In a preferred embodiment, a composite panel with a smooth outer surface, ready for painting with or without addition of primer, may be created by constructing a panel layup assembly upon a mold, the panel layup assembly including a composite panel having a core and a resin formulation, and a release film between the mold and the composite panel, where a smooth release surface of the release film is in contact with the composite panel upon construction; initiating curing of the composite panel at a first temperature within a lowermost ten percent of a curing temperature range of the resin formulation; continuing curing of the composite panel at a second temperature above the lowermost ten percent of the curing temperature range; and completing curing of the composite panel at a third temperature below the second temperature.

For forming a sound absorption/insulation honeycomb panel by stacking an air-permeable material, a honeycomb material filled with a sound absorption material and a reflector, and adhesively joining these materials, it is hard to join the honeycomb material and the air-permeable material adhesively due to a thin wall surface of the honeycomb material and a resultant line to surface adhesive joint therebetween, causing a problem of low adhesive strength. By using a water absorption honeycomb material, an adhesive joint is formed with an adhesive joint area increased by dipping an end of a wall surface of a cell forming the water absorption honeycomb material into a water-soluble adhesive, making the end flexible over a fixed period of time, and then pressing the end strongly against an air-permeable material as a counterpart of the adhesive joint to deform a tip into an inverted T-shape.

A method for manufacturing a composite panel is described. The method includes producing a first wall, a second wall, a third wall and a fourth wall from composite materials including an oxide matrix and long oxide fibres; from the first and second walls, producing a cellular core including a plurality of cells, each cell including a first end and an opposing second end, covering the first and second ends of the cells of the cellular core with the third wall and the fourth wall, respectively, so as to close the ends of said cells.

A honeycomb for curved surface lightweight components includes a plurality of elongate ribbons and connecting regions. The connecting regions are provided, respectively, between opposing ribbons to connect the ribbons together in a portion-wise manner in a firmly bonded relationship in a transverse direction. The connecting regions are arranged at regular spacings along the longitudinal direction of a ribbon. Honeycomb-like cells form cavities between the ribbons. With respect to three successive ribbons, a displacement of the connecting regions between first and second ribbons relative to the connecting regions between second and third ribbons toward a first side of the longitudinal direction is lesser than toward a second side of the longitudinal direction. Consequently, at least a part of the cells in cross-section in the longitudinal direction/transverse direction plane have at least one longer limb corresponding to the greater displacement and at least one shorter limb corresponding to the lesser displacement.

Noise attenuating devices and methods, precursors and abrasive blasting masks for manufacturing noise attenuating devices are disclosed. An exemplary method disclosed herein includes bonding a facing sheet of the noise attenuating device to a cellular core and then perforating the facing sheet. Perforating the facing sheet may be performed by abrasive blasting using a mask configured to prevent the abrasive blasting of an underlying structure.

A method of cutting a wafer of composite core from a bulk composite core including the steps of placing the bulk composite core in a container, the bulk composite core having a plurality of tube members; depositing a potting compound in contact with an outer surface of the bulk composite core; curing the potting compound; and after curing of the potting compound, cutting through each of the tube members. A method of cutting a wafer of composite core from a bulk composite core, the method comprising the steps of stabilizing the bulk composite core by wrapping an exterior of the bulk composite core with a composite wrap, the bulk composite core having a plurality of tube members; curing the composite wrap; and cutting through each of the tube members.

A honeycomb sandwich sheet or panel, based on thermoplastic polypropylene, includes a structure having two flat outer films, at the top and bottom, welded to at least two inner or central thermoformed blister films, repeated in a regular and continuous pattern, wherein the at least two inner thermoformed films are welded to each other.

The present invention relates to a method of making a composite sandwich structure. The method comprises the steps of: providing a base lay-up on a surface, wherein the base lay-up comprises a first reinforcement material layer; providing a core layer on to the base lay-up, wherein the core layer comprises an open cellular structure and wherein the open cellular structure is at least partially filled with unbound particles; providing a top lay-up on top of the core layer, wherein the top lay-up comprises a second reinforcement material layer; sealing the arrangement within a hermetically sealed enclosure; introducing matrix material into the arrangement via the at least one conduit through a pressure differential; and curing the matrix material.

A method of anchoring a connector in a first object includes providing the connector, the connector having a liquefiable material that is liquefiable by mechanical vibration, such as a thermoplastic material, bringing the connector into contact with low density layer that has an arrangement of discrete elements and gas-filled (empty) spaces between the discrete elements, pressing the connector against the low density layer and coupling mechanical vibration energy into the connector to cause the connector to penetrate into the low density layer to deform the discrete elements, until a flow portion of the liquefiable material becomes flowable and is caused to interpenetrate spaces between the deformed discrete elements so that an intertwined structure of the liquefiable material and the deformed discrete elements results, and stopping the mechanical vibration energy and causing the flow portion to re-solidify to anchor the connector in the low density layer.

An impact attenuation system comprises an aluminum honeycomb sheet having a top surface and a bottom surface. The aluminum honeycomb sheet defines a plurality of approximately hexagonally shaped cells. The bottom surface defines a single sheet of contiguous cells and the top surface defines two or more islands of contiguous cells separated by one or more slits. At least a portion of one or both of the top surface and bottom surface may be covered by a polymer skin. The polymer skin may comprise carbon fibers and/or fiberglass.