Abstract: A wind turbine is presented. The wind turbine includes a tower, a rotor coupled to the tower, and a plurality of blades coupled to the rotor, wherein each of the plurality of blades comprises a root and a plurality of root inserts positioned circumferentially along the root. Each of the root inserts includes a metal bushing including an outer surface and a plurality of grooves formed at least on the outer surface, a core coupled to the metal bushing, and a plurality of layers wrapped around the metal bushing and the core, wherein a layer of the plurality of layers comprises a different fiber orientation from a fiber orientation of another layer of the plurality of layers.

Abstract: A layup system for use in forming a composite layup structure from a plurality of plies of composite material, wherein an outermost ply of composite material has a removable film adhered thereto. The system includes a robotic device and an end effector coupled to the robotic device. The end effector includes a layer of compressible material configured to compress the plurality of plies of composite material together when positioned over the composite layup structure. The end effector further includes a first suction device configured to grip the removable film adhered to the outermost ply of composite material. The robotic device is configured to translate the end effector relative to the composite layup structure such that the removable film is peeled from the outermost ply of composite material while the first suction device grips the removable film.

Abstract: A one-component structural adhesive comprising an isocyanate-terminated prepolymer having polymerized residues of: (a) 40 to 95 wt % of a polytetramethylene ether glycol; and (b) 5 to 60 wt % of an aliphatic diisocyanate.

Abstract: A new polyurethane (PU) adhesive composition having unique properties in automotive related applications such as composite bonding.

Abstract: The invention relates to an adhesive composition having an added component of rubber-epoxy such as XNBR-epoxy adducts. It was found that the new adhesive composition significantly reduces meander formation in the making of automotive parts.

Abstract: An uncured adhesive contains 2 to 10 weight percent of particles of a semi-crystalline organic material, preferably a polyester having a number-average molecular weight of 2000 to 10,000, a hydroxyl number of 10 to 60, and a melting temperature of 50 to 125° C. The adhesive is applied by heating it just prior to application, to melt the particles. After application, the adhesive is cooled to below the melting temperature of the semi-crystalline organic material, and then cured. The process allows the adhesive to be stored and pumped at ambient temperatures, due to the moderate viscosity of the material. Upon melting and re-cooling the semi-crystalline organic material, the adhesive assumes a high yield stress that imparts very good wash-off resistance. In preferred embodiments, the adhesive composition includes an epoxy resin and an epoxy curing agent.

Abstract: Epoxy adhesives include a latent curing agent, a reactive toughener having capped isocyanate groups, and certain urea compounds. The toughener is made by chain extending and capping a mixture of isocyanate-terminated prepolymers. The prepolymers include an isocyanate-terminated polyether and an isocyanate-terminated diene polymer. The adhesives have excellent wash-off resistance and excellent ability to adhere to oily substrates.

Abstract: The invention relates to a shifting device for the selection of rotationally fixed non-rotational couplings of a plurality of coaxial shafts of a motor-vehicle transmission, comprising a displacement sleeve, which can be axially displaced in relation to a housing and which has internal teeth having two axial toothed sections spaced apart from each other by an axial gap, and which coaxially surrounds a plurality of toothed elements that are arranged axially adjacent to each other and that are each non-rotationally connected to one of the shafts and that each have external teeth corresponding to the internal teeth of the displacement sleeve, wherein the displacement sleeve has a first sleeve part and a second sleeve part that are connected to each other in a manner that is axially fixed and rotationally decoupled, wherein the first sleeve part is a carrier of the first axial toothed section and the second sleeve part is a carrier of the second axial toothed section.

Abstract: One-component toughened epoxy structural adhesives contain fibrous mineral fillers that have an aspect ratio of ?6. The presence of the fibrous filler leads to a significant increase in elastic modulus while having little if any adverse effect on other properties such as dynamic impact peel resistance.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a toughener for epoxy adhesives, the toughener comprising both soft and rubber units, and may be described as a capped soft-rubber PU toughener. The invention includes the tougheners and methods of making them, as well as adhesives comprising the inventive tougheners, methods of using the tougheners and adhesives comprising them, and cured inventive adhesives and products comprising them.

Abstract: A new adhesive composition containing glass beads and having unique properties in automotive related applications. The method of making such new adhesive composition.

Abstract: An apparatus for infusing a composite structure includes a reservoir configured to receive a volume of resin, a base, a membrane configured to be sealed upon the base, and a flow medium in fluid communication with the reservoir. The flow medium includes a first flow medium portion disposed in contact with at least a portion of the base and a second flow medium portion disposed in contact with at least a portion of the membrane.

Abstract: The invention relates to resin compositions for epoxy adhesives, comprising a di-functional aromatic epoxy compound. The resin compositions and/or uncured adhesive compositions having low viscosity at low temperatures. Adhesives made therefrom have good strength and bulk properties. The invention includes methods of making and using the compositions, as well as adhesives made from the compositions.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a toughener for epoxy adhesives, the toughener being a reaction product of a bisphenolic blocked PU toughener with a diglycidyl ether-bisphenol product such liquid DGEBA. The invention includes adhesives comprising the inventive tougheners, methods of using the tougheners and adhesives comprising them, as well as cured inventive adhesives and products comprising them.

Abstract: A method and an automatic layup system for making a stack of a plurality of composite plies are presented. The automatic layup system includes a stacking assembly located in a first plane and a layup tool located in a second plane parallel to the first plane. The stacking assembly and the layup tool are movable towards each other. The method includes the steps of (a) providing one or more composite sheets between the layup tool and the stacking assembly, (b) generating a first composite ply from the one or more composite sheets, (c) placing the first composite ply on the layup tool by the stacking assembly by bringing the stacking assembly and the layup tool close to each other, and (d) repeating the steps (b) and (c) for generating and placing a second composite ply on the first composite ply, which is placed on the layup tool.

Abstract: Epoxy adhesive compositions contain a heat-activatable catalyst. The heat-activatable catalyst includes a tertiary amine catalyst and a novolac resin that has a weight average molecular weight of at least 3000. One-component epoxy adhesive formulations that contain the heat-activatable catalyst have unexpectedly good storage stability.

Abstract: An assembly and method for infusing composite material with liquid resin to form a composite part with a smooth outer mold line (OML) surface and a complex inner mold line (IML) surface. The method may include placing a flow media into a deepest tier of a two-tiered recess in a rigid tool, placing a perforated caul sheet into a shallowest tier of the two-tiered recess, and placing uninfused composite material over the perforated caul sheet. Next, the method may include placing an impermeable membrane over the composite material and sealing the impermeable membrane to the rigid tool. Finally, the method may include vacuuming air from a vacuum port of the impermeable membrane to compress the impermeable membrane toward the composite material and the rigid tool, thus pull liquid resin from a resin reservoir, through the flow media, through the perforations of the caul sheet, and throughout the composite material.

Abstract: A heat-curable structural adhesive includes a non-rubber-modified epoxy resin, a reaction product of a carboxyl-or amine-terminated butadiene polymer or copolymer and a bisphenol F-based epoxy resin, a elastomeric toughener containing capped isocyanate groups, one or more epoxy curing agents a moisture scavenger and a heat activatable catalyst comprising a mixture of a solid or liquid tertiary amine compound that has a boiling temperature of at least 130° C. and a novolac resin. The structural adhesive develops excellent bonding properties when cured at moderate temperatures, especially from 120 to 170° C., and in addition performs very well in environmental aging stress testing. The adhesive is particularly good for bonding aluminum to another metal, or bonding aluminum to aluminum.

Abstract: The present invention provides low polyphenols (such as bisphenol A) tougheners for epoxy adhesives. The tougheners, and adhesives comprising the tougheners exhibit enhanced viscosity stability, e.g., compared to tougheners prepared from higher amounts of bisphenol A (and epoxy adhesives comprising them).

Abstract: A speed-changing and differential transmission includes a speed-changing section and a differential section. The speed-changing section has an input stage and a load stage. The sun wheel of the load stage can be operatively connected to at least one planet wheel of the input stage via a planet carrier. At least one planet wheel of the load stage can be operatively connected to the annulus of the input stage via a planet carrier. One of these operative connections is configured as a selectable connection and the other is configured as a fixed connection such that through use of a coupling device, the annulus of the input stage can be operatively coupled to the planet carrier of the load stage, or the sun wheel of the load stage can be operatively coupled to the planet carrier of the input stage.