Bae Systems, Inc.

Robert D Spear

Stephen Williams

Andrew Paul Godbehere

The method of constructing a skin for a member of a body such as an aircraft comprises providing from a multi-axial fabric first and second pieces A, A shaped to correspond respectively to the shape of the member to be covered by the skin and to the shape of a similar member on the opposite side of the body, and inverting one of the pieces and placing it on the other. The method may include providing third and fourth pieces B, B from multi-axial fabric shaped to correspond respectively to the shape of the member to be covered by the skin and to the shape of the similar member on the opposite side of the body and inverting one of the third and fourth pieces B, B and placing it on the other to form a skin for the similar member. In order to minimise wastage the method preferably includes forming the first piece A and third piece B from areas of the fabric which lie alongside each other and/or forming the second piece A and the fourth B piece from areas of the fabric which lie alongside each other.

Method of constructing skin for a member of a body such as an aircraft

A method of constructing a composite material which comprises a laminate of plies comprising a warp dominated ply and a weft dominated ply, includes arranging first and second pieces of material alongside each other with a recess being defined at least partly by a warp dominated ply so that parts thereof form a lap joint which is received at least partly in a recess formed in or by a warp dominated or other ply, and arranging at least part of one of said first and second pieces of material in said recess so as to form lap joint with part of the other of the first and second pieces of material . The parts of said first and second pieces of material include weft dominated plies

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Bristol, United Kingdom

Robert D Spear