A method for making a first ply for laying up a fibrous preform on a tool. An attachment zone is made on the laying up surface of the tool. The zone is integral with the laying up surface of the tool. A polymer is deposited by additive manufacturing on the surface of the tool. The polymer deposit passes on the attachment zone. The first ply is laid up by activating the tackiness of the polymer deposited using additive manufacturing, so as to make the deposited fibers adhere to the material deposited by additive manufacturing.

A composite sandwich panel comprises a first composite skin, a second composite skin, a hollow cell core between the first composite skin and the second composite skin, and a first over-crush edge region with a first edge. The first edge has a first thickness at least 40% less than a nominal thickness of the composite sandwich panel. The first over-crush edge region has a length of at least 0.25 inches over which a thickness of the composite sandwich panel decreases.

A device for manufacturing a stiffened panel with reinforcements which each have a final thickness and a final height. The manufacturing device includes tools configured to each support a preform of fibers having a U-shaped or C-shaped cross section with a base and two wings. Each tool comprises, at at least one of its first and second lateral faces, a set-back portion which, when two tools are juxtaposed, delimits a recess configured to form a reinforcement during a consolidation or polymerization step. The tools are dimensioned such that each recess has a width, at the consolidation or polymerization temperature, that is substantially equal to the thickness of the reinforcements. This solution makes it possible to more effectively control the geometry of the stiffened panel by avoiding the formation of beads. A method for manufacturing a stiffened panel using the device is also disclosed.

A beaded panel includes a base panel and a beaded panel doubler made of a first fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composite. The beaded panel doubler is joined to the base panel to supplement a stiffness of the base panel.

A method of manufacturing a radius filler may include providing a plurality of fibers, braiding the plurality of fibers into a braided preform, shaping the braided preform into a braided radius filler, and cutting the braided radius filler to a desired length.

A winglet is disclosed including first and second covers, a front spar, a rear spar, a rib, and a mid spar between the front spar and the rear spar. The rib and each spar are joined to the first cover and to the second cover. The mid spar has a length and the mid spar curves along all or part of its length. The length of the mid spar extends from an inboard end of the mid spar to an outboard end of the mid spar, and the rib wraps around the inboard or outboard end of the mid spar.

A method of constructing a composite, radius filler noodle for a co-cured spar or stringer used in aircraft construction includes forming a core of the noodle from unidirectional pre-preg tape and stacking pluralities of pre-prep fabric strips in layers surrounding the core.

A method and apparatus for forming a sandwich structure is presented. A sandwich structure comprises a metallic core layer and a thermoplastic layer on a first side of the metallic core layer. The thermoplastic layer is consolidated against the first side of the metallic core layer.

A method and apparatus are presented. The apparatus comprises a first unitary structure, a second unitary structure, and a number of joints between the first unitary structure and the second unitary structure. The first unitary structure has a plurality of T-shaped cross-sections. The second unitary structure has a plurality of T-shaped cross-sections.

Structurally reinforced composite components are disclosed having access openings reinforced to increase strain load and buckling load without adding weight to the composite components by inducing out-of-plane regions proximate to the access opening during composite prepreg laminate layup.