Fluid transfer assemblies for transferring fluid into or out of a single vessel and distributing the fluid to multiple other vessels are provided. The fluid transfer assemblies are customizable, substantially aseptic, and single-use. The fluid transfer assemblies may be manufactured by solidifying polymeric materials to form a body around a mandrel with protrusions engaged to fluid conduits and leaving recesses in the solidified polymeric material to stretch the resultant body and remove the mandrel with protrusions. The resultant fluid transfer assembly may be surrounded by a rigid housing and valves may be engaged with the conduits and/or body to control the fluid flow within the fluid transfer assembly.

A method of fabricating a strut having a hollow central bore includes the steps of providing a mandrel and a quantity of a filament or fiber material, laying the filament or fiber material about the mandrel to form a strut having a central cylindrical section, two opposing connective end sections, a central bore extending through the strut, the central bore having two reduced diameter portions extending through each end section, and an axis extending centrally through the bore, forming a slot or slots extending inwardly from one of the connective section outer ends and terminating within the connective section or the central section, bending at least a portion of the one connective section along the slot to enlarge the bore reduced diameter section at the one end, and displacing the mandrel along the central axis and through the enlarged bore end section until the mandrel is removed from the bore.

The curing bladder for a tire comprises a body made of a flexible material suited to being inserted in the drawn-in position inside a pneumatic tire in a curing mould and which is capable of being expanded so as to flatten the tire against the internal surface of the mould. The body is produced based on a film made of a thermoplastic polymer and has a cylindrical tube shape when the bladder is in the drawn-in position.

A duct stringer is disclosed including a structural member with a hat-shaped cross-section. The structural member has a crown, a pair of webs and a pair of feet. A channel member with a U-shaped cross-section has a base and a pair of flanges. The flanges of the channel member are co-cured to opposed inner faces of the webs of the structural member. The structural member and the channel member together provide a duct with a closed cross-section which is adapted to transport fluid, for instance in an aircraft wing to provide a vent function in an aircraft fuel system.

Composite structures and methods of forming composite structures are provided. The composite structures can include one or more composite structure components. Each composite structure component is formed from a composite panel that includes one or more sheets of material. The sheets of material include a thermoplastic material and a plurality of reinforcing fibers. A composite panel can be formed in three dimensions to form a composite structure component. Multiple composite structure components can be fused to one another to form a composite structure. In addition, each composite structure component and the composite structure formed therefrom can include an aperture. An interior volume can be formed between adjacent composite structure components. Methods for forming a composite structure can include a step of simultaneously molding and fusing composite structure components.

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a hollow part made of composite material for an aircraft turbomachine, wherein: a) a preform is produced by the three-dimensional weaving of threads; b) the preform is cut so as to provide a separation; c) the cut preform is deformed so as to provide an orifice then comprising a first and a second open end (27a, 27b); d) the deformed preform is placed into an injection mould; e) a resin is injected in order to impregnate the whole of the deformed preform; f) the resin is polymerised; and g) a composite part is extracted from the mould; characterised in that: h) a flexible mandrel (31) with a predetermined shape is positioned in the orifice before the injection step e); i) the flexible mandrel (31) is removed after step f) or the demoulding step g), the composite part then having a hollow core (25).

A reusable mold membrane is provided for forming an outer mold during a process to encapsulate a target object in a substance, the mold membrane comprising: a cylindrical membrane body comprising a resiliently deformable material, wherein an inner diameter of the cylindrical membrane body is less than an outer diameter of the target object provided on an outer surface of a cylindrical carrier object, when the membrane body is in an un-deformed state; and a plurality of manipulation structures provided on an outer part of the membrane body, each of the plurality of manipulation structures configured to be manipulated by application of mechanical force to control the space within the membrane body by controlling the amount of deformation of the membrane body. There is also disclosed a method for use during a process to encapsulate a target object in a substance.

A composite material structure manufacturing jig (10) is used when manufacturing a composite material structure by adhering prepreg to a framework structure including a frame component that includes a channel extending along a longitudinal direction of the frame component. The composite material structure manufacturing jig (10) is inserted in the channel of the frame component and used therein. The jig (10) includes a tubular body (11) formed of an elastic material containing a reinforcement fiber, the body (11) including a trapezoidal transverse section that is a cross section orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the body (11), the trapezoidal transverse section including an upper base and a lower base longer than the upper base. An inner surface of the body (11) is coated with an inner peripheral film (16) serving as a gas barrier layer.

Disclosed is an elastomeric bladder tool and related systems and methods. In one embodiment, the elastomeric bladder tool comprises an elastomeric inner layer substantially defining an inner cavity of the elastomeric bladder tool, an elastomeric outer layer substantially defining an outer surface of the elastomeric bladder tool, and a permeable middle layer positioned between the elastomeric inner layer and the elastomeric outer layer. The permeable middle layer has greater permeability than both the elastomeric outer layer and the elastomeric inner layer to allow for evacuating of gases that have entered the permeable middle layer.

A carbon-fiber product forming device is disclosed. The device includes a first chamber forming with a hollow cavity, a hot-pressing plate disposed inside the hollow cavity, a mold disposed on the hot-pressing plate and formed with an outward opening, an air bag disposed inside a mold cavity of the mold, provided with a bag opening disposed near the outward opening, and attached on an outer surface thereof with carbon-fiber composites, a second chamber mounted on one side surface of the first chamber and disposed on wall surface with an air extracting port, an air inlet port, a heat medium entry port, and a barometric port, and a plurality of barometric pipes included inside the second chamber. Two ends of each of the barometric pipes are connected to the barometric port and the outward opening, respectively, such that the air bag could be periodically injected with air. A heat medium is injected into the inside of the hot-pressing plate when the air inside the hollow cavity is extracted by a vacuum pump via the air extracting port. The accordingly made carbon-fiber product has residual-air-removing rate of preferably above 99% and structural strength improvement of at least 5%.