A multiaxial fabric resin base material includes a multiaxial fabric base material laminate impregnated with a thermosetting resin (B), the multiaxial fabric base material laminate including fiber bundle sheets layered at different angles, the fiber bundle sheets including unidirectionally aligned fiber bundles stitched with stitching yarns composed of a thermoplastic resin (A), the multiaxial fabric base material laminate being penetrated in the thickness direction by other bodies of the stitching yarns, and being stitched with the other bodies of the stitching yarns such that the yarns reciprocate at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction, the thermoplastic resin (A) constituting the stitching yarns having a softening point, the softening point being higher than the resin impregnation temperature of the thermosetting resin (B).

Systems for and methods of forming structural components from a source, such as one or more rolls, of a fibrous material (e.g., fabric) are disclosed. The fibrous material is made up of multiple layers, with at least one pair of adjacent layers having different lengths.

Provided is a shaping method for shaping a laminated body of multi-layered sheet materials containing reinforcing fibers by using a shaping die. The shaping die has a curved portion formed in a convex shape over a predetermined direction. The shaping method includes: fixing, to the shaping die, a holding member configured to cover the laminated body over the predetermined direction to maintain a state where the laminated body is pressed against the curved portion; sealing the laminated body and the holding member to the shaping die by a sealing member to form a closed space; and depressurizing the closed space to thin the laminated body by sucking air of the closed space, and the fixing fixes the holding member to the shaping die such that the holding member does not come into contact with an end face on one side in the predetermined direction of the laminated body.

During a manufacturing method, a preform is arranged with a plurality of grips. The preform includes a stack of a plurality of layers of material. The grips are disposed along a periphery of the stack. The preform is formed into a shaped body. The forming includes pressing a die against the stack and gripping the stack with the grips during the pressing of the die. The gripping includes asynchronously gripping the stack with at least some of the grips.

A composite laminate stiffener is formed to contour with reduced ply wrinkling using constrained creep forming. The tooling apparatus is provided with flexible cauls which constrain the stiffener during the contour forming process. The creep forming is carried out at a slow enough rate so that friction or shear resistance between the resin and fibers of the plies remains low enough that slippage can occur and significant compression stresses are not generated rate, allowing relaxation of residual stresses in the stiffener.

Annular structures formed using composite materials and systems and methods for forming annular structures using composite materials are provided. The composite materials can include fiber reinforced thermoplastic materials. The annular structures include a number of component parts. Each component part can be in the form of a strip of fiber reinforced thermoplastic material that extends around all or a portion of a circumference of the structure. The ends of the component parts can be staggered, so that they a placed at different locations about the circumference of the structure. Methods for forming annular composite structures include wrapping one or more strips of fiber reinforced thermoplastic material having one or more layers about a mandrel, and fusing the strips to form an integral annular structure.

A method for producing a vehicle composite component with a layer structure having a core layer in a molding tool, the core layer being formed with regions of different thickness is provided. Steps for this method may include placing a cover layer, in particular a preformed cover layer, which in particular forms an outer skin of the vehicle composite component, onto a mold base plate of the open molding tool; introducing a first fiber layer, which is impregnated with PU resin and has not been subjected to forming, between the cover layer and a first mold counterplate of the open molding tool; closing the molding tool and compression molding the first fiber layer, which is impregnated with PU resin, against the cover layer, as a result of which a preform with a first support layer containing the first fiber layer is formed and hardened while supplying heat.

A system for forming a deep drawn helmet and method therefor are disclosed. The system includes a forming draw ring and a non-forming draw ring and supports a prepreg stack between a forming aperture of the forming draw ring and a non-forming aperture of the non-forming draw ring. The system clamps a flange portion of the prepreg stack between a contact surface of the forming draw ring and a contact surface of the non-forming draw ring, which forms a clamped assembly of the rings and the prepreg stack. The system then forms a deep drawn helmet preform from the prepreg stack of the clamped assembly. The same system or a different forming system then consolidates one or more of the preforms into a final deep drawn helmet. The system can control sliding of the flange during forming of the helmet preform without reducing the flange clamping force.

A method and apparatus for tacking and trimming a thermoplastic tow. A thermoplastic tow is received from a braiding system over a braided structure on a surface. The thermoplastic tow is tack welded to the braided structure. A portion of the thermoplastic tow is trimmed to thereby trim the thermoplastic tow received over the braided structure.

An apparatus and method for laminating fibers for direct manufacturing of a preform, in which rows of fibers are drawn at the same time and are arranged in the form of a preform. The apparatus for laminating fibers for direct manufacturing of a preform according to an aspect of the present invention is an apparatus which supplies reinforced fibers to a table 22 and laminating the reinforced fibers thereon, so as to manufacture a fiber preform by laminating the reinforced fibers on the table 22, the apparatus including: a reinforced fiber supply robot 30 configured to supply a predetermined length of a plurality of reinforced fibers, on which a thermoplastic resin is coated; at least one or more edge fixing robots 40 configured to press and fix an end of the reinforced fibers drawn from the reinforced fiber supply robot 30 to the table 22 while the reinforced fibers are adhered as the thermoplastic resin is melted. Particularly, the reinforced fiber supply robot 30 includes: a plurality of reels 33, around which the reinforced fibers F coated with the thermoplastic resin are wound; a plurality of supply rollers 34 configured to transfer the reinforced fibers F, drawn from the plurality of reels, to the table 22 to supply the reinforced fibers thereto; a cutter configured to cut the reinforced fibers F, supplied through the plurality of supply rollers 34, into a predetermined length; and a compression roller 37 configured to press the end of the reinforced fibers F, cut by the cutter, to the table 22.