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US 12,000,069 B2Granted
Three-dimensional woven support beam and method of making thereof
AssigneeAlbany Engineered Composites, Inc.
InventorBrock Gilbertson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed is a cruciform-shaped reinforcing structure with at least two arms of intersecting C-Beams having continuous warp fiber reinforcement across the length of each arm.
Claims31
A method of forming a woven preform, comprising:
- weaving a first fabric over a second fabric in a first portion of the woven preform, the first and second fabrics each including warp fibers interwoven with weft fibers;
- interweaving warp fibers of the first fabric with warp fibers of the second fabric at a crossover portion of the woven preform such that after the crossover portion the first fabric is woven under the second fabric in a second portion of the woven preform;
- wherein the warp fibers in the first and second fabrics are continuous across the crossover portion, and
- wherein the warp fibers on edges of the first fabric and the warp fibers on edges of the second fabric are floating warp fibers that float in the crossover portion, such that at least one of the edges including the floating warp fibers is folded along an axis of the floating warp fibers that is parallel with the at least one of the edges.
1 more element
A woven preform, comprising:
- a first fabric of warp fibers interwoven with weft fibers;
- a second fabric of warp fibers interwoven with weft fibers, wherein the warp fibers of the first fabric are interwoven with the warp fibers of the second fabric at a crossover portion such that the warp fibers in the first fabric and the warp fibers in the second fabric are continuous across the crossover portion, wherein the first fabric and the second fabric elsewhere from the crossover portion are not interwoven with one another, and
- wherein the warp fibers on edges of the first fabric and the warp fibers on edges of the second fabric are floating warp fibers that float in the crossover portion, such that at least one of the edges including the floating warp fibers is folded along an axis of the floating warp fibers that is parallel with the at least one of the edges.
A method of forming a woven preform, comprising:
- weaving at least three woven fabrics including warp fibers interwoven with weft fibers, each woven fabric having a first fabric woven over a second fabric in a first portion of the woven preform;
- interweaving each of the at least three fabrics with at least one remaining woven fabric at a respective crossover portion, such that there are at least two crossover portions in each woven fabric;
- wherein after each crossover portion of the at least three woven fabrics, an intersecting fabric woven over another fabric is woven under the another woven fabric, wherein the warp fibers in the intersecting fabrics are continuous across each crossover portion, and
- wherein the warp fibers on edges of the at least three fabrics are floating warp fibers that float in each crossover portion, such that at least one of the edges including the floating warp fibers is folded along an axis of the floating warp fibers that is parallel with the at least one of the edges.
1 more element
A woven preform, comprising:
- at least three woven fabrics having warp fibers interwoven with weft fibers, each woven fabric having a first fabric woven over a second fabric in a first portion of the woven preform;
- wherein each of the at least three woven fabrics is interwoven with at least one remaining woven fabric at a respective crossover portion, such that there are at least two crossover portions in each woven fabric;
- wherein after each crossover portion of the at least three woven fabrics, an intersecting fabric woven over another fabric is woven under the another woven fabric, wherein the warp fibers in the intersecting fabrics are continuous across each crossover portion, and
- wherein the warp fibers on edges of the at least three fabrics are floating warp fibers that float in each crossover portion, such that at least one of the edges including the floating warp fibers is folded along an axis of the floating warp fibers that is parallel with the at least one of the edges.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.