A method for producing a composite material in which a first fabric and a second fabric made from a fiber material are impregnated with a thermosetting resin and integrally molded, wherein a resin flow path through which thermosetting resin flows is provided between the first fabric and the second fabric, and the first fabric and the second fabric are impregnated with thermosetting resin from the resin flow path as well as being impregnated with thermosetting resin from the surface.

The method involves supplying a profile which is wound round a winding structure (13). The stresses are present in the profile as a result of the winding. The profile comprises several fibers extending along one another, which are embedded in a partially cured thermosetting matrix material. A heat treatment is carried out on the profile, by means of a heat treatment device, while the profile is wound round the winding structure. The matrix material is post-cured, during heat treatment. The glass-transition temperature of the matrix material is increased as a result of the heat treatment and the temperature to which the profile is exposed during the heat treatment remains below the glass-transition temperature. The stresses remain constant and the shape is retained both in cross-section as well as radius of curvature of the profile, in the stress-free state, despite the heat treatment and despite winding the profile round the winding structure prior to the heat treatment.

A pulforming system for forming a three-dimensional article includes a plurality of fibers, a resin injection system, resin, a preform die, a movable first pulling sled, a movable second pulling sled and a cutting station. The first and second pulling sleds form the fibers and resin into an article using a sequential, continual movement process of back-and-forth translational motion in unison to form an article that is three-dimensional in one or more of a longitudinal or transverse direction.

A method for forming a multi-layered structure includes forming a resin-infused fibrous material (70) by applying a liquid resin component (60) onto the fibrous material (32) being pulled through an injection box (110) such that the fibrous material is partially impregnated and surrounded by the liquid resin component to form a resin-infused fibrous material. The resin-infused fibrous material is then introduced to a first die (130) and partially cured to form a partially-cured fiber-reinforced core material (80). The core material exits the first die to an intermediate region, where a polymer layer (40) is then applied onto at least a portion of the outer profile surface of the core material. The material then enters a second die (140), where the liquid resin component is fully cured to form a fiber-reinforced thermoset core material (30) having the polymer layer adhered thereon within the second die, thus forming the multi-layered structure (20).

Provided herein are composite materials comprising at least 70 wt. % thermally consolidated recovered paper and plastic fragments and less than 5,000 ng water-soluble endotoxin per gram of composite materials, as well as methods of preparing said composite materials and methods of sanitizing recovered waste materials.

A system for sequential circumferential deposition of thermoplastic composite prepreg material to layer plies of prepreg tape, allowing the continuous processing of tubular shapes and rods, comprising a floating mandrel; a first heatable folding shoe configured to heat and wrap a first prepreg tape onto the floating mandrel; a first forming tube configured to heat and pultrude the first prepreg tape so as to form a first layer ply of prepreg tape on the floating mandrel; a second heatable folding shoe configured to heat and wrap a second prepreg tape onto the first layer ply of prepreg tape on the floating mandrel; a second forming tube configured to heat and pultrude the second prepreg tape so as to form a second layer ply of prepreg tape over the first layer ply of prepreg tape on the floating mandrel.

A 3D thermoplastic pultrusion system and method based upon a 3D variable die system and including one or more sets of 3D thermoplastic forming machines to continuously produce thermoplastic composite pultrusions with at least one of varying cross-section geometry and constant surface contours, varying cross-section geometry and varying surface contours, and constant cross-section geometry and varying surface contours. The 3D thermoplastic pultrusion system and method including at least one of one or more pairs of shapeable and flexible dual-temperature bands and a rotating assembly that rotates the one or more sets of 3D thermoplastic forming machines to impart a twist to the thermoplastic composite.

A method of monitoring a curing process for fiber reinforced composite materials that includes positioning an actuator on uncured composite material at a first location. At least one sensor is positioned at a second location that is spaced apart from the first location. The actuator excites waves in the composite part at the first location. At least one sensor is positioned at a second location that is spaced apart from the first location. The actuator excites waves in the composite part at the first location. The waves propagate through the composite part due to internal reflection. At least one wave metric is measured at the second location utilizing the sensor. At least one parameter of the curing process may be adjusted based, at least in part, on a wave metric measured by the sensor.

An apparatus for forming a fiber-bundle-based preform from a preform precursor material includes a process head coupled to a robotic arm. The process head has at least two rollers, a heated region, and a cooled region. A length of preform precursor material is passed through the rollers and fixed at a first end thereof. The process head moves relative to the preform precursor material, following a path defined by the movement of the robotic head. The path comports with the desired shape of the fiber-bundle-based preform. As the process head moves, it softens a portion of the preform precursor material, which then passes through the two rollers, the combination thereof incrementally altering the shape of preform precursor material to that of the preform. After passing the rollers, the newly formed region of preform is cooled to set its shape. The process head continues to move relative to the preform precursor material until the preform is fully formed.

The present relates to a composite sandwich structure comprising a central core made of pultruded lightweight yarns and outer composite skin of pultruded reinforcement fiber rovings. It is provided a method of producing a composite sandwich structure comprising providing pultruded lightweight and co-impregnated yarns, and a co-pultruded reinforcement fiber rovings; and guiding the pultruded lightweight yarns to form a central core and the pultruded reinforcement fiber rovings forming an outer composite skin within at least one heated pultrusion die producing a composite sandwich structure.