Composite prepreg material form with improved resistance to core crush and porosity

Abstract

A composite prepreg material ( ) with improved resistance to core crush and porosity incorporates a plurality of different fiber forms having varying cross-sectional configurations. Preferably, the fibers are interwoven in a warp ( ) and fill ( ) perpendicular orientation pattern. The varying cross-sectional configurations of the different fiber forms causes the fiber forms to have different levels of spreadability and frictional resistance to movement of the fiber. The present invention overcomes the susceptibility to many defects (specifically core crush and porosity) associated with composite material of a single fiber form having a set cross-sectional configuration, by incorporating multiple fiber forms having varying cross-sectional configurations. This multi-fiber form incorporation allows the strengths of one fiber form's properties to help compensate for the weaknesses of another fiber form's properties, and vice versa. Many variations of multi-fiber form woven designs can be utilized that incorporate fiber forms such as ST (standard twist tows); UT (untwisted tows, i.e. previously twisted and then untwisted tows); and NT (never twisted tows).