A hinged component fabrication method in which, in a layup stage of fabrication, the component includes a live hinge joining uncured material portions together at a hinge region and comprising a layer of tensile fabric at least partially infiltrated by an uncured elastomer layer at least partially interposed between the tensile fabric and the uncured material portions such that the uncured elastomer blocks the uncured material portions from infiltrating the hinge region. The method may include locating overlapped tensile fabric and elastomer layers in a tool and introducing polymer-based material into the tool such that polymer-based material portions overlap respective opposite ends of the fabric and elastomer layers. The polymer-based material portions are formed to a desired shape using the forming tool so that the fabric and elastomer layers form a live hinge between the polymer-based material portions.

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a wind turbine blade. The method comprises adhesively joining a suction side shell half (69) and a pressure side shell half (68) along respective bond lines (80) at their leading and trailing edges, wherein, prior to joining, an impregnated carrier substrate (76) is arranged in between the shell halves along at least part of said bond lines (80). The carrier substrate (76) is impregnated with at least one compound having a functional moiety. The shell halves may be manufactured by placing a fibre lay-up including one or more fibre layers on a mould surface (66), arranging the impregnated carrier substrate (76) on the inside surface (72) at least along part of its peripheral edge (74) and injecting or infusing the fibre lay-up and the impregnated carrier substrate with a resin and subsequently curing the same.

One or more embodiments relate to a device configured to form at least partially at least one disc of a wheel having a rim and a hub support defining an axis of rotation, wherein the device has at least: one central zone; one peripheral zone partially surrounding the central zone; one first portion having at least one first layer and extending into the peripheral zone and into the central zone along a first axis; one second portion having at least one second layer and extending into the peripheral zone and into the central zone along a second axis different from the first axis; and in that the first portion and the second portion are superposed relative to one another at the level of the central zone defining a stack.

An apparatus for molding a part includes a plunger cavity, a plunger, and a mold cavity, wherein the plunger is oriented out-of-plane with respect to a major surface of the mold cavity, and first and second vents couples to respective first and second portions of the mold cavity. In a method, resin and fiber are forced into the mold cavity from a plunger cavity, and at least some of the fibers and resin are preferentially flowed to certain region in the mold cavity via the use of vents.

A construct for a hockey stick formed from layers of fiber tape and a reinforcing nanofiber material. The nanofiber is integrated into the molded hockey stick to increase the strength and toughness of inter-laminar bonds between the fiber tape. The nanofiber may include carbon nanotubes.

A method of fabricating a composite structure includes laying at least one composite ply about a bladder, the bladder comprising a phase change material in a first phase having a first volume, positioning an outer mold about the bladder and the at least one composite ply, and curing the at least one composite ply to form the composite structure. Curing causes the phase change material contained within the bladder to change to a second phase to expand from the first volume to a second volume and apply a pressure to an interior surface of the composite ply and press an outer surface of the composite ply against the outer mold to form an interior cavity. The bladder is not removable from the formed interior cavity.

A system and method for forming an integral flange in an end portion of a composite laminate structure, such as an aerospace or other vehicle structure. First and second tool components cooperate to support the structure during a layup process, with the second tool component imparting an initial angle to the end portion. A third tool component includes a male radius positioned at an apex of the initial angle. A heater heats a succession of localized areas along the end portion to lower a viscosity of the resin. A roller applies pressure to the succession of localized areas after each is heated so as to push them around and against the third tool component to form a flange angle and the integral flange. The heater and the roller may make multiple passes along the end portion, with the roller angle increasing with each pass until the flange angle is achieved.

A method for producing a planar composite component having a core layer (B), which is arranged between and integrally bonded to two cover layers (A, A′), wherein the cover layers contain a cover-layer thermoplastic and wherein the core layer contains a core-layer thermoplastic, comprises the following steps: a) a heated stack with layer sequence A-B-A′ is provided; b) the heated stack (A-B-A′) is pressed; c) the pressed stack is cooled, whereby the planar composite component with consolidated layers integrally bonded to each other is formed.

To improve the production method including the producibility of planar 3D components, it is proposed, that at least one of the cover layers (A, A′) in unconsolidated form comprises a fibrous nonwoven layer of 10 to 100 wt.-% thermoplastic fibers of the cover-layer thermo-plastic and 0 to 90 wt-% of reinforcing fibers having an areal weight of 300 to 3′000 g/m.sup.2; the core layer (B) in unconsolidated form comprises at least one randomly-oriented-fiber nonwoven layer (D) formed from reinforcing fibers and thermoplastic fibers of the core-layer thermoplastic, and that after the pressing the consolidated core layer(s) has/have an air pore content of <5 vol.-% and the consolidated core layer has an air pore content of 20 to 80 vol-%.

A method of manufacturing a moulded article from first and second moulding compounds includes attaching a first moulding component to a carrier tool, placing the carrier tool and the attached first moulding component in a mould, applying a first moulding process, removing the carrier tool, placing a second moulding component in the mould, and applying a second moulding process to shape the first and second moulding components and bond the first moulding component to the second moulding component. A moulded article is also disclosed.

The present invention relates to the use of thermoplastic polymer compositions for impregnating reinforcing materials in the form of fabric or industrial fabrics for the manufacture of composite materials. The field of the invention is that of composite materials as well as molding/consolidation processes and obtained parts. The invention more particularly relates to a method of manufacturing a composite article by injection molding comprising at least the steps of introducing at least one reinforcement fabric into a preheated mold, partial closure of the mold, a temperature rise step of the mold, optionally a step of maintaining the temperature of the mold before injection of a thermoplastic polymer composition, a step of injecting a thermoplastic polymer composition into the mold, a step of mold closure to the final part thickness allowing the flow of the resin through the reinforcing fabric, a cooling step and a recovery step of the obtained composite article.