Curved structural part made of composite material and a process for manufacturing such a part

A process for manufacturing a curved structural part comprising a composite material reinforced with continuous fibers, wherein a cross section of the curved structural part includes at least two wings, with said fibers extending from one wing to the other, the curved structural part being curved with a radius of curvature and having a width parallel to the radius of curvature, with a section having a local increase in the width parallel to a local radius of curvature, the width increasing in a direction towards an interior of a curve of the curved structural part, the process comprising:

• fabricating a mold of the curved structural part having at least two faces, with said two faces forming a male mold section between a minimum radius of curvature of the curved structural part corresponding to the local increase in the width of the section of the curved structural part and another radius of curvature belonging to one of the two faces;
• preparing a stack of multidirectional fibers comprising one or more fiber plies oriented in a nominal direction of +/−α or 90° in relation to a longitudinal direction of the curved structural part where α is in the range of 30° to 60°;
• cutting a first multidirectional strip in the stack extending longitudinally and having a width at least equal to a maximum width of the curved structural part;
• applying the first multidirectional strip over the mold by pressing to gradually conform the first multidirectional strip to the mold;
• initiating the application of the first multidirectional strip on the face having the minimum radius of curvature in an area corresponding to the local increase in the width of the section of the curved structural part;
• and
• pressing and tightening the first multidirectional strip over the other faces.