A device for shaping a blank for forming a thermoplastic structural part, the blank comprising reinforcing fibres embedded in a thermoplastic matrix, said shaping device comprising a support member for supporting a blank along a longitudinal axis, at least one heating member, at least one inclination member configured to modify the inclination of at least one part of the longitudinal portion of the blank at an angle of inclination that can be parameterised with respect to the horizontal plane in a plane transverse to the longitudinal axis, and a movement system from upstream to downstream along the longitudinal axis of the heating member and of the inclination member relative to the support member so as to successively modify the inclination of a part of each longitudinal portion of the blank.

Systems and methods are provided for utilizing stringer end caps. One embodiment is a method of forming a stringer. The method includes laying up a stringer preform comprising fiber-reinforced material, placing the stringer preform onto a skin panel preform, bonding an end cap to the stringer preform and the skin panel preform, and co-curing the stringer preform and the skin panel preform while the end cap is bonded to the stringer preform and the skin panel preform, resulting in a composite part that includes the end cap.

A method for fabricating a composite structure. A first section for the composite structure is formed in which the first section has a first end with a chevron shape, wherein first composite layers in the first section has a first step pattern at the first end. A second section for the composite structure is formed in which the second section has a second end with a counterpart shape to the chevron shape and in which second composite layers in the second section have a second step pattern at the second end. The first end the second end are positioned such that a first composite layer in the first composite layers in the first step pattern overlap the second composite layers in the second step pattern at a splice location.

The present invention is a unique process of manufacturing rigid members with precise “shape keeping” properties and with reflective properties pertaining to radio frequency energy, so that air, land, sea and space devices or vehicles may be constructed including parabolic reflectors formed without discrete permanent layering. Rather, such parabolic reflectors or similarly, vehicles, may be formed by homogeneous construction where discrete layering is absent, and where energy reflectivity or scattering characteristics are embedded within the homogeneous mixture of carbon nanotubes and associated graphite powders and epoxy, resins and hardeners. The mixture of carbon graphite nanofiber and carbon nanotubes generates higher electrode conductivity and magnetized attraction through molecular polarization. In effect, the rigid members may be tuned based on the application. The combination of these materials creates a unique matrix that is then set in a memory form at a specific temperature, and then applied to various materials through a series of multiple layers, resulting in unparalleled strength and durability.

A method for manufacturing an element for a bodywork part successively including the steps of producing a support element having a first face on which a support sheet is fixed having at least one connection member, arranging a heating track on the support element, the heating track being arranged on the first face of the support element, connecting the heating track to the connection member, and arranging the support element in a molding chamber of a mold defining the shape of the element for a bodywork part, the first face of the support element facing the inside of the molding chamber, and injecting a plastic material into the molding chamber in order to cover the heating track.

Provided are methods of forming stiffened stringer panels with integrated plank structures. A skin member having an inner surface is provided. A plank is positioned onto the inner surface of the skin member. The plank extends from a first side to a second side, and each laminate ply of the set of layered laminate plies is sized to form a geometric profile for each of the first side and the second side. Each laminate ply of the set of layered laminate plies is arranged to extend from the first side to the second side. A stringer is placed onto a support tool. The support tool, and the stringer thereon, is positioned upon an uppermost laminate ply of the set of layered laminate plies. The skin member, the plank, and the stringer are joined.

In a method for manufacturing prestressed shells having tunable bistability, in order to determine the appropriate prestress to be applied to the bistable structure/shell, it provides: clamping a shell by applying a predetermined curvature on a portion of its edge; defining a discrete shell model dependent on a small number of configuration parameters q_i, (i<5), by projecting the non-linear shell model of Marguerre-von Krmn onto an appropriate finite dimensional space so that the projection does not significantly alter the strain elastic energy; tracing the stability maps in the space of the design parameters by minimizing the discrete representation of the strain elastic energy E(q_i;p_i) thus obtained; and choosing the design parameters providing the prestress needed to obtain the desired response in terms of project requirements.

A method of manufacturing a boat hull comprising: forming a foam mold of a predetermined shape and size from one or more pieces of foam; cutting, into said foam, at least one-channel running in a longitudinal or a lateral direction within the foam; and coating said foam with at least one layer of reinforcing fiber and resin.

A decorative sheet includes a base material and a concave portion. The concave portion is provided on a front face of the base material. In the concave portion, a depth direction coincides with a thickness direction of the base material. The concave portion includes a first concavo-convex pattern and a second concavo-convex pattern. The first concavo-convex pattern is provided in a first region of an inner surface of the concave portion. The second concavo-convex pattern is a concavo-convex pattern different from the first concavo-convex pattern. The second concavo-convex pattern is provided in a second region of the inner surface of the concave portion which is different from the first region.

A method of forming a thermoplastic plastic component includes applying an amount of pigmented powder to a sheet of thermoplastic, heating the sheet of thermoplastic to a selected temperature, melting the amount of pigmented powder on the sheet of thermoplastic to form a coating, re-heating the sheet of thermoplastic to another selected temperature, positioning the sheet of thermoplastic over a pattern, and vacuum forming the sheet of thermoplastic to form the sheet of thermoplastic into the pattern.