Patent ID: 8394226

Claim:
A continuous process for manufacturing composite friction units comprising: selecting a panel of substantially uniform array of predominately glass strands of primary reinforcing fibers, the array of fibers bound together in a form selected from the group consisting of woven, braided and stitched; wetting the array of primary reinforcing fibers with a phenolic resin material; pulling the wetted array of reinforcing fibers in a predetermined uniform distribution and orientation through a composite forming die for forming a body having at least a part of a peripheral configuration of the friction units; while pulling the wetted array of reinforcing fibers, simultaneously pulling a substantially rigid panel having a tensile strength of at least about 18,000 lb/in 2 through the forming die with the panel of primary reinforcing fibers forming a layer bonded to a top surface of the substantially rigid panel emerging from the forming die; solidifying the body by curing the resin; and selectively cutting the body at least along one path transverse to the strands into a plurality of the friction units each having a predetermined size and configuration and uniform distribution and alignment of fibers throughout.