Fiber-reinforced composites

Abstract

A composite comprising two or more layers of fiber-reinforced, crosslinked epoxy resin, wherein adjacent layers of the reinforced, crosslinked epoxy resin are interspaced with a layer of a thermoplastic polymer, which thermoplastic polymer comprises a linear polymer of carbon monoxide with one or more olefinically unsaturated compounds, wherein the monomer units originating from carbon monoxide and the monomer units originating from olefinically unsaturated compounds, are present in an alternating arrangement.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A composite comprising two or more layers of fiber-reinforced, crosslinked epoxy resin, wherein adjacent layers of the reinforced, crosslinked epoxy resin are interspaced with a layer of a thermoplastic polymer, wherein said thermoplastic polymer comprises a linear alternating polymer of carbon monoxide and one or more olefinically unsaturated compounds. 
     
     
       2. A composite as claimed in claim 1, wherein said linear polymer is a copolymer of carbon monoxide and ethene. 
     
     
       3. A composite as claimed in claim 1 wherein said linear polymer is a terpolymer of carbon monoxide with two olefinically unsaturated compounds, ethene and propene, which are present in a molar ratio of at least 3:1. 
     
     
       4. A composite as in claim 1 wherein said linear polymer has a limiting viscosity number (LVN) in the range of from 0.7 to 1.8 dl/g. 
     
     
       5. A composite as in claim 1 wherein said epoxy groups of the epoxy resin is glycidyl ether. 
     
     
       6. A composite as in claim 1 wherein said epoxy groups of the epoxy resin is glycidyl ether group. 
     
     
       7. A composite as in claim 1 wherein said epoxy resins are diglycidyl ethers of diphenylol propane or polyglycidyl ethers of novolac resins. 
     
     
       8. A composite as in claim 1 wherein said epoxy resins are polyglycidyl ethers of novolac resins. 
     
     
       9. A composite as in claim 1 wherein in each of the crosslinked epoxy resin layers the fiber reinforcement is present as a unidirectional fiber reinforcement or as a woven fabric and wherein the fiber content of the crosslinked epoxy resin layers being in the range of from 40 to 60% by volume. 
     
     
       10. A composite as in claim 1 wherein in each of the crosslinked epoxy resin layers the fiber reinforcement is present as a woven fabric and wherein the fiber content of the crosslinked epoxy resin layers being in the range of from 40 to 60% by volume. 
     
     
       11. A composite as claimed in claim 1 wherein the thickness of the interspacing layer(s) of the linear polymer is in the range of from 10 to 100 microns and the thicknesses of the reinforced crosslinked epoxy resin layers are in the range of from 5 to 15 times the thickness of the linear polymer layer(s).