An inflatable or gas-filled insulation panel comprises an envelope having two outer sheets sealed together along edges of the sheets and at least one of the sheets has an outer reflective surface. The envelope encases a plurality of internal films that include a polymeric film having a plurality of reflective stripes disposed thereon and spaced apart on the films. Seals are formed along the gaps or areas between the reflective stripes on the films by application of heat and pressure, which causes the films to seal to each other and the outer sheets at spaced apart intervals. A channel is formed between the outer edges of the films and the outer sheets, and a valve, disposed at an end of the panel, is in fluid communication with the channel for the injection of a fluid, such as an inert gas or air, to inflate panel.

A system and method for temporarily sealing holes in a perforated material layer of a composite acoustic panel so as to reduce potential migration of a release agent through the holes during a curing process and to reduce ingression of water through the holes during a subsequent testing process. The release agent is applied to a tool, the barrier layer is arranged over the release agent, and a lay-up of elements, beginning with the perforated layer, are arranged over the barrier layer prior to heating the lay-up to form the panel. The barrier layer may be a substantially solid film, such as a plastic or nylon film, having a width of at least approximately twelve inches and a low vapor permeability with regard to the release agent. After the testing process is complete, the barrier layer may be peeled from the panel.

A flexible tubing material includes a radiation crosslinked blend of a first elastomeric polymer including a styrenic thermoplastic elastomer, an ethylene vinyl acetate elastomer, a polylefin elastomer with a second elastomeric polymer including a polyolefin elastomer, a diene elastomer, or combination thereof, with the proviso that the first elastomeric polymer and the second elastomeric polymer are different. In an embodiment, a method of making a material includes providing the first elastomeric polymer, providing the second elastomeric polymer, blending the first elastomeric polymer and the second elastomeric polymer, extruding or injection molding the blend, and crosslinking the blend with radiation.

A part formed by an additive manufacturing process consist of regions of voids, regions of solid material, and regions of non-uniform lattice cells, where each lattice cell includes bars. The regions are spatially distributed throughout the part as a function of load conditions such that the solid material is distributed in regions of first load paths and the non-uniform lattice cells are distributed in regions of second load paths lower in magnitude than the first load paths. Diameters of each bar of a non-uniform lattice cell are sized as a function of at least one of a resolution unit of the additive manufacturing process and part performance requirements. The diameters of the bars of the non-uniform lattice cells are classified into clusters with an average diameter size being assigned to all non-uniform lattice cells in the same cluster.

A Sandwich panel with a core structure, in particular with a honeycomb-shaped core structure, and plane-parallel cover layers applied to both sides of this core structure, to form a floor surface in a fuselage airframe of an aircraft, the core structure having at least one recess into which at least one reinforcing structure is integrated, wherein the at least one reinforcing structure is formed with at least one core, said core having at least one recess into which a stopper is introduced, into which at least one attachment element can be introduced to attach at least one further component to the sandwich panel, and a plurality of prepreg strips which each have a uniform fiber running direction being wound around the core. In addition, the invention relates to a method for the production of a sandwich panel according to the invention.

A multi-plenum structural panel comprising a top sheet, a middle sheet, and a bottom sheet, each sheet being parallel to the other two. A first plurality of spacing structural elements, fixedly attaching the top sheet to the middle sheet, and a second plurality of spacing structural elements fixedly attaching the middle sheet to the bottom sheet, such that a yield strength of an assembled multi-plenum structural panel is greater than a sum of individual sheet yield strengths. An upper plenum is defined by a first spacing between the top and middle sheets. A lower plenum is defined by a second spacing between the middle and bottom sheets. The first plurality of spacing structural elements is formed such that a first plurality of spaced apart unobstructed pathways are created in the upper plenum for air to move in a first direction from at least one edge of the multi-plenum structural panel to at least one of an opposite and an adjacent edge of the multi-plenum structural panel in each plenum. The second plurality of spacing structural elements is formed such that a second plurality of spaced apart unobstructed pathways are created in the lower plenum for air to move in a second direction from at least one edge of the multi-plenum structural panel to at least one of an opposite and an adjacent edge of the multi-plenum structural panel in each plenum, where the first direction is orthogonal to the second direction.

Embodiments described herein relate to a composite structures or sandwiches that may have a relatively high bending stiffness and may have a relatively light weight as well as related methods of use and fabrication of the composite sandwiches. For example, a composite sandwich may include a core structure sandwiched between a two composite skins.

A reinforced composite structure that includes multiple regions of different geometric configurations connected together by a transition region. The reinforced composite structure includes reinforcement fibers on at least a portion of the transition region.

An opposing-foil panel includes spaced-apart planar foils, a plurality of elongated support members affixed to the interior surfaces of the planar foils and extending along the between the foil ends and spaced apart laterally in and along a section of the spaced-apart foils and a region adjacent to the section in which no elongated support members are affixed therein between the interior surfaces of the first and second planar foils. In some embodiments, the region may be occupied by a filler material which at least partially fills the region. In some embodiments, two such sections may be spaced apart by the region.

FIG. 2 shows a microperforated panel absorber 22 comprising: a microperforated facing 24; a non-perforated facing 26; and a cellular core structure 28 therebetween; the core structure 28 provides a number of primary cells 33 and a number of secondary cells 37; the secondary cells 37 each provide a reduced cell depth in comparison to the primary cells 33. FIG. 9 shows that the number of the primary cells 33 and the number of the secondary cells 37 ensures that sound absorption at frequencies up to and including the peak frequency is substantially maintained and that the sound absorption at frequencies higher than peak frequency is substantially increased relative to a comparable panel absorber in which the secondary cells are effectively replaced by primary cells.