A method of removing a vacuum bag from a composite mold. Removable strips are placed around the perimeter of the component parts and across the parts to create natural break points in the consumable materials used during manufacture of a composite product, e.g. wind turbine blade. The vacuum bag, and other consumable layers, are placed over the removable strip such that when the strips are pulled, the strip tears, in a controlled and complete manner, through each layer of consumables. This eliminates the need to use a knife/scissor to remove the finished product, thereby avoiding risk of injury.

The invention relates to a method for continuous production of a composite material profile by injection-pultrusion from at least one reinforcing fabric and at least one thermoplastic polymer having high fluidity, said method being characterized in that: i) said fabric is continuously pulled with a pulling speed of at least 0.4 m.min.sup.−1 in the course of said process; ii) the impregnation stage is performed by injection of a polymeric composition having high fluidity through the fabric; iii) the profile is then shaped with a specific thermal profile.

The invention also relates to a profile obtained according to the method of the invention and a composite article comprising such a profile the curvature whereof may be modified in its curvature by bending and/or its profile by rotational molding.

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.

Systems and methods are provided for shaping flat charges. One embodiment is a forming system for shaping a flat charge. The forming system includes female dies that are elongate and are configured to hold the flat charge, and a male die that is elongate and is configured to press into the flat charge between the female dies to form the flat charge while the flat charge is supported, the male die includes notches that extend along a length of the male die and are dimensioned to retain gap fillers of the flat charge at widthwise locations of the flat charge corresponding to corners at the female dies while the flat charge is formed.

A method and an equipment for preparing a pultruded polyurethane composite by a polyurethane pultrusion process, and the pultruded polyurethane composite obtained by the method and use thereof are provided.

Plastic profiles are produced by a pultrusion method. For this, a mold is moved periodically relative to the stationary plastic profile and said profile is held by a holding means and transported away. In particular, the starting and the stopping of the method are problematical, since a tensile stress must be applied, by which both “slack” fibers and “rigid” profiles can be drawn through the mold. The invention creates a method and a device for simple and reliable manufacture of plastic profiles. For this, it is provided that at least one cross section of a receiving space of the at least one holding means is changed along a longitudinal axis of the holding means in order to grasp a reinforcement and/or the plastic profile.

A continuous forming apparatus of a fiber reinforced composite includes a tension detection mechanism, a drive motor, and a drive control device. The drive control device is configured so that a material roll is rotationally driven in a delivery direction of a reinforced fiber base material during a time period from a time point of end of pressurization in a forming process to a time point of end of a pulling-out process, and is also configured to perform tension control on the reinforced fiber base material based on a detected tension value from the tension detection mechanism and a target tension value, during a time period from a time point of start of the pulling-out process to a time point of end of the pressurization in the forming process in a next forming operation.

A method of removing a vacuum bag from a composite mold. Removable strips are placed around the perimeter of the component parts and across the parts to create natural break points in the consumable materials used during manufacture of a composite product, e.g. wind turbine blade. The vacuum bag, and other consumable layers, are placed over the removable strip such that when the strips are pulled, the strip tears, in a controlled and complete manner, through each layer of consumables. This eliminates the need to use a knife/scissor to remove the finished product, thereby avoiding risk of injury.

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.

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.