A method of removing a vacuum bag from a composite mold. Removable strips are placed around the perimeter of the component parts and across the parts to create natural break points in the consumable materials used during manufacture of a composite product, e.g. wind turbine blade. The vacuum bag, and other consumable layers, are placed over the removable strip such that when the strips are pulled, the strip tears, in a controlled and complete manner, through each layer of consumables. This eliminates the need to use a knife/scissor to remove the finished product, thereby avoiding risk of injury.

A method for producing a reinforcement rod from a fibrous composite material comprising continuous mineral fibers and at least one resin, the resin being mixed with the dry mineral fibers, then wrapped with a strand of material, and the resin then being instantaneous or nearly instantaneously cured (e.g., snap cured) to form an optionally round rod with an optionally helical rib. In aspects, a mixture comprising an environmentally friendly and zero or low volatile organic compound (VOC) emitting resin and a resin-curing agent mixture is used. In aspects, helical ribs are added to the surface of the rod in a manner not to disrupt the longitudinal orientation of the core reinforcing mineral fibers. In aspects, ultraviolet irradiators are used to snap cure the reinforcement. When cured, corrosion resistant mineral fibers are encapsulated in a corrosion resistant matrix. The process allows for a simplified, condensed, and single operation for producing a corrosion resistant fibrous composite reinforcement rod.

Provided herein are composite materials comprising at least 70 wt. % thermally consolidated recovered paper and plastic fragments and less than 5,000 ng water-soluble endotoxin per gram of composite materials, as well as methods of preparing said composite materials and methods of sanitizing recovered waste materials.

A wall stud member comprising an inner component and an outer component. The inner and outer components are coupled together. In some configurations, the wall stud member forms a web with an outer flange and an inner flange. The wall stud member may be positioned as a part of a wall construction.

A main laminate forming a load carrying structure for a wind turbine blade, the main laminate extending in a spanwise direction from a proximal end through a transition region to a distal end, wherein the main laminate comprises: a top side, a bottom side, and a thickness direction extending between the top side and the bottom side; a pultrusion portion including a bottom pultrusion element extending to a transition end of a transition portion located in the transition region of the main laminate; a plurality of stacked fibre-reinforced elements including bottom and top fibre-reinforced elements extending to a transition end of a transition portion located in the transition region,
wherein the pultrusion portion and the plurality of fibre-reinforced elements are connected by a joint in the transition region of the main laminate.

A main laminate forming a load carrying structure for a wind turbine blade, the main laminate extending in a spanwise direction from a proximal end through a transition region to a distal end, wherein the main laminate comprises: a top side, a bottom side, and a thickness direction extending between the top side and the bottom side; a pultrusion portion including a bottom pultrusion element extending to a transition end of a transition portion located in the transition region of the main laminate; a plurality of stacked fibre-reinforced elements including bottom and top fibre-reinforced elements extending to a transition end of a transition portion located in the transition region,
wherein the pultrusion portion and the plurality of fibre-reinforced elements are connected by a joint in the transition region of the main laminate.

The present invention relates to an interlayer sheet for a spar cap comprising: a first fibre layer comprising a first plurality of fibres, having a first upper fibre surface and a first lower fibre surface, a second fibre layer comprising a second plurality of fibres, having a second upper fibre surface and a second lower fibre surface. The first fibre layer is arranged on top of the second fibre layer, such that the first lower fibre surface is in contact with the second upper fibre surface. The first fibre layer is of a different characteristic than the second fibre layer. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a spar cap for a wind turbine blade, comprising a plurality of pre-cured fibre-reinforced elements including at least a first pre-cured fibre-reinforced element and a second pre-cured fibre-reinforced element; and a number of interlayer sheets arranged between the plurality of pre-cured fibre-reinforced elements.

The present invention relates to a method of producing a prepreg, in which a matrix resin is applied to a reinforcing fiber sheet, where the sheet can continuously run without clogging due to generated fuzz, even at a high running speed, and where the sheet can be efficiently impregnated with the matrix resin. The prepreg is produced by a method which includes a step of allowing a reinforcing fiber sheet to pass horizontally or slantingly through the inside of a coating section storing a matrix resin to apply the matrix resin to the reinforcing fiber sheet, where the coating section includes a liquid pool and a narrowed section which are in communication with each other, where the liquid pool has a portion whose cross-sectional area decreases continuously along a running direction of the reinforcing fiber sheet, and wherein the narrowed section has a slit-like cross-section and has a smaller cross-sectional area than the largest cross-sectional area of the liquid pool.

Systems and methods are provided for shaping flat charges. One embodiment is a forming system for shaping a flat charge. The forming system includes female dies that are elongate and are configured to hold the flat charge, and a male die that is elongate and is configured to press into the flat charge between the female dies to form the flat charge while the flat charge is supported, the male die includes notches that extend along a length of the male die and are dimensioned to retain gap fillers of the flat charge at widthwise locations of the flat charge corresponding to corners at the female dies while the flat charge is formed.

The present disclosure relates to a spar cap (10) for a wind turbine blade (1000) comprising: a plurality of spar cap layers (20) and a first interlayer (30) arranged between the first spar cap layer (20a) and the second spar cap layer (20b) and comprising: a number of first interlayer areas (31), including a first primary interlayer area (31a), comprising a first number of interlayer sheets (33) comprising a first plurality of fibres (35); and a number of second interlayer areas (32), including a second primary interlayer area (32a), comprising a second number of interlayer sheets (34) comprising a second plurality of fibres (36), wherein the first number of interlayer sheets (33) is of a different characteristic than the second number of interlayer sheets (34).