Methods and related structures to splice two sizes of cores in a manner to directly interface the facets of the cells and avoid the common practice of using fillers, casting materials, and expanding adhesives is useful to optimize the specific strength of the design and minimize the weight while maximizing the load carrying capability of the structure and to allow the core to vent moisture and other gasses.

Methods and related structures to splice two sizes of cores in a manner to directly interface the facets of the cells and avoid the common practice of using fillers, casting materials, and expanding adhesives is useful to optimize the specific strength of the design and minimize the weight while maximizing the load carrying capability of the structure and to allow the core to vent moisture and other gasses.

The present invention pertains to a method for producing a long-fiber composite in which a fiber bundle is impregnated with a non-Newtonian resin. More specifically, the present invention pertains to a method for producing a thermoplastic long-fiber composite, wherein the efficiency of a non-Newtonian resin impregnation process is improved using Equation 1 representing the correlation between the penetration pressure, effective viscosity, transverse permeability, and average penetration velocity of the non-Newtonian resin, and the thickness of the fiber bundle.

Tapered layers of pre-cured composite material are integrated into a tapered, highly stressed laminate structure in order to provide improved compressive strength. The pre-cured composite material can advantageously be cured under tension as pultruded material, to further augment compressive strength. The thickness of composite layers can be tapered on their termination edges by mechanically abrading, chemical abrading, or other methods. Especially preferred embodiments include aircraft structural components such as wings, wing spars, wing skins, fuselage skins, rotor blades, propellers, and propeller blades. Preferred laminates can be constructed to have at least 6, 10, 30, 50, or 100 layers of material, and can have a maximum thickness of at least 0.15, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, or 5.0 inches.

A fiber structure for reinforcing a composite material part is obtained by multilayer weaving between a plurality of layers of warp yarns and a plurality of layers of weft yarns. The fiber structure includes fastener elements on at least one of its faces, each fastener element including a body placed under yarns present on a face of the fiber structure, and fastener portions situated over the yarns.

A fiber structure for reinforcing a composite material part is obtained by multilayer weaving between a plurality of layers of warp yarns and a plurality of layers of weft yarns. The fiber structure includes fastener elements on at least one of its faces, each fastener element including a body placed under yarns present on a face of the fiber structure, and fastener portions situated over the yarns.

A pump for use in low-profile applications comprises a barrel for holding fluid; and a piston that converts a rotational driving force into a longitudinal driving motion within the barrel. The pump provides space saving advantages by reducing the need for external equipment and mechanisms around the pump for providing actuation or moving the actuating mechanism.

An additive manufacturing (AM) system including a platform including a mold die mounted on the platform, the mold die having a surface shape corresponding to a mold cavity used for thermoforming a thermoplastic sheet, and an AM assembly configured to perform an AM method on the thermoplastic sheet having been thermoformed with the mold die. A method for performing AM on a thermoplastic sheet comprises the steps of thermoforming a thermoplastic sheet using a mold die, and performing an AM method on the thermoformed thermoplastic sheet in the mold die as a substrate.

A resin-infusion system for manufacture of a composite part includes an inflatable rigid bladder defining at least one infusion-flow medium and a preform lay-up formed on the bladder such that the infusion-flow medium defines space between the bladder and preform lay-up. The system also includes a mold into which the bladder and preform lay-up are placed such that the preform lay-up is constrained against the mold a resin injection system configured to feed resin into and to flow along the infusion-flow medium and then be infused into the preform lay-up. The bladder is configured to expand against the infused preform lay-up during curing such that the infusion-flow medium is smoothed resulting in a smooth surface of the finished part.

Blind inserts for use with sandwich panels and methods for manufacturing the same. A blind insert can include a nut arranged in an insert. The insert can include a cavity at an end of the nut. When a screw is screwed into the nut, the screw can enter the cavity and dig into the insert. The interference between the insert and the screw can provide friction that prevents the screw from loosening in a vibrating environment. The blind insert can be made by placing a mandrel into the nut. The mandrel includes a nose that extends past the end of the nut. When the insert is molded around the nut, the mandrel prevents mold material from entering a threaded aperture of the nut and forms the cavity in the insert. The blind insert can also be made by placing a cap that defines the cavity on the end of the nut. The insert can be molded around the cap and the nut.