Composite laminate translaminar reinforcement apparatus and method

A method of inserting a thermally stable reinforcement fiber into a composite laminate for z-axis reinforcement of the laminate, comprising:

• providing an elongated, hollow-core needle;
• ultrasonically vibrating the needle;
• inserting said vibrating needle transversely into a composite laminate to both heat and soften the composite laminate while nudging the composite fibers out of the needle's insertion path to effect a tunnel for guiding the fiber into the laminate;
• feeding a reinforcement fiber axially into the hollow core of the needle before, during or after insertion of the needle into the composite laminate to insert the fiber into the laminate;
• inhibiting the retraction of the reinforcement fiber from its position in the composite laminate;
• and
• retracting the needle and cutting off the reinforcement fiber leaving the fiber embedded in the laminate to bond with the heated surrounding composite laminate.