A reusable countertop mold in accordance with the present invention includes a bracket member detachably secured to a rail portion of a cabinet member for a substantially horizontal substrate that receives deformable material upon a surface of the substrate. The bracket member includes vertical, horizontal and channel members integrally joined together for enabling a channel member to removably receive the rail member. The mold further includes a locking bolt for detachably securing the bracket member to the rail portion of the support member. A form member is detachably secured to the bracket member, the form member continuously extending outside the perimeter of the substrate and receives deformable material that ultimately solidifies; whereby, the substrate surface and the form member cooperate to configure a countertop that continuously extends upon and outside the perimeter of the substrate, thereby forming a countertop having an integrally joined overhang portion; whereupon, the reusable countertop mold is removed from the solidified countertop overhang portion and the rail portion.

Described herein are methods and systems for forming composite stringer assemblies or, more specifically, for shaping composite charges while forming these stringer assemblies. A system comprises a bladder, having a bladder core, and a bladder skin. The bladder core is formed from foam. The bladder skin is formed from an elastic material and encloses the bladder core. When a composite stringer assembly is formed, the bladder is positioned over a charge base. The charge base later becomes a stringer base, such as a fuselage section or a wing skin. A charge hat is then positioned over the bladder and is conformed to the bladder. A combination of the bladder skin and the bladder core provides support during this forming operation and later while the stringer assembly is cured. In some examples, the bladder core is collapsible for the removal of the bladder from the cavity of the stringer assembly.

According to an aspect, a method of assembling a mandrel includes assembling a plurality of members via interlocking features arranged at opposing edges of each member of the plurality of members to form a compartment, the assembled members having a collective outer surface that conforms to an inner surface of the spar. A support member is inserted into the compartment formed radially inward from the assembled members, the support member making contact with a portion of each member of the plurality of members.

A tooling for injecting a polymer resin into a fibrous preform for the manufacture of a revolution part in composite material including a barrel shape with an inside diameter of smaller diameter delimiting the revolution part into an upstream portion and a downstream portion of the inside diameter, the upstream portion including a back-draft intermediate portion, injection tooling wherein, to allow a demolding of the barrel-shaped part once the injection and the polymerization of the polymer resin are carried out, the injection tooling includes on the one hand a frustoconical drum comprising a first drum portion in direct contact with an inner surface of the portion of the revolution part downstream of the inside diameter and a second drum portion and on the other hand a segmented insert whose outer surface matches an inner surface of the portion of the revolution part upstream of the inside diameter.

A tooling for injecting a polymer resin into a fibrous preform for the manufacture of a revolution part in composite material including a barrel shape with an inside diameter of smaller diameter delimiting the revolution part into an upstream portion and a downstream portion of the inside diameter, the upstream portion including a back-draft intermediate portion, injection tooling wherein, to allow a demolding of the barrel-shaped part once the injection and the polymerization of the polymer resin are carried out, the injection tooling includes on the one hand a frustoconical drum comprising a first drum portion in direct contact with an inner surface of the portion of the revolution part downstream of the inside diameter and a second drum portion and on the other hand a segmented insert whose outer surface matches an inner surface of the portion of the revolution part upstream of the inside diameter.

Lightweight and strong components may be manufactured using self-skinning foam material compositions by the processes described herein. One or more mandrels may be inserted into a molding tool, and a self-skinning foam material composition may be injected into the molding tool. After closing the molding tool, the self-skinning foam material composition may expand and cure to form a component, and one or more skins may be formed on exterior and/or interior surfaces of the component. For example, an external skin may be formed on an exterior surface of the component in contact with surfaces of the molding tool, and one or more internal skins may be formed on one or more interior surfaces of negative space spars of the component in contact with surfaces of the one or more mandrels.

A mould for manufacturing a turbomachine fan casing made of a composite material with fibrous reinforcement that is densified by a matrix, includes an impregnation mandrel around which a fibrous preform is to be wound and angular counter-mould sectors assembled around the external contour of the impregnation mandrel, which are intended to close the mould. The impregnation mandrel includes a main body with an annular shape, and an annular barrel which is arranged around the main body and around which the fibrous preform is to be wound, the barrel and the angular sectors defining a moulding cavity intended to receive the fibrous preform. The main body and the angular sectors are made of a first material having a first thermal expansion coefficient, the barrel being made of a second material that has a second thermal expansion coefficient, the second thermal expansion coefficient being greater than the first thermal expansion coefficient.

A guard for providing a cut-resistant pathway through a body orifice or incision to circumferentially protect tissue at the margin is provided. The guard is made of flexible, cut-resistant mesh material having a plurality of interwoven thermosetting filaments. The guard has a central lumen and at least one flared end. The flared end, which serves to anchor the guard in the body opening, is deformable into a reduced configuration to facilitate its insertion and removal. The layer of mesh stretches laterally to increase the diameter of the central lumen. The flexibility and expandability of the guard allows the guard to conform to body openings of different sizes. The guard may include a drawstring to cinch the flared distal end from the proximal end. The guard is thermoset with the flared distal end that is biased to spring back to its normal, undeformed configuration when released from a deformed configuration.

A method and system for manufacturing composite parts free of wrinkles and mark-offs from bagging compression. The method can include placing composite material around a rigid mandrel and sealing opposing end of an elastomeric hollow membrane within a rigid external vessel. Then the method can include inflating the hollow membrane from a natural state to an inflated state. In the natural state, the hollow membrane can have a cross-section smaller than the cross section of the rigid mandrel with the composite material thereon. The method can then include inserting the rigid mandrel and the composite material into the membrane while it is in the inflated state, followed by releasing the membrane from the inflated state to naturally contract toward its natural state. Then the method can include heating the composite material to a cure temperature while the composite material is compressed by the membrane.

A layup mandrel including a rib structure comprising ribs defining a lofted surface; and a skin attached to and supported by the rib structure. The skin has a surface having a curvature of the lofted surface; the ribs are disposed to at least partially shape the curvature molding a part pressed against the surface during curing of the part; and the part comprises or consists essentially of a composite material.