Disclosed is an apparatus and method for forming three-dimensional woven preforms that can be curved and have continuous fibers in the direction of curvature. Also disclosed are woven preforms formed thereby.

Disclosed is an apparatus and method for forming three-dimensional woven preforms that can be curved and have continuous fibers in the direction of curvature. Also disclosed are woven preforms formed thereby.

Disclosed is an apparatus and method for forming three-dimensional woven preforms that can be curved and have continuous fibers in the direction of curvature. Also disclosed are woven preforms formed thereby.

A weaving machine includes a shed forming device, a weft insertion device, and a weaving reed that beats up the weft threads at a beat up plane against an edge of the woven fabric. A guide device extends over a width of the woven fabric and is driven by a drive, the guide device being one or both of an upper guide unit that contacts a top surface of the woven fabric or a lower guide unit that contacts a bottom surface of the woven fabric. A control unit controls alternating movement of the guide unit along the direction of thickness of the woven fabric as the fabric is being woven based on information related to one or both of a structure of the woven fabric in the area of the beat up plane or a position of the warp threads in the open loom shed.

A full-width temple device for a loom including: a base body including a base plate; a cover provided on the base plate; and a temple bar accommodated in a space defined by the base plate and the cover, where the temple bar is a ring bar temple constituted by a rod-shaped inner bar and ring temples provided continuously to both sides of the inner bar and having shaft parts for support at both ends. The base body has support parts at both end portions for supporting the ring bar temple on the shall parts. The full-width temple device includes attachment members each detachably attached to each of the support parts and comprising a plate-shaped shaft fixing part having an engaging part formed to engage with a circumferential surface of the shaft part.

A weaving machine includes a shed forming device, a weft insertion device, and a weaving reed that beats up the weft threads at a beat up plane against an edge of the woven fabric. A guide device extends over a width of the woven fabric and is driven by a drive, the guide device being one or both of an upper guide unit that contacts a top surface of the woven fabric or a lower guide unit that contacts a bottom surface of the woven fabric. One or both of the upper and lower guide units are positionable in a direction of thickness of the woven fabric to contact and guide the woven fabric in an area of the beat up plane. The guide section of one or both of the upper and lower guide units has a profiled shape in a weft direction to guide the woven fabric at different thicknesses in the weft direction.

Three-dimensional woven preforms are curved and have continuous fibers in the direction of curvature and wherein the base of the preforms is curved with the warp fibers continuous across the length of the preform and some of the warp fibers are longer than other warp fibers.

Three-dimensional woven preforms are curved and have continuous fibers in the direction of curvature and wherein the base of the preforms is curved with the warp fibers continuous across the length of the preform and some of the warp fibers are longer than other warp fibers.

A weaving machine includes a shed forming device, a weft insertion device, and a weaving reed that beats up the weft threads at a beat up plane against an edge of the woven fabric. A guide device extends over a width of the woven fabric and is driven by a drive, the guide device being one or both of an upper guide unit that contacts a top surface of the woven fabric or a lower guide unit that contacts a bottom surface of the woven fabric. One or both of the upper and lower guide units are positionable in a direction of thickness of the woven fabric to contact and guide the woven fabric in an area of the beat up plane. The guide section of one or both of the upper and lower guide units has a profiled shape in a weft direction to guide the woven fabric at different thicknesses in the weft direction.