Patent ID: 6926853

Claim:
A process for the continuous preparation of a long elongate composite element, containing reinforcement fibers embedded in a matrix based on a composition comprising a curable resin which is curable by ionizing radiation, wherein reinforcement fibers are formed into an arrangement which is conveyed so as to subject it, successively and in a feed direction, to the following, operations: degassing the arrangement of fibers by the action of a vacuum in a first processing chamber; impregnating said arrangement of fibers with said composition in a second processing chamber separate from said first processing chamber, to obtain a pre-preg containing the fibers and the composition while keeping said arrangement substantially out of contact with the atmosphere; passing said pre-preg through a die having a cross section of predetermined area and shape, to provide said pre-preg with a predetermined shape; and downstream of the die, stabilizing the shape of the pre-preg by at least partial polymerization by means of exposing the pre-preg resin to an ionizing treatment, wherein said ionizing exposure is stopped once index T=T gf −T gpr has fallen below 120° C. and before said index T has fallen below 30° C., T gpr being the glass transition temperature of the composition upon completion of exposure to ionizing radiation and T gf being the glass transition temperature of the composition of the final elongate composite element.