A circular loom for continuously weaving fabric with a varying diameter includes a variable diameter weaving ring, independently actuated heddles, and at least one shuttle including a weft insertion arm attached to a linear rail system configured to adjust the position of weft insertion arm based on a diameter of weaving ring. An associated method includes varying the diameter of weaving ring, independently actuating heddles and adjusting the position of weft insertion arm along linear rail system to continuously produce hollow textile products having variable diameters.

A circular loom for continuously weaving fabric with a varying diameter includes a variable diameter weaving ring, independently actuated heddles, and at least one shuttle including a weft insertion arm attached to a linear rail system configured to adjust the position of weft insertion arm based on a diameter of weaving ring. An associated method includes varying the diameter of weaving ring, independently actuating heddles and adjusting the position of weft insertion arm along linear rail system to continuously produce hollow textile products having variable diameters.

A braided vaso-occlusive member formed out of first plurality of filaments interwoven with a second plurality of filaments, wherein filaments of the first plurality are helically wound in a first rotational direction along an elongate axis of the braided member, and filaments of the second plurality are wound in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction, such that filaments of the first plurality cross over and/or under filaments of the second plurality at each of a plurality cross-over locations axially spaced along the elongate axis of the braided member, wherein at each cross-over location, the filaments of the first plurality cross over at least two consecutive filaments of the second plurality, then cross under only a single filament of the second plurality, and then cross over at least two additional consecutive filaments of the second plurality.

A method of manufacturing a composite component having an outer shell, an inner hub, and a plurality of struts connecting the outer shell and the inner hub. An outer shell hoop preform and an inner hub hoop preform are woven and installed on a mold tooling structure, a plurality of outer shell pi-joint members are integrally woven to the outer shell hoop preform, and a plurality of inner hub pi-joint members are integrally woven to the inner hub hoop preform. A plurality of strut preforms are connected between respective ones of the outer shell pi-joint members and the inner hub pi-joint members. A matrix material is injected into the mold tooling structure and a curing process is applied to the mold tooling structure to obtain the composite component.

A braided vaso-occlusive member formed out of first plurality of filaments interwoven with a second plurality of filaments, wherein filaments of the first plurality are helically wound in a first rotational direction along an elongate axis of the braided member, and filaments of the second plurality are wound in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction, such that filaments of the first plurality cross over and/or under filaments of the second plurality at each of a plurality cross-over locations axially spaced along the elongate axis of the braided member, wherein at each cross-over location, the filaments of the first plurality cross over at least two consecutive filaments of the second plurality, then cross under only a single filament of the second plurality, and then cross over at least two additional consecutive filaments of the second plurality.

A method for manufacturing a propeller blade or vane made of composite material, includes making a single-piece fibrous blank by three-dimensional weaving between warp yarns and weft yarns, including an airfoil part and a root part including a non-interlinking, the root part including at least one changing sub-area in which the number of weft yarns crossing on either side of the non-interlinking increases gradually from the airfoil part to the free end of the root part, shaping the fibrous blank to obtain a fibrous preform, densifying the preform by a matrix to obtain a propeller blade or vane made of composite material.