Toray Industries, Inc.

Kenichi Noguchi

Akihiko Kitano

Kenichi Yoshioka

Masanobu Kobayashi

Masayoshi Yamagiwa

Yasushi Iida

Hitoshi Nishiyama

Takehiko Hirose

The pressure vessel of the present invention comprises an inner shell capable of serving as a gas barrier and a pressure resistant outer shell provided to cover the inner shell, said outer shell being made of an FRP comprising reinforcing fibers and a resin and is 35 GPa or more in tensile modulus and 1.5% or more in tensile breaking strain. The present invention can provide a pressure vessel not only light in weight,.but also excellent in retaining its internal pressure against repetitive impacts and also excellent in reliability. The process for producing a pressure vessel of the present invention comprises the step of forming a pressure resistant outer shell made of an FRP comprising reinforcing fibers and a resin and is 35 GPa or more in tensile modulus and 1.5% or more in tensile breaking strain, around an inner shell capable of serving as a gas barrier, by a filament winding method or a tape winding method. The present invention can produce a pressure vessel excellent in retaining its internal pressure, excellent in reliability, and light in weight at a low cost.

Pressure vessel and process for producing the same

Light metal/CFRP-made structural members which are characterized in that they are structural materials in which a CFRP material is stuck to the surface of a light metal material via an adhesive agent layer of thickness at least 10 &mgr;m and up to 500 &mgr;m, and the volume resistivity of the adhesive agent layer between said metal material and said CFRP material is at least 1&times;10 &OHgr;.cm and, furthermore, the adhesive strength at room temperature is at least 15 MPa. In accordance with the present invention, since conventional light metal/CFRP structural materials can be made lighter and, furthermore, since the resistance to galvanic corrosion is outstanding and it is possible to markedly enhance the strength and the impact energy absorption performance, the development of applications and large-scale expansion into new fields becomes possible. Weight reduction and enhancing the durability and reliability of structures also makes a considerable contribution in terms of environmental protection.

Light metal/CFRP structural member

The present invention relates to a carbon fiber reinforced plastic member provided with high-elongation fiber bundle regions, which are uni-directionally aligned and separately disposed within the plastic member. The plastic member provides a carbon fiber reinforced plastic of lightweight, high strength and high modulus that is safe. Even if it breaks, it shows little scatter of fragments or exposure of dangerous fracture surfaces. Preferably, the high-elongation fiber at break has an elongation exceeding about 10%.

Hybrid fiber-reinforced plastic

The pressure vessel of the present invention comprises an inner shell capable of serving as a gas barrier and a pressure resistant outer shell provided to cover the inner shell, said outer shell being made of an FRP comprising reinforcing fibers and a resin and is 35 GPa or more in tensile modulus and 1.5% or more in tensile breaking strain. The present invention can provide a pressure vessel not only light in weight, but also excellent in retaining its internal pressure against repetitive impacts and also excellent in reliability. The process for producing a pressure vessel of the present invention comprises the step of forming a pressure resistant outer shell made of an FRP comprising reinforcing fibers and a resin and is 35 GPa or more in tensile modulus and 1.5% or more in tensile breaking strain, around an inner shell capable of serving as a gas barrier, by a filament winding method or a tape winding method. The present invention can produce a pressure vessel excellent in retaining its internal pressure, excellent in reliability, and light in weight at a low cost.

Growing community of inventors

Ehime, Japan

Kenichi Noguchi