Patent ID: 7144625

Claim:
A structural reinforcing layer for use in composite materials for carrying load and providing structural stiffness, comprising a wire cord layer arranged to create a twisted wire geometry consisting of individual wires having a circular cross section and a size greater than 100 microns, wherein multiple wires are twisted together continuously along their length, forming a wire cord structure having a line of continuous or intermittent contact with adacent wires that extend along the length of the resulting wire cord structure, said twisted wire geometry being made of a plurality of said wires that, when twisted about themselves, mechanically interlock into a structural matrix material, wherein the wire cord layer is selected from the group consisting of: a plurality of individual wires twisted together, a plurality of multi-strand wires twisted together, twisted brass or zinc coated steel wires and twisted cords made from pre-cured composite filaments, wherein the wire cord layer is unidirectional.