Disclosed herein are methods for isolating a composite material from the environment, as well as the isolated composite material. Also disclosed herein are methods for shaping a composite material that include the use of isolated composite materials. For example, disclosed is a method for mechanical thermoforming of a composite material to form a shaped composite material.

A mold for forming a wind turbine blade comprising first and second mold surfaces including a flange portion having an opening therein, wherein the first and second mold surfaces are configured for relative movement therebetween from an open position to a closed position. The opening of the first flange portion is aligned with the opening of the second flange portion when in the closed position, and a first magnet is disposed within the opening in the opening of the first mold surface, and a second magnet is disposed within the opening of the second mold surface.

A method for the manufacture of a fiber-composite article for a bicycle frame or other bicycle component uses an outer mold configured to define an outer surface of the fiber-composite article and an inner mold configured to define an inner surface of the fiber-composite article. The method comprises: securing in the inner mold a supportive armature for a space-filling mandrel, the mandrel being configured to occupy a space within the inner surface of the fiber-composite article during lay up and curing of the fiber-composite article; forming the mandrel by injection molding a solidifiable fluid into the inner mold, around the armature, the solidifiable fluid being configured to form a solidified, molded material; applying a fiber composition to the mandrel; securing the mandrel with the fiber composition in the outer mold; heating the fiber composition in the outer mold to form the fiber-composite article and concurrently heating the solidified, molded material. In this manner, the fiber composition is compressed into the outer mold due to expansion of the solidified, molded material.

A method and apparatus for forming a composite structure. A stackup comprising a plurality of overbraided thermoplastic members and an overbraided thermoplastic skin is built. The stackup is placed between an inner tooling and an outer tooling. The inner tooling, the stackup, and the outer tooling are held in place together using a load constraint. The inner tooling, the stackup, the outer tooling, and the load constraint form a consolidation setup. The consolidation setup is heated to form the composite structure.

The present invention applies to a molding method for a fiber-reinforced plastic structure having an internal cavity. Firstly, grain groups, which mainly consist of a plurality of high-rigidity grains, are accommodated in bags, and a plurality of cores are formed. A reinforcing fiber substrate, is placed between the plurality of adjacent cores so as to be interposed therebetween. For example, a plurality of molding base materials are prepared by surrounding each core with a prepreg, and the plurality of molding base materials are combined and placed inside a molding die, and the molding base materials are compression molded. When compression molding, a part of the outer surface of the cores is locally pressurized, and the internal pressure of the cores is increased, changing the shape thereof, thus eliminating voids that are present between the cores and the prepreg and/or the prepreg and the molding surface of the die.

Composite structures and methods of forming composite structures are provided. The composite structures can include one or more composite structure components. Each composite structure component is formed from a composite panel that includes one or more sheets of material. The sheets of material include a thermoplastic material and a plurality of reinforcing fibers. A composite panel can be formed in three dimensions to form a composite structure component. Multiple composite structure components can be fused to one another to form a composite structure. In addition, each composite structure component and the composite structure formed therefrom can include an aperture. An interior volume can be formed between adjacent composite structure components. Methods for forming a composite structure can include a step of simultaneously molding and fusing composite structure components.

Provided is a molded article that has both a low specific gravity and high rigidity and further has suppressed wrinkles and scrapes, and a manufacturing method for the same. Hence, provided is a press-molded article manufacturing method for press-molding a sheet-shaped molding substrate that is disposed in a cavity of a molding die and contains reinforcing fibers randomly dispersed in a matrix resin using a press molding machine provided with a molding die that is a convex molding die provided with a cavity formed between a concave mold for forming an opening of a molded article and a convex mold that matches with the concave, and has at least one surface (B) on which a pressure is loaded in a range of 0% to 70% of a pressure loaded on a surface (A) when the pressure loaded on the surface (A) from the press molding machine is 100% with respect to the surface (A) orthogonal to a direction of pressure applied to the molding die from the press molding machine, the press-molded article manufacturing method comprising: a shaping step (III) of loading a surface pressure of 1 MPa or more as an external pressure from the press molding machine to the surface (A); and a pressure holding step (IV) of setting a pressure loaded as an external pressure from the press molding machine on the molding substrate to 0.1 MPa or less without releasing the molding die after the shaping step (III).

Composite hollow blade and an associated method of forming the composite hollow blade are disclosed. The method includes forming a core by fabricating a grid core structure based on a plurality of design parameters, where the grid core includes a plurality of first reinforcing components disposed in a first curable matrix material. The method further includes forming an outer layer including a plurality of second reinforcing components disposed in a second curable matrix material. Further, the method includes coupling the core to the outer layer and curing the core and the outer layer to form the composite hollow blade.

Tool arrangement for compacting a composite preform assembly comprising a support structure preform and an array of component preforms each extending from the support structure preform and spaced apart along the support structure preform. The tool arrangement comprises a support tool defining a lay-up surface for laying up the support structure preform; a plurality of component moulds, each component mould comprising a pair of blocks configured to cooperate with one another to receive and compact a respective component preform extending from the support structure therebetween, each block having a compaction surface for engaging the component preform and a driving surface.

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.