Toray Industries, Inc.

Yuko Shimizu

Nobuyuki Tomioka

Hiroshi Takezaki

Shirou Honda

Hiroshi Taiko

Junko Kawasaki

Hiroshi Kobayashi

Yuji Echigo

Maki Nagano

A fiber reinforced composite material having high interlaminar toughness and compressive strength under wet heat conditions, as well as an epoxy resin composition for production thereof and a prepreg producible from the epoxy resin composition is described. The prepreg includes at least constituents [A], [B], and [C] as specified below and reinforcement fiber, wherein 90% or more of constituent [C] exists in the depth range accounting for 20% of the prepreg thickness from the prepreg surface: [A] epoxy resin; [B] epoxy resin curing agent; and [C] polymer particles insoluble in epoxy resin.

Prepreg and fiber-reinforced composite material

The invention provides a prepreg that can give a fiber-reinforced composite material exhibiting stable and excellent interlaminar fracture toughness and impact resistance under wide molding conditions. The prepreg includes at least a reinforcement fiber [A], a thermosetting resin [B], and the following component [C] wherein 90% or more of the material [C] is present inside a region of the prepreg that extends from any surface of the prepreg to a prepreg site having, from the surface, a depth of 20% of the thickness of the prepreg. The component [C] satisfies requirements that (i) the storage elastic modulus G' of the material constituting the particles is more than 1 MPa, and 70 MPa or less at 180&#xb0; C., and that (ii) the ratio of the storage elastic modulus G&#x2032; of the material constituting the particles at 160&#xb0; C. to the storage elastic modulus G&#x2032; of the material at 200&#xb0; C. ranges from 1 to 5; and is insoluble in the thermosetting resin [B].

Prepreg, fiber-reinforced composite material, and thermoplastic resin particles

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Nagoya, Japan

Yuko Shimizu