Patent ID: 8127802

Claim:
A method of forming a variable width clevis in a woven preform, the method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a plurality of adjacent layers, each layer having a plurality of warp fibers, the warp fibers being parallel to each other and forming vertical columns; (b) weaving a plurality of fill fibers with the layers of warp fibers to form a base and two or more legs extending from the base, wherein the fill fibers interlock the layers of the base, the layers of each leg, and the warp fibers within each layer; and (c) selectively dropping one or more warp fibers out of a first portion of the preform that forms a first leg, thereby widening the width of a clevis formed between said two or more legs, or selectively adding one or more warp fibers into said first portion of the preform, thereby narrowing the width of said clevis formed between said two or more legs or doing both wherein the width of the clevis varies at least along the length of the preform.