The present invention discloses a method for producing unidirectional hybrid-braided fabrics, including: preparing a first layer of 0° warps; preparing a second layer of 0° warps to a Nth layer of 0° warps; preparing an auxiliary layer of wefts; preparing binding yarns; laying and hybrid-braiding the materials prepared in steps 1-4 to obtain unidirectional hybrid-braided fabrics; and cutting and winding. The 0° warps and wefts of the invention are made of two or more layers of different fibers that are laid in a single direction and finally hybrid-braided. Therefore, two or more different types of materials can be laid, thereby ensuring the uniform distribution and thickness of the fibers in different areas of the hybrid-braided fabric. The grammage of different 0° warp fiber layers can be adjusted freely in a range of 30-3000 grams/m.sup.2, thereby realizing performance and cost designability of a composite material.

The present invention is directed to a geotextile fabric including a plurality of wicking yarns each having a plurality of fibers with inter-fiber voids therebetween; wherein the inter-fiber voids of the plurality of wicking yarns has a water flow of about 0.05 milliliters per day per denier (ml/day/denier) to about 1.0 milliliters per day per denier. Further, the present invention is directed to a method of making such geotextile fabric.

The present invention can provide a fiber-reinforced expanded particle molded article having a reinforcing material fused and integrated with the surface of an expanded molded article, wherein the reinforcing material is a fabric or a braided product produced by weaving a linear composite material produced by melting and integrating a thermoplastic fiber comprising a low-melting component fiber and a high-melting component fiber, as two or more threads selected from the group consisting of a warp, a weft and a slant thread, the fiber-reinforced expanded particle molded article exhibiting an excellent reinforcing effect; and a method for economically producing the molded article by in-mold molding with a small number of steps.

A stitched multi-axial reinforcement and a method of producing a stitched multi-axial reinforcement. The stitched multi-axial reinforcement may be used in all such applications that reinforcements are generally needed and especially in such applications where either Vacuum Infusion technology or Resin Transfer Molding (RTM) technology for distributing the resin in the mold is used. The stitched multi-axial reinforcement is especially applicable in the manufacture of wind turbine blades, boats, sporting equipment, storage tanks, bus, trailer, train and truck panels, etc., and generally in all such structures that are subjected to stress in more than one direction

A multi-ply knit fabric containing a first knit ply containing a plurality of first and second yarns, where the first knit ply forms the upper surface of the fabric. The first knit ply contains a first knit pattern having a repeating pattern of first areas and second areas, where within the first areas the first and second yarns are knitted together and within the second areas the first yarns are knitted together and the second yarns float across approximately the entire second areas. The first areas and second areas have at least one dimension within the plane of the first ply knit of at least about 0.5 mm. The fabric also contains a second knit ply forming the lower surface of the fabric and a plurality of stuffer yarns located between the first and second knit ply.

Provided is a molded panel having at least one surface resembling a knit-like pattern, said panel comprising a plurality of stitches at least partially interconnected through connecting members wherein at locations where the stitch strand and the connecting member intersect they form together an integrated, solid molded material location and wherein the panel comprises through going apertures extending therethrough.

A sizing composition for glass fiber direct roving for producing multiaxial fabrics is provided. The sizing composition includes, based on the total solids mass of the composition, 0.1 to 5.0% by solid mass of a first silane coupling agent, 2.5 to 11.0% by solid mass of a second silane coupling agent, 3.0 to 20.0% by solid mass of a first film former, 45.0 to 75.0% by solid mass of a second film former, 0 to 5.0% by solid mass of a plasticizer, 0.2 to 4.0% by solid mass of a first lubricant, 5.0 to 20.0% by solid mass of a second lubricant, and 0.01 to 3.0% by solid mass of a pH regulator. The first film former is a multifunctional epoxy emulsion, and the second film former is a low-molecular-weight liquid epoxy emulsion.

A knitting method and an apparatus for a cylindrical biaxial weft-knitted three-dimensional knitted structure. The biaxial three-dimensional knitted structure comprises two weft plain stitch structures (7, 7′), a group of spacer yarns (416), two groups of weft inserting yarns (415, 415′) and a group of warp inserting yarns (43), wherein the two groups of weft inserting yarns are used for selective weft inserting on a needle dial (11) or a needle cylinder (13), the warp inserting yarns are positioned between the two groups of weft inserting yarns, the two weft plain stitch structures are connected with each other by the group of spacer yarns, for jointly clamping the weft inserting yarns and the warp inserting yarns, in order to form a biaxial weft-knitted three-dimensional knitted structure. Such three-dimensional knitted structure improves the mechanical properties of three-dimensional knitted fabrics; by increasing the interval between the needle dial and the needle cylinder, the thickness of the knitted structure is increased, which is suitable for the reinforced structure of high-performance structural and functional composite materials, and expand the field of the use of the knitted structures.

An exemplary elongated elevator load bearing member includes a plurality of tension elements that extend along a length of the load bearing member. A plurality of weave fibers transverse to the tension elements are woven with the tension elements such that the weave fibers maintain a desired spacing and alignment of the tension elements relative to each other. The weave fibers at least partially cover the tension elements. The weave fibers are exposed and establish an exterior, traction surface of the load bearing member.

Systems and methods for manufacturing knitted shoe uppers. An article of fully finished three-dimensionally weft knitted footwear is manufactured through a knitting process which can be performed by an automated V-bed flat knitting machine. During the knitting process, a plurality of knitted members are knitted into shape sequentially and connected to one another through knitted live hinges, each member being a ply, a layer, a layer portion or an appendage. The knitting machine manipulates the knitted members into their destined places as in the final product without cutting and sewing, thereby forming a seamless unitary textile construction. The process creates a seamless, full gauge, dimensionally stable footwear upper, as a unitary textile construction with an integrated anatomically appropriate heel. The entire upper, including the closure element of the upper, may be completed exclusively by the knitting machine, ready for the following shoe making process.