Toe cap made of long fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin for safety shoe and method for the production thereof

Abstract

A method for the production of a toe cap for a safety shoe comprises placing a fibrous pellet material of a long fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin in a pseudo-forming mold, compressing the fibrous pellet material therein under application of heat to primarily form a pseudo-toe cap, setting the resultant pseudo-toe cap in position in a mold for forming a toe cap for a safety shoe, and applying pressure and heat to the pseudo-toe cap to compression mold a toe cap for a safety shoe. By this method, there is obtained the toe cap made of a long fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin in which the proportion of the content of reinforcing fibers in a skirt part to that in a main body part is in the range of 70 to 100 %.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A toe cap for a safety shoe, which is made of a long fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin, wherein the proportion of the content of reinforcing fibers in a skirt part to that in a main body part is in the range of 70 to 100%.  
     
     
         2 . The toe cap according to  claim 1 , wherein said toe cap has a wall thickness in the range of 2 to 6 mm.  
     
     
         3 . The toe cap according to  claim 1 , wherein a leading end of said toe cap has a wall thickness in the range of 3.5 to 6 mm.  
     
     
         4 . The toe cap according to  claim 1 , wherein said reinforcing fiber is glass fiber and its content is in the range of 30 to 60% by volume in said main body part and 21 to 60% by volume in said skirt part.  
     
     
         5 . The toe cap according to  claim 1 , wherein the proportion of the content of reinforcing fibers in said skirt part to that in said main body part is in the range of 80 to 100%.  
     
     
         6 . A method for the production of a toe cap for a safety shoe, comprising placing a fibrous pellet material of a long fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin in a pseudo-forming mold, compressing said fibrous pellet material therein under application of heat to primarily form a pseudo-toe cap, setting the resultant pseudo-toe cap in position in a mold for forming a toe cap for a safety shoe, and applying pressure and heat to said pseudo-toe cap to compression mold a toe cap for a safety shoe.  
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein said fibrous pellet material of long fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin is plasticized by application of heat in said pseudo-forming mold to prepare the pseudo-toe cap having a curved portion.  
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein said primary forming of the pseudo-toe cap in the pseudo-forming mold is performed by application of pressure of 0.5 to 10 kg/cm 2  and a temperature of 190 to 270° C. and said compression molding in the mold for forming a toe cap for a safety shoe is performed by application of pressure of 300 to 800 kg/cm 2  and a temperature of 70 to 160° C.  
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein said fibrous pellet material of long fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin has a diameter in the range of 0.2 to 5 mm and a length in the range of 7 to 55 mm.  
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein said reinforcing fiber contained in said fibrous pellet material of long fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin is glass fiber and its content is in the range of 30 to 60% by volume.