Patent ID: 7132027
Filing Date: 2006-11-07
Classification: B29C,D04C,D10B,E04C,E04H,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method for fabricating a complex, three-dimensional structure from composite fiber/resin, comprising the steps of: a) pulling a plurality of continuous fibers from a feed source along a processing path about a longitudinal axis; b) winding at least some of the fibers around the longitudinal axis in opposite directions to form helical and reverse helical components that intersect at nodes; c) engaging the fibers in the processing path substantially only at locations localized at select nodes without substantially engaging the helical and reverse helical components; d) maintaining the select nodes radially outwardly from the longitudinal axis to create sequential discrete segments in the helical and reverse helical components forming a skeleton structure; e) simultaneously pulling the skeleton structure along the processing path while forming the skeleton structure; f) applying a resin to the fibers; and g) curing the resin.