阅读说明：本技术 复合材料、成形体的制造方法以及复合材料的制造方法 (Composite material, method for producing molded body, and method for producing composite material ) 是由 大坪诚 大木武 华国飞 野村晃久 铃木秀平 尾上周平 加藤卓巳 丰住隆 于 2018-11-21 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明是一种复合材料,其含有：碳纤维A,含有满足Li/(Ni×Di<Sup>2</Sup>)为6.7×10<Sup>1</Sup>以上且3.3×10<Sup>3</Sup>以下的碳纤维束A1；以及热塑性基体树脂,碳纤维A的纤维长度为5mm以上且100mm以下,Lw<Sub>A1</Sub>/(N<Sub>A1</Sub>ave×D<Sub>A1</Sub><Sup>2</Sup>)为1.0×10<Sup>2</Sup>以上且3.3×10<Sup>3</Sup>以下,碳纤维束A1的平均束宽度W<Sub>A1</Sub>小于3.5mm,碳纤维束A1相对于碳纤维A为90vol％以上。Li：碳纤维束的纤维长度(mm)、Di：构成碳纤维束的碳纤维的单丝直径(mm)、Ni：碳纤维束所包含的单丝的纤维数(根数)、Lw<Sub>A1</Sub>：碳纤维束A1的重均纤维长度(mm)、N<Sub>A1</Sub>ave：碳纤维束A1所包含的单丝的平均纤维数(根数)、D<Sub>A1</Sub>：构成碳纤维束A1的碳纤维的单丝直径(mm)。(The present invention is a composite material comprising a carbon fiber A having a composition satisfying L i/(Ni × Di) 2 ) Is 6.7 × 10 1 Above and 3.3 × 10 3 The following carbon fiber bundle a 1; and thermoplastic matrix resin, carbon fiber A fiberA dimensional length of 5mm to 100mm, L w A1 /(N A1 ave×D A1 2 ) Is 1.0 × 10 2 Above and 3.3 × 10 3 Hereinafter, the average bundle width W of the carbon fiber bundle a1 A1 Less than 3.5mm, the carbon fiber bundle A1 is 90 vol% or more based on the carbon fiber A, L i the fiber length (mm) of the carbon fiber bundle, Di the filament diameter (mm) of the carbon fiber constituting the carbon fiber bundle, Ni the number (number) of filaments contained in the carbon fiber bundle, L w A1 : weight-average fiber length (mm) and N of carbon fiber bundle A1 A1 ave: average number of filaments (number of filaments) contained in carbon fiber bundle a1, and D A1 : the monofilament diameter (mm) of the carbon fibers constituting the carbon fiber bundle a 1.)

1. A composite material, comprising:

the carbon fiber A contains L i/(Ni × Di)²) Is 6.7 × 10¹Above and 3.3 × 10³The following carbon fiber bundle a 1; and a thermoplastic matrix resin, and a thermoplastic resin,

the carbon fiber A has a fiber length of 5mm to 100mm,

Lw_A1/(N_A1ave×D_A1 ²) Is 1.0 × 10²Above and 3.3 × 10³In the following, the following description is given,

average bundle width W of carbon fiber bundle a1_A1Less than 3.5mm of the total weight of the rubber,

the carbon fiber bundle a1 was 90 vol% or more based on the carbon fiber a.

L i fiber length (mm) of carbon fiber bundle

Di: monofilament diameter (mm) of carbon fibers constituting the carbon fiber bundle

Ni: number of filaments (number of filaments) contained in carbon fiber bundle

Lw_A1: weight-average fiber length (mm) of carbon fiber bundle A1

N_A1ave: average number of filaments (number of filaments) contained in carbon fiber bundle A1

D_A1: monofilament diameter (mm) of carbon fibers constituting carbon fiber bundle A1

2. The composite material of claim 1,

Lw_A1/(N_A1ave×D_A1 ²) Is 1.3 × 10²Above and 3.3 × 10³The following.

3. The composite material according to claim 1 or 2,

average bundle width W of carbon fiber bundle a1_A1Is less than 2.0 mm.

4. The composite material according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the flow cell including a portion having a curvature diameter of 2mm or less is 30% or less with respect to all the flow cells. The flow cell represents 1 aggregate containing carbon fibers or a carbon fiber monofilament.

5. The composite material according to claim 4,

the flow cell including a portion having a curvature diameter of 2mm or less is 10% or less with respect to all the flow cells.

6. The composite material according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

average thickness T of carbon fiber bundle A1_A1Less than 95 μm.

7. The composite material of claim 6,

T_A1the coefficient of variation of (A) is 5% or more.

8. The composite material according to any one of claims 1 to 7,

the carbon fiber A contains more than 0 vol% and less than 10 vol% of carbon fiber A2, and L i/(Ni × Di) of the carbon fiber A2²) Over 3.3 × 10³。

9. The composite material according to any one of claims 1 to 8,

the composite material comprises carbon fibers B with the fiber length of less than 5mm, wherein the carbon fibers B meet the requirement of N_Bave<N_A1ave。

N_Bave: average number of filaments (number of filaments) contained in carbon fiber B

10. The composite material according to any one of claims 1 to 9,

subjecting the composite material to ashing treatment, selecting 20 carbon fiber bundles A1 from the aggregate, and obtaining an average fiber bundle length B L of the selected aggregate₂₀And average fiber length L₂₀Ratio of B L₂₀/L₂₀Less than 1.3.

11. The composite material according to any one of claims 1 to 10,

the rebound resilience exceeds 1.0 and is 3.0 or less.

12. The composite material according to any one of claims 1 to 11,

the composite material has a tensile elongation of 5% or more and 40% or less when heated to a temperature at which the composite material can be molded.

13. A method for producing a molded article, characterized in that,

heating and softening the composite material according to any one of claims 1 to 12, conveying the softened composite material to a forming die, and performing cold press forming.

14. The method for producing a shaped body according to claim 13, wherein,

the composite material has a tensile elongation of 5% or more and 40% or less when heated to a temperature at which cold pressing is possible.

15. The method for producing a shaped body according to claim 13 or 14, wherein,

after heating, pre-shaping is carried out, and cold press forming is carried out.

16. A method for manufacturing a composite material, characterized in that,

a method for producing the composite material according to any one of claims 1 to 12,

the method comprises a step of impregnating a thermoplastic matrix resin in the opened carbon fiber bundle in advance and then cutting the carbon fiber bundle.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a composite material including carbon fibers and a thermoplastic matrix resin, and in the production of the composite material and in the production of a molded article using the composite material, a molded article having both mechanical properties and moldability can be produced by bending discontinuous fine-bundle-shaped carbon fibers.

Background

Since a composite material using carbon fibers as a reinforcing material has high tensile strength/tensile elastic modulus and a small linear expansion coefficient, it is excellent in dimensional stability, and also excellent in heat resistance, chemical resistance, fatigue resistance, abrasion resistance, electromagnetic wave shielding properties, and X-ray permeability, fiber reinforced plastics using carbon fibers as a reinforcing material are widely used in automobiles, sports/leisure, aviation/aerospace, and general industrial applications.

In particular, a so-called fiber-reinforced resin molded product containing carbon fibers and a thermoplastic matrix resin has attracted attention. These fiber-reinforced resin molded articles have excellent mechanical properties because of the presence of carbon fibers in the thermoplastic matrix resin, and are attracting attention as structural members of automobiles and the like.

These fiber-reinforced resin composite materials can be molded into a desired shape by press molding typified by cold press molding.

Patent document 1 describes a composite material produced by supplying a thermoplastic matrix resin to a glass fiber bundle containing 2000 or more monofilaments as reinforcing fibers and cutting the glass fiber bundle to a predetermined length. The main contents of the description are: when the number of (bundled) monofilaments constituting the glass fiber bundle is 2000 or less, the minimum unit occupied in the sheet cross-sectional area increases, the probability of overlapping the fiber bundles increases, the straightness of the fiber is lost, and particularly the elastic modulus decreases.

Patent document 2 describes a quasi-isotropic reinforcing sheet formed by substantially integrating a plurality of chopped semi-prepreg sheets in an unimpregnated state.

Patent document 3 describes a composite material in which large-tow carbon fibers are opened and divided and then cut to reduce variations in mechanical properties and mechanical properties.

Non-patent document 1 describes that mechanical properties are improved by partially opening a carbon fiber bundle to include the carbon fiber bundle, the partially opened carbon fiber bundle, and a filamentous (monofilament-like) carbon fiber component.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem to be solved by the invention

However, in the composite material described in non-patent document 1 in which the carbon fibers are in the form of monofilaments (monofilaments) or the number of monofilaments contained in the carbon fiber bundles is small (the carbon fiber bundles are too thin), when the carbon fibers are compared at the same volume ratio, the number of flow units (hereinafter referred to as flow cells) increases during molding, and the aspect ratio of the flow cells is too high, so that the carbon fibers are easily bent. When press forming of a composite material containing many folded carbon fibers is attempted, steric hindrance of the carbon fibers to each other becomes large, and springback becomes large, and the degree of freedom of forming is impaired.

As the problem of the invention 2 described in non-patent document 1, even when the carbon fibers contained in the composite material (which means a material in a state before molding, the composite material is a molded material for producing a molded article, and the shape of the composite material is typically flat), are not bent, if too few monofilaments are contained in the carbon fiber bundle or too many monofilaments are contained, a problem occurs in that the carbon fibers are easily bent when molding with flow is performed. If the formed body contains bent carbon fibers produced by flow forming, it is difficult to sufficiently exhibit mechanical properties inherent in carbon fibers, as compared with linear carbon fibers.

Patent document 1 describes an invention in which the number of filaments constituting a glass fiber bundle is 2000 or more. As the problem 1 of the invention described in patent document 1, when a glass fiber bundle is used, the diameter of the filament constituting the glass fiber bundle is larger than the fiber diameter of a normal PAN-based carbon fiber, and the cross-sectional area of the fiber bundle is excessively large even if the number of the filaments is the same as the filament diameter (5 to 7 μm) of the carbon fiber. Therefore, if a fiber form in which the cross-sectional area of the glass fiber bundle is large is directly applied to the size of the carbon fiber bundle, the breaking load per 1 becomes extremely large, and before the carbon fiber bundle is broken, the interface between the surface of the carbon fiber and the resin is broken, and the potential capability of the carbon fiber bundle cannot be sufficiently exhibited.

As the problem 2 of the invention described in patent document 1, when the number of filaments constituting the fiber bundle is the same, the thermoplastic matrix resin is less likely to be impregnated into the glass fiber bundle because the cross-sectional area of the glass fiber bundle is larger than that of the carbon fiber bundle. Therefore, in the invention described in patent document 1, the strength of the interface adhesion between each of the monofilaments present in the glass fiber bundle and the thermoplastic matrix resin tends to be insufficient, and the mechanical properties of the molded article tend to be impaired. However, since glass fibers have lower fiber strength than carbon fibers, glass fibers tend to be broken before the interfacial adhesion with the thermoplastic matrix resin is broken. Therefore, when glass fibers are used, the strength of the composite material is not significantly affected by the number of filaments included in the fiber bundle, which is greater or smaller than that of carbon fibers.

As the problem 3 of the invention described in patent document 1, in the glass fiber bundle of patent document 1, although the width of the glass fiber bundle is designed to be in the range of 10mm to 50mm, when a composite material is produced from a fiber bundle having an excessively large bundle width, not only is the aspect ratio of the fiber bundle excessively small and the strength of the fiber bundle is not sufficiently exhibited, but also a sheet of resin called a resin bag (resinpocket) is expanded, and thus breakage occurs from the resin as a starting point (fig. 1 and 2).

Therefore, as described above, the invention using glass fiber bundles described in patent document 1 cannot be directly replaced with carbon fibers.

In the quasi-isotropic reinforcing sheet described in patent document 2 and the fiber-reinforced resin molded article (molded article referred to in the present invention) described in patent document 3, the number of bundles of filaments constituting the carbon fiber bundle is too large. Therefore, the uniformity of the carbon fibers in the molded body is insufficient, the stress transmission between the carbon fiber bundles is not performed well, and the resin portion becomes a starting point and is broken. In addition, the fiber-reinforced resin molded article described in patent document 3 includes a large fiber bundle called a combined bundle assembly, and therefore, this problem becomes remarkable and tends to cause an appearance defect when a molded article is formed.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a composite material having both higher mechanical properties and moldability.

Means for solving the problems

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides the following means.

[1] A composite material, comprising:

the carbon fiber A contains L i/(Ni × Di)²) Is 6.7 × 10¹Above and 3.3 × 10³The following carbon fiber bundle a 1; and a thermoplastic matrix resin, and a thermoplastic resin,

the carbon fiber A has a fiber length of 5mm to 100mm,

Lw_A1/(N_A1ave×D_A1 ²) Is 1.0 × 10²Above and 3.3 × 10³In the following, the following description is given,

average bundle width W of carbon fiber bundle a1_A1Less than 3.5mm of the total weight of the rubber,

the carbon fiber bundle a1 was 90 vol% or more based on the carbon fiber a.

L i fiber length (mm) of carbon fiber bundle

Di: monofilament diameter (mm) of carbon fibers constituting the carbon fiber bundle

Ni: number of filaments (number of filaments) contained in carbon fiber bundle

Lw_A1: weight-average fiber length (mm) of carbon fiber bundle A1

N_A1ave: average number of filaments (number of filaments) contained in carbon fiber bundle A1

D_A1: monofilament diameter (mm) of carbon fibers constituting carbon fiber bundle A1

[2] The composite material according to [1], wherein,

Lw_A1/(N_A1ave×D_A1 ²) Is 1.3 × 10²Above and 3.3 × 10³The following.

[3] The composite material according to [1] or [2], wherein,

average bundle width W of carbon fiber bundle a1_A1Is less than 2.0 mm.

[4] The composite material according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein,

the flow cell including a portion having a curvature diameter of 2mm or less is 30% or less with respect to all the flow cells. The flow cell represents 1 aggregate containing carbon fibers or a carbon fiber monofilament.

[5] The composite material according to [4], wherein,

the flow cell including a portion having a curvature diameter of 2mm or less is 10% or less with respect to all the flow cells.

[6] The composite material according to any one of [1] to [5], wherein,

average thickness T of carbon fiber bundle A1_A1Less than 95 μm.

[7] The composite material according to [6], wherein,

T_A1the coefficient of variation of (A) is 5% or more.

[8] The composite material according to any one of [1] to [7], wherein,

the carbon fiber A contains more than 0 vol% and less than 10 vol% of carbon fiber A2, and L i/(Ni × Di) of the carbon fiber A2²) Over 3.3 × 10³。

[9] The composite material according to any one of [1] to [8], wherein,

the composite material comprises carbon fibers B with the fiber length of less than 5mm, wherein the carbon fibers B meet the requirement of N_Bave<N_A1ave。

N_Bave: average number of filaments (number of filaments) contained in carbon fiber B

[10] The composite material according to any one of [1] to [9], wherein,

to the aboveSubjecting the composite material to ashing treatment, selecting 20 carbon fiber bundles A1, and obtaining an average fiber bundle length B L of the selected aggregates₂₀And average fiber length L₂₀Ratio of B L₂₀/L₂₀Less than 1.3.

[11] The composite material according to any one of [1] to [10], wherein,

the rebound resilience exceeds 1.0 and is 3.0 or less.

[12] The composite material according to any one of [1] to [11], wherein,

the tensile elongation at the time of heating the composite material to a temperature at which the composite material can be molded is 5% or more and 40% or less.

[13] A method for producing a molded article, characterized in that,

the composite material according to any one of [1] to [12] is heated and softened, conveyed to a molding die, and cold-press molded.

[14] The method for producing a molded article according to [13], wherein,

the composite material has a tensile elongation of 5% or more and 40% or less when heated to a temperature at which cold pressing is possible.

[15] The method for producing a molded article according to [13] or [14], wherein,

after heating, pre-shaping is carried out, and cold press forming is carried out.

[16] A method for manufacturing a composite material, characterized in that,

a method for producing a composite material according to any one of [1] to [12],

the method comprises a step of impregnating a thermoplastic matrix resin in the opened carbon fiber bundle in advance and then cutting the carbon fiber bundle.

Effects of the invention

According to the composite material of the present invention, the cross-sectional area of the carbon fiber bundle and the aspect ratio and the proportion of the carbon fiber bundle are studied, and thereby the carbon fiber in the composite material is formed into a shape in which bending is not easily caused and stress transmission can be sufficiently performed. Therefore, a molded article using the composite material of the present invention can achieve both high mechanical properties (particularly tensile strength and tensile elastic modulus) and moldability as compared with conventional composite materials.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a composite material using a coarse fiber bundle.

Fig. 2 is a schematic view of a molded article produced using the composite material depicted in fig. 1 when the molded article is subjected to tensile fracture.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view of a composite material using a fine fiber bundle.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view of a molded article produced using the composite material depicted in fig. 3 when it is subjected to tensile fracture.

Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a criterion for the flow cell.

FIG. 6 shows the average tow length B L₂₀And average fiber length L₂₀Schematic representation of (a).

Fig. 7 is a schematic view showing that the end portions of carbon fibers become easy to open when the composite material containing the carbon fiber bundles whose end portions have been cut off obliquely is press-formed with flowing.

Fig. 8 is a schematic view for explaining press forming.

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining the internal flow.

Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a method of measuring the tensile elongation of the composite material.

Description of the symbols

101 resin bag

102 fiber bundle

301 resin bag

302 fiber bundle

501. 502, 5031 flow units

601 carbon fiber bundle width direction

701 force applied to the end of carbon fiber during forming

702 apply a force on the ends of the carbon fibers to separate the carbon fiber bundles.

801 heating furnace

802 composite material

804 transport arm

805 automatic transfer device

806 Press Forming device

807 mould (lower mould)

808 mould (Upper mould)

901 forming die (Upper die)

902 forming die (lower die)

903 composite material

1001 composite material immediately before tensile elongation test

1002 weight

1003 composite material after tensile elongation test

G₁Length after elongation

Detailed Description

[ carbon fiber ]

As the carbon fiber used in the present invention, Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) carbon fiber, petroleum/coal pitch carbon fiber, rayon carbon fiber, cellulose carbon fiber, lignin carbon fiber, phenol carbon fiber, and the like are generally known, and any of these carbon fibers is suitable in the present invention. Among them, in the present invention, Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) based carbon fibers are preferably used in view of excellent tensile strength.

The carbon fiber used in the present invention may have a sizing agent attached to the surface thereof. When the carbon fiber to which the sizing agent is attached is used, the type of the sizing agent can be appropriately selected according to the types of the carbon fiber and the matrix resin, and is not particularly limited.

[ fiber diameter of carbon fiber ]

The fiber diameter of the monofilament (generally, the monofilament is referred to as a "monofilament") of the carbon fiber used in the present invention may be appropriately determined depending on the type of the carbon fiber, and is not particularly limited. The average fiber diameter is usually preferably in the range of 3 to 50 μm, more preferably in the range of 4 to 12 μm, and still more preferably in the range of 5 to 8 μm. When the carbon fibers are in the form of a fiber bundle, the diameter of the fiber bundle is not the diameter of the fiber bundle, but the diameter of the carbon fibers (monofilaments) constituting the fiber bundle. The average fiber diameter of the carbon fiber can be measured, for example, according to JIS R-7607: 2000 under the same conditions.

[ carbon fiber A ]

The composite material of the present invention comprises a carbon fiber A containing a carbon fiber having a composition satisfying L i/(Ni × Di)²) Is 6.7 × 10¹Above and 3.3 × 10³The following carbon fiber bundle A1, and a thermoplastic matrix resin, the carbon fiber A having a fiber length of 5mm to 100mm, L w_A1/(N_A1ave×D_A1 ²) Is 1.0 × 10²Above and 3.3 × 10³Hereinafter, the average bundle width W of the carbon fiber bundle a1_A1Less than 3.5mm, and the carbon fiber bundle A1 is 90 vol% or more based on the carbon fiber A.

L i fiber length (mm) of carbon fiber bundle

Di: monofilament diameter (mm) of carbon fibers constituting the carbon fiber bundle

Ni: number of filaments (number of filaments) contained in carbon fiber bundle

Lw_A1: weight-average fiber length (mm) of carbon fiber bundle A1

N_A1ave: average number of filaments (number of filaments) contained in carbon fiber bundle A1

D_A1: monofilament diameter (mm) of carbon fibers constituting carbon fiber bundle A1

[ fiber length of carbon fiber A ]

The carbon fiber A of the present invention has a fiber length of 5mm to 100 mm. That is, carbon fibers within this range are all carbon fibers a, whereas carbon fibers having a fiber length of less than 5mm and carbon fibers having a fiber length of more than 100mm are not carbon fibers a.

1. Weight average fiber length of carbon fiber A

The weight-average fiber length of the carbon fibers a used in the present invention is not particularly limited, and is preferably 5mm or more and 100mm or less. The weight-average fiber length of the carbon fibers a is more preferably 5mm or more and 80mm or less, and still more preferably 5mm or more and 60mm or less. When the weight-average fiber length of the carbon fibers a is 100mm or less, the fluidity of the carbon fiber-reinforced resin composite material is improved, and a desired shape of a molded body can be easily obtained by press molding or the like. On the other hand, when the weight-average fiber length is 5mm or more, the mechanical strength of the carbon fiber-reinforced resin composite material tends to be improved.

In the present invention, carbon fibers a having different fiber lengths may be used in combination. In other words, the carbon fiber used in the present invention may have a single peak in the weight-average fiber length, or may have a plurality of peaks.

The average fiber length of the carbon fibers a can be determined by measuring the fiber length of 100 fibers randomly drawn from the carbon fiber-reinforced resin composite material with a vernier caliper or the like in units as accurate as 1mm, for example, and by the following equation (1) and measuring the average fiber length by using the weight-average fiber length (L w).

Assuming that the fiber length of each carbon fiber is L i and the number of the carbon fibers measured is j, the number average fiber length (L n) and the weight average fiber length (L w) can be obtained from the following equations (1) and (2).

L n ═ Σ L i/j … … formula (1)

Lw＝(ΣLi²) /(Sigma L i) … … formula (2)

When the fiber length is a fixed length, the number average fiber length and the weight average fiber length are the same.

For example, the carbon fibers can be extracted from the carbon fiber-reinforced resin composite material by subjecting the carbon fiber-reinforced resin composite material to a heating treatment at 500 ℃ for about × 1 hours and removing the resin in a furnace.

[ proportion of carbon fiber A ]

The proportion of the carbon fiber a of the present invention to the whole carbon fiber is not particularly limited, but is preferably 50 Vol% or more and 100 Vol% or less, more preferably 70 Vol% or more and 100 Vol% or less, and further preferably 80 Vol% or more and 100 Vol% or less.

[ aspect ratio of carbon fiber bundle A1 ]

In the invention, L i/(Ni × Di)²) Is 6.7 × 10¹Above and 3.3 × 10³The following is defined as carbon fiber bundles A1, L i/(Ni × Di)²) The aspect ratio generally represents the length with respect to the diameter, but in the present invention, the aspect ratio L i/(Ni × Di) is set by multiplying the fiber diameter by 2 in consideration of the sectional area of the fiber bundle (in consideration of both the thickness and the width)²) L i is the fiber length of each carbon fiber bundle, and Ni is the number (number) of filaments contained in each carbon fiber bundle, and when the fiber length of the carbon fiber bundle A1 is a fixed length, the aspect ratio of the carbon fiber bundle A1 is the smallest when the number of fibers contained in the carbon fiber bundle A1 is the largest.

L w of carbon fiber bundle A1 of the present invention_A1/(N_A1ave×D_A1 ²) Is 1.0 × 10²Above and 3.3 × 10³L w of carbon fiber bundle A1_A1/(N_A1ave×D_A1 ²) Up to values exceeding 3.3 × 10³In the case of (2), the carbon fiber bundle is easily bent in the composite material and the molded article using the composite material, and the strength inherent in the carbon fiber cannot be exhibited.

Compared with the composite material with fixed fiber length, fiber diameter and carbon fiber volume ratio (Vf), the composite material is prepared at L w_A1/(N_A1ave×D_A1 ²) Up to values exceeding 3.3 × 10³In the case of (2), the number of flow cells becomes too large, the aspect ratio of the flow cells becomes too high, and the carbon fibers are easily bent. When press forming of a composite material containing many folded carbon fibers is attempted, steric hindrance of the carbon fibers to each other becomes large, and springback becomes large, and the degree of freedom of forming is impaired.

If the molded article contains a bent carbon fiber molded article produced during flow molding, it is difficult to sufficiently exhibit the mechanical properties of the carbon fiber itself.

On the contrary, if L w_A1/(N_A1ave×D_A1 ²) When the value of (A) is too small, the thermoplastic matrix resin in the composite material called a resin bag expands as shown by 101 in FIG. 1. therefore, in the tensile test, the resin is broken from the starting point, and the thermoplastic matrix resin is broken in the region as shown in FIG. 2. if L w is used, the thermoplastic matrix resin is broken as shown in FIG. 2_A1/(N_A1ave×D_A1 ²) Is 1.0 × 10²Above and 3.3 × 10³In the following range, the resin bag 301 is relatively small as shown in fig. 3. Therefore, in the tensile test, breakage starting from the resin is less likely to occur, as shown in fig. 4The carbon fibers are broken (the reinforcing effect of the carbon fibers themselves is exhibited) instead of the resin, and thus the composite material having high mechanical strength is obtained. Therefore, the fracture surface fractures in a direction relatively perpendicular to the drawing direction.

Preferred L w_A1/(N_A1ave×D_A1 ²) Desirably, the upper limit of (2.0 × 10)³Hereinafter, 1.4 × 10 is preferable³Hereinafter, more preferably 1.1 × 10³Hereinafter, more preferably 9.1 × 10²。

Preferred L w_A1/(N_A1ave×D_A1 ²) Desirably, the lower limit of (A) is 1.3 × 10²Above, 1.8 × 10 is preferable²Above, more preferably 2.0 × 10²Above, more preferably 2.5 × 10²The above.

[ carbon fiber A2]

The carbon fiber A of the present invention may contain more than 0 vol% and less than 10 vol% of the carbon fiber A2, L i/(Ni × Di) of the carbon fiber A2²) Over 3.3 × 10³Carbon fiber A2 was found to be L i/(Ni × Di)²) Over 3.3 × 10³Therefore, the carbon fiber has an excessively large aspect ratio, and the carbon fiber a2 is easily bent. However, in the case where the resin capsule (for example, 301 in fig. 3) cannot be completely filled even with the carbon fiber bundle a1 of the present invention, if the resin capsule can be filled with a small amount of carbon fiber a2, the advantage of filling the resin capsule is slightly greater than the disadvantage of the carbon fiber a2 caused by bending.

In the carbon fiber a2, the weight-average fiber length, the monofilament diameter, and the average fiber number can be defined as follows. When the carbon fiber a2 is completely in the form of a single fiber, N_A2ave becomes 1 root.

Lw_A2: weight-average fiber length (mm) of carbon fiber A2

D_A2: monofilament diameter (mm) of carbon fiber constituting carbon fiber A2

N_A2ave: average number of fibers (number) contained in carbon fiber A2

[ proportion of carbon fiber bundle A1 ]

In the present invention, the carbon fiber bundle A1 was 90 vol% based on the carbon fiber AIn other words, the carbon fiber A other than the carbon fiber bundle A1 of the present invention is less than 10 vol%, preferably less than 5 vol%, in the present invention, L i/(Ni × Di)²) A value of less than 6.7 × 10¹More than 3.3 × 10 carbon fibers³The carbon fibers a (the fiber length of which is 5mm or more and 100mm or less) in (b) are carbon fibers a other than the carbon fiber bundle a 1. The carbon fiber bundle a1 may be 100 vol% with respect to the carbon fiber a.

If the proportion of the carbon fiber bundle a1 is small, for example, if the proportion of the carbon fiber a2 exceeds 10%, the carbon fiber bent increases, and the physical properties of the carbon fiber cannot be exhibited to the maximum extent. Further, the spring back becomes large, and it becomes difficult to increase the volume ratio (Vf) of the carbon fiber.

The carbon fiber a other than the carbon fiber bundle a1 is preferably the carbon fiber a2, but may be mixed with L i/(Ni × Di) within a range not to impair the object of the present invention²) Less than 6.7 × 10¹The carbon fiber A3 (carbon fiber having a small aspect ratio and a large fiber bundle width). The carbon fiber a3 is less likely to be contaminated with carbon fiber a at 5 vol% or less, more preferably at 3 vol% or less, and still more preferably at 1 vol% or less. When the proportion of the carbon fibers a3 is so small, if a thermoplastic matrix resin is used, the unimpregnated portion decreases, and deterioration in surface appearance (deterioration in surface appearance due to exposure of unimpregnated fibers) decreases.

In particular, if there is a combined bundle in which the carbon fiber bundles are not completely split as described in patent document 1, the resin pockets increase around the combined bundle to become starting points of the composite material breakage, and the appearance is extremely deteriorated when the non-impregnated portion is lifted off the surface. Although impregnation is easy when a thermosetting matrix is used, the problem becomes significant if a thermoplastic matrix resin is used.

Average bundle width W of carbon fiber bundle A1_A1]

In the present invention, the average bundle width W of the carbon fiber bundle A1_A1Less than 3.5 mm. Desired average width W of carbon fiber bundle A_A1Is 3.0mm or less, preferably 2.0mm or less, and more preferably 1.5mm or less. If the average beam width W_A1Is more than 3.5mmNot only does the aspect ratio of the fiber bundle become too small to sufficiently exert the strength of the fiber bundle, but also the sheet resin (i.e., the resin made of the colophony or the sea) called a resin capsule expands, and thus the resin is broken from the beginning (fig. 1 and 2).

On the other hand, the average beam width W_A1The lower limit of (B) is preferably 0.3mm or more. If the thickness is 0.3mm or more, the carbon fiber bundle a1 is less likely to bend, and the control in production is facilitated. W of the invention_A1The coefficient of variation of (a) is desirably 100% or less, preferably 80% or less, and more preferably 50% or less.

[ average thickness T of carbon fiber bundle A1_A1]

In the present invention, the desired average thickness T of the carbon fiber bundle A1_A1Less than 95 μm, preferably less than 90 μm, more preferably less than 85 μm, still more preferably less than 75 μm, particularly preferably less than 70 μm, most preferably less than 65 μm.

When the carbon fiber bundles are thin, the carbon fiber bundles are easily impregnated when a thermoplastic resin is used as a matrix, and the number of carbon fiber bundles included in the composite material increases when compared with the same volume ratio (Vf) of carbon fibers. Therefore, the resin pockets (101 in fig. 1 and 301 in fig. 3) can be reduced.

Average thickness T of carbon fiber bundle A1_A1The coefficient of variation of (c) is preferably 5% or more. If the average thickness T of the carbon fiber bundle A1_A1When the coefficient of variation of (d) is 5% or more, the carbon fiber bundles a1 are easily more densely filled in the thickness direction of the composite material, and the carbon fiber volume ratio (Vf) is easily increased.

Average thickness T of carbon fiber bundle A1_A1The coefficient of variation of (a) is more preferably 7% or more, still more preferably 9% or more, and particularly preferably 10% or more. Average thickness T of carbon fiber bundle A1_A1The coefficient of variation of (c) is preferably 100% or less.

[ B L of carbon fiber bundle A1₂₀/L₂₀Ratio of]

The composite material of the present invention was subjected to ashing treatment, 20 carbon fiber bundles a1 were selected as aggregates, and the average fiber bundle length B L of the selected aggregates₂₀And average fiber length L₂₀Ratio of B L₂₀/L₂₀Preferably less than 1.3.

Bundle length B L of carbon fiber bundle A1₂₀And fiber length L₂₀Shown as in fig. 6, strand length B L₂₀And fiber length L₂₀Ratio of B L₂₀/L₂₀Less than 1.3 defines the expansion of the monofilaments making up the bundle relative to the direction of the bundle within the bundle. As shown in fig. 6, a specific preferable example of the carbon fiber bundle is a carbon fiber bundle a1 cut at a cut angle θ with respect to the width direction of the carbon fiber bundle (601 in fig. 6)₂Is cut in a direction inclined to the direction of the inclination of the range of (A) to form an end portion of the carbon fiber bundle A1, it should be noted that the fiber bundle length B L of the carbon fiber bundle A1₂₀And fiber length L₂₀The length of the carbon fiber bundle a1 when observed so that the projected area is maximized may be measured.

The following documents exist in the past: when the end portions of the carbon fiber bundles are formed by oblique cutting, stress concentration at the end portions in the longitudinal direction of the carbon fiber bundles can be further suppressed, and the molded article can exhibit higher mechanical properties and further reduce variations thereof (for example, international publication No. 2017/159264). However, in the case of manufacturing a molded body by press molding the composite material with flow, a force shown in fig. 7 (a)701 is applied from another carbon fiber or the like in the manufacturing process, and the end portion of the carbon fiber is easily opened (fig. 7 (b)), which may cause separation/division of the carbon fiber bundle. Therefore, in the present invention, since the composite material in which the end portion of the carbon fiber bundle is cut off at an extremely oblique angle is not used for the cable, the problem that the carbon fiber bundle is separated/divided (702 in fig. 7) in the process of forming the composite material is not easily caused, and the carbon fiber bundle is not easily bent.

Furthermore, when the carbon fiber bundle a1 of the present invention is used, the width of the carbon fiber bundle a1 is relatively small, and therefore, B L₂₀And L₂₀There is no difference in length of (a) in (b), and there is no problem that "stress concentration occurs at the end in the longitudinal direction of the carbon fiber bundle" and "variation in mechanical properties of the molded body" described in the conventional document is originally causedTo give a title. Therefore, the present inventors considered that the conventional knowledge could not be used at all, and the problems caused by the carbon fiber bundle being easily loosened and bent were increased.

Therefore, the present inventors have made an inverse idea as compared with the conventional concept and made the average fiber bundle length B L of the aggregate of the carbon fiber bundles a1₂₀And average fiber length L₂₀Ratio of B L₂₀/L₂₀Less than 1.3, thereby preventing the carbon fibers A1 from unraveling into monofilaments and reducing the bent carbon fibers during the production and molding of the composite material of the carbon fiber bundle A1, and the more preferred B L of the present invention₂₀/L₂₀Less than 1.2, more preferably less than 1.1, B L in the present invention₂₀/L₂₀Particularly preferably 1.0.

[ carbon fiber B ]

The composite material of the present invention may contain carbon fibers B having a fiber length of less than 5mm, the carbon fibers B preferably satisfying N_Bave<N_A1ave。

N_Bave: average number of fibers (number of carbon fibers) constituting the carbon fiber B

In the present invention, carbon fibers having a fiber length of less than 5mm are all carbon fibers B, and carbon fibers having a fiber length of 5mm or more are not carbon fibers B. The carbon fibers B may be carbon fiber bundles or may be monofilaments (monofilaments).

[ weight-average fiber length of carbon fiber B ]

Weight-average fiber length L w of carbon fiber B_BThe lower limit is preferably, but not particularly limited to, 0.05mm or more, more preferably 0.1mm or more, and still more preferably 0.2mm or more, and the weight-average fiber length of the carbon fibers B is L w_BWhen the thickness is 0.05mm or more, the mechanical strength can be easily secured.

Weight-average fiber length L w of carbon fiber B_BThe upper limit of (2) is preferably less than the thickness of a molded article obtained by molding the composite material, more specifically, more preferably less than 5mm, still more preferably less than 3mm, and yet more preferably less than 2mm_BThe above equation is obtained from equations (1) and (2).

In the case where the resin capsule (for example, 301 in fig. 3) cannot be completely filled even with the carbon fiber bundle a1 of the present invention, it is preferable to fill the resin capsule with a small amount of carbon fibers B. In addition, since the fiber length of the carbon fiber B is less than 5mm, bending of the carbon fiber is less likely to occur, and it is easy to control the flow cell including a portion having a curvature diameter of 2mm or less to 30% or less of the entire flow cell, which is preferable.

[ flow cell ]

The flow unit is 1 aggregate containing carbon fibers or a carbon fiber monofilament monomer. For example, as shown at 102 in fig. 1, when the carbon fibers are present as (thick) fiber bundles, the individual fiber bundles become flow cells, and as shown at 302 in fig. 3, when the carbon fiber bundles a1 are spread in a bundle shape, the carbon fiber bundles a1 of one bundle become flow cells, respectively. Of course, one monofilament of the carbon fibers that are scattered into a monofilament shape becomes a flow cell.

Here, in the case of the carbon fiber bundle, a judgment reference regarding 1 flow cell will be described with reference to fig. 5. The angle theta formed by a fibre bundle comprising carbon fibre bundles and the filaments or fibre bundles adjacent thereto₁Is 5 ° or less, and in the case where they are substantially adjacent to each other, 1 fiber bundle, in other words, 1 flow cell, and otherwise, the fibers are treated as separate flow cells.

When the fiber bundle width is too small (L i/(Ni × Di)²) Over 3.3 × 10³Too many carbon fiber bundles), the rigidity of the fiber bundles becomes low, and the straightness of the carbon fibers tends to be lost. For example, in the glass fiber bundle described in patent document 1, since the cross-sectional area of the glass fiber bundle is large, when the number of fibers constituting the bundle and the fiber length are the same, the aspect ratio of the glass fiber bundle is smaller than that of the carbon fiber bundle, and the glass fiber bundle is more likely to maintain the straightness.

[ flow cell including portion having curvature diameter of 2mm or less ]

The curvature diameter is a quantity indicating the degree of curvature of a curved line or a curved surface. In a certain curve, the local degree of curvature can be approximated to a circle, and the diameter of the circle after approximation is referred to as a curvature diameter. The higher the degree of curvature of the curve, the larger the curvature and the smaller the curvature diameter.

The composite material of the present invention preferably has 30% or less of the flow cells in the portion having a curvature diameter of 2mm or less as a whole, and in this range, the ratio of the bent carbon fibers is small, and thus the strength and elasticity inherent in the carbon fibers can be easily exhibited. The flow cell including a portion having a curvature diameter of 2mm or less is more preferably 25% or less of the whole, still more preferably 20% or less of the whole, still more preferably 10% or less, yet more preferably 7% or less, particularly preferably 5% or less, and most preferably 3% or less. The flow cell was observed only for carbon fiber a (carbon fiber B was not observed), and the specific observation method is as described later.

[ thermoplastic matrix resin ]

The thermoplastic matrix resin used in the present invention is not particularly limited, and a thermoplastic matrix resin having a desired softening point or melting point can be appropriately selected and used. The thermoplastic matrix resin is generally a matrix resin having a softening point in the range of 180 to 350 ℃, but is not limited thereto.

[ measurement of fiber bundle ]

As described later, the carbon fiber bundle can be identified by a pair of tweezers. Moreover, regardless of the position of grasping with tweezers, the fiber bundle stuck together in a whole bundle state is taken out in a whole bundle form at the time of taking out, so that the fiber bundle can be clearly defined. When observing an aggregate of carbon fibers to collect a fiber sample for analysis, the position of a portion where a plurality of fibers are united in the aggregate of carbon fibers is confirmed and how the fibers are accumulated is confirmed by observing the fiber sample not only in the direction of the longitudinal side surface but also in various directions and angles, and it is objectively and unambiguously determined which fiber bundle is united and exerts a function. For example, if fibers are overlapped with each other, fibers oriented in different directions of the fibers as a constituent unit are not entangled with each other at an intersection portion, it can be determined that 2 fiber bundles are present.

It should be noted that, for the width and thickness of each carbon fiber bundle a1,when 3 straight lines (x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis) orthogonal to each other are considered, the length direction of each carbon fiber bundle a1 is defined as the x-axis direction, and the maximum value y of the length in the y-axis direction orthogonal to the x-axis direction is defined as the maximum value y_maxAnd the maximum value z of the length in the z-axis direction_maxThe longer one is the width and the shorter one is the thickness. At y_maxAnd z_maxWhen y is equal to y, y can be expressed_maxIs set to width, z_maxSet to be the thickness.

Then, the average value of the widths of the carbon fiber bundles a1 obtained by the above method was defined as the average bundle width W of the carbon fiber bundle a1_A1The average value of the thicknesses of the carbon fiber bundles a1 obtained by the above method is defined as the average thickness T of the carbon fiber bundle a1_A1。

[ method for producing composite Material ]

The method for producing the composite material of the present invention is not particularly limited. In the present invention, the carbon fibers a are cut into continuous fibers and have a fiber length of 5mm or more and 100mm or less, but it is preferable to previously bundle the continuous fibers with a resin or the like by the method described in the following (1) or (2) before cutting, because the occurrence of the carbon fibers a2 having a large aspect ratio can be easily suppressed in the production process of the composite material.

(1) The fixed carbon fiber bundle obtained by applying the fixing agent to the carbon fiber bundle is split and cut, and then the thermoplastic matrix resin is impregnated to prepare the composite material.

(2) The composite material is produced by impregnating the carbon fiber bundles, which have been opened, with a thermoplastic matrix resin in advance and then cutting the impregnated carbon fiber bundles.

In the present invention, the opening refers to widening the width of the carbon fiber bundle (thinning the carbon fiber bundle).

As a production method of (2), a plurality of carbon fiber tows are arranged in parallel, and the tows are aligned to a target thickness by using a known fiber opening device (for example, fiber opening using an air flow, fiber opening by passing a plurality of rods made of metal, ceramic, or the like, fiber opening using ultrasonic waves, or the like), and carbon fibers integrated with a target amount of thermoplastic matrix resin are produced (hereinafter, referred to as UD). The UD prepreg is then slit/cut to the desired width/length to produce chopped strands/prepreg. The obtained chopped strands/prepregs may be uniformly stacked/laminated so that the fiber orientation is random. The laminated chopped strands/prepregs are heated and pressurized, and the thermoplastic matrix resin present in the chopped strands/prepregs is melted and integrated with a plurality of other chopped strands/prepregs, thereby obtaining the composite material of the present invention. The method for applying the thermoplastic resin is not particularly limited. For example, the following are provided: a method of impregnating a strand of reinforcing fibers with a thermoplastic resin directly melted, a method of impregnating a strand of reinforcing fibers with a film-like thermoplastic resin melted, and a method of impregnating a strand of reinforcing fibers with a powder-like thermoplastic resin melted. The cutting method of the thermoplastic resin-impregnated carbon fiber is not particularly limited, and a pelletizer, a cutter type, a kodak type or the like can be used. As a method of randomly uniformly stacking/laminating the chopped strands/prepregs, for example, in the case of continuous production, there may be considered: a method of allowing the cut prepreg to naturally fall directly from a high position and deposit on a belt conveyor such as a stainless steel belt, a method of blowing air on a falling path, or a method of attaching a baffle plate. In the case of batch production, there may be mentioned: a method of accumulating the cut prepreg in a container in advance, attaching a conveying device to the lower surface of the container, and dispersing the prepreg into a metal mold or the like for producing a sheet.

The method for producing the composite material of the above (1) and the method for producing the composite material of the above (2) can both obtain the following effects 1 and 2.

1. Improvement of mold transferability

In the case of normal cold pressing, transferability of the composite material to the upper surface (808 of fig. 8) is better than transferability to the lower surface (807 of fig. 8) of the forming die. The heated composite material is placed in a lower mold forming die (807 in fig. 8) having a temperature lower than that of the composite material, and immediately after the placement, the lower surface layer region of the composite material is rapidly cooled and solidified before the pressing, so that the thermoplastic resin does not easily flow into the lower surface layer region of the composite material even when the forming die is closed and the pressing is started. As a result, the mold transferability to the lower surface of the mold is generally lower than that to the upper surface.

On the other hand, in the case where any of the composite material produced by the production method of the above (1) and the composite material produced by the production method of the above (2) is used, the periphery of the carbon fiber bundle is in a state of being enriched in the thermoplastic resin. Therefore, the carbon fibers are less exposed on the surface of the composite material, the temperature of the lower surface layer region of the composite material is maintained, and when the molding die is closed and pressure is started, the thermoplastic resin can flow into the lower surface layer region of the composite material. As a result, the molding can be performed without paying attention to the molding of the upper surface and the lower surface, and thus the processing width of the molding is increased.

2. Reduction of recutting times of forming die

In general, when a forming die for cold press forming is manufactured, a simulation is first performed to determine the shape of the forming die, but the simulation often deviates from an actually manufactured formed body in size. The cause of the variation is that the distribution of the carbon fibers in the thickness direction of the composite material is not uniform, and the molded body is unintentionally warped and does not conform to the target size. Therefore, a forming die manufactured based on the simulation result is generally subjected to multiple times of re-cutting to fit the size and shape of the target formed body.

On the other hand, in the case where any of the composite material produced by the production method of the above (1) and the composite material produced by the production method of the above (2) is used, the deviation from the actual molded body is reduced, and the number of times of re-cutting of the molding die can be reduced. This is because, in any of the composite material produced by the production method of the above (1) and the composite material produced by the production method of the above (2), the internal flow at the time of molding is large, and when the composite material is folded and superposed and subjected to preforming, the sheet thickness of the formed body is easily made uniform. Note that, for the internal flow, the following description is given.

Further, according to the method for producing a composite material of the above (2), the following effects of 3 to 5 can be obtained.

3. When a composite material is prepared by impregnating an opened carbon fiber bundle with a thermoplastic matrix resin in advance and then cutting the carbon fiber bundle, it is possible to obtain an effect of reducing bubbles derived from fluff by using a shine fiber (shine fiber). Luminescent fibers refer to the following phenomena: since the carbon fiber bundles are localized, a phenomenon of whitening is more strongly observed in comparison with a portion where the state of dispersion of the monofilaments and the carbon fiber bundles is good.

4. Since the carbon fiber bundles are fixed with the resin, the occurrence of fly in the production process can be suppressed, and thus, the working environment is less polluted.

5. Since the matrix resin adheres to the carbon fibers, the dispersion of the carbon fibers and the matrix resin can be reduced when the carbon fibers are formed into a composite material.

[ volume ratio of carbon fiber contained in composite Material ]

In the present invention, the volume ratio of carbon fibers contained in the composite material defined by the following formula (3) (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "Vf" in the present specification) is not particularly limited, and the volume ratio (Vf) of carbon fibers is preferably 10 to 60 Vol%, more preferably 20 to 50 Vol%, and still more preferably 25 to 45 Vol%.

Carbon fiber volume ratio (Vf) 100 × carbon fiber volume/(carbon fiber volume + thermoplastic matrix resin volume) formula (3)

In the case where the volume ratio (Vf) of the carbon fibers in the composite material is 10 Vol% or more, desired mechanical characteristics are easily obtained. On the other hand, in the case where the volume ratio (Vf) of carbon fibers in the composite material is not more than 60 Vol%, fluidity for press molding or the like is good, and a desired shape of a molded body is easily obtained.

The carbon fiber volume ratio (Vf) is measured regardless of the type of carbon fiber such as the carbon fiber A, B.

[ rebound amount of composite Material ]

In order to perform press molding (preferably cold press molding) using the composite material, the composite material needs to be preheated/heated to a predetermined temperature to be softened/melted, and when the discontinuous carbon fiber bundles a are included, if the thermoplastic matrix resin is softened at the time of preheating to be in a plastic state, the composite material expands due to the springback of the carbon fibers, and the bulk density changes. When the bulk density changes during preheating, the composite material becomes porous and the surface area increases, and air flows into the composite material, thereby promoting thermal decomposition of the thermoplastic matrix resin. Here, the springback value is a value obtained by dividing the thickness of the composite material at the time of preheating by the thickness before preheating.

In the case where the composite material of the present invention is heated to soften the thermoplastic matrix resin and then press-formed, the spring back amount desirably exceeds 1.0 and is less than 14.0. This is because, if the springback value is less than 14.0, the composite material is less likely to flow out of the molding die when the molding die is filled with the composite material.

The rebound resilience is preferably more than 1.0 and 7.0 or less, more preferably more than 1.0 and 3.0 or less, still more preferably more than 1.0 and 2.5 or less, and still more preferably more than 1.0 and 2.0 or less.

The composite material of the present invention preferably has a tensile elongation of 5% or more and 40% or less when heated to a temperature at which molding is possible. The tensile elongation when the composite material of the present invention is heated to a temperature at which it can be molded is more preferably 30% or less, and still more preferably 20% or less. The tensile elongation when the composite material of the present invention is heated to a temperature at which it can be molded is more preferably 2% or more, still more preferably 3% or more, particularly preferably 4% or more, and still more preferably 6% or more.

The tensile elongation is as described later.

[ formed article ]

The composite material of the present invention is preferably used for producing a molded article by press molding. The press molding is preferably cold press molding.

As described above, even when the carbon fibers contained in the composite material are not bent, L w_A1/(N_A1ave×D_A1 ²) Value of (2) exceeds 3.3 × 10³The carbon fiber bundle a1 is still easily bent during the forming with flow. If the molded article contains a bent carbon fiber molded article produced during flow molding, it is difficult to sufficiently exhibit the mechanical properties of the carbon fiber itself.

That is, the molded body preferred in the present invention is as follows.

A shaped body, comprising: carbon fiber A_pContaining L i/(Ni × Di)²) Is 6.7 × 10¹Above and 3.3 × 10³The following carbon fiber bundle A1_p(ii) a And thermoplastic matrix resin, carbon fiber A_pThe fiber length of (A) is 5mm to 100mm,

Lw_A1p/(N_A1ave_p×D_A1p ²) Is 1.0 × 10²Above and 3.3 × 10³The carbon fiber bundle A1_pAverage beam width WA1 of_pLess than 3.5mm of the total weight of the rubber,

carbon fiber bundle A1_pWith respect to the carbon fiber A_pIs 90 vol% or more.

L i fiber length (mm) of carbon fiber bundle

Di: monofilament diameter (mm) of carbon fibers constituting the carbon fiber bundle

Ni: number of filaments (number of filaments) contained in carbon fiber bundle

Lw_A1p: carbon fiber bundle A1_pWeight average fiber length (mm)

N_A1ave_p: carbon fiber bundle A1_pAverage number of filaments (number of filaments)

D_A1p: constituting a carbon fiber bundle A1_pFilament diameter (mm) of carbon fiber (C)

[ Press Molding ]

As a preferable molding method in the case of producing a molded body using the composite material, press molding (also referred to as compression molding in some cases) can be used, and molding methods such as hot press molding and cold press molding can be used.

In the present invention, press forming using a cold press method is particularly preferable. The cold press method is, for example, a method in which the composite material heated to the 1 st predetermined temperature is put into a forming mold set to the 2 nd predetermined temperature, and then pressurized and cooled.

Specifically, when the thermoplastic matrix resin constituting the composite material is crystalline, the 1 st predetermined temperature is not less than the melting point, and the 2 nd predetermined temperature is less than the melting point. When the thermoplastic matrix resin is amorphous, the 1 st predetermined temperature is not lower than the glass transition temperature, and the 2 nd predetermined temperature is lower than the glass transition temperature. That is, the cold pressing method includes at least the following steps A-1) to A-2).

Step A-1): and a step of heating the composite material to a temperature of not lower than the melting point and not higher than the decomposition temperature in the case where the thermoplastic matrix resin is crystalline, and to a temperature of not lower than the glass transition temperature and not higher than the decomposition temperature in the case where the thermoplastic matrix resin is amorphous.

Step A-2): and a step of placing the composite material heated in the step a-1) in a temperature-adjusted mold whose temperature is adjusted to be lower than the melting point when the thermoplastic matrix resin is crystalline and whose temperature is adjusted to be lower than the glass transition temperature when the thermoplastic matrix resin is amorphous, and pressing the composite material.

By performing these steps, the composite material can be completely molded.

The above-described steps need to be performed in the order described above, but other steps may be included between the steps. As another step, for example, before the step a-2), there is a shaping step of previously shaping the shape of the cavity of the molding die by a shaping die different from the molding die used in the step a-2). The step a-2) is a step of applying a pressure to the composite material to obtain a molded article having a desired shape, but the molding pressure in this case is not particularly limited, and is preferably less than 20MPa, and more preferably 10MPa or less, with respect to the projected area of the cavity of the molding die.

In addition, it is needless to say that various steps may be added between the above-described steps in the press forming, and for example, vacuum press forming in which press forming is performed while forming a vacuum may be used.

As described above, when the composite material is molded by molding, if the carbon fiber bundle a1 defined in the present invention is used in the molding with flow, the carbon fiber a1 is less likely to bend, and the straightness of the carbon fiber bundle a1 contained in the obtained molded product can be ensured, so that the mechanical properties inherent to the carbon fiber can be easily exhibited.

[ tensile elongation at the time of softening the composite Material by heating ]

In the method for producing a molded article of the present invention, the tensile elongation when heated to a temperature at which the composite material can be cold-pressed is preferably 5% or more and 40% or less.

The temperature at which the composite material can be cold-pressed means a temperature at which the above-described cold press molding can be performed, in other words, a temperature equal to or higher than the softening temperature of the thermoplastic resin contained in the composite material. For example, in the case of nylon 6, the melting point is not lower than 300 ℃.

The tensile elongation was measured by cutting a composite material having a thickness of 2.0mm to 100mm × 200mm, heating the cut composite material to a temperature at which the cut composite material can be molded, attaching a weight adjusted to 100g in total weight to one half (100mm × 100mm region) of the composite material as shown in FIG. 10, vertically lifting the composite material with the weight attached thereto under an environment of 25 ℃ for 60 minutes, and measuring the amount of elongation to obtain the tensile elongation according to the following equation.

Tensile elongation (%) (length after elongation-length before elongation) ÷ length before elongation × 100

In FIG. 10, the extended length G₁This corresponds to "the length after elongation" or "the length before elongation". Although not shown in fig. 10, the composite material may be lifted by a known means such as a needle, a hook, or a jig. In general, the weight can be attached to the composite material by a known attachment member such as a jig. In this case, the total weight of the mounting member and the weight is adjusted to 100 g.

1. Preferred upper limit of tensile elongation

The composite material is preferably transferred to a molding die (e.g., a lower molding die shown in 807 in fig. 8) while being held by an automatic transfer device.

The method for holding the composite material by the holder (for example, 804 in fig. 8) of the automatic transfer device is not particularly limited, and for example, the composite material may be held by inserting a plurality of needles into the composite material, or the composite material may be held by grasping the composite material or by the automatic transfer device having a scooping mechanism. As an example, the holding in 804 of fig. 8 shows an example of inserting a needle into a molding material.

In order to facilitate the molding of a molded article having a complicated shape by cold pressing, it is important to try to prevent the temperature of the composite material after heating from decreasing, and therefore, the transfer rate is preferably increased as the transfer rate is increased. When the transfer speed is increased, the heated composite material is likely to be separated/dropped, and the defective fraction is likely to be decreased. The transfer speed is the speed of the transfer device from the time of holding the composite material to the time of placing the composite material on the molding die.

When the tensile elongation is 40% or less, the composite material is not easily separated or dropped when the composite material is held and conveyed to a forming die after being heated to a temperature at which the composite material can be cold-pressed. This effect is particularly remarkable when the automatic transfer device as shown in 805 in fig. 8 is used.

When the tensile elongation is 40% or less, the adhesiveness of the composite material can be improved and the drapability can be stabilized. The tensile elongation is preferably 30% or less, more preferably 20% or less.

2. Preferable lower limit of tensile elongation

The tensile elongation is preferably 2% or more, more preferably 3% or more, further preferably 4% or more, and further preferably 6% or more. When the tensile elongation is 2% or more, the composite material is likely to flow inside the forming die when the upper forming die (e.g., 808 of fig. 8) and the lower forming die (e.g., 807 of fig. 8) are clamped and press-formed.

The internal flow means: when the composite material is arranged so that the packing fraction with respect to the area of the molding die is 100% and the dies are closed, the composite material flows in the in-plane direction in the molding die, and thus the thickness unevenness of the obtained molded article is made uniform. Fig. 9 (a) at 903 shows a schematic view of the composite material immediately after being placed on the lower molding die, and fig. 9 (b) at arrows show the internal flow of the composite material in the in-plane direction in the molding die. The effect of making the thickness unevenness of the formed body uniform by improving the internal fluidity (easiness of the internal flow) is more remarkable as the thickness becomes thinner. For example, the thickness unevenness is less likely to occur when the thickness of the formed body is 2mm or less, and the thickness unevenness is less likely to occur when the thickness is 1.5mm or less.

The internal flow is easy to observe when the molding die is a closed cavity, but the effect of improving the internal fluidity can be obtained even when the molding die is an open cavity.

By making the composite material flow inside easily, the composite material can easily follow the shape of the molding die, and thus molding can be performed even with a complicated design shape. Further, since the shape following property is improved, the pressure inside the composite material can be easily made uniform during press forming, and a smaller press can be used, thereby saving labor. Further, the thickness of the molded body can be reduced, and the warpage of the molded body is reduced, so that the bonding jig can be simplified.