A method for creating a honeycomb core having venting pathways includes controlling where a resin is applied to sheets by creating a resin affinity portion and a resin repellant portion on the sheets. The resin affinity portion and the resin repellant portion forms the venting pathways. A honeycomb substrate is then formed from the sheets.

The present invention is a system and method for manufacturing a framework for a padded cushion in the shape of a kneeler pad, wherein the framework is created using a thermoforming process to make rigid and plastic top and bottom shells that are then coupled together to form a framework to which upholstery is added to thereby form a padded kneeling cushion, wherein a fabric tightening system is also installed in the framework that enables the upholstery to be stretched tighter over the framework in order to tighten the upholstery around the cushion as the upholstery loses its shape and stretches over time, and wherein a system is provided to extend a length of the kneeler pads through the addition of expansion segments in the framework.

In a preferred embodiment, a composite panel with a smooth outer surface, ready for painting with or without addition of primer, may be created by constructing a panel layup assembly upon a mold, the panel layup assembly including a composite panel having a core and a resin formulation, and a release film between the mold and the composite panel, where a smooth release surface of the release film is in contact with the composite panel upon construction; initiating curing of the composite panel at a first temperature within a lowermost ten percent of a curing temperature range of the resin formulation; continuing curing of the composite panel at a second temperature above the lowermost ten percent of the curing temperature range; and completing curing of the composite panel at a third temperature below the second temperature.

A hierarchical sandwich core in the form of a honeycomb, i.e. having repetitive and periodic lattice materials. The sandwich core can be made up of a macroscopic honeycomb structure with sandwich cell walls having a mesoscopic cellular core. The longitudinal axis of cells of the mesoscopic honeycomb cell can be perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cells of the macroscopic honeycomb structure. Alternatively, if a foam core is used having mesoscopic cells the shape of the mesoscopic cells can be made during the foaming process so that they are elongate in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cells of the macroscopic honeycomb structure.

Systems and methods are provided for septa for acoustic cells. One embodiment is a method that includes fabricating a septum of a cell of an acoustic panel, by heating a material into a molten material, depositing the molten material to form a lower chamber of the septum that extends vertically upwards and includes an entry, iteratively depositing layers of the molten material, each layer comprising a filament at the entry that includes overhangs with respect to vertically adjacent layers, and forming openings at locations of the overhangs.

Techniques are disclosed for modifying the acoustic signature of plastic structures. An example structure implementing the techniques includes an inner wall forming an inner shell of the structure, the inner wall having a first edge and a second edge opposing the first edge, and an outer wall forming an outer shell of the structure, the outer wall having a first edge and a second edge opposing the first edge. The structure also includes an upper wall member joining the first edge of the inner wall to the first edge of the outer wall and a lower wall member joining the second edge of the inner wall to the second edge of the outer wall to form a wall cavity, an infill structure within the wall cavity, and at least two holes in the structure providing an opening from an exterior of the structure to the wall cavity.

A method of producing a cascade array and a cascade array is provided. The method includes: forming a plurality of strongbacks from a first thermoplastic material; forming a plurality of comb subassemblies, each said comb subassembly including one of the plurality of strongbacks and a plurality of vanes comprising a second thermoplastic material extending outwardly from the respective one of the plurality strongbacks; and attaching the plurality of comb subassemblies into a unitary structure to produce the cascade array.

There is provided a sound-absorbing material for a vehicle, capable of stably yielding desired sound absorption performance while reducing weight of the sound-absorbing material for a vehicle. The sound-absorbing material for a vehicle of the present invention has a multilayer structure, including: a core layer in which tubular cells are arranged in a plurality of rows; and an airflow-blocking resin film layer adhered to one surface of the core layer. The relationship between the Young's modulus E (MPa) of the airflow-blocking resin film layer 40 and the surface density M (g/m.sup.2) of the layer structure on the first airflow-blocking resin film layer 40 side with respect to the core layer 10 is 0.5<E/M<21.

There is provided a sound-insulation material for a vehicle that can reduce the weight thereof and exhibit sufficient sound insulation performance against noise of 500 Hz to 6400 Hz generated in vehicles. The sound-insulation material for a vehicle, of the present invention, includes: a core layer having tubular cells, the tubular cells being arranged in a plurality of rows; an airflow-blocking resin film layer provided on one surface of the core layer; and a decoupling layer provided on the airflow-blocking resin film layer; and an average (P/v)/Za is 2.8 to 10 between 500 and 6400 Hz, where: P and v are respectively a sound pressure and a particle velocity on a surface of the airflow-blocking resin film layer provided on the core layer, the surface being opposite to the core layer; and Za is an acoustic impedance of the decoupling layer.

A honeycomb for curved surface lightweight components includes a plurality of elongate ribbons and connecting regions. The connecting regions are provided, respectively, between opposing ribbons to connect the ribbons together in a portion-wise manner in a firmly bonded relationship in a transverse direction. The connecting regions are arranged at regular spacings along the longitudinal direction of a ribbon. Honeycomb-like cells form cavities between the ribbons. With respect to three successive ribbons, a displacement of the connecting regions between first and second ribbons relative to the connecting regions between second and third ribbons toward a first side of the longitudinal direction is lesser than toward a second side of the longitudinal direction. Consequently, at least a part of the cells in cross-section in the longitudinal direction/transverse direction plane have at least one longer limb corresponding to the greater displacement and at least one shorter limb corresponding to the lesser displacement.