Abstract: A system for pressing one or more stacks of one or more laminae (22), the system comprising: a tool including top (14b) and bottom plates (14a) configured to be disposed on opposing sides of each of one or more stacks (22) of one or more laminae, each of the plates (14a, 14b) having: a center region that overlies or underlies the stack(s) (22) when the stack(s) are disposed between the plates (14a, 14b); and tabs (174) that extend outwardly from edges of the center region and are configured to be coupled to a conveyor or one or more grippers for moving the plate; and a resilient layer (90) configured to be disposed between the top plate and the stack(s) (22) or the bottom plate (14a) and the stack(s) (22); wherein the resilient layer (90) is sized to be disposable between the plates such that, for each of the plates (14a, 14b): the resilient layer (90) overlies or underlies at least 90% of the center region; one or more portions of the resilient layer (90) neither overlie nor underlie the plate; and at least

Abstract: The present disclosure includes thin, high-stiffness laminates, portable electronic device housings including the same, and methods for making such laminates and portable electronic device housings. Some laminates include two or more laminae, each having fibers dispersed within a matrix material, wherein the laminate has a width, a length that is perpendicular to the width, the length being between approximately 1.25 and approximately 1.80 times the width, a thickness that is perpendicular to each of the width and the length, the thickness being between approximately 1.0 mm and approximately 1.5 mm, and a first flexural rigidity along the width and a second flexural rigidity along the length, the second flexural rigidity being 10 to 30 times the first flexural rigidity.

Abstract: This disclosure includes vacuum-assisted tools (10a) for use in pressing stacks (284) of one or more laminae (288a-288i) and related methods. Some tools include first and second plates (14a-14f), wherein each of the plates has an inner face and an opposing outer face, and the plates are configured to be disposed on opposing sides of a stack of one or more laminae such that the inner faces of the plates face the stack to define an interior volume (18) containing the stack between the inner faces, one or more seals (176, 176a-176e) configured to be disposed between the plates such that the one or more seals surround at least a portion of the interior volume, and a port (224) configured to be coupled to the first plate, the second plate, and/or at least one of the one or more seals, the port configured to permit fluid communication between the portion of the interior volume and a vacuum source (26).

Abstract: This disclosure includes fiber-reinforced composites including and/or formed in part from fibrous non-woven layers, stacks of layers that can be consolidated to form such composites, articles, such as portable electronic device housing panels, including such composites, and methods for making such composites and articles. In some composites, at least one of the non-woven layer(s) includes: (1) a first thermoplastic material that may be present as a first set of resin fibers; (2) a second thermoplastic material that may be present as a second set of resin fibers, the second thermoplastic material having a transition temperature and/or a low-shear viscosity that is higher than that of the first thermoplastic material; (3) a first set of reinforcing fibers; and/or (4) a second set of reinforcing fibers of a type distinct from that of the first set of reinforcing fibers.

Abstract: Method for producing a fiber tape including spreading a strand of fibers into a spreaded fiber layer, immersing the spreaded fiber layer in a solution, and forming a fiber tape from the spreaded fiber layer by applying heat and/or pressure to the spreaded fiber layer.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method and apparatus (14a) for winding a section of each of one or more layers of material (18a) around a mandrel (30) and about a longitudinal axis of the mandrel (30), wherein each layer of material (18a) includes fibers and the winding is performed such that, for the wound section of each layer of material (18a), each of a majority of the fibers is angularly disposed relative to the longitudinal axis of the mandrel (30), and: (1) disposing a tape (82) over the layer(s) of material (18a) such that at least a portion of the tape (82) overlies at least a portion of the wound section of each layer of material (18a) and a long dimension of the portion of the tape (82) is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the mandrel (30); and/or (2) spot-joining adjacent sections of the wound section(s) together.

Abstract: A global optimization tool may be used to predict characteristics of a multiple ply layered composite as a condition of one or more continuous variables and/or one or more binary variables. For example, the global optimization tool may predict characteristics of a composite for a large range of fiber orientation angles of each of layer of the ply. The optimization tool may include solving a mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) model to obtain a multiple ply layered composite design that is optimized relative to objectives, such as areal weight and cost. Thus, the global optimization tool may be able to identify composite designs with lower areal weight and/or lower cost than the composite designs identified by prior art trial and error methods or heuristic algorithms. When a composite design is identified as meeting certain criteria that are input to the global optimization tool, that composite design may be manufactured.

Abstract: An epoxy thermoset that includes a reaction product of a toughening agent prepared from a reaction of a first epoxy resin and a polyether polyamine, a second epoxy resin and a liquid amine hardener for the toughening agent and the second epoxy resin. The toughening agent is an adduct of the second epoxy resin and the polyether polyamine. The polyether polyamine phase of the toughening agent separates to form particles in the epoxy thermoset, where the particles have a volume average diameter in a range from 20 nanometers to 200 nanometers.

Abstract: A curable composition including (a) at least one epoxide compound comprising: (i) at least one solid or semi-solid epoxy resin; and (ii) at least one divinylarene dioxide resin compound; and (b) at least one hardener; wherein the curable composition being cured comprises a cured thermoset product having a Tg of greater than about 120° C. A thermoset can be prepared from the above curable composition.

Abstract: A curable composition comprising (a) at least one epoxy resin; (b) at least one curing agent; (c) at least one core shell rubber toughening agent; and (d) at least one non-reactive diluent adapted for reducing the difference in temperature between Tg1 and Tg2; a curable epoxy adhesive composition comprising the above curable composition; and a cured product made from the curable composition.

Abstract: A curable composition including (a) at least one epoxide compound comprising: (i) at least one solid or semi-solid epoxy resin; and (ii) at least one divinylarene dioxide resin compound; and (b) at least one hardener; wherein the curable composition being cured comprises a cured thermoset product having a Tg of greater than about 120° C. A thermoset can be prepared from the above curable composition.

Abstract: A curable epoxy adhesive composition including (a) at least one first epoxy resin; (b) at least one first diluent; (c) at least one first hardener; (d) at least a first hydrophilic filler that has a predetermined aspect ratio; (e) at least a second hydrophobic filler that is different from the first filler and that has a predetermined aspect ratio; and (f) at least a third filler that is different from the first and second fillers; wherein the third filler has a predetermined aspect ratio higher than the first filler and the second filer; and wherein the volume ratio of the third filler to the combination of the first filler and second filler is in the range of from 1:1 to 10:1 such as to minimize the thermal residual stresses of the cured product made from the curable composition.

Abstract: An epoxy thermoset that includes a reaction product of a toughening agent prepared from a reaction of a first epoxy resin and a polyether polyamine, a second epoxy resin and a liquid amine hardener for the toughening agent and the second epoxy resin. The toughening agent is an adduct of the second epoxy resin and the polyether polyamine. The polyether polyamine phase of the toughening agent separates to form particles in the epoxy thermoset, where the particles have a volume average diameter in a range from 20 nanometers to 200 nanometers.

Abstract: A bimodal toughening agent comprising a) a first preformed coreshell toughening agent and b) a second preformed coreshell toughening agent wherein the second preformed coreshell toughening agent has a particle size of at least two times larger than that of the first preformed coreshell toughening agent, and the use of the bimodal toughening agent in a thermosettable epoxy resin composition, is disclosed.