University of Delaware

Advanced Ceramics Research, Inc.

US Government As Represented by the Secretary of the Army

Shridhar Yarlagadda

John W Gillespie, Jr

K Ranji Vaidyanathan

John J Tierney

Dirk Heider

Alex Vanarelli

Anthony C Mulligan

Gregory John Artz

Mark J Rigali

Bruce K Fink

Joseph Walish

Michael R Effinger

Catherine Green

Mark Fox

A process for aligning discontinuous fibers, and composite products and mats comprised of highly aligned discontinuous fibers, including products of the process. Aligned discontinuous fiber composite products include a matrix of fibers, each fiber having a longitudinal fiber axis, the composite comprising a free, uncut edge extending along an edge axis. The longitudinal fiber axis of a majority of the fibers in the composite product are aligned within a predetermined alignment tolerance of an alignment axis non-parallel to the edge axis. Aligned discontinuous fiber mats may have a first areal density of fibers in a first region of the composite located inward relative to the free, uncut edge, and a second area density at or adjacent to the free, uncut edge.

Aligned discontinuous fiber preforms, composites and systems and processes of manufacture

A system and method for aligning discontinuous fibers, manufacturing tailored preforms, and composite materials comprised of highly aligned discontinuous fibers.

Methods and compositions for fabricating composite parts including at least one structural material and at least one protective material that are integrally bonded without the use of secondary bonding operations. One or more of the materials forming the layers of the composite parts may be a ceramic composition with or without porosity and one or more of the materials may be a polymer composition. Methods including co-injection processes also are provided for fabricating multi-layered structures in which each layer serves a desired function while still being integrated into the overall structure.

Composite components with integral protective casings

A process for continuous composite coextrusion comprising: (a) forming first a material-laden composition comprising a thermoplastic polymer and at least about 40 volume % of a ceramic or metallic particulate in a manner such that the composition has a substantially cylindrical geometry and thus can be used as a substantially cylindrical feed rod; (b) forming a hole down the symmetrical axis of the feed rod; (c) inserting the start of a continuous spool of ceramic fiber, metal fiber or carbon fiber through the hole in the feed rod; (d) extruding the feed rod and spool simultaneously to form a continuous filament consisting of a green matrix material completely surrounding a dense fiber reinforcement and said filament having an average diameter that is less than the average diameter of the feed rod; and (e) depositing the continuous filament into a desired architecture which preferably is determined from specific loading conditions of the desired object and CAD design of the object to provide a green fiber reinforced composite object.

Continuous fiber reinforced composites and methods, apparatuses, and compositions for making the same

Mesh susceptors for use in induction heating and bonding processes are tailored to obtain more uniform heating across the susceptor and hence, the bondline, when bonding composite parts. The susceptors are tailored by cutting and removing segments from the mesh areas where the induced current and hence, heat generation, is highest. An algorithm is employed to predict the induced current patterns throughout the mesh so that areas of high heat generation can be identified and then cut and removed. In this way, essentially uniform temperatures in metal mesh susceptors may be achieved by specifically designed cut patterns within the mesh even though the mesh susceptor is subject to non-uniform magnetic fields.

Tailored mesh susceptors for uniform induction heating, curing and

Growing community of inventors

Newark, DE, United States of America

Shridhar Yarlagadda