Flexible extrusions of selected die patterns may be slid or snapped together to create bundles of slidably-interlocked extrusions that may be used to create structural components for architectural and a plurality of other construction purposes. Components such as standard rectangular construction beams, arches, domes, architectural trees, cylinders, molds, puzzling mazes, furniture, rollercoaster track, and other applications are illustrated and described in embodiments herein. Bundles of slidably-interlocked extrusions may be formed into a straight beam, bent into an arch, or twisted into other forms as desired. Bundles of slidably-interlocked extrusions may for example, comprise subsets of different length bundles of extrusions that may extend the length create long-span support beams or that may branch away at an angle from the starting beam to form a treelike structure.

A novel tubular or profile shapes of co-extruded multilayer polymers. These materials contain tens to thousands of layers of milli-, micro- to nano-polymer layers. These new shapes contain contiguous layers of milli- to nano-polymer layers in three dimensions and these contiguous layers may be twisted or turned to further expand the potential microlayer geometries.

A joining structure includes a first member, a second member of a material different from that of the first member, and a separation mechanism provided between the first member and the second member and that separates the first member and the second member from each other, wherein a resin is filled into the space between the edge of at least one member among the first member and the second member, and the other member.

A hybrid tool for curing composite structures for aircrafts, such as stringers, torsion boxes, skin panels, wing surfaces, horizontal tail or vertical stabilizers, etc. The hybrid tool comprises a metallic portion and an elastic portion arranged on a surface of the metallic portion. The elastic portion and the metallic portion are permanently joined to each other so that the metallic portion and the elastic portion together define a surface having a shape which copies at least part of a surface of a piece of composite material to be cured. The tool is capable of satisfactorily curing pieces of composite material which have a minimum thickness and/or a very aggressive change of thickness.

Systems and methods for incrementally forming a composite part are disclosed herein. The systems include a forming mandrel, which includes a forming surface, and a forming machine. The forming machine includes a forming bladder, a pressure-regulating device, and a positioning device. The forming bladder is configured to be inflated to a forming pressure and to press the ply of composite material against the forming surface. The methods include placing a ply of composite material on a forming surface of a forming mandrel and pressing a forming bladder against the ply of composite material at a selected location to press a selected portion of the ply of composite material against the forming surface and conform the selected portion of the ply of composite material to a surface profile of the forming surface. The methods further include repeating the pressing a plurality of times at a plurality of selected locations.

A profiled member having two faces and having at least one tear strip with two edges arranged on and adhered to one face of said profiled member, the tear strip having at least one non-adhered edge. The non-adhered edge makes it possible not only to more easily take hold of and remove the tear strip, but also prevents a piece of the tear strip from remaining on the profile member and hindering the adhering of the profiled members to each other. The two edges of the tear strip may be non-adhered, and, when the profile member is covered by a tear strip on each face, the two tear strips are each non-adhered on at least one side. The profile member can be either flat or circular.

A flexible punch and die are used to form a flat composite laminate charge into a stiffener having a desired cross sectional shape. A desired contour is formed in the stiffener by bending the punch and die. Ply wrinkling is avoided during contouring by maintaining those portions of the stiffener subject to wrinkling in tension as the contouring is being performed. Bridging of the plies during the contouring process is avoided by first contouring those sections of the stiffener that are subject to wrinkling, and then contouring the remaining sections of the stiffener.

A method of forming a three-dimensional object is described. The method may use a polymerizable liquid, or resin, useful for the production by additive manufacturing of a three-dimensional object, comprising a mixture of (i) a light polymerizable liquid first component, and (ii) a second solidifiable component that is different from said first component.

A method of forming a three-dimensional object is carried out by: (a) providing a carrier and an optically transparent member having a build surface, the carrier and the build surface defining a build region therebetween; (b) filling the build region with a polymerizable liquid, the polymerizable liquid including a mixture of (i) a light polymerizable liquid first component, and (ii) a second solidifiable component that is different from the first component; (c) irradiating the build region with light through the optically transparent member to form a solid polymer scaffold from the first component and also advancing the carrier away from the build surface to form a three-dimensional intermediate having the same shape as, or a shape to be imparted to, the three-dimensional object, and containing the second solidifiable component carried in the scaffold in unsolidified and/or uncured form; and (d) concurrently with or subsequent to the irradiating step, solidifying and/or curing the second solidifiable component in the three-dimensional intermediate to form the three-dimensional object.

Wrinkling of a contoured composite laminate part during forming to contour is reduced by using laminate plies having off-angle reinforcing fibers that provide the part with primary axial strength along a major axis of loading.