Reinforced fiber structures and method of making the same

A non-woven structural member comprising:

• a fibrous material containing undirectional fibers bent only as warp or woof fibers, but not both, and having at least one open loop area located at an angle relative to the direction of the fibers, at least certain of said fibers being bent to define one side of said loop area and the next adjacent fibers on one side of said certain fibers being bent to define the opposite side of said loop area, at least some portions of the fibrous material being rigidified by impregnation with a resin and completely cured.

A structural member comprising:

• first and second sheets of glass fiber-reinforced solid, cured synthetic resin;
• and a glass fiber-reinforced, cured synthetic resin central structure adhesively joined to both said first sheet and said second sheet, said central structure comprising a series of layers of glass fiber fill strands formed in woven pattern and certain of said strands defining one side of open loops corresponding to warp strands woven with said fill strands and others of said strands adjacent said certain strands defining the opposite side of said loops.

A non-woven article of manufacture comprising:

• a plurality of substantially only fill fibers in a pattern defining channels substantially perpendicular to said fill fibers and of substantially greater cross-sectional area then the cross-sectional area of said fill fibers certain ones of said fill fibers being bent to define only one side of at least selected ones of said channels, and the next adjacent fill fibers on at least one side of said certain fill fibers being bent to define only the opposite side of said selected channels;
• and cured plastic resin impregnated into selected areas of said fibers to fix the arrangement of said fibers in said areas.