Method of making a fiber reinforced composite structure including randomizing the reinforcing fibers
AssigneeAcroMed Corporation
InventorCarl R. McMillin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of forming a three-dimensional fiber reinforced composite structure includes comprises the steps of providing yarn made of a plurality of continuous reinforcing fibers and fibers which when melted form a matrix material, randomizing the yarn, forming the randomized yarn into a preform, and consolidating the preform in one direction. Each of the plurality of reinforcing fibers extends continuously and randomly throughout the matrix because of the randomizing. The fiber reinforced composite structure formed by the present method is particularly suitable for manufacturing a vertebral prosthetic spinal implant device.
Claims17
A method of forming a fiber reinforced composite structure comprising the steps of:
- providing one-piece of yarn having a length and two ends and made of a plurality of continuous reinforcing fibers and other material which other material is to become a matrix, each of the plurality of reinforcing fibers having a length equal to the length of the one piece of yarn;
- randomizing the reinforcing fibers and the other material to extend randomly in substantially equal proportion in three dimensions throughout a mass of the yarn to intertwine and interlock the reinforcing fibers and the other material;
- forming the randomized yarn into a preform;
- consolidating the preform in a Z direction which is perpendicular to X and Y directions and causing a majority proportion of the reinforcing fibers to lie randomly in substantially two dimensions defined by a plane extending in X and Y directions and a minority proportion of the reinforcing fibers to weave through the plane in the Z direction;
- and
- melting the other material to form a matrix containing the continuous reinforcing fibers extending randomly in X, Y and Z directions throughout the matrix and have a length equal to the length of the one piece of yarn.
A method of forming a fiber reinforced composite structure comprising the steps of:
- providing a yarn made of a plurality of continuous reinforcing fibers and other materials which is to become a matrix;
- randomizing the yarn by hooking the yarn with a hook and moving the hook through the yarn;
- forming the randomized yarn into a preform;
- consolidating the preform in one direction;
- and
- melting the other material to form a matrix containing the continuous reinforcing fibers which are randomized throughout the matrix.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.