Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus, in which a reinforcing fiber bundle consisting of a plurality of paralleled single fibers is or a plurality of mutually paralleled reinforcing fiber bundles respectively consisting of a plurality of paralleled single fibers are driven to run through a plurality of rolls while being bent to open the fiber, and in which the opened reinforcing fiber bundle is impregnated with resin to produce a prepreg, comprising vibrating at least one of the rolls in the axial direction of the roll, to open the reinforcing fiber bundle(s), pressing the reinforcing fiber bundle(s) to the peripheral surface of a roll located immediately downstream of the vibrating roll without vibrating the roll, and bringing the opened reinforcing fiber bundle(s) into contact with the peripheral surface of the non-vibrating roll with a contact length of not less than twice the contact length of the reinforcing fiber bundle(s) on the vibrating roll, for retaining the opened state of the rein

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a precursor wire for a CFRM material, which comprised a continuous carbon fiber bundle of carbon filaments as a reinforcement and a metal as a matrix. In a pretreatment process, the fiber bundle with a sizing agent adhered thereto is passed through an inert atmosphere at a temperature in the range of from 350.degree. to 800.degree. C., thereby thermally decomposing the sizing agent, the chemical structure of the sizing agent including ether linkages, and a residue of thermal decomposition containing the ether linkages is left on the surface of each single filament. In a chemical vapor deposition process, a material gas containing a titanium compound and a boron compound and a reducing gas containing zinc are caused to act simultaneously on the fiber bundle at a temperature in the range of from 700.degree. to 800.degree. C.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a high-strength, high-productivity perform wire for a carbon fiber reinforced aluminum composite material, which comprises: a continuous fiber bundle of carbon filaments having a 2/3-width ranging from 25 to 75 cm.sup.-1, as measured on the basis of Raman spectroscopy, the 2/3-width corresponding to 2/3 of the peak level of a Raman band obtained corresponding to a wave number of about 1,585 cm.sup.-1, the peak level attributed to E.sub.2g symmetric vibration of a graphite structure; one or two materials selected from the group consisting of carbon, silicon carbide, titanium, titanium carbide, boron, and titanium boride, the material(s) covering the individual fibers constituting the continuous fiber bundle; and a matrix consisting essentially of aluminum or aluminum alloy each of which contains 0.1% or less of copper and 0.45% or less of silicon, both by weight based on the weight of matrix, and infiltrated into the continuous fiber bundle.