Patent ID: 6874543

Claim:
A three-dimensional preform weave architecture, comprising: a plurality of adjacent layers, each layer having a plurality of warp fibers, the warp fibers being generally parallel to each other and forming generally vertical columns; a plurality of fill fibers woven among the layers of warp fibers to form a base and two legs extending from the base, the base and each leg being formed from at least two layers of warp fibers, the base having a first edge and a second edge, each leg having a inner end and an outer end; wherein each fill fiber has a beginning at the first edge of the base, then extends to the second edge of the base, then extends back toward a central section of the base, then exits the layers of the base and extends into the layers of one of the legs before extending into the layers of the other of the legs, then exits the layers of the legs and extends back into the layers of the base for returning to the first edge of the base, the fill fibers entering each leg at the inner end of each leg and extending to the outer end of each leg before returning to the inner end of each leg, the fill fibers interlocking the layers of the base and interlocking the layers of each leg, the fill fibers also interlocking the warp fibers within each layer; and the columns of warp fibers include central columns of warp fibers located between the fill fibers connecting one of the legs to the base and the fill fibers connecting the other of the legs to the base, the central columns comprising an odd number of columns and allowing for a substantially mirror-image weave pattern about a central plane of symmetry of the weave architecture.