The Dow Chemical Company

Gkn Westland Aerospace, Inc.

Curt Goodwyn Wilkinson

Warren D White

Johnny P Gendreau

Ronald David Gross

Brenda Thies Colegrove

Larry N Varholak

Mark Oldham

A preform suitable for use in a resin transfer molding process comprising (1) one or more layers of a non-woven random mat and (2) one or more layers of a series of tows of unidirectional fibers held together by a polymeric curable resin film grid. The polymeric resin film is in the form of a grid, such that only a fraction of the surface area of the fibers contacts the resin film.

Unidirectional fiber-random mat preform

A pliable tackified tow comprises a plurality of fibers having a tackifier present at about 1-15 per cent by weight uniformly distributed among the fibers. The tackifier is a solid material which has been fractured through fiber displacement such, as by physical bending, to produce a fiber tow that is pliable. The pliable tackified tow can be used in braiding, weaving, or filament winding operations to produce dry fabric which contains a tackifier between the individual fibers such that preforms produced using the tackified tow can be readily shaped and hardened to retain that shape prior to molding.

Pliable tackified fiber tow and method of producing same

Growing community of inventors

Wallingford, CT, United States of America

Curt Goodwyn Wilkinson