An aircraft structure (such as a T-shaped structure, a convex structure, a curved structure, or the like) includes: a laminated structure including composite-material layers that are laminated; and wherein the composite material aircraft structure is a three-dimensional structure that includes at least one of a standing structure, a convex structure, or a curved structure. The composite-material layers include at least a composite-material layer in which a reinforced fiber is a single continuous fiber, wherein the single continuous fiber includes a partial slit region. When a thickness of a flat-plate formed body including a same laminated structure as the aircraft structure but not including the three-dimensional structure, is defined as a reference thickness, the aircraft structure includes a thin plate region which has a thickness that is smaller than the reference thickness while maintaining the laminated structure.

A panel structure (10A) includes a substrate portion (11) and at least two ribs (12) standing on the substrate portion (11) and intersecting with each other. A substrate material portion (24) constituting the substrate portion (11) is formed by using at least matrix resin. Continuous fibers or slit continuous fibers are arranged at a position corresponding to the ribs (12) and a rib intersecting portion (13).

Disclosed herein are articles comprising: (a) a glass micro sheet having top and bottom surfaces and a thickness of about 0.001 to about 0.040 inches; and (b) a layer comprising a plurality of composite layers, the layer having top and bottom surfaces, wherein the bottom layer of the glass micro sheet is bonded to the top surface of the layer comprising a plurality of composite layers; and wherein the (Ra) of the top surface of the glass micro sheet is 1 nm<Ra<1 μm, and methods of making same.

Systems and methods are provided for fabricating a preform for a fuselage section of an aircraft. The method includes advancing a series of arcuate mandrel sections in a process direction through an assembly line, laying up fiber reinforced material onto the arcuate mandrel sections via layup stations, uniting the series of arcuate mandrel sections into a combined mandrel; and splicing the fiber reinforced material laid-up onto the arcuate mandrel sections.

Systems and methods are provided for assembling a section of a fuselage of an aircraft. The method includes pulsing a half barrel section of the fuselage along a track in a process direction, utilizing an indexing feature associated with the half barrel section to determine a desired contour for a portion of the half barrel section, and enforcing the desired contour onto the half barrel section using components that enforce an inner mold line and components that enforce an outer mold line when the half barrel section is out of tolerance from the desired contour.

Systems and methods are provided for placing preforms onto a mandrel. One illustrative method includes moving a mandrel in a process direction relative to a station(s) that comprises multiple pick-and-place machine(s), identifying a tray that stores a preform comprising an unhardened fiber-reinforced material, placing the strong back at the preform via at least one of the pick-and-place machine(s), applying a vacuum to hold the preform in contact with the strong back, transporting the preform to a mandrel via the pick-and-place machine(s), and placing the preform onto the mandrel.

Systems and methods are provided for fabricating curved preforms of fiber reinforced material. Methods include laying up at least one ply onto a carrier of flexible material at a lamination station, loading the carrier onto a rail system, routing the carrier to a particular Ply-By-Ply (PBP) forming station at the rail system, separating the at least one ply from the carrier, and making the at least one ply into the preform via the particular PBP forming station.

Systems and methods are provided for fabricating a part on a mandrel. The system includes a series of stations divided into at least two groups of stations, wherein each group of stations performs fabrication operations on a particular zone of the mandrel.

Systems and methods are provided for demolding a composite part from a mandrel. The method includes mechanically coupling a first arm of an extraction tool to a first arcuate portion of a composite part that has been hardened onto a mandrel, mechanically coupling a second arm of an extraction tool to a second arcuate portion of the composite part, and separating the composite part from the mandrel by iteratively performing the following operations until the composite part no longer contacts the mandrel: elastically straining the first arcuate portion of the composite part via the first arm, and elastically straining the second arcuate portion of the composite part via the second arm.

A system and method for welding thermoplastic components by positioning and moving a heated plate between the components to melt their respective faying surfaces, and as the plate moves, pressing the components together so that the melted faying surfaces bond together as they cool and re-solidify, thereby creating a composite structure. The plate has a heated portion which is positioned between and heated to melt a portion of the first and second faying surfaces. A manipulator mechanism moves the plate along an interface from between the portion to between a series of subsequent portions of the first and second faying surfaces, thereby welding the thermoplastic components along the entire interface to create the composite structure. An injection device may also move behind the plate and reciprocally inject a polymer between the first and second faying surfaces to provide toughness and crack arresting properties.