| Title: WHOLLY AROMATIC POLYESTER FIBER-REINFORCED HIGH PERFORMANCE
THERMOPLASTIC AND PROCESS FOR PREPARING SAME Inventor(s): A. Isayev
Disclosure 113 U.S. Patent 5,006,402
Disclosure 113-CIP U.S. Patent 5,006,403
Self-reinforced polymer composites of 60-5% by weight of an at least partially
crystalline high performance thermoplastic polymer and 40-95% by weight of a melt
processable wholly aromatic polyester which exhibit anisotropic properties in the melt
phase. This wholly aromatic polyester is a liquid crystal polymer, or LCP. The high
performance thermoplastic polymer has a melting point of at least 200oC. Polyether
etherketone is a preferred, at least partially crystalline, polymer. The wholly aromatic
polyester is in the form of predominantly unidirectionally oriented continuous fibers,
primarily in the range of about 1 to 10 micrometers in diameter, distributed in a matrix
of polyether etherketone.
The polymer composites of this invention have high tensile strength, high modulus,
satisfactory elongation, good impact strength, good flame resistance, good high
temperature properties, and good electrical properties which remain stable over a wide
range of temperatures and frequencies. Suitable base polymers include conventional
thermoplastic material such as PS, PA, PC, PEI, PEEK, PPO, PPS, PMP and PBT.
This technology is ideally suited for high performance applications such as electrical,
electronics, aerospace, automotive, marine and medical. Potential applications include:
automotive - fuel lines and tanks, body panels, struts, under-the-hood parts, engine
parts, under-the-hood electronics; aerospace - luggage compartment panels, floors, seat
structures, bulk heads, helicopter blades, solar concentrators, solar panels; electronics
and opticals - optical fiber jackets, interconnect devices, circuit boards, interlayer
dielectrics, wire insulation, substrates for electronic packaging; marine - boat hulls and
interior panels; medical - barrier film for packaging.
In addition, polymer composites are useful as replacements for present composite
components which are produced by sheet molding compound (SMC) technology. Products of this
invention can be produced at faster rates and with less power consumption, resulting in
lower product costs, compared to conventional composites in which fibers are prepared in
advance. |
