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US 5,534,203 AGranted
Composite pole manufacturing process for varying non-circular cross-sections and curved center lines
AssigneeRadius Engineering, Inc.
InventorsRonald H. Nelson, Dimitrije Milovich
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A composite ski pole is formed of fiber reinforced plastic laminates laid up around an inflatable bladder, and placed in a female mold. The bladder inflates to compact the laminates to substantially eliminate voids and form a smooth, hollow ski pole with a structurally strong and stiff skin. The molds may use compound shapes such as differing cross sections or longitudinal bends.
Claims12
A method for making a composite pole comprising;
- (a) forming a skin of fiber material impregnated with heat curable resin around a flexible substrate comprising a pressurizable bladder;
- (b) positioning the skin and flexible bladder substrate in a female mold,
- (c) pressurizing the bladder to circumferentially expand the skin to internal walls of the female tooling and to apply pressure to an inside surface of the skin,
- (d) curing the resin of the skin to a substantially hard state while maintaining pressure in the bladder to form a pole with external dimensions determined by the internal walls of the female mold, and
- (e) removing the pole from the female mold.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.