The present invention relates to a method of molding a component (1) having one or more features (5). At least one fibrous substrate (7) is located in a mold (31, 33). A matrix-forming material (29) is also provided in the mold (31, 33). Heat is applied to melt the matrix-forming material (29) to form a matrix (9) and to integrally mold said one or more features (5).

An injection-molding machine (10) has a static mold (14), a mold shaft (15) inserted into an inner space (14a) of the static mold (14) and having a central axis (15a), a rotation mechanism (17) which rotates the mold shaft (15) around the central axis (15a), and a raw material injection mechanism (1) which injects as a raw material, a composite material containing resin and fiber into the inner space (14a) of the static mold (14). The raw material is injected from a tip section of the mold shaft (15) into the inner space (14a) of the static mold (14) along the mold shaft (15). A technique of properly controlling the fiber orientation in the injection molding of the composite material part is provided.

An object is to provide a composite material manufacturing method for improving interlayer strength. The present disclosure provides a composite material manufacturing method of laminating a plurality of prepregs (10) formed of a fiber reinforced base material impregnated with an uncured matrix resin and performing hot molding, the method including: using the prepregs (10) each provided with a gap layer (12) that does not contain a resin and is continuous in an in-plane direction and resin layers (11a, 11b) disposed on both surfaces of the gap layer; disposing a plurality of short fibers (13) on facing surfaces of the prepregs (10) that are adjacent to each other; and evacuating the laminated prepregs (10) to degas the gap layer (12) and then performing hot molding.

A thrust reverser cascade of an aircraft engine comprises a frame and a vane overmolded onto the frame. The frame and the vane each comprise reinforcement fibers in a thermoplastic matrix. A method is disclosed for manufacturing the thrust reverser cascade or another part comprising an aerodynamic surface configured to interact with a flow of fluid. The method comprises providing a first portion of the part and overmolding a second portion of the part onto the first portion where the second portion includes the aerodynamic surface.

Systems and methods are provided for fabricating composite parts. One embodiment is a method that includes heating a female die having a receptacle and a complementary male die, heating an extruder above a melting point of a thermoplastic within chopped prepreg fiber, in order to melt chopped prepreg fiber disposed within the extruder, extruding the chopped prepreg fiber from the extruder into the receptacle of the female die while the chopped prepreg fiber remains molten, pressing the male die into the female die, causing the molten chopped prepreg fiber to fully enter receptacle, and cooling the chopped prepreg fiber in the receptacle of the female die to form a composite part.

In one embodiment, a method includes fastening a plurality of components of a composite structure in an assembly fixture, wherein the assembly fixture comprises a plurality of strands of a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic material, wherein the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic material comprises a thermoplastic embedded with a plurality of reinforcement fibers, wherein the plurality of reinforcement fibers is aligned within each strand of the plurality of strands, and wherein the assembly fixture further comprises an anisotropic thermal expansion property based on an orientation of the plurality of reinforcement fibers within the assembly fixture; and heating the assembly fixture in an autoclave to bond the plurality of components of the composite structure.

The invention is directed to a vehicle pneumatic tire wherein strengthening plies are provided with steel cords running parallel to one another. The belt plies can be used, as isolated electrically conductive plates, for supplying electricity to electrical consumers such as sensors and actuators installed in the tire. Adjacent belt plies can be connected by puncture sensors to be able to identify damage to the belt caused by metallic parts penetrating from the outside, such as nails, on the basis of a change in the electrical resistance.

Methods and an apparatus are presented. A bulk molding compound is consolidated by sending the bulk molding compound through a die breaker and an extrusion die of a consolidation system.

A method of manufacturing stiffened structural panel for an aircraft including a main sheet made of composite material with unidirectional fibers, and a stiffening structure secured to the main sheet and made of a composite material comprising a resin and chopped fibers, the stiffening structure including on the one hand a base adhering to one of the two lateral faces of the main sheet, and a network of stiffeners in the form of a grid projecting from the base. The method includes a step of compression molding the stiffening structure from a block formed of a prepolymer reinforced with chopped fibers.

A rotor blade for a wind turbine includes at least one blade segment with at least one shell member defining an airfoil surface. The shell member(s) includes a sandwich panel configuration having one or more inner skin layers, a core material, and one or more outer skin layers. The outer skin layer(s) includes one or more first fibers, whereas the inner skin layer(s) includes one or more different second fibers. Further, the first fiber(s) of the outer skin layer(s) have a higher elastic modulus than the second fiber(s) of the inner skin layer(s).