Methods and apparatus are provided for the production of thermoplastic composite sheets whose fibers are other than perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the sheet and which are capable of being slit into sheets, strips and/or tapes of custom widths.

The present invention generally relates to fiber-reinforced composites, including carbon-fiber composites. These materials are useful in load-bearing components for mechanical systems, and other applications. Surprisingly, the carbon fibers can be aligned using an applied magnetic field applied directly to the carbon fibers, rather than to magnetic materials that are used to indirectly align the carbon fibers. For example, the carbon fibers may exhibit an anisotropic diamagnetic response in response to a magnetic field, which can be used to align the fibers. In some cases, the carbon fibers may be relatively pure, and/or have a relatively high modulus, which may result in diamagnetic properties. Other embodiments are generally directed to systems and methods for making or using such composites, kits involving such composites, or the like.

A sound wave absorbing laminate composite material structure for an aircraft including stacked plies of a hybrid composite material, wherein each of the hybrid composite material plies includes first polymer material tows parallel to a warp direction, second polymer material tows parallel to a weft direction, and sound absorbent material tows parallel to the warp direction, wherein the first and second polymer material tows carbon or glass fiber reinforcing polymer.

In an aspect, a system for manufacturing a freeform mold for an electric aircraft is presented. The system includes a plurality of polymer sheets. The system includes a conveyor. The conveyor is configured to transport the plurality of polymer sheets from a first location to a second location. The system includes a heating element. The heating element is configured to heat at least a portion of a sheet of the plurality of polymer sheets. The system includes a molding device. The molding device is configured to hold at least a portion of the plurality of polymer sheets in a shape. The system includes a compressing device. The compressing device is configured to apply a pressure to at least a portion of the molding device. The plurality of polymer sheets is molded into a freeform shape by the heating element, molding device, and compressing device.

Described are methods and systems for a composite structure that allows for out of autoclave curing. Due to the layout of the composite structure, voids within the composite structure, formed out of autoclave, is reduced. The composite structure includes a composite laminate and one or more infusion films. The composite laminate includes a plurality of fiber tows that each include a plurality of fiber strands and a resin. The resin has a first viscosity within a first temperature range. The infusion film is disposed on a surface of the composite laminate and has a second viscosity lower than the first viscosity within the first temperature range. Methods of curing the composite structure are also described.

The purpose of the present invention is to obtain a fiber-reinforced composite material having excellent appearance or mechanical characteristics, whereby a three-dimensional shape is molded with high productivity while appearance defects such as fiber meandering or wrinkling are suppressed. In this method for manufacturing a fiber-reinforced composite material, when a stack in which a plurality of sheet-shaped prepregs (X) in which a plurality of continuously arranged reinforcing fibers are impregnated with a matrix resin composition are layered in different fiber directions is molded into a three-dimensional shape by a molding die (100) provided with a lower die (110) and an upper die (112), a stretchable sheet (10) or a resin film (Y) used in the stack (12) is utilized. In this method for manufacturing a fiber-reinforced composite material, the stack may be pre-molded to obtain a preform, and the preform may be furthermore compression-molded to obtain a fiber-reinforced composite material.

A fan case for a gas turbine engine includes an annular liner and an annular case body. The liner has a plurality of liner fiber layers. The case body surrounds the liner. The case body includes a plurality of first and second fiber layers. The first fiber layers extend axially beyond the second fiber layers in axially forward and aft directions and the second fiber layers are interleaved with the first fiber layers. The first fiber layers each have a first fiber architecture and the second fiber layers each have a second, different fiber architecture.

Disclosed herein are systems and techniques for producing complex components using a reinforced thermoplastic material. The complex components can include contoured or curved outer surfaces, and in some cases define a cavity. In certain examples, one or more thermoplastic materials are arranged to form a wheel component, such as that adapted to define a rim of the bicycle. Thermal bonding can be used to join multiple reinforced thermoplastic materials to one another in order to form a cavity of the wheel component or other complex shape. In certain examples, a portion of a tooling assembly can be pressurized to maintain a shape of the cavity during thermal bonding and cooling. This can remove the need for a sacrificial bladder or other structure that would maintain the shape of the cavity, allowing for a seamless final component, optionally absent indicia of bladder exit or other seams.

A method for producing a peelable sheet, includes the steps of adhesively bonding woven fibres with a preparation of base components for a thermosetting resin so as to form adhesively bonded sheets; stacking the adhesively bonded sheets in a stack; and converting the base components into thermoset resin. The stack of sheets is kept under pressure and, prior to being adhesively bonded, the woven fibres are coated with a deposit of a fluoropolymer.

A multiaxial fabric resin base material includes a multiaxial fabric base material laminate impregnated with a thermosetting resin (B), the multiaxial fabric base material laminate including fiber bundle sheets layered at different angles, the fiber bundle sheets including unidirectionally aligned fiber bundles stitched with stitching yarns composed of a thermoplastic resin (A), the multiaxial fabric base material laminate being penetrated in the thickness direction by other bodies of the stitching yarns, and being stitched with the other bodies of the stitching yarns such that the yarns reciprocate at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction, the thermoplastic resin (A) constituting the stitching yarns having a softening point, the softening point being higher than the resin impregnation temperature of the thermosetting resin (B).