Owens Corning Composites Sprl

Nv Owens-corning S.a.

Owens Corning Fiberglas Technology, Inc.

Ocv Intellectual Capital, LLC

Michael H Jander

Paul R Krumlauf

Enamul Haque

Donald Burton Sage, Jr

Jacques H Gerard

Frank R Cichocki

David E Adam, Deceased

Giovanni Montagna

A system for forming a cross-directional fiber reinforcement layer has a feeder for feeding an array of continuous fiber and a chopped fiber dispenser for distributing generally aligned, closely spaced chopped fibers onto the array of continuous fibers in a cross-directional manner.

System for forming reinforcement layers having cross-directionally oriented fibers

A composite part made from a sheet molding compound is disclosed as having improved characteristics over traditional sheet molding compound composite parts. The fibrous material is introduced as a veil layer adjacent a paste layer, the veil flows well during the molding process. The improved flow and surface characteristics of a composite part are attributed to the elongation of the veil during molding and to the improved filling capabilities.

Sheet molding compound having improved characteristics

A process for forming thermoplastic composites that uses wet use chopped strand glass is provided. Wet reinforcement fibers such as wet chopped strand glass fibers are opened by passing the fibers consecutively through a first opener, a condenser, and, optionally, a second opener. The opened reinforcement fibers are mixed with a resin and transferred to a first sheet former. The resin is preferably polypropylene fibers. An optional second sheet former may be used to form a final composite having high structural integrity. The resulting sheet may be optionally passed through a needle felting machine for mechanical strengthening. The sheet is then passed through a thermal bonder to thermally bond the reinforcement glass fibers and resin. The composite product that exits the thermal bonder can be subsequently used as a reinforcement in a molding process to produce composite articles.

Development of thermoplastic composites using wet use chopped strand (WUCS)

The present invention is directed towards an apparatus for guiding continuous materials. In one embodiment of the invention, the apparatus comprises first and second conveyors, each comprising a continuous conveyor belt carried by a set of pulleys including a drive pulley and an idler pulley. The conveyor belts have opposing inner surfaces that are oriented to travel substantially parallel to one another to sandwich continuous materials therebetween. The ratio of the diameters of the idler pulleys to the drive pulleys is greater than about 8:1. In another embodiment of the invention, a chopper is provided. The chopper comprises a cutting roll and a cot member defining a nip region therebetween. The cutting roll has an axis of rotation that is aligned substantially parallel to an axis of rotation of a cot member. The small turning radii permit the conveyor belts to extend within the nip region.

Apparatus for guiding continuous fibers

A composite part made from a sheet molding compound is disclosed as having improved characteristics over traditional sheet molding compound composite parts. The composite part may be made from a unique sheet molding compound material having a resin impregnated filamentized fiber layer and a resin impregnated fiber layer prior to compaction. The resin impregnated filamentized fiber layer side prevents the movement of partially filamentized or unfilamentized fibers to the visible surface of the composite part when the part is molded. The resin impregnated filamentized fiber layer may be contain a conductive filamentized fiber such that the surface of a sheet molding compound may be conductive and be capable of being electrostatically sprayed.

Sheet molding compound having improved surface characteristics

A method for filling a muffler shell with a fibrous material includes providing an outer muffler shell, applying a temporary form to the outer shell to define a muffler chamber within the outer muffler shell, and wetting the fibrous material by forcing moisturized compressed air into contact with the fibrous material. The wetted fibrous material is inserted into the muffler chamber, and the temporary form is removed from the outer muffler shell.

Method of filling a muffler cavity with fibrous material

In a method of forming discrete length fibers, a first engagement member is moved in orbit relative to a second engagement member. A continuous fiber is positioned between the first and second engagement members. The fiber is engaged between the first and second engagement members to cut it into discrete length fibers.

Method of forming discrete length fibers

A method for dispensing discrete length reinforcement fibers. A continuous length of a reinforcement fiber is wound around a base end of a form, the base end having a generally circular cross-section, to form generally circular coils. The coils are moved axially from the base end of the form to an elongated portion of the form, the elongated portion having an elongated cross-section, to change the shape of the coils from the generally circular shape to an elongated shape. The elongated coils are cut to form discrete length reinforcement fibers. The discrete length reinforcement fibers are then dispensed.

Method for dispensing reinforcement fibers

A method of dispensing a reinforcement strand includes the steps of chopping the reinforcement strand into discrete reinforcement fibers, directing the discrete reinforcement fibers into a dispensing nozzle so that the discrete reinforcement fibers travel along a path extending generally along a longitudinal axis of the nozzle, introducing a fluid into the nozzle in a circumferential direction with respect to the longitudinal axis, thereby creating a vortex of the fluid surrounding the discrete reinforcement fibers in the nozzle, dispensing the discrete length reinforcement fibers from the nozzle as a flow, and controlling the flow of fibers dispensed from the nozzle by controlling the fluid introduced into the nozzle.

Method of dispensing chopped reinforcement strand using a vortex nozzle

A method for dispensing reinforcement fibers to make a preform or laminate includes winding a continuous length of a reinforcement fiber into coils around a form having a longitudinal axis, moving the coils axially with respect to the form to engage a cutter, cutting the coils to form discrete length reinforcement fibers, and dispensing the discrete length reinforcement fibers.

A method for dispensing reinforcement fibers to make a preform or laminate includes winding a continuous length of a reinforcement fiber into coils around a form having a longitudinal axis, moving the coils axially with respect to the form to engage a cutter, cutting the coils to form discrete length reinforcement fibers, applying a resinous material to the discrete fibers, and dispensing the discrete length reinforcement fibers.

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Eupen, Belgium

Michael H Jander