Abstract: A fixed angle rotor and method of manufacture of a fixed angle rotor has a frustum shaped rotor having rounded surfaces reinforced by filament tow windings against both vertical and horizontal forces generated during centrifugation. A so-called "high speed" rotor has a bottom composite disc, a top composite disc, and a frustum shaped hollow fiber reinforced molded insert between the respective discs having a stepped exterior surface. An "ultra speed" rotor has a bottom composite disc, a top composite disc, and composite discs therebetween defining a stepped exterior surface. In both cases, these exterior steps have surfaces which capture the windings to the exterior of the rotor. A first class of individual fiber windings about the rotor is applied having a vertical reinforcement component parallel to the spin axis and normal to the laminate layers.

Abstract: An automatic lay-up machine is disclosed for composite material article having anisotropic resistance in tension. A layer of fiber material, either unidirectional or fabric weave, is dispensed between a supply roll and a take-up roll. This material is advanced over a cutting table having at least one and preferably a plurality of cutting molds, each mold cutting a profile of a portion of an article being fabricated and leaving a continuous scrap webbing for gathering at the take-up roll. The material is placed under tension across the cutting table, compressed, and cut at the molds to extract the individual layers having the desired sections utilized in fabricating the article. This process is repeated with the molds indexing in rotation with respect to the material so that successive layers filling the molds align their respective fibers in varying directions.