A flat metallic structure having a multiplicity of openings and having a width between 6 and 1000 mm. The metallic structure is treated with a metallic impregnating material whose melting point is lower than that of the flat metallic structure, and wherein the conductivity of the metal before the impregnation is at least 15 S/m. A use of such a structure as lightning protection for fiber composite components, as well as fiber composite components having such a structure, and a method for the production of such fiber composite components.

Insert designed to be fitted on a support, including a body extending along a longitudinal axis and a base including at least one plate extending along a base plane, at least one through hole oriented along an orientation axis perpendicular to the base plane being formed in said at least one plate, at least one protuberance being formed on a first surface of said at least one plate and forming a hollow on a second surface of said at least one plate.

A reinforcing article (10, 100, 200) includes a porous substrate layer (105, 205) and a plurality of parallel first continuous fiber elements (12, 114, 212) spaced apart from each other and extending along a first direction and fixed to the porous substrate (105, 205). Each first continuous fiber element (12, 114, 212) includes a plurality of parallel and co-extending continuous fibers (22, 122, 222) embedded in a thermoplastic resin (24, 124, 224).

A thermoplastic surfacer for providing lightning strike protection to a composite component of an aircraft, methods of manufacturing the surfacer, and methods of applying the surfacer to a composite part. The thermoplastic surfacer includes a broadgood having an amorphous thermoplastic resin, one or more fillers embedded into the broadgood, and a lightning strike protection mesh or foil embedded into the broadgood. When applying the surfacer to a composite part of an aircraft, the method includes draping the surfacer on an at least partially unconsolidated composite part, consolidating the at least partially unconsolidated composite part by heating the part to a temperature at or above a melt temperature of a resins used in the part and in the surfacer, and filling at least one surface defect in the consolidated part using the amorphous thermoplastic polymer resin and milled fibers provided in the thermoplastic surfacer.

2-manifold structures are structures having continuously curvilinear surfaces, with no kinks or sharp angles. Methods for building strong, lightweight 2-manifold structures include a computer implemented strength optimization process. The computer implemented process includes a structure optimization sub-routine in which a plurality of rod-like members, constituting an irregular scaffold, is constrained into a volume corresponding to the 2-manifold structure. The strength of the irregular scaffold is then optimized by application of an algorithm that maximizes strength as a function of variations in the ratio of the largest macroscopic dimension of the panel to the average length of the members; the aspect ratio of the members (diameter divided by length); the average or maximum number of times a member can contact another member; and the distribution of member lengths. Strength maximization can be simultaneous to minimization of total length of the members. The process can includes additional compositional and structural optimizations, prior to fabrication of the irregular scaffold, and encasing of the scaffold in a shell, or infiltration of the scaffold with a matrix material.

A fabrication method for a water-absorbent filter includes obtaining a homogenized tragacanth suspension by dissolving tragacanth in a solvent, where the solvent may include distilled water, ethyl acetate, acetic acid, and formic acid, obtaining a support layer by coating a stainless steel mesh with a thin layer of a hydrophobic polymer, coating a stainless steel mesh with the thin layer of the hydrophobic polymer comprising electrospinning a hydrophobic polymer solution onto the stainless steel mesh, forming a tragacanth nanofibrous web on the support layer by electrospinning the homogenized tragacanth suspension onto the support layer, and cross-linking the tragacanth nanofibrous web by exposing the tragacanth nanofibrous web to a saturated vapor of a cross-linking agent.

A double-layered thermal interface material (TIM) structure is disclosed. The double-layered TIM structure is adopted for being sandwiched between each two adjacentN rows of battery cells of a battery module. According to the present invention, the double-layered TIM structure comprises a layer structure comprising a top surface and a bottom surface, of which the top surface and the bottom surface both have a plurality of concave portions. Moreover, there is a supporting mesh plate buried in the layer structure for making the layer structure simultaneously possess advantages of softness, good malleability and good support capability. Therefore, when this novel double-layered TIM structure is adopted in assembling N rows of battery cells to become a battery module, there are no interfacial gaps between the two adjacent rows of battery cells and the double-layered TIM structure.

An assembly (113) for composite manufacture is provided. The assembly comprises a cured resin impregnated reinforcement material (112) comprising a fibre component and a resin matrix component, in which the resin matrix component comprises polyurethane, the assembly having a length to width ratio of at least 5:1, and the assembly defining a longitudinal direction (L) along its length; and a peel ply (116) in contact with the cured resin impregnated reinforcement material (112), the peel ply (116) comprising a woven layer having a plurality of longitudinal fibres (118) extending in the longitudinal direction (L); and a plurality of transverse fibres (120) extending in a transverse direction (T) normal to the longitudinal direction (L); in which the areal density of the plurality of transverse fibres (120) is higher than the areal density of the plurality of longitudinal fibres (118).

A process for producing a sandwich component. A first covering layer is formed on a molding surface of a molding tool; a core is produced by building up a cell structure having a multiplicity of cells in a thickness direction on the first covering layer via an additive production process; and a second covering layer is formed on a deposition surface of the core, the surface being situated on the opposite side from the first covering layer. A core for a sandwich component is furthermore described, as is a sandwich component.

Packages used to deliver items or other payloads via a drone may be customized and 3D printed to house the payload. The package may be customized to minimize the size and/or weight needed to house the payload. The customized packages may include one or more attachment mechanisms adapted to engage with or otherwise be coupled to the drone for delivery. Multiple individual customized packages can be secured together into a composite package for delivery by drone. The customized package may be designed to be aerodynamic given the shape of the payload and the flight characteristics of the drone. The drone itself may be the package, with the payload housed within a portion of the drone. The package and/or a portion of the drone (e.g., fuselage, wing, body, frame, etc.) may be printed at least partially in, on, or around an item or package to be transported by the drone.