Patent ID: 8182877

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a composite material, comprising: growing a first reinforcement layer of reinforcement elements to a thickness, t 1 , in-situ, wherein the reinforcement elements are formed from a reinforcement material, and wherein the first reinforcement layer of grown reinforcement elements is arranged to have unoccupied space between adjacent reinforcement elements; impregnating at least a portion of the unoccupied space of the first reinforcement layer with a first matrix layer comprising a matrix material, wherein the first matrix layer extends continuously over a thickness t m , and over a substantial part of the area of the first reinforcement layer, and wherein the thickness t 1 is greater than thickness t m so that part of the thickness of the first reinforcement layer is not impregnated by the first matrix layer, and thereafter growing a second reinforcement layer of reinforcement elements, in-situ, wherein the reinforcement elements are formed from a reinforcement material, and wherein the second reinforcement layer of grown reinforcement elements is arranged to have unoccupied space between adjacent reinforcement elements, and thereafter impregnating at least a portion of the unoccupied space of the second reinforcement layer with a second matrix layer comprising a matrix material.