An impregnation section and a method for impregnating fiber rovings with a polymer resin are disclosed. The impregnation section includes an impregnation zone and a gate passage. The impregnation zone is configured to impregnate the plurality of rovings with the resin. The gate passage is in fluid communication with the impregnation zone for flowing the resin therethrough such that the resin impinges on a surface of each of the plurality of rovings facing the gate passage and substantially uniformly coats the plurality of rovings. The method includes impinging a polymer resin onto a surface of a plurality of fiber rovings, and substantially uniformly coating the plurality of rovings with the resin. The method further includes traversing the plurality of coated rovings through an impregnation zone. Each of the plurality of rovings is under a tension of from about 5 Newtons to about 300 Newtons within the impregnation zone.

Systems and methods are provided for applying lengthwise curvature to composite parts. One embodiment is a method that includes fabricating a preform for a curved pultruded gap filler by continuously: heating fiber reinforced material to a sticking point temperature for a constituent material within the fiber reinforced material, and feeding the fiber reinforced material through a die that exhibits a curvature through which the fiber reinforced material travels while the fiber reinforced material is heated to the sticking point temperature, the die forming the fiber reinforced material into a preform for a gap filler. Fabricating the curved pultruded preform further includes varying path lengths of fibers within the preform as the preform passes through the die, and pulling the preform out of the die.

A method of manufacturing a coated article comprises injecting a feedstock with a polymer resin to provide a resin-injected feedstock, pulling the resin-injected feedstock through a pultrusion die to form a pultrusion substrate having one or more profile surfaces, adhering an adhesive material comprising a thermoplastic polyurethane onto at least a portion the one or more profile surfaces to form one or more adhesive tie layers on the pultrusion substrate, and applying one or more coating materials onto the one or more adhesive tie layers to form one or more coating layers on the one or more adhesive tie layers to provide a coated pultrusion article, wherein an adhesion strength between the one or more coating layers and the one or more adhesive tie layers is higher than a corresponding adhesion strength would be between the one or more coating layers and the pultrusion substrate.

Marine vessels, including combatant (naval) vessels are produced inexpensively without requiring the use of as many skilled personnel as is conventional. The vessel produced has a high strength metal truss structure (both above and below the water line) capable of carrying major hull loads. A number of curved or doubly curved composite (e. g. GRP) panels produced by vacuum assisted resin transfer molding are fastened by bolts, marine adhesives, and/or rivets to the below water line portions of the truss structure where necessary to handle slamming loads and to reduce water resistance and wake. Substantially flat composite pultruded panels are fastened to the truss structure both above the water line, and below the water line where the resistance to slamming loads and reduction of water resistance and wake are not critical. Necessary equipment is installed within the open truss volume before the above-water-line panels are fully installed.

Radius fillers for composite structures, composite structures that include the radius fillers, and systems and methods of forming the radius fillers. The systems and methods may be configured to create a pre-form that may be utilized to form a radius filler and/or to create a radius filler from the pre-form. The systems may include an apparatus configured to form the pre-form for the radius filler. This apparatus includes a composite tape source, a pre-forming structure, and a drive mechanism. The systems also may include an apparatus configured to form the radius filler. This apparatus includes a pre-form supply, a first radius filler die, a second radius filler die, and a die selection structure.

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.

Aspects of the disclosure relate to methods and systems for producing a preferably strand-like extrudate.

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.

A simple, cost effective Precision Shaped Tow Manufacturing system can produce high tolerance, dimensionally accurate, ready to use, Unidirectional Resin Impregnated Fiber Tow, Shaped Tow, in one procedure by a single machine that is precise enough to support Automatic Fiber Placement, AFP and Automatic Tape Laying specifications, ATL. The tow shaping system may include a Rotating Forming System, a Static Forming System, or both. A flash cooling chiller is provided to instantaneously set the tow to lock in the shape with a high tolerance.