A manufacturing system includes a cutting machine, an adhesion machine, and a pick-and-place system. The cutting machine sequentially cuts a continuous length of a unidirectional prepreg into prepreg segments. Each prepreg segment has an opposing pair of segment cut edges that are non-parallel to a lengthwise direction of the unidirectional prepreg. The adhesion machine has a conveyor belt and an adhesion station. The pick-and-place system sequentially picks up the prepreg segments from the cutting machine, and places the prepreg segments in end-to-end relation on the conveyor belt, and in an orientation such that the segment cut edges are generally parallel to a lengthwise direction of the conveyor belt. The conveyor belt feeds the prepreg segments to the adhesion station. The adhesion station adheres the prepreg segments to a continuous length of a backing material, thereby resulting in a continuous length of a backed cross-ply prepreg.

A zero-Poisson-ratio honeycomb structure and an interlocking assembly manufacturing method thereof are provided, and belong to the field of light structure design and manufacturing. The honeycomb structure is formed by combining a four-pointed star shaped structure and horizontal and vertical honeycomb wall arrays at star corners. The zero-Poisson-ratio honeycomb structure not only has the zero-Poisson-ratio characteristic, but also can achieve respective design of in-plane and out-of-plane mechanical properties. Meanwhile, due to the existence of the horizontal honeycomb walls and the vertical honeycomb walls, the connection of multiple honeycomb walls at angular points in the honeycomb structure is avoided. Moreover, a novel manufacturing mode is provided for the honeycomb structure in addition to prepare the honeycomb structure by utilizing a 3D printing process. The honeycomb structure can be manufactured by combining an interlocking assembly process with resin matrix composites. The performance of the honeycomb structure is further improved at the material level.

A method of making tonebars and other components for musical instruments comprises using a pultrusion apparatus to embed or coat glass, plant-based, and/or other fibers in or with a thermosetting, thermoplastic, or catalyzed polymer matrix. The coated fibers are pulled into a continuous bar in a curing and forming die. The bar is then cut into predetermined lengths. Each length is then carefully tuned by cutting and shaping so that when it is struck, it will emit musical notes on a chromatic musical scale. In one aspect, the fibers and resin are selected to produce tonebars for marimbas and xylophones that emulate the sound obtained from highly desirable Honduran rosewood at a fraction of the cost and environmental impact associated with this wood.

A method of producing a reinforcement element for reinforcing a structural element in a motor vehicle includes the following steps: pultruding a support element having a longitudinal axis that extends, when in use, along a longitudinal axis of the structural element, the support element having a plurality of outer faces that extend in the direction of the longitudinal axis; placing an adhesive on at least one of the outer faces of the support element; and cutting the pultruded support element to size

A structural assembly of an aircraft has a fastener extending into first and second structural members. A washer is disposed between the fastener and one of the structural members to electrically insulate the fastener and the structural members. The washer has a core of reinforcement fibers supported in a thermoplastic matrix material. Electrically-insulating outer layers of glass fibers overlay the core.

A machine and method are presented for continuously forming a woven composite with controllable internal fabric geometry. The machine may include one or more spools for dispensing one or more warp filaments, a roller assembly configured to receive a composite weave, a warp rack having a plurality of warp heads for engaging the warp filaments and vertically adjusting position to dynamically create a weave pattern in response to the insertion of one or more weft filaments by a weft inserter stack.

A flexible coupling for transmitting torque between parts of a transmission shaft system comprises a tubular section of continuous-fibre-reinforced composite material which has been modified to form a living hinge section with reduced bending stiffness to allow flexion of the tubular section. The tubular section may be modified through the provision of a pattern of formations within the living hinge section. The formations may be in the form of apertures and/or recesses in the continuous-fibre-reinforced composite material to create a plurality of living hinges in the material between, in particular slots and/or grooves.

A repulpable insulated container assembly having a container formed of paper such as corrugated cardboard or varying paper materials and defining an interior; and a repulpable insert placed within the interior of the container and formed of a first paper layer; and a paper fiber pad coupled to the first paper layer.

The present invention is intended to provide automated lamination method and device that can efficiently perform automated lamination by using a thin-layer tape. A thin-layer tape automated lamination device 1 includes a provisional formation unit 2 configured to form lamination tapes having thicknesses different from each other by laminating a plurality of thin-layer tapes each having a thickness of 5 μm to 80 μm, and a lamination-shaping unit 3 configured to laminate and shape each formed lamination tape in a lamination region of a basal body surface.

Expandable substrates, which are referred to as blanks, are created by compressing thermobonded nonwovens after heating the binder material above its melting temperature, and then cooling the compressed nonwovens so that the binder material hardens and holds the fibers of the nonwoven together in a compressed configuration with stored kinetic energy. A mold for the component to be manufactured can be partially filled with a number of boards (or blanks) in a stacked, vertically, adjacent or even random orientation. Upon application of heat to the boards or blanks or parts in the mold, the binder material is melted so as to allow the nonwoven material to expand in one or more directions, and thereby fill all or part of the mold. Upon cooling, the binder material again hardens, and the molded component is retrieved from the mold.