The present invention relates to a part of a luggage system, in particular a shell of a hard-shell case or trolley, comprising a natural fiber material. The present invention further relates to a method for the manufacture and a method for the repair of such a part. A part of a luggage system is provided which comprises a fiber-reinforced material, wherein the fiber-reinforced material comprises a natural fiber material and a matrix material. The natural fiber material comprises at least one set of unidirectional fibers which are embedded in and/or impregnated with the matrix material.

A system and a method for manufacturing a composite building material including a printed matrix and a continuous fiber embedded in this matrix, the system including a printhead configured to deposit the printed matrix by depositing material in successive layers on a deposition plane, and an injection device configured to inject the continuous fiber into the matrix deposited by the printhead, the injection device including a distribution head configured to deliver the fiber, and a drive device configured to swing the distribution head between a high position and a low position.

The present invention concerns preforms made with a new intermediate material composed of a unidirectional layer of carbon fibers with a weight of 100 to 280 g/m.sup.2, associated on each of its faces, with a web of thermoplastic fibers having a thickness of 0.5 to 50 microns, preferably 3 to 35 microns, the intermediate material having a total thickness of 80 to 380 microns, preferably from 90 to 320 microns, and a process for manufacturing composite parts from such preforms and the resulting composite parts.

A textile substrate made from reinforcing fibers for the production of composite-material preforms, Including an unidirectional composite consisting of at least one flat layer of multifilament reinforcing yarns arranged alongside and parallel to one another and joined by transverse threads, whereby a nonwoven of thermoplastic polymer material is arranged on the at least one flat layer of multifilament reinforcing yarns and is adhesively bonded to the flat layer of multifilament reinforcing yarns. The textile substrate wherein the transverse threads have a core/sheath structure with a first component forming the sheath and a second component forming the core, wherein the first component has a lower melting point than the second component, the first component is a fusible thermoplastic polymer material and the multifilament reinforcing yarns arranged alongside one another are joined together via the first component of the transverse threads by meltbonding.

A unidirectional reinforcement and a method of producing a unidirectional reinforcement that may be used in applications where high quality and strength is required. The unidirectional reinforcement includes transversely arranged discrete Z-direction resin flow facilitating means running back and forth between the longitudinal edges of the sheets, and traveling between the groups of rovings and between the top and bottom surfaces of the unitary web.

The present invention relates to a method of producing a ribbon comprising bamboo fibers. The method comprises positioning the fibers on a conveyor and conveying the fibers in a transport direction, interconnecting the fibers by covering the fibers with thread and/or particles of a sticky material with at least one web forming device which is positioned above and/or below the conveyor and which ejects thread and/or particles. The formed thread and/or particles attaches to the fibers and forms a web which interconnects the fibers in order to form the ribbon and/or stitching the fibres together with at least one stitching device which is configured to stitch the individual fibers together in order to form the ribbon.

A unidirectional reinforcement and a method of producing a unidirectional reinforcement for use in applications where high quality and strength is required. The unidirectional reinforcement includes transversely arranged thin discrete flow passage formed to ensure resin flow properties in a direction transverse to the direction of the unidirectional rovings. Thin discrete flow passage forming means are secured on the unidirectional rovings by means of additional yarns running on the thin discrete flow passage forming means and transverse thereto.

A non-weft, unidirectional fabric is provided that includes a plurality of substantially parallel reinforcement fiber bundles. The reinforcement fiber bundles have a first surface and an opposing second surface. The non-weft, unidirectional fabric further includes at least one of a non-woven veil bonded to at least one surface and one or more bands of sprayed adhesive spanning across at least a portion of the width of one of the first and second surfaces of the plurality of substantially parallel reinforcement fibers.

Provided is a composite material capable of keeping a good appearance even after heat processed, a method for manufacturing a composite material and a method for manufacturing a molded article. The composite material of the present invention contains a commingled yarn that contains a continuous reinforcing fiber (A) and a continuous thermoplastic resin fiber (B) as fiber components thereof; and a thermoplastic resin fiber (C) that keeps the commingled yarn in place, a thermoplastic resin that composes the thermoplastic resin fiber (C) having a melting point 15 C. or more higher than the melting point of a thermoplastic resin that composes the continuous thermoplastic resin fiber (B).

A case for a gas turbine engine includes a plurality of distinct case sections in axial series. The case sections include, in axial order, a flange section, a forward shell section, a containment section, and an aft shell section. The forward shell section, the containment section, and the aft shell section are formed of a plurality of unidirectional roving fiber layers and a plurality of non-crimp fabric layers. The flange section is formed of a second plurality of non-crimp fabric layers. The plurality of unidirectional roving fiber layers do not have stitching or weaves. A ballistic liner is attached with the containment section, and a fiberglass layer encapsulates the plurality of unidirectional roving fiber layers, the plurality of non-crimp fabric layers, and the second plurality of non-crimp fabric layers.