The invention provides a powder pre-preg comprising as sole resin a vinyl ester resin having a Tg in the range of −5 to +30° C. and a melt viscosity @100° C. in the range of 2 to 75 dPa.Math.s, which can be used in making a composite at a temperature as low as 80° C.

Laminar structures comprising a fiber reinforced layer bonded to an expandable filler containing layer to provide improved flexural stiffness to weight ratio at lower fiber loading; a process for the manufacture of the laminar structures in which the material are selected so that migration of the expandable filler into the fiber structure of the fiber reinforced layer as they expand is minimized or prevented.

A process is capable of producing a high-quality fiber-reinforced plastic with good yield in a short molding cycle time despite being atmospheric pressure molding. The process characterized uses local contact heating to give different temperature conditions to produce a fiber-reinforced plastic by atmospheric pressure molding from a fiber-reinforced material which contains a reinforcing fiber impregnated with a thermosetting resin composition.

A method for assembling a stiffened composite structure includes a step of positioning a plurality of dry fibers along a first side of a pre-preg composite laminate skin element wherein the pre-preg composite laminate skin element is dimensionally changeable. The method further includes a step of positioning an interlayer between the plurality of dry fibers and the first side of the pre-preg composite laminate skin element and a step of infusing the plurality of dry fibers with a resin forming a plurality of infused fibers. The method also includes a step of co-curing the pre-preg composite laminate skin element and the plurality of infused fibers.

The disclosure relates to photovoltaic modules comprising one or more photovoltaic cells embedded in a fiber-reinforced composite thermosetting material, wherein at a front side of the photovoltaic cells, the fiber-reinforced composite material comprises a substantially transparent resin, and substantially transparent fibers, and wherein the refractive indices of the resin and the glass fibers are substantially the same. In particular, the fibers can be glass fibers treated with aminosilane coupling agents and the resin can be an epoxy resin. Further disclosed are methods of manufacture of photovoltaic modules comprising one or more crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells comprising: providing a mold, one or more photovoltaic cells in the mold, and reinforcement fibers in the mold and positioning a bag surrounding the mold cavity. Then a vacuum is created in the bag substantially gradually, and the resin is infused with the mold due to the created vacuum.

A method of forming a barrel portion including obtaining a mandrel shaped to define at least an inner surface of a barrel portion of the bat, wrapping a first plurality of layers of fiber composite material about the mandrel, placing a removable material over a first portion of the first plurality of layers, and wrapping a second plurality of layers of fiber composite material over the removable material and the portion of the first plurality of layers not covered by the removable material for form an assembly. The method further includes separating the mandrel from the assembly, inserting an expandable member within the assembly, inserting the assembly into a barrel-forming mold, and molding the assembly in a single molding cycle, curing the first and second layers with the removable material to form the barrel portion of the bat, and removing the removable material and the member from the barrel portion.

Embodiments disclosed herein relate to polymer resins having a first thermoset and one or more additional components (e.g., a second thermoset and/or a thermoplastic), composite laminates including the same, methods of making and using the same, and composite laminate structures including the same.

According to one implementation, a composite material shaping device includes three rollers and an angle adjusting structure. The three rollers apply pressures on a laminated body of prepregs, from different directions. The prepregs are laminated in a bar shape. The angle adjusting structure continuously changes an angle of a rotating axis of at least one roller out of the three rollers. Further, according to one implementation, a composite material shaping method includes applying pressures on a laminated body of prepregs laminated in a bar shape, from different directions, using three rollers; and producing a shaped laminated body of the prepregs by continuously changing an angle of a rotating axis of at least one roller out of the three rollers.

A vacuum bagging diaphragm assembly used in forming a component from composite material includes a first sheet of a first material. Also included is a second sheet of a second material for positioning between a three dimensional forming tool and the first sheet. A modulus of elasticity of the second material is greater than a modulus of elasticity of the first material. A method includes a step of positioning a composite laminate material between a first sheet of a first material and a second sheet of a second material. The second material has a modulus of elasticity greater than a modulus of elasticity of the first material. The method further includes a step of positioning the second material of the second sheet in overlying relationship to a three dimensional forming tool with the second material positioned between the three dimensional forming tool and the composite material.

A fiber composite laying method for producing a fiber composite scrim for forming a fiber composite component. The method includes supplying a reinforcement fiber band to a laying head, laying and compacting the supplied reinforcement fiber band on a laying surface at an average compaction pressure by a compaction roller, and detecting a local compaction pressure on the laid reinforcement fiber band by pressure sensors on the compaction roller.