Importance

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Abstract

One aspect of the present invention is a spray gun adapted for spray-applying fiber-reinforced resins with ceramic fiber loadings of at least about 55 wt-%. Such novel spray gun has an inlet for admitting the fiber-reinforced resin; an air inlet for atomizing the fiber-reinforced resin; a catalyst inlet; and an outlet for expelling catalyzed fiber-reinforced resin from the spray gun. The spray gun also has a straight-line delivery channel in fluid communication with the resin inlet, the catalyst inlet, and the outlet. A flow actuator is provided for selectively actuating admission of the fiber-reinforced resin and the catalyst into the spray gun. The resin inlet and the catalyst inlet are disposed for admitting resin and catalyst, respectively, in line into the straight-line delivery channel. The air inlet is disposed for admitting air into the straight-line delivery channel at an acute angle with and in the direction of flow in the straight-line channel and is located after both the resin inlet and the catalyst inlet. Another aspect of the present invention is an apparatus for spray-applying fiber-reinforced resins with ceramic fiber loadings of at least about 55 wt-%. Such apparatus includes the novel spray gun, a tank for housing a fiber-reinforced resin; a pump for pumping fiber-reinforced resin from the resin tank to the spray gun resin inlet; a tank for housing catalyst for the resin; a pump for pumping catalyst from the catalyst tank to the spray gun catalyst inlet; and an atomizing air supply in communication with the spray gun air inlet.

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First Claim