A reinforcing article includes a porous substrate layer separating a plurality of parallel first continuous fiber elements spaced apart from each other and extending along a first direction from a plurality of parallel second continuous fiber elements spaced apart from each other and extending along a different direction. Each first and second continuous fiber elements include a plurality of parallel and co-extending continuous fibers embedded in a thermoplastic resin.

Provided are a thermoplastic composite and a preparation method therefor, the composite comprising: a fiber structure having a network structure comprising at least one layer of fiber woven sheet; thermoplastic resin particles having a particle diameter of 1-50 m; and a particulate flame retardant, wherein the thermoplastic resin particles and the particulate flame retardant are impregnated into the fiber structure. In addition, a panel comprising a thermo-compressed product of the thermoplastic composite is provided.

A blade for a hockey stick which can readily absorb impact from the puck, and can allow the user to feel the puck on the blade in contrast to conventional carbon fiber blades. The blade can include a blade member integrally formed of composite material having discontinuous fibers bonded within thermosetting resin. The blade member can have a blade periphery surrounding a central blade region. The central blade region can have a plurality of openings arranged in a pattern to form series of elongate criss crossing ribs that extend between and connect different sides of the blade periphery to each other. The fibers in the blade periphery can be in a generally jumbled orientation, and the fibers in the central blade region can be positioned within the ribs in a manner wherein each rib contains a plurality of fibers that substantially extend in said each rib's elongate direction.

A blade for a hockey stick which can readily absorb impact from the puck, and can allow the user to feel the puck on the blade in contrast to conventional carbon fiber blades. The blade can include a blade member integrally formed of composite material having discontinuous fibers bonded within thermosetting resin. The blade member can have a blade periphery surrounding a central blade region. The central blade region can have a plurality of openings arranged in a pattern to form series of elongate criss crossing ribs that extend between and connect different sides of the blade periphery to each other. The fibers in the blade periphery can be in a generally jumbled orientation, and the fibers in the central blade region can be positioned within the ribs in a manner wherein each rib contains a plurality of fibers that substantially extend in said each rib's elongate direction.

Described herein is a reinforced polymer concrete composition that includes a polymer concrete cured while in contact with reinforcing material with a polymer that has a backbone containing cyclohexane dimethanol (CHDM). The polymer concrete can include an unsaturated polymer resin (UPR) as a binding agent. The reinforcing material and polymer concrete mixture can be brought in contact with each other prior to the polymer concrete curing. A cross-linking agent and a free radical initiator can be inserted for triggering a reaction between the CHDM-containing polymer and the UPR. The polymer can be a polyurethane or copolyester, such as polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG).

A manufacturing method contemplates performing vacuum-assisted resin infusion to enclose an elongated core within a cured composite laminate without employing a mold. Not relying upon an external mold enables the process to be efficiently performed for core shapes that are manufactured in low volumes. Typical resin infusion processes utilize flow media that induces bag bridging during vacuum draw in order to provide gaps facilitating resin flow. However, popular flow media also tends to impart directional aggregate forces during vacuum draw, which forces can deform the core since no mold is being used. To avoid unequal and non-dispersed directional forces from deforming the elongated core, a flow media is employed that is configured to disperse and/or reduce such forces. Some such flow media may be knitted so as to allow overlapping strands to slide over one another. Other flow media may ensure that strands are interleaved so that no one strand or group of strands is disposed outwardly of other strands along a substantial length of the strands, thus dispersing bag bridging forces in several directions and avoiding directional aggregate forces. However, such flow media may have inhibited resin flow relative to popular high-flow flow media, and thus new strategies have been developed to ensure appropriate wetting of fibrous reinforcement. An adjustable brace can also be employed to restrain the elongated core from deflecting during application of vacuum and/or resin infusion.

A method for processing a fiber-reinforced resin material is disclosed. A fiber-reinforced resin material is disposed between an upper die having a projection and a lower die having a recess corresponding to the projection. The fiber-reinforced resin material includes reinforced fibers having alternately intersecting warp yarns and weft yarns and are impregnated with a thermoplastic resin. The fiber-reinforced resin material is then heated to soften the thermoplastic resin, and the upper die and the lower die are placed close to each other in order to insert the projection into a gap between the warp yarns and the weft yarns of the reinforced fibers such that the gap between the warp yarns and the weft yarns is expanded to form a through hole.

Provided are a thermoplastic composite and a preparation method therefor, the composite comprising: a fiber structure having a network structure comprising at least one layer of fiber woven sheet; thermoplastic resin particles having a particle diameter of 1-50 m; and a particulate flame retardant, wherein the thermoplastic resin particles and the particulate flame retardant are impregnated into the fiber structure. In addition, a panel comprising a thermo-compressed product of the thermoplastic composite is provided.

A reinforcing article includes a porous substrate layer separating a plurality of parallel first continuous fiber elements spaced apart from each other and extending along a first direction from a plurality of parallel second continuous fiber elements spaced apart from each other and extending along a different direction. Each first and second continuous fiber elements include a plurality of parallel and co-extending continuous fibers embedded in a thermoplastic resin.

A multi-layer braided article and a method of making the multi-layer braided article. The multi-layer braided article includes a braid extending along a first axis, wherein the braid is folded over itself to form a first layer and a second layer; and a wrapper laid over the first layer of the braid and extending circumferentially around the first axis, wherein the wrapper defines an edge of the first layer about which the braid is folded. The multi-layer braided article may form part of a blade for an aircraft. A sleeve may be provided around a conical portion of the article to connect the article to something else, such as a propeller hub, where the multi-layer braided article is formed as part of a blade. The sleeve may provide a primary or secondary load path.