Patent ID: 7959751

Claim:
A process for producing a composite material having at least one layer comprised of elements that are bonded together comprising airlaying an assembly of one or more layers of randomly oriented fibrous elements, and shaping the assembly of one or more layers into an unbonded wave-like form and subsequently activating the assembly to cause an element in the assembly to bond to another element in the assembly to create a unitized composite material having at least one layer comprised of elements that are bonded together, wherein shaping of the assembly into a wave-like form is achieved by employing a transfer device moving at a first speed to transfer the assembly onto a wire moving at a second speed that is slower than the first speed, and wherein the transfer device is at a height in the z-direction that is different from the height of the wire, whereby the assembly is caused to pile up into the wave-like form having a desired wavelength and amplitude determined by the height of the transfer device relative to the wire and the speed of the transfer device relative to the wire.