A CFRP material with an Al alloy sheet attached to or a CFRTP material with an Al alloy sheet attached to is prepared by joining an Al alloy sheet with a CFRP material or a CFRTP material by adhesion or by injection molding. The surface of this Al alloy sheet and a surface of metal material such as Ti, etc., are subjected to chemical treatment. After this chemical treatment, the CFRP material with an Al alloy sheet attached to or the CFRTP material with an Al alloy sheet attached to and the metal material are inserted into a metallic mold for injection molding so as to have a gap therebetween. High crystalline thermoplastic resin is injected into this gap to join the metal material with the Al alloy sheet, thus obtaining a laminated composite.

A system for consolidating materials, comprising a sonotrode configured to direct ultrasonic energy into materials to be consolidated, wherein the materials to be consolidated have both a glass transition temperature and a melting temperature; a non-rigid consolidating material in proximity to the sonotrode, wherein the non-rigid consolidating material and sonotrode define a region therebetween for receiving the materials to be consolidated, and wherein the non-rigid consolidating material has a glass transition temperature that is higher than the glass transition temperature of the materials to be consolidated and a melting temperature that is higher than the melting temperature of the materials to be consolidated.

A system for consolidating materials, comprising a sonotrode configured to direct ultrasonic energy into materials to be consolidated, wherein the materials to be consolidated have both a glass transition temperature and a melting temperature; a non-rigid consolidating material in proximity to the sonotrode, wherein the non-rigid consolidating material and sonotrode define a region therebetween for receiving the materials to be consolidated, and wherein the non-rigid consolidating material has a glass transition temperature that is higher than the glass transition temperature of the materials to be consolidated and a melting temperature that is higher than the melting temperature of the materials to be consolidated.

Provided is a welding method including: a sheet disposition process of disposing a first and a second protection sheet such that the first and the second protection sheet come into contact with a first and a second composite material and disposing an energization sheet such that the energization sheet comes into contact with the first and the second protection sheet; and a welding process of applying a voltage to a pair of electrode portions disposed at the energization sheet and welding the first and the second composite material, the energization sheet contains the carbon fiber base material oriented in a first predetermined direction connecting the pair of electrode portions, and the first and the second protection sheet contain the carbon fiber base material oriented in a second predetermined direction that substantially perpendicularly intersects the first predetermined direction.

Provided is a welding method including: a sheet disposition process of disposing a first and a second protection sheet such that the first and the second protection sheet come into contact with a first and a second composite material and disposing an energization sheet such that the energization sheet comes into contact with the first and the second protection sheet; and a welding process of applying a voltage to a pair of electrode portions disposed at the energization sheet and welding the first and the second composite material, the energization sheet contains the carbon fiber base material oriented in a first predetermined direction connecting the pair of electrode portions, and the first and the second protection sheet contain the carbon fiber base material oriented in a second predetermined direction that substantially perpendicularly intersects the first predetermined direction.

Improvements relating to wind turbine blade manufacture 5 A method of making a wind turbine blade is described. The method involves providing a blade shell having an inner surface defining a mounting region and positioning a web in the mounting region. One or more web restraining devices are used to secure the position of the web in the mounting region. Each restraining device has a first portion attached to the web and a second portion attached to the inner surface of the blade shell. The 10 restraining devices are configured to prevent movement of the web in a first plane substantially parallel to the mounting region and to permit movement of the web in a second plane substantially perpendicular to the mounting region. The method further comprises moving the web in the second plane away from the mounting region and performing one or more preparatory operations on the mounting region with the web 15 moved away from the mounting region. The web is then repositioned in the mounting region by moving the web in the second plane back towards the mounting region.

Improvements relating to wind turbine blade manufacture 5 A method of making a wind turbine blade is described. The method involves providing a blade shell having an inner surface defining a mounting region and positioning a web in the mounting region. One or more web restraining devices are used to secure the position of the web in the mounting region. Each restraining device has a first portion attached to the web and a second portion attached to the inner surface of the blade shell. The 10 restraining devices are configured to prevent movement of the web in a first plane substantially parallel to the mounting region and to permit movement of the web in a second plane substantially perpendicular to the mounting region. The method further comprises moving the web in the second plane away from the mounting region and performing one or more preparatory operations on the mounting region with the web 15 moved away from the mounting region. The web is then repositioned in the mounting region by moving the web in the second plane back towards the mounting region.

A method of determining a void volume during manufacture of a composite pipe formed of concentric layers of adjacently positioned, helical windings of composite tape has the steps of: (a) scanning the surface of a layer of adjacently positioned, helical windings to generate scanning information; (b) using the scanning information to locate gap(s) between adjacent windings and to determine the number of gaps and characteristic dimensions of each gap in the layer; and (c) generating a calculated void volume of the layer, using the number of gaps and the characteristic dimensions of each gap for the layer. The invention also relates to a corresponding apparatus for determining a void volume during manufacture of a composite pipe formed of concentric layers of helically wound composite tape.

The present invention relates to the use of thermoplastic polymer compositions for impregnating reinforcing materials in the form of fabric or industrial fabrics for the manufacture of composite materials. The field of the invention is that of composite materials as well as molding/consolidation processes and obtained parts. The invention more particularly relates to a method of manufacturing a composite article by injection molding comprising at least the steps of introducing at least one reinforcement fabric into a preheated mold, partial closure of the mold, a temperature rise step of the mold, optionally a step of maintaining the temperature of the mold before injection of a thermoplastic polymer composition, a step of injecting a thermoplastic polymer composition into the mold, a step of mold closure to the final part thickness allowing the flow of the resin through the reinforcing fabric, a cooling step and a recovery step of the obtained composite article.

To provide a novel material that maintains suppleness which is the advantage of a material using fibers and has a low thermal shrinkage ratio, and a method for producing the material, a partially welded material using the material, a composite material, and a method for producing a molded product. A material including: a first region, a fiber region, and a second region continuously in a thickness direction; the first region and the second region being each independently a resin layer including from 20 to 100 mass % of a thermoplastic resin component and from 80 to 0 mass % of reinforcing fibers; the fiber region including from 20 to 100 mass % of thermoplastic resin fibers and from 80 to 0 mass % of reinforcing fibers; the thermoplastic resin component included in the first region and the thermoplastic resin component included in the second region each independently having a crystallization energy during temperature increase of 2 J/g or greater, measured by differential scanning calorimetry; and the thermoplastic resin fibers included in the fiber region having a crystallization energy during temperature increase of less than 1 J/g, measured by differential scanning calorimetry; wherein the crystallization energy during temperature increase is a value measured by using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) in a nitrogen stream while heating is performed from 25° C. to a temperature that is 20° C. higher than a melting point of the thermoplastic resin component or the thermoplastic resin fibers at a temperature increase rate of 10° C./min.