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