The tube body intermediate includes: a carbon fiber disposed with respect to an outer circumferential surface of a mandrel such that the carbon fiber extends in an axial direction of the mandrel in a manner of being wound by less than one turn; and a first fixing member wound with respect to an outer circumferential surface of the mandrel such that the first fixing member extends in the axial direction of the mandrel in a manner of being wound over the carbon fiber by one or more turns in a circumferential direction.

A tube body production method includes: a disposing step of disposing carbon fibers with respect to an outer circumferential surface of a mandrel so that the carbon fibers extend in the axial direction of the mandrel; and a molding step of impregnating the fiber body with a resin on the outer circumferential surface of the mandrel and then heating the resin to mold the resin, wherein the disposing step and the molding step are performed in a state where the axial direction of the mandrel coincides with an up-down direction.

A method of manufacturing a high-pressure composite pressure vessel for high-pressure being at or above 70 bar (1000 PSI or 7 MPa) includes providing an expandable core vessel defining a hoop section between end domes. An aligned discontinuous fiber composite material is wrapped over the expandable core vessel aligning with a plurality of load paths present in the expandable core vessel being over the hoop section and end domes. The aligned discontinuous fiber composite material has fibers in a prepreg tape that are at least 5 mm in length to 100 mm in length or less. Next, a continuous fiber-reinforced composite is wrapped over the aligned discontinuous fiber-reinforced composite along the hoop section and not wrapped along the end domes. The expandable core vessel may be pressurized and heated to consolidate the composite overwrap. Finally, the vessel is cooled under pressure resulting in the high-pressure composite pressure vessel.

A piston for a heavy duty diesel engine including a composite layer forming at least a portion of a combustion surface is provided. The composite layer has a thickness greater than 500 microns and includes a mixture of components typically used to form brake pads, such as a thermoset resin, an insulating component, strengthening fibers, and an impact toughening additive. According to one example, the thermoset resin is a phenolic resin, the insulating component is a ceramic, the strengthening fibers are graphite, and the impact toughening additive is an aramid pulp of fibrillated chopped synthetic fibers. The composite layer also has a thermal conductivity of 0.8 to 5 W/m.Math.K. The body portion of the piston can include an undercut scroll thread to improve mechanical locking of the composite layer. The piston can also include a ceramic insert between the body portion and the composite layer.

A composite vehicle driveshaft assembly includes a composite tube and a yoke bonded to one of the ends of the tube. The yoke has an inner sleeve that is concentrically received in the end of the tube. The sleeve has an outer peripheral surface that faces the inner peripheral surface of the tube with a cavity formed therebetween. An adhesive injection passage is formed in the yoke and extends at an acute angle from an inlet that is formed in an axial surface of the yoke to an outlet that is formed in the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve and that opens into the cavity. Also disclosed is a method of bonding a yoke of such a driveshaft assembly to a composite tube.

A composite vehicle driveshaft assembly includes a composite tube and a yoke bonded to one of the ends of the tube. The yoke has an inner sleeve that is concentrically received in the end of the tube. The sleeve has an outer peripheral surface that faces the inner peripheral surface of the tube with a cavity formed therebetween. An adhesive injection passage is formed in the yoke and extends at an acute angle from an inlet that is formed in an axial surface of the yoke to an outlet that is formed in the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve and that opens into the cavity. Also disclosed is a method of bonding a yoke of such a driveshaft assembly to a composite tube.

An end effector for handling a sheet of flexible material. The end effector includes a support frame and manipulator assemblies, each attached to the support frame by a support mount. The manipulator assemblies include a holding tool having a lifting surface. The manipulator assemblies include a linear actuator, and the holding tool is connected to the linear actuator by a multiaxial joint. A drive provides—the displacement of the holding tool by the linear actuator. The end effector includes resilient members each rigidly affixed to two adjacent holding tools and positioned in a space providing a mutual distance between opposing faces of the adjacent holding tools, where each holding tool is connected to—adjacent holding tools—by the resilient members. The resilient members are configured to non-permanently deform in the space when adjacent holding tools are displaced relative to each other along displacement axes.

The purpose of the present invention is to further enhance the strength of a manufactured composite structure by further suppressing the occurrence of wrinkling. A method for manufacturing a composite structure, the method comprising: a lamination step for layering a plurality of fiber sheets and molding a plate-form laminate; a forming step for forming a recess formed by a curved surface in a prescribed portion of the laminate; a short-direction deformation step for deforming the laminate in the short direction thereof after the forming step to configure a long-direction cross-section of the laminate in a prescribed shape; and a long-direction deformation step for deforming the laminate in the long direction after the forming step, so that the recess formed in the forming step deforms, to configure a short-direction cross section in a prescribed shape.

Methods of fabricating a multi-region U-shaped composite structure, the methods comprising the steps of laying up a first composite material on a first tool piece to form a first sidewall, laying up the second composite material on a second tool piece tool to form a second sidewall, re-orienting the first tool piece and the second tool piece to a consolidation orientation, laying up the third composite material to form a nose wall, and overlapping at least a portion of the third composite material with at least a portion of the first composite material and at least a portion of the second composite material.

A process for manufacturing a bicycle wheel component, comprising the steps of providing a component having at least one braking area that cooperates with a braking body made by molding of composite material having structural fibers in a polymeric material, and post-molding machining of at least one region of the braking area by removing only polymeric material, without removal of the structural fiber, from the entire region so that the structural fiber outcrops at least in part from the polymeric material, and removing the structural fiber and possibly the polymeric material according to at least one groove within the region. A bicycle wheel component having a braking area of composite material, wherein in a region of the braking area, the structural fiber outcrops at least from the polymeric material, and the region comprises a groove through the structural fiber and possibly the polymeric material of the composite material.