Microwave enhanced concrete pultrusion

A pultrusion method comprising:

• conveying a textile material through a concrete infusion system to provide a concrete infused textile material (CITM);
• heating and shaping the CITM by conveying the CITM through a microwave chamber comprising an electrically non-conductive die disposed therein, the microwave chamber operable to heat concrete infused in the textile material by irradiating the CITM with microwave energy as the CITM is conveyed through the microwave chamber, and the die operable to shape the CITM as the CITM is conveyed through the microwave chamber;
• and
• cooling the CITM by conveying the CITM through a cool down chamber operable to maintain heat in the CITM as the CITM is conveyed through the microwave chamber allowing the concrete to cure while a temperature of the CITM is reduced.

A microwave chamber for a concrete pultrusion system, the microwave chamber comprising:

• an electrically non-conductive die disposed therein;
• a plurality of microwave antennas arranged along a length of the microwave chamber, each antenna arranged to direct microwave energy into a respective region of the microwave chamber and towards a concrete infused textile material (CITM) being passed through the electrically non-conductive die;
• a plurality of magnetrons, each magnetron operatively coupled to one or more of the microwave antennas;
• and
• a control system operatively coupled to the magnetrons, the control system configured to control operation of the magnetrons.