Patent ID: 9366365
Filing Date: 2016-06-14
CPC Classification: B29C,B29L,F16L,Y10T

Claim Text:
1. A method of reinforcing a composite tube comprising: providing a knitted reinforcement material comprising a plurality of interlocking loops of fiber, said knitted reinforcement material having first and second ends; folding said second end of said material back over itself towards said first end to form a dual layered configuration; and applying a matrix over said dual layered configuration, said matrix comprising resin and epoxy constituents, said matrix filling voids between said loops of fiber and between and around both layers of said dual layered configuration, said matrix having an internal surface extending radially inward beyond an inner layer of said dual layered configuration and an external surface extending radially outward beyond an outer layer of said dual layered configuration thereby forming a reinforced composite tube of a desired thickness; and wherein said knitted reinforcement material has a variable diameter along its length and at least one non-circular cross-sectional area defining at least one of a plurality of end configurations, said end configurations comprising at least one of a flange, a coupler, an extension, or a junction.