Curable prepregs with surface openings

A method for fabricating a curable composite material with an array of surface openings, the method comprising:

• (a) partially impregnating a woven fabric with a curable, hot-melt resin such that a continuous resin film covers each face of the fabric and penetrates partially through the thickness of the fabric leaving an inner section of the fabric, in the thickness direction, substantially free of said resin,
• wherein the woven fabric has two opposing faces and a weaving pattern in which a tow in a first weaving direction passes over another tow in a second weaving direction, then pass under an adjacent tow in the second weaving direction, and interstices are defined between adjacent tows;
• and
• (b) heating the partially impregnated fabric so that the resin film on at least one face of the fabric becomes flowable, and subsequently, portions of the resin film over the interstices break open, thereby creating openings in the resin film that correspond to locations of the interstices,
• wherein the openings are configured to provide fluid flow paths from the inner section of the fabric to at least one outer surface of the composite material, or from at least one outer surface of the composite material to the inner section, or from one outer surface of the composite material to an opposite surface, or combination thereof.