Patent ID: 8312827
Filing Date: 2012-11-20
Classification: B29C,B32B,D05B,D05C,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A process of laminating composites comprising: two or more layers of wet out resin-impregnated or otherwise matrix-aggregated/impregnated pre-cured tow groupings of fiber reinforcement, wherein a piercing method including penetrating means is undertaken and wherein said penetrating means penetrates through both or more said layers with also-wet (also matrix-aggregated/impregnated) pre-cured tow, wherein there is a means of processing said two or more layers of laminate together by any of the group of processes that includes needle point, embroidery, sewing, stitching, tying, bundling, wrapping, bundle tying, combinations of these, wherein said also-wet tow that is used to penetrate both or more said layers of laminate and process said layers together is thick enough and wet enough to otherwise be too thick to have been wet out in the pass that wet out one or more of said layers of laminate along with said tow, wherein both layers are locked by reinforced fibers once the laminate becomes cured or set, wherein once cured, said layers are locked by virtue of said cured tow looping through said two layers, as well as by optional additional virtue of said tow physically tying said two layers together, wherein said fiber reinforcement groupings are composed of types of reinforcement represented by the group that includes blanket, matt, cloth, roving, veil, chop, yarn, pultrusion, fabmat, weave, tape, continuous roving, continuous strand, unidirectional tape, single or multiple tows, yarns, multiple filament, multiple strand, wherein said tow represents one or more strands of reinforcing fibers represented by the group that includes fiber, filament, fiber or filament bundle, yarn, wherein said also-wet tow that is used to penetrate both or more said layers of laminate and process said layers together provides for a mechanical lock after said matrix is set, cured, dried, and wherein said lock is achieved by reinforcing fibers, wherein two or more layers or parts of a laminate are embroidered, sewn, tied or otherwise needle pointed wherein said layers or parts are joined together by said tow in addition to glue strength of said matrix, wherein said joining provides fiber based strength in the substantially normal or Z direction (while said laminate without wet-embroidering may have had only strength in the XY direction and depend on the glue strength of the resin for strength in the Z direction), wherein the reinforcing fibers holding said layers of lamination together would counter and resist against peel, sheer, de-lamination far greater than that peel, sheer, de-lamination provided by glue-strength of matrix alone, wherein differing layers of a laminate that are embroidered, sewn, tied, wrapped, bundle tied, or otherwise penetrated or needle pointed can be optionally homogeneous; i.e. where any or all can be substantially of the same type of composite, wherein differing layers of a laminate are that are embroidered, sewn, tied, wrapped, bundle tied, or otherwise penetrated or needle pointed can be optionally substantially heterogeneous, i.e. of differing physical, mechanical, chemical, thermodynamic, properties, or of differing resins/matrices, or differing fibers, and wherein said tow that pierces said layers of lamination can be optionally heterogeneous as well, whereby tensile strength between laminate layers is improved over the glue strength of resin alone, whereby the peel strength is improved between laminate layers over the glue strength of resin alone, whereby rip tear strength between the laminate layers is improved over glue strength of resin/matrix alone.