A continuous fiber brake rotor preform and apparatuses and methods for manufacturing the preform are disclosed herein. The preform comprises a plurality of continuous fiber streams or filaments forming a substantially helical structure having layers or flights compressed together in the preform's longitudinal direction. Each continuous fiber stream or filament may comprise the same or different types of fiber, extends substantially between longitudinally disposed preform ends, and resides laterally adjacent to another continuous fiber stream or filament within each layer or flight of the helical structure. The radial distance between each continuous fiber stream or filament and the preform's longitudinal axis varies with angular location about the longitudinal axis. The preform further comprises web or z-direction fiber interspersed within the helical structure with certain of the web or z-direction fibers and continuous fiber streams or filaments extending at least partially in the longitudinal direction between the preform's layers or flights.

A continuous fiber brake rotor preform and apparatuses and methods for manufacturing the preform are disclosed herein. The preform comprises a plurality of continuous fiber streams or filaments forming a substantially helical structure having layers or flights compressed together in the preform's longitudinal direction. Each continuous fiber stream or filament may comprise the same or different types of fiber, extends substantially between longitudinally disposed preform ends, and resides laterally adjacent to another continuous fiber stream or filament within each layer or flight of the helical structure. The radial distance between each continuous fiber stream or filament and the preform's longitudinal axis varies with angular location about the longitudinal axis. The preform further comprises web or z-direction fiber interspersed within the helical structure with certain of the web or z-direction fibers and continuous fiber streams or filaments extending at least partially in the longitudinal direction between the preform's layers or flights.

A planar composite material comprises an UD fiber layer A made of discrete reinforcing fiber rovings and a fiber nonwoven layer B made of a thermoplastic nonwoven which may contain reinforcing fibers, wherein the layers A and B are needled to each other.

A planar composite material comprises an UD fiber layer A made of discrete reinforcing fiber rovings and a fiber nonwoven layer B made of a thermoplastic nonwoven which may contain reinforcing fibers, wherein the layers A and B are needled to each other.

A nonwoven article includes a nonwoven substrate having from a lofty, open web of fibers formed through a needling process. The nonwoven substrate is coated with at least one coating to provide improved performance characteristics including loft, elongation, tensile strength, stiffness, pore size, permeability, fiber orientation index, and combinations thereof.

A composite manufacturing method includes the step of drawing a nonwoven fabric formed of continuous fibers through a slurry of discontinuous fibers suspended in a dispersive liquid to yield a fiber-modified interlayer comprising a network of said discontinuous fibers attached to said nonwoven fabric.

A composite manufacturing method includes the step of drawing a nonwoven fabric formed of continuous fibers through a slurry of discontinuous fibers suspended in a dispersive liquid to yield a fiber-modified interlayer comprising a network of said discontinuous fibers attached to said nonwoven fabric.

Fibrous structures containing a mixture of three or more different fibrous elements (filaments and/or fibers) are provided.

Fibrous structures containing a mixture of three or more different fibrous elements (filaments and/or fibers) are provided.

A smokeless tobacco product includes smokeless tobacco and structural fibers. The structural fibers forming a network in which the smokeless tobacco is entangled. The structural fibers have a composition different from the smokeless tobacco. The tobacco-entangled fabric can have an overall oven volatiles content of at least 10 weight percent. In some embodiments, the structural fibers form a nonwoven network. In some embodiments, fibrous structures of the smokeless tobacco are entangled with the structural fibers.