A fabric processing method and component (e.g., a vehicle component) includes providing and/or arranging a first fabric charge and a second fabric charge. A multi-piece fabric assembly is formed for single stage draping by stitching together the first and second fabric charges along a neutral stitching path. The multi-piece fabric assembly is formed into a three-dimensional shape and is then impregnated with a polymeric material to form the component.

Fiber reinforced composite structures having curved stepped surfaces are fabricated by laying up plies of fiber reinforced material over a tool having a stepped tool feature. The plies are rotated about a fixed axis as they are laid up to substantially form a fixed axis rosette pattern. The plies are angularly oriented such that at least certain of the plies have fiber orientations other than 0, +45, −45 and 90 degrees. Potential bridging of the fibers over the stepped tool features is reduced or eliminated by cutting slits in the plies in the area of the stepped features, so that the plies can be fully compacted.

A method and apparatus is presented. A layer of composite material is laid up on a forming tool. A bend is formed in the layer on the forming tool to form a bent layer. A laminate stack and the bent layer are assembled to form the composite filler.

A glass sheet used in the making of an aircraft windshield is shaped using the “cut-to-size” method instead of the “cut-after-bend” method. In a preferred aspect of the invention the “cut-to-size” method is practiced using a bending iron having a sheet shaping rail having a stationary shaping rail portion mounted on a support member and an articulating shaping rail portion pivotally mounted on the support member for movement from a non-shaping position to a shaping position.

There is an article of manufacture. The article includes an alkali aluminosilicate glass object. The glass object is characterized by having at least one of: a surface compression of ≥about 100,000 psi with a case depth of ≥about 600 microns; and/or a compressive stress of ≥about 30,000 psi at ≥about 50 microns below a surface of the glass object and above the case depth.

Methods and systems are provided for a process to generate a nonwoven textile. In one example, the nonwoven textile may have layered, zonal properties resulting from entangling of two or more types of staple fibers through a merging region between the layers of staple fibers while maintaining distinct zones, each zone comprising a type of staple fiber. Furthermore, the process may include embedding a filament layer into the nonwoven textile via a continuous assembly line.

A display device window includes a polymer blending resin layer and a light transmittance film disposed on the polymer blending resin layer. The polymer blending resin layer includes a continuous phase and a dispersion phase.

A ceramic matrix composite seal is disclosed. The ceramic matrix composite seal including a ceramic matrix and a number of ceramic fiber fabrics embedded in the ceramic matrix. The ceramic matrix composite seal is formed into a strip with a desired geometry such that the seal strip is configured to be assembled with a number of components to create a seal between the components.

The invention concerns an article (20) formed of a ceramic matrix composite structure having a plurality of ceramic fiber layers (22) and a binder material (24) interspersed throughout said layers. The ceramic matrix composite material may be sintered. The ceramic fiber layers undulate relative to one or more outer surfaces (38;40) of the article. Thus support features (48) within the article are able to share a load in use between a plurality of layers. The invention may be suited to engine components such as turbine seal segments in a gas turbine engine.

A ply for fabricating composite material includes a first tow of a plurality of fibers, which are spread in a direction along a width of a cross section of the ply, wherein a first sheet of enhanced performance material overlies the first tow. A second tow of a plurality of fibers, which are spread in the direction along the width of the cross section of the ply, overlies the first sheet of the enhanced performance material. Another tow of a plurality of fibers, which are spread in the direction along the width of the cross section of the ply, are positioned against and laterally extend from the first tow, the second tow and the first sheet of enhanced performance material.