Patent ID: 6872273

Claim:
A method of making a pultruded part having a uniform cross-section, the method comprising the steps of: orienting a plurality of longitudinal rovings along a longitudinal axis of a pultrusion die; providing a reinforcing structure comprising a permeable transport web of staple fibers attached to a plurality of first reinforcing fibers oriented in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis, a plurality of second reinforcing fibers at a first acute angle relative to the longitudinal axis, and a plurality of third reinforcing fibers at a second acute angle that is generally the negative of the first acute angle, so that the portion of the reinforcing fibers oriented in the direction generally transverse to the longitudinal direction comprises at least 40% of a total volume of materials comprising the reinforcing structure; shaping the reinforcing structure to generally conform with a profile of the pultrusion die; combining a resin matrix with the longitudinal rovings and the reinforcing structure in the pultrusion die so that the longitudinal rovings and the reinforcing structure are substantially surrounded by the resin matrix; at least partially curing the resin matrix in the pultrusion die; and pulling the pultruded part from the pultrusion die.