Improved composite fibers, and structural materials mixed with the improved composite fibers, are produced by an improved process that vertically texturizes and impregnates resin into the fibers without introducing any substantial amount of microbubbles in the resin. By using vertical impregnation and twisting of fiber strands with specific viscosity control, stronger composite fibers, in which substantially no microbubbles are trapped, are produced with improved tensile strength and lower variance in tensile strength, for use in strengthening structural concrete and other structural materials.

Improved composite fibers, and structural materials mixed with the improved composite fibers, are produced by an improved process that vertically texturizes and impregnates resin into the fibers without introducing any substantial amount of microbubbles in the resin. By using vertical impregnation and twisting of fiber strands with specific viscosity control, stronger composite fibers, in which substantially no microbubbles are trapped, are produced with improved tensile strength and lower variance in tensile strength, for use in strengthening structural concrete and other structural materials.

A three-dimensional printing method is provided. The method comprises supplying a polymer composition to an extruder system and selectively dispensing the polymer composition through an extruder nozzle to form a three-dimensional structure. The polymer composition comprises a plurality of reinforcing fibers embedded and distributed within a thermoplastic polymer matrix, wherein the thermoplastic polymer matrix constitutes from about 20 wt. % to about 90 wt. % of the composition and the reinforcing fibers constitute from about 10 wt. % to about 80 wt. % of the composition.

A support structure comprising a pultruded outer beam (12), a pultruded inner beam (14), a plurality of wear tabs (16) affixed to the inner beam, and a gear track (18) affixed to the inner beam. The outer beam is substantially hollow and adapted to receive the inner beam and the inner beam is shaped so that a portion of the inner beam extends nearly the entire height of the outer beam and a portion of the inner beam extends nearly the entire width of the outer beam, the plurality of wear tabs are located at one or more corners of the inner beam, and the gear track contacts a gear for facilitating movement of the inner beam.

Equipment for forming a tubular rod of fibrous material comprises: a gathering station constructed to receive a continuous supply of fibres and to gather the fibres into a bundle as the fibres advance through the equipment; a divider arranged in the path of the fibres through the equipment and constructed to from a cleft along the length of the bundle as it advances through the equipment; a mandrel positioned in the path of the bundle of fibres in alignment with the divider and constructed to form the cleft into a passage through the bundle of fibres as the bundle of fibres advances over the mandrel; and a die constructed and arranged to cooperate with the mandrel to form the fibres in a tubular configuration around the mandrel.

A method of producing a fiber reinforced composite material satisfies condition 1: a thermosetting resin base material (B) includes a thermosetting resin (a) and a nonwoven fabric-shaped base material (a thermosetting resin base material satisfying the condition 1 is referred to as a thermosetting resin base material (B-1)); and condition 2: the thermosetting resin base material (B) is a base material including the thermosetting resin (a), and a porous sheet-shaped base material (b) or a film-shaped base material (c), the thermosetting resin (a) has a viscosity of 1,000 Pa.Math.s or more at 40° C., and the thermosetting resin (a) has a minimum viscosity of 10 Pa.Math.s or less during heating from 30° C. at a temperature rise rate of 1.5° C./min (a thermosetting resin base material satisfying the condition 2 is referred to as a thermosetting resin base material (B-2)).

A method is disclosed for additively manufacturing a composite structure. The method may include coating a continuous strand with a matrix, discharging a composite tubular structure made from the coated continuous strand, and exposing the matrix in the composite tubular structure to light to cure the matrix during discharging. The method may also include depositing a material layer onto an internal surface of the composite tubular structure as the composite tubular structure is being discharged, and wiping a squeegee over the material layer.

A method of manufacturing a structural member includes preheating a plurality of fibers to a first temperature, moving the preheated fibers along an assembly line, applying a binder having a viscosity lower than 25 centipoise to at least one of the preheated fibers, providing a die shaped to receive the preheated fibers, wherein the die moves together with the preheated fibers along at least a portion of the assembly line, maintaining a temperature of the plurality of fibers at a temperature substantially similar to the first temperature, and compressing the plurality of fibers within the die while maintaining a temperature.

The invention relates to a method for producing a fiber-reinforced, polymeric continuous profiled element (1), wherein the continuous profiled element (1), having preferably at least one hollow chamber (2, 2), comprises a core profile (10) which can be produced by means of a pultrusion process, and wherein during the pultrusion process at least one continuous strand having reinforcement fibers (5) is integrated into the polymer matrix (4) of the core profile (10). According to the invention, the curing of the core profile (10) is carried out by means of a dual-cure method.

A system for pultruding a beam, such as a pultruded beam of natural fibers, comprises a pulling mechanism continuously pulling on a preform of yarns including a thermoplastic matrix and fibers, the pulling mechanism being downstream of the system. A sequence is provided in the system and has a pre-heating module to pre-heat the preform. A first die has a tapering channel portion heated such that the preform reaches a desired low viscosity temperature for resin in the thermoplastic matrix to impregnate the fibers. A vacuum module has a vacuum cavity to remove air from the preform exiting the first die. A second die has a tapering channel portion heated such that the preform is at the desired low viscosity temperature for resin in the thermoplastic matrix to further impregnate the fibers. A cooling module to cool the beam before the beam reaches the pulling mechanism. A system for pultruding beams is also provided.