3-D Chopped-fiber composites
AssigneeMcDonnell Douglas Corporation
InventorRobert C. Burk
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A low-cost composite structure, having near isotropic mechanical properties, produced by molding a matrix material with a reinforcing fiber element. The reinforcing fiber elements are comprised of three or more fibers to form a three-dimensional figure. In the preferred embodiment at least one fiber is oriented in each of the mutually perpendicular planes similar in appearance to a child's jack. The matrix material may be any material which provides a suitable bond with the reinforcing fiber elements.
Claims17
A material formed by molding, having a composite structure comprising:
- a matrix material;
- and
- a plurality of discrete reinforcing fiber elements randomly oriented, overlapping and interlocking with respect to each other and contained in and bonded to said matrix material, said fiber elements further comprising:
- at least three uni-directional fibers, each having a longitudinal axis, joined together before adding said matrix material, so that each of said fibers is oriented in fixed, skewed and overlapping relationship with the remaining of said at least three fibers and at least one of said at least three fibers lies in a plane other than the plane of said axes of the remainder of said at least three fibers.
A material formed by molding, having a composite structure comprising:
- a matrix material;
- and
- a plurality of discrete reinforcing fiber elements randomly oriented, overlapping and interlocking with respect to each other and contained in and bonded to said matrix material, said fiber elements further comprising:
- at least three uni-directional fibers with at least one of said three fibers oriented in each of three mutually perpendicular planes and said at least three fibers further oriented with their axes displaced at least 30 degrees with respect to each other.
A material formed by molding, having a composite structure comprising:
- a matrix material;
- and
- a plurality of discrete reinforcing fiber elements randomly oriented, overlapping and interlocking with respect to each other and contained in and bonded to said matrix material, said fiber elements further comprising:
- at least three uni-directional fibers, each having a longitudinal axis, joined together before adding said matrix material, so that each of said fibers is oriented in fixed, skewed, and intersecting relationship, at least one of said at least three fibers lying in a plane other than the plane of said axes of the remainder of said at least three fibers, and formed from a contiguous homogeneous material with said uni-directional fibers oriented to intersect at a common point.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.