Stowable composite door system and process

A stowable door system for covering an opening, the door system being characterized by a width (W) and a length (L) in a deployed configuration,

• the system comprising:
• a panel of a plurality of elongate slats having a generally polygonal cross section extending parallel to the width (W), the slats having a fiber-reinforced composite with at least some of the fibers being oriented parallel to the width (W) so that the slats imbue the door with stiffness in the direction of the width (W) hinge sections that connect adjacent slats to provide, in combination with the slats, flexibility in the direction of the length (L);
• a take-up mechanism that accommodates at least some of the slats and hinges during transition to, or in, a stowed configuration and feeds them during deployment to the deployed configuration;
• and
• edge guides that support ends of the slats and provide engagement between the guides and the slats so that the edge guides, the slats and the hinge sections may resist without significant deflection a weight or force exerted at an angle inclined to a plane that includes the width (W) and length (L).