Disclosed is a fiber-reinforced composite and methods and apparatuses for making the same. Some fiber-reinforced composites include a matrix material including a thermoplastic material and a non-woven fibrous region having a plurality of continuous fibers dispersed in the matrix material, wherein the width and the length of the non-woven fibrous region are substantially equal to the width and the length, respectively, of the liber-reinforced composite, wherein the non-woven fibrous region has a mean relative area fiber coverage (RFAC) (%) of from 65 to 90 and a coefficient of variance (COV) (%) of from 3 to 20, and wherein each of the plurality of continuous fibers is substantially aligned with the length of the fiber-reinforced composite.

Disclosed is a fiber-reinforced composite and methods and apparatuses for making the same. Some fiber-reinforced composites include a matrix material including a thermoplastic material and a non-woven fibrous region having a plurality of continuous fibers dispersed in the matrix material, wherein the width and the length of the non-woven fibrous region are substantially equal to the width and the length, respectively, of the liber-reinforced composite, wherein the non-woven fibrous region has a mean relative area fiber coverage (RFAC) (%) of from 65 to 90 and a coefficient of variance (COV) (%) of from 3 to 20, and wherein each of the plurality of continuous fibers is substantially aligned with the length of the fiber-reinforced composite.

A process for the production of a fibre-composite material, the process including the following steps: a) a fibre bundle is conducted over at least one deflection bar having radially circumferential rounded elevations, thus being expanded; b) the expanded fibre bundle is subsequently drawn into an impregnation chamber; c) a melt is applied to the expanded fibre bundle; and d) the fibre bundle impregnated with melt is drawn through a take-off die at the end of the apparatus, and a corresponding device, which achieves very good impregnation quality.

Apparatus for impregnating a porous medium with powder, including a device able to generate an alternating electric field through the porous medium, the device including a first electrode and a second electrode, which are placed on either side of the porous medium, the apparatus being characterized in that: the first electrode is covered with a screen making contact with the electrode, said screen having a dielectric strength higher than 6 kV/mm; and the second electrode is covered with a protective layer, said protective layer having a superficial resistivity higher than 1×10.sup.12Ω/□.

Apparatus for impregnating a porous medium with powder, including a device able to generate an alternating electric field through the porous medium, the device including a first electrode and a second electrode, which are placed on either side of the porous medium, the apparatus being characterized in that: the first electrode is covered with a screen making contact with the electrode, said screen having a dielectric strength higher than 6 kV/mm; and the second electrode is covered with a protective layer, said protective layer having a superficial resistivity higher than 1×10.sup.12Ω/□.

The present invention is directed to a method of manufacturing a fibre-reinforced polymer composition comprising the steps of providing at least one multifilament strand comprising a plurality of continuous fibre filaments, applying an impregnating agent to said strand to form an impregnated continuous multifilament strand, and embedding the impregnated continuous multifilament strand in a thermoplastic polymer material for providing said fibre reinforced polymer composition, wherein said impregnating agent has a low viscosity at application temperature and is applied by jetting said impregnating agent onto the at least one continuous multifilament strand. The invention is further directed to a device for use in such a method.

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a part made from composite material, having a body and one or more continuous fibre bundles in its interior, characterised in that it comprises the stages of: a) obtaining a body that includes one or more tubular cavities in its interior that extend between a first end, disposed on the outer surface of the body and which comprises an inlet orifice, and a second end, opposite to the first end; b) introducing resin in the liquid state and a continuous fibre bundle in the interior of at least one tubular cavity through its inlet orifice; and c) curing the resin until it solidifies, adhering to the body and fixing the continuous fibre bundle. The invention also relates to a system for manufacturing a part made from composite material and to the part made from composite material obtained.

According to one implementation, a prepreg lamination apparatus includes first and second rollers, a table, and a feed structure. The first roller sends out a first prepreg tape which is a part of material of an FRP. The second roller sends out a second prepreg tape which is another part of the material of the FRP. The table is for laminating the first and second prepreg tapes directly or indirectly. The feed structure is adapted to feed out the first and second prepreg tapes in a feeding direction by moving the first and second rollers relatively to the table while performing at least one of movement of the first roller relatively to the second roller, and rotation of at least one of the first and second rollers relatively to the table around an axis which is not parallel to each of rotation axes of the first and second rollers.

A method of fabricating a laminar composite article, includes steps of spreading a plurality of continuous fiber tows from a spool to form a first ply layer having a substantially consistent layer thickness, applying a binder to the spread plurality of continuous fiber tows, curing the plurality of continuous fiber tows and applied binder at a cure temperature less than a thermal decomposition temperature of the binder, and processing the cured plurality of continuous fiber tows at a post-cure temperature greater than the cure temperature.

A carbon fiber bundle for resin reinforcement, wherein there are adhered by 0.1-5.0 mass % to a carbon fiber bundle in which multiple lengths of filament are bundled, a mixture created by mixing an organic polymer (A) having a mass-average molecular weight of 10000 or more and an organic compound (B) the thermal reduction rate specified in claim 1 of which is 5 mass % or more or an organic compound (B) the thermal reduction rate specified in claim 2 of which is 0.8 mass % or more, the amount of the organic polymer (A) adhered being 0.1 mass % or more.