METHOD FOR ORTHOGONAL IMPREGNATION OF LAYERED FIBROUS BLANKS IN MAKING ARTICLES FROM POLYMER COMPOSITE MATERIALS BY A VACUUM INFUSION PROCESS AND A DEVICE FOR ITS IMPLEMENTATION Russian patent published in 2020 - IPC B29C70/00 

FIELD: technological processes.

SUBSTANCE: group of inventions relates to the technology of making articles from a polymer composite material based on continuous organic or inorganic fibers and a thermosetting matrix by an orthogonal vacuum infusion process. Method of impregnating layered fibrous workpieces with binder in making articles from polymer composite material comprises the following steps. Fiber billet is placed in working chamber above air-permeable but binder-impermeable barrier layer, wherein channels of binder supply are located above upper layers of fibrous billet in its highest point and each binder feed channel is limited with binder impenetrable barrier, and vacuum channels providing rarefaction in working, drainage, compression chambers and binder feeding chamber are located under lower layers of fibrous workpiece. At temperature T₁ negative pressure P_v1 is created in the vacuum channel connecting the working chamber with the first source of evacuation, to ensure supply of binder from binder supply chamber through channels of binder supply to surface of drain bend and then to fiber billet orthogonally to its fibers from upper layers to lower in direction of air-permeable but impermeable for binder barrier layer located under fibrous billet, due to infusion of the binder under the action of vacuum gradient ΔP=P_a-P_v1 from a supply container with a binder, which is supported by atmospheric pressure P_a. At that, in order to exclude the possibility of the binder leakage beyond the external borders of the fibrous workpiece, a negative pressure P_v2 equal to or greater than P_v1 is created in the vacuum channel connecting the compression chamber with the second vacuumising source, and continuous pumping of gaseous inclusions from working chamber through permeable for gaseous inclusions, but impermeable barrier layer for binder and removal of parasitic inclusions into sacrificial layers from one side of fibrous workpiece. Then, heating is continued and gaseous inclusions are removed through the vacuum channel of the drain chamber in the temperature range from T₁ to T₂. After impregnation, the fibrous workpiece is compacted by opening the compression chamber channel for the preset time interval. Further, channels for feeding binder are shut off, heating is continued to temperature T_3, and binder impregnated with fibrous billet is cured to form article from fibrous polymer composite material with specified content of binder, fiber and specified level of porosity of composite material.

EFFECT: achieving optimum volume content of fiber, reducing porosity to minimum values close to zero, providing impregnation of articles of any geometry from different fibrous workpieces using binder, intended for vacuum infusion method, as well as reducing labor intensity of vacuum bag assembly.

17 cl, 4 dwg