Ebert Composites Corporation

Steven G Moyers

David W Johnson

Scott A Garrett

James M Hook

A method and apparatus for forming an improved pultruded and clinched Z-axis fiber reinforced composite laminate structure. The upper and lower skins and the core are pulled automatically through tooling where the skin material is wetted-out with resin and the entire composite laminate is preformed in nearly its final thickness. The preformed composite laminate continues to be pulled into an automatic 3-dimensional Z-axis fiber deposition machine that deposits &ldquo;groupings of fiber filaments&rdquo; at multiple locations normal to the plane of the composite laminate structure and cuts each individual grouping such that an extension of each &ldquo;grouping of fiber filaments&rdquo; remains above the upper skin and below the lower skin. The preformed composite laminate then continues to be pulled into a secondary wet-out station. Next the preformed composite laminate travels into a pultrusion die where the extended &ldquo;groupings of fiber filaments&rdquo; are all bent over above the top skin and below the bottom skin producing a superior clinched Z-axis fiber reinforcement as a composite laminate continues to be pulled, catalyzed, and cured at the back section of the pultrusion die. The composite laminate continues to be pulled by grippers that then feed it into a gantry CNC machine that is synchronous with the pull speed of the grippers and where computerized machining, drilling, and cutting operations take place. This entire method is accomplished automatically without the need for human operators.

Method of clinching the top and bottom ends of Z-axis fibers into the respective top and bottom surfaces of a composite laminate

A method of inserting z-axis reinforcing fibers into a multi-layer composite laminate. Layers of material made up of z-axis fiber and y-axis fibers are automatically transported into a z-fiber deposition machine having a housing with upper and lower surfaces. Z-axis apertures are formed in the respective upper and lower surfaces. An elongated solid rod having a tapered front tip is aligned in close proximity to the aperture n the bottom surface. The rod is first rotated by a motor and then actuated upwardly completely through the thickness of the layer of x-y material by an actuator. A first hollow tube having a z-axis is axially aligned with the aperture in the top surface and a fiber bundle is threaded downwardly through a first hollow tube to a position adjacent its bottom end. The z-fiber deposition machine has structure to feed a predetermined length of the fiber bundle downwardly through the first hollow tube so that it follows the pathway in the x-y material formed by the rod which is now withdrawn downwardly through the aperture in the bottom wall. The z-axis fiber is thus deposited into the x-y material. The top end of the z-fiber is then severed and the x-y material is then advanced a predetermined distance to complete the cycle and is thus set to be repeated.

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Jamul, CA, United States of America

Steven G Moyers