A method for producing a three-dimensional preform from an intermediate preform blank (30, 70), which contain undulations (31) in a portion thereof. The preform blank (30, 79) may be formed on a tool surface (60) containing undulations (61) using an automated placement method such as Automated Tape Laying (ATL) or Automated Fiber Placement (AFP), in which narrow-width strips of material are dispensed side-by-side. Various preform blanks (30, 70) and molding tools (10, 50, 80) have been designed to produce shaped preforms having generally C-shape and Z-shape cross-sections.

One embodiment is an apparatus including a mold configured to manufacture a composite structure at a heated temperature. The mold includes a first mold tool configured to mold a first portion of the composite structure, wherein the first mold tool comprises a plurality of strands of a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic material, wherein the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic material comprises a thermoplastic embedded with a plurality of reinforcement fibers, wherein the plurality of reinforcement fibers is aligned within each strand of the plurality of strands; and an anisotropic thermal expansion property, wherein the anisotropic thermal expansion property is based on an orientation of the plurality of reinforcement fibers within the first mold tool; and a second mold tool configured to mold a second portion of the composite structure.

A composite material forming device forms a composite material including a resin and reinforced fibers having electrical conductivity. The composite material forming device includes: a conduction jig having electrical conductivity, the conduction jig being to be placed on a surface of the composite material so as to make a bridge between both end portions of the reinforced fibers in a fiber direction; and an electric current generating unit that generates an electric current in the conduction jig. The conduction jig placed on the surface of the composite material and the reinforced fibers form a closed loop through which the electric current flows so that the closed loop intersects the surface of the composite material.

A precured fibrous composite strip for a load-carrying structure for a wind turbine blade has a first longitudinal end and a second longitudinal end, a first side and a second side with a width defined as the distance between the first side and the second side, and an upper surface and a lower surface with a thickness defined as the distance between the upper surface and the lower surface. The strip includes a taper region with a taper length at the first longitudinal end. The taper region tapers in thickness towards the first longitudinal end. The taper region includes a first taper section proximal to the first longitudinal end and having a first average taper angle, a third taper section distal to the first longitudinal end and having a third average taper angle, and a second taper section between the first taper section and the third taper section.

Provided is a laminated substrate wherein a sheet-shaped material with a porosity of 50-99% is laminated onto at least one surface of a prepreg substrate which includes a reinforcing fiber and a thermoplastic resin.

Techniques for flexible, on-site additive manufacturing of components or portions thereof for transport structures are disclosed. An automated assembly system for a transport structure may include a plurality of automated constructors to assemble the transport structure. In one aspect, the assembly system may span the full vertically integrated production process, from powder production to recycling. At least some of the automated constructors are able to move in an automated fashion between the station under the guidance of a control system. A first of the automated constructors may include a 3-D printer to print at least a portion of a component and to transfer the component to a second one of the automated constructors for installation during the assembly of the transport structure. The automated constructors may also be adapted to perform a variety of different tasks utilizing sensors for enabling machine-learning.

The invention relates to a three dimensional shaped article having an outer and inner surface, the outer surface comprising at least one fabric (100) of polyethylene fibers having a tensile strength of at least 1.5 GPa, the fabric is impregnated with an acrylic based thermoplastic material. The three dimensional shaped article may further comprise monolayers with unidirectional aligned fibers. The three dimensionally shaped article has an improved surface appearance which would therefore need little or no post treatment and has good adhesion to coatings and paints.

The present invention relates to a method for assembling particles having a long axis, a short axis and an average aspect ratio of 10-10,000. The method includes agitating a combination of a first solution, a second solution and the particles in any order to form a mixture wherein one of the first solution and the second solution is in the form of droplets dispersed in the other of the first solution and the second solution and the long axis of the particles is longer than a diameter of the droplets in the mixture, and continuing the agitation until the particles assemble into aggregates of particles with at least 30% of the particles aligned in parallel along the long axis. Aggregate or aggregate composites form by the method are also described.

Provided is an intermediate base material (incised prepreg) which has exceptional surface quality and mechanical properties when solidified and with which it is possible to obtain a fiber-reinforced plastic having excellent three-dimensional shape conformance properties. This incised prepreg has, in a prepreg that includes a resin and reinforcing fibers oriented in one direction, incisions substantially parallel to the orientation direction of the reinforcing fibers (the incisions substantially parallel to the orientation direction of the reinforcing fibers are referred to as parallel incisions) and incisions that cut across the reinforcing fibers (the incisions that cut across the reinforcing fibers are referred to as intersecting incisions).

To achieve a composite material part with a fully load adapted 3D fiber reinforcement with low costs for tools and process, a method is provided for manufacturing a part made of composite material with a continuous fiber reinforcement. The method comprises the steps of providing a body with tubular cavities and having at least one first portion made from a first polymer material and at least one second portion made from a second polymer material, introducing resin and continuous fibers into the tubular cavities, and removing at least a part of the second polymer material.