A composite article including composite component mounted on a spar including a shank extending heightwise from below component base up into composite component. Tab at an upper end of shank substantially or fully embedded in the composite component and at least one ply surface pattern of the composite component contacting and generally conforming to at least one spar surface pattern on the tab. Spar surface pattern may include spaced apart spar surface protrusions with spar surface spaces therebetween and spar surface protrusions extending outwardly from spar and disposed between tows in ply surface pattern. Tows may be layed up in spar surface spaces. Spar surface pattern may include continuous or segmented spaced spar surface protrusions and spar surface spaces therebetween with tows in ply surface pattern disposed in spar surface spaces. The composite article may be a composite blade or vane including a composite airfoil.

A method includes: providing a matrix material and a fiber material separate from the matrix material to a fused deposition modelling (FDM) three dimensional (3D) printer; and delivering the matrix material and the fiber material to a printing location of the FDM 3D printer while maintaining separation of the fiber material from the matrix material up to the printing location of the FDM 3D printer, wherein the delivering includes melting the matrix material and embedding the fiber material within the matrix material. Further, a system includes: a build platform; and two or more tools associated with the build platform; wherein the two or more tools are configured and arranged with respect to the build platform to add matrix material and fiber material in non-planar layers to build the object.

The invention relates to the production of a composite material of a lobed structure (10) of a flow mixer which comprises a portion having a plurality of lobes (17, 19). For this purpose, a fibrous preform containing a resin will be produced in a simple geometric configuration of developable revolution. This is an intermediate state. By exploiting the thermoformable or thermosetting nature of the resin, the geometry of this intermediate preform is modified to deform it with limited offsets towards the final geometry.

One object is to provide a reel leg fixing apparatus including a hood portion having an efficiently reduced thickness and weight while maintaining a sufficient strength. Another object of the present invention is to provide a reel leg fixing apparatus including a hood portion having a reduced thickness and weight while efficiently ensuring necessary strength at relevant portions, and a method of fabricating the reel leg fixing apparatus. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a reel leg fixing apparatus including a hood portion having an oblique end that allows weight reduction and maintains a sufficient strength.

A method of manufacturing a wind turbine blade with integrated lightning strike protection is provided. The method includes forming a plurality of fiber reinforced plies having carbonized textile-grade PAN fibers. The fiber reinforced plies are then stacked on a surface of a mold, wetted with a resin, and cured to form at least part of a wind turbine blade. Because the textile-grade PAN fibers are electrically conductive, the resultant structure provides both electrical conductivity and structural integrity. Laboratory testing of carbon fiber structures against simulated lightning strikes demonstrated high resilience due to their high electrical conductivity both in-plane and in through-thickness directions, with no significant damages, e.g., fiber breakage, resin evaporation, or delamination. High-temperature epoxy helped to improve the performance of the CFRP against the lightning strikes.

One or more techniques and/or systems are disclosed for creating panels to simulate the real light tracing ability of wood fibers, and the light refractive properties of real wood figure. High light refractive man-made fibers can be molded into 3D figured panels which may then be filled with clear resin to magnify and to duplicate the light refractivity of wood figure. A protective backing material can be applied to the rear of the molded fiber panel, to provide a flat surface, and/or for adherence purposes. Rather, the 3D figured panels may also be machined into flat fiber panels to reveal a visual 3D surface that simulates the light refractivity of wood figure.

One or more techniques and/or systems are disclosed for creating panels to simulate the real light tracing ability of wood fibers, and the light refractive properties of real wood figure. High light refractive man-made fibers can be molded into 3D figured panels which may then be filled with clear resin to magnify and to duplicate the light refractivity of wood figure. A protective backing material can be applied to the rear of the molded fiber panel, to provide a flat surface, and/or for adherence purposes. Rather, the 3D figured panels may also be machined into flat fiber panels to reveal a visual 3D surface that simulates the light refractivity of wood figure.

A laminated composite airfoil assembly includes a first lamina formed of a material including metal fibers, and at least a second lamina formed of a material including at least one of metal fibers intermixed with carbon fibers, only metal fibers, only carbon fibers, a substrate including metal fibers, a substrate including carbon fibers, and combinations thereof.

To provide a method of manufacturing a shaft-shape composite member in which a bent section is suitably treated. A plurality of thermosetting fiber-reinforced resin materials made of a UD material is supplied to a bending section of a mold in a state of being aligned in parallel to an axial direction of a cavity to form a UD material layer. Subsequently, after forming a tubular member having the UD material layer by the metal mold, by thermally curing the tubular member, the shaft-shape composite member having the bent section can be obtained. When manufacturing the shaft-shape composite member, a cross-section orthogonal to the axial direction of each of the fiber-reinforced resin materials has a circular shape.

To provide a method of manufacturing a shaft-shape composite member in which a bent section is suitably treated. A plurality of thermosetting fiber-reinforced resin materials made of a UD material is supplied to a bending section of a mold in a state of being aligned in parallel to an axial direction of a cavity to form a UD material layer. Subsequently, after forming a tubular member having the UD material layer by the metal mold, by thermally curing the tubular member, the shaft-shape composite member having the bent section can be obtained. When manufacturing the shaft-shape composite member, a cross-section orthogonal to the axial direction of each of the fiber-reinforced resin materials has a circular shape.