Composite pressure container or tubular body and composite intermediate

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention relates to a composite pressure container or tubular body, which includes: a prepreg tow winding obtained by a process that includes: contacting at least one fiber with an uncured thermosetting resin, to form a coated fiber; winding said coated fiber around an outer shell, form, liner, or mandrel; and curing the resin; wherein said uncured thermosetting resin includes at least one surface active oligomer or polymer.

1 . A composite pressure container or tubular body, comprising: 
 a prepreg tow winding obtained by a process comprising: 
 contacting at least one fiber with an uncured thermosetting resin, to form a coated fiber;  
 winding said coated fiber around an outer shell, form, liner, or mandrel; and  
 curing the resin;  
   wherein said uncured thermosetting resin comprises at least one surface active oligomer or polymer.    
     
     
         2 . The composite pressure container or tubular body as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the surface active oligomer or polymer has a molecular weight of at least 5,000 and at most 30,000.  
     
     
         3 . The composite pressure container or tubular body as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the surface active oligomer or polymer comprises a main chain, and at least one oxygen atom is present in the main chain.  
     
     
         4 . The composite pressure container or tubular body as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the surface active oligomer or polymer comprises a bisphenol skeleton.  
     
     
         5 . The composite pressure container or tubular body as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the surface active oligomer or polymer comprises a main chain, which comprises at least one oxygen atom and a bisphenol skeleton.  
     
     
         6 . The composite pressure container or tubular body as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the surface active oligomer or polymer comprises: 
 at least one bisphenol skeleton having a molecular weight of 300 or more; and    at least one skeleton comprising an oxygen atom in its main chain and having a molecular weight of 300 or more.    
     
     
         7 . The composite pressure container or tubular body as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the prepreg tow winding exhibits an interlaminar shear strength of at least 8 Ksi and at most 18 Ksi and a flexural strength in a 90° direction of at least 8 Ksi and at most 22 Ksi in a unidirectional composite.  
     
     
         8 . The composite pressure container or tubular body as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the prepreg tow winding exhibits an NOL ring test strength of 300 Ksi or more.  
     
     
         9 . The composite pressure container or tubular body as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the prepreg tow winding exhibits 80% or more of tensile translation in a ring burst test where an inner pressure is loaded on a composite ring obtained by orienting a fiber in a circumferential direction.  
     
     
         10 . The composite pressure container or tubular body as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the uncured thermosetting resin has a viscosity of from 10,000 to 1,000,000 cps at 75° F.  
     
     
         11 . The composite pressure container or tubular body as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the prepreg tow winding has a fiber volume content of from 50% to  75 %.  
     
     
         12 . The composite pressure container or tubular body as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said thermosetting resin comprises an epoxy resin.  
     
     
         13 . The composite pressure container or tubular body as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein the epoxy resin is one or more resins selected from the group consisting of a reaction product of epichlorohydrin and a compound containing at least one hydroxyl group, an epoxidized cresol novolac, an epoxidized phenolic novolac, a reaction product of an aromatic hydroxyl compound and glyoxal, glycidylaniline derivative, bisphenol A novolac derivative, and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         14 . The composite pressure container or tubular body as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein the epoxy resin is one or more resins selected from the group consisting of 4,4′-(isopropylidenediphenol), isopropylidenediphenolbis(2,6-dibromophenol), an epoxidized cresol novolac formed by glycidylating a cresol condensate resulting from resination of cresol with an acid catalyst, bisphenol A novolac, a tetraglycidyl ether of a tetrakis(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethane resin, 4,4′-methylenebis(N,N-glycidylaniline), N,Ndiglycidylaniline, and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         15 . The composite pressure container or tubular body as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein the epoxy resin comprises at least one aromatic amine curing agent selected from the group consisting of diaminodiphenylsulfone, diaminodiphenylmethane, phenylenediamine, isomers thereof, and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         16 . The composite pressure container or tubular body as claimed in  claim 12 , in which the epoxy resin material comprises at least one curing agent selected from the group consisting of an aliphatic amine curing agent, an aromatic amine curing agent, an acid anhydride curing agent, a phenol curing agent and a Lewis acid.  
     
     
         17 . The composite pressure container or tubular body as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein the epoxy resin material at least one aliphatic amine curing agent selected from the group consisting of dicyandiamide, ethylenediamine, diethylenetriamine, triethylenetetramine, hexamethylenediamine, and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         18 . The composite pressure container or tubular body as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein the epoxy resin is curable by at least one catalyst selected from a tertiary amine, a Lewis acid, a urea compound, an imidazole, and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         19 . The composite pressure container or tubular body as claimed in  claim 18 , wherein the tertiary amine catalyst is selected from the group consisting of benzyldimethylamine, pyridine, triethylamine, tetramethylbutanediamine, 2-methylimidazole, 2-ethylmethylimidazole, BF3MEA, phenyldimethylurea, 3-pheny-1,1-dimethylurea, 1,1′-4-(methyl-m-phenylene)bis(3,3′-dimethyl)urea, 3-(3,4dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea, and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         20 . The composite pressure container or tubular body as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the surface active oligomer or polymer is a reaction product of polyethylene glycol and an epoxy resin.  
     
     
         21 . The composite pressure container or tubular body as claimed in  claim 20 , wherein the surface active oligomer or polymer is formed by reacting 2 mols of polyoxyethylene glycol with 1 mol of a bisphenol A epoxy resin which is 468 g/mol per epoxy equivalent.  
     
     
         22 . The composite pressure container or tubular body as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the surface active oligomer or polymer is present in said resin in an amount of at least 1% and at most 10% based on a resin solid content.  
     
     
         23 . The composite pressure container or tubular body as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the surface active oligomer or polymer is present in said resin in an amount of at least 2% and at most 10% based on a resin solid content.  
     
     
         24 . The composite pressure container or tubular body as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said resin is curable by a catalyst or a curing accelerator that is a room temperature powder.  
     
     
         25 . The composite pressure container or tubular body as claimed in claim  24 , wherein the powder has a particle diameter of 20 μm or less.  
     
     
         26 . The composite pressure container or tubular body as claimed in  claim 24 , wherein the powder has a particle diameter of 10 μm or less.  
     
     
         27 . A process for producing a prepreg tow and/or a prepreg, comprising: 
 contacting at least one reinforcing fiber with: 
 a thermosetting resin, and  
 a solution or an aqueous emulsion comprising water, to form a coated fiber; and  
   vaporizing said water from said coated fiber.    
     
     
         28 . The process as claimed in  claim 27 , wherein the water content of said solution or emulsion is at most 90% by weight.  
     
     
         29 . The process as claimed in  claim 27 , wherein the water content of said solution or emulsion is at most 20% by weight.  
     
     
         30 . The process as claimed in  claim 27 , wherein the viscosity of said solution or emulsion in contact with the reinforcing fiber is 1 to 10,000 cps.  
     
     
         31 . The process for producing the prepreg tow and the prepreg as claimed in  claim 27 , wherein the water is volatilized by heating.  
     
     
         32 . The process as claimed in  claim 27 , wherein said contacting further comprises impregnating said fiber with said resin.  
     
     
         33 . The process as claimed in  claim 27 , wherein said fiber is selected from the group consisting of carbon fiber, oxidized fiber, graphite fiber, boron fiber, glass fiber, organic fiber, and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         34 . The process as claimed in  claim 27 , wherein the fiber comprises at least 500 filaments and at most 300,000 filaments.  
     
     
         35 . The process as claimed in  claim 27 , wherein the fiber is twisted.  
     
     
         36 . The process as claimed in  claim 27 , wherein the fiber is partially cut or is composed of cut filaments.  
     
     
         37 . A process for producing a prepreg tow and/or a prepreg, comprising: 
 producing at least one reinforcing fiber;    contacting the reinforcing fiber with: 
 a thermosetting resin, and  
 a solution or an aqueous emulsion comprising water, to form a coated fiber; and  
   vaporizing said water from said coated fiber.    
     
     
         38 . The process as claimed in  claim 37 , wherein said fiber is selected from the group consisting of carbon fiber, oxidized fiber, graphite fiber, boron fiber, glass fiber, organic fiber, and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         39 . The process as claimed in  claim 37 , wherein the fiber comprises at least 500 filaments and at most 300,000 filaments.  
     
     
         40 . The process as claimed in  claim 37 , wherein the fiber is twisted.  
     
     
         41 . The process as claimed in  claim 37 , wherein the fiber is partially cut or is composed of cut filaments.  
     
     
         42 . The process as claimed in  claim 37 , wherein said contacting further comprises impregnating said fiber with said resin.  
     
     
         43 . A prepreg or prepreg tow, comprising at least one fiber, at least one thermosetting resin, and at least one surface active oligomer or polymer.  
     
     
         44 . A reinforced fiber, comprising a fiber, at least one thermosetting resin, and at least one surface active oligomer or polymer.  
     
     
         45 . A pressure container or tubular body, comprising the reinforced fiber as claimed in  claim 44  in contact with an inner shell or liner.