Fiber reinforced thermoset composites and methods of making

Abstract

Methods of making a fiber-reinforced composite are described. The methods may include applying a sizing composition to a plurality of fibers to make sized fibers, where the sizing composition may include at least one of a curing agent or an accelerator for a resin composition. The sized fibers may be contacted with the resin composition to form a resin-fiber amalgam, where the resin composition includes 50 wt. % or less of a total amount of the curing agent and the accelerator that is also present on the sized fibers. The resin-fiber amalgam may then be cured to form the fiber-reinforced composite.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A fiber-reinforced composite comprising:
 sized fibers that have been formed from a plurality of fibers contacted with a sizing composition comprising at least one of a curing agent and an accelerator; and   a resin formed from a resin composition that lacked at least one of the curing agent and the accelerator.   
     
     
         2 . The fiber-reinforced composite of  claim 1 , wherein the resin comprises an epoxy resin composition and the fiber-reinforced composite comprises a fiber-reinforced epoxy composite. 
     
     
         3 . The fiber-reinforced composite of  claim 2 , wherein the epoxy resin composition comprises one or more resins selected from the group consisting of a diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A, a diglycidyl ether of bisphenol F, an aliphatic epoxy resin, a cycloaliphatic epoxy resin, a glycidyl epoxy resin, a glycidylamine epoxy resin, an epoxy phenol novolac, and an epoxy cresol novolac. 
     
     
         4 . The fiber-reinforced composite of  claim 3 , wherein the epoxy resin composition comprises bisphenol A diglycidyl ether. 
     
     
         5 . The fiber-reinforced composite of  claim 1 , wherein the sizing composition comprises both the curing agent and the accelerator. 
     
     
         6 . The fiber-reinforced composite of  claim 1 , wherein the sizing composition further comprises a film former. 
     
     
         7 . The fiber-reinforced composite of  claim 1 , wherein the curing agent comprises one or more epoxy resin curing agents selected from the group consisting of an aliphatic amine, a cycloaliphatic amine, an aromatic amine, a polyamide, an amidoamine, a polyol, an acid anhydride, dicyandiamide, guanidine, and a formaldehyde resin. 
     
     
         8 . The fiber-reinforced composite of  claim 1 , wherein the accelerator comprises one or more epoxy resin curing accelerators selected from the group consisting of an alcohol, an amine, and a carboxylic acid. 
     
     
         9 . The fiber-reinforced composite of  claim 1 , wherein the accelerator comprises one or more epoxy resin curing accelerators selected from the group consisting of an an alcohol, a carboxylic acid, an amine, a urea compound, and a Lewis acid. 
     
     
         10 . The fiber-reinforced composite of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fibers comprise at least one of glass fibers, mineral fibers, carbon fibers, or organic polymer fibers. 
     
     
         11 . The fiber-reinforced composite of  claim 10 , wherein the plurality of fibers comprise glass fibers. 
     
     
         12 . The fiber-reinforced composite of  claim 1 , wherein the fiber-reinforced composite is an article selected from the group consisting of a wind turbine blade, a vehicle part, an appliance part, and a container. 
     
     
         13 . A fiber-reinforced epoxy composite comprising:
 fibers that were formed by contacting the fibers with a sizing composition comprising at least one curing agent selected from the group consisting of an aliphatic polyamine, a cycloaliphatic polyamine, an aromatic polyamine, a polyamide, an amidoamine, a polyol, an acid anhydride, dicyandiamide, guanidine, and a formaldehyde resin; and   a resin formed from an epoxy resin composition, wherein the epoxy resin composition comprises 50 wt. % or less of the curing agent used to make the fiber-reinforced composite.   
     
     
         14 . The fiber-reinforced epoxy composite of  claim 13 , wherein the epoxy resin composition comprises 5 wt. % to 50 wt. % of the curing agent used to make the fiber-reinforced composite. 
     
     
         15 . The fiber-reinforced epoxy composite of  claim 13 , wherein the fibers comprise one or more types of fibers selected from the group consisting of glass fibers, ceramic fibers, carbon fibers, metal fibers, and organic polymer fibers. 
     
     
         16 . The fiber-reinforced epoxy composite of  claim 13 , wherein the fibers comprise one or more type of glass fibers selected from E-glass fibers, A-glass fibers, C-glass fibers, S-glass fibers, ECR-glass fibers, and T-glass fibers. 
     
     
         17 . The fiber-reinforced epoxy composite of  claim 13 , wherein the epoxy resin composition comprises one or more resins selected from the group consisting of a diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A, a diglycidyl ether of bisphenol F, an aliphatic epoxy resin, a cycloaliphatic epoxy resin, a glycidyl epoxy resin, a glycidylamine epoxy resin, an epoxy phenol novolac, and an epoxy cresol novolac. 
     
     
         18 . The fiber-reinforced epoxy composite of  claim 13 , wherein the epoxy resin composition comprises bisphenol A diglycidyl ether. 
     
     
         19 . The fiber-reinforced epoxy composite of  claim 13 , wherein the sizing composition further comprises an accelerator selected from the group consisting of an alcohol, an amine, a carboxylic acid, a urea compound, and a Lewis acid. 
     
     
         20 . The fiber-reinforced epoxy composite of  claim 13 , wherein the epoxy resin composition further comprises an accelerator selected from the group consisting of an alcohol, an amine, a carboxylic acid, a urea compound, and a Lewis acid. 
     
     
         21 . A fiber-reinforced epoxy composite comprising:
 fibers that were formed by contacting the fibers with a sizing composition comprising at least one curing agent selected from the group consisting of an aliphatic polyamine, a cycloaliphatic polyamine, an aromatic polyamine, a polyamide, an amidoamine, a polyol, an acid anhydride, dicyandiamide, guanidine, and a formaldehyde resin; and   a resin formed from an epoxy resin composition, wherein the epoxy resin composition has at least twice a shelf-life of a resin composition having all of the curing agent used to make the fiber-reinforced composite.   
     
     
         22 . The fiber-reinforced epoxy composite of  claim 21 , wherein the epoxy resin composition comprises 5 wt. % to 50 wt. % of the curing agent used to make the fiber-reinforced composite. 
     
     
         23 . The fiber-reinforced epoxy composite of  claim 21 , wherein the fibers comprise glass fibers. 
     
     
         24 . The fiber-reinforced epoxy composite of  claim 21 , wherein the epoxy resin composition comprises a diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A. 
     
     
         25 . The fiber-reinforced epoxy composite of  claim 21 , wherein one or both of the sizing composition and the epoxy resin composition comprise an accelerator.