Abstract: A material system including a plurality of expandable pellets or a monolithic flexible carrier is disclosed, each of which may include a polymer matrix configured to hold an expandable core, and a flexible skin configured to encapsulate the polymer matrix, and where the flexible skin is at least partially permeable with respect to the expandable core or a gas released by the expandable core. Implementations of the material system may include where the polymer matrix may include a thermoplastic polymer. The material system may include a charging source configured to introduce blowing agent. A method of curing a composite part is also described.

Abstract: This application disclose a feature extraction method performed by a computer device. The method includes: shooting a cone-shaped group of viewing-frustum rays from a target character object for a hit object in a three-dimensional scene picture; determining object attribute information of the hit object based on an interaction between the viewing-frustum rays and the hit object; performing vector conversion on the object attribute information of the hit object, to obtain a ray-feature vector; collecting, by using a location of the target character object as a collection center, a plurality of height-value matrices corresponding to different granularities; performing feature dimension reduction on the height-value matrix corresponding to each granularity, to obtain a height-map feature vector; and integrating the ray-feature vector and the height-map feature vector into a three-dimensional scene feature.

Abstract: A method for modeling compaction in a reservoir including obtaining a profile of vertical burial depth, a profile of effective stress against the vertical burial depth, and approximating a plurality of rock grains with a hexagonal closed-packed arrangement of spheres to estimate compacted mechanical and chemical porosity profiles.

Abstract: A method for predicting a quality of a reservoir, including the steps: drilling a well that penetrates the reservoir, acquiring one-dimensional (1D) input data (1204) from the well, wherein the input data (1204) include: depositional temperature and burial depth as function of a depositional time, and facies data and compaction data (1208), adding a time interval to the depositional time, entering the 1D input data (1204) in a diagenesis model, wherein the diagenesis model includes a compaction model that outputs a predicted compaction at a depositional time, and a cementation model that outputs a predicted cementation at the depositional time, repeating the previous two steps until the depositional time is the present time, and the diagenesis model outputs a predicted compaction curve with porosity as function of depth.

Abstract: Methods of manufacturing composite workpieces that include positioning a heat-generating element proximate to an uncured composite workpiece, triggering the heat-generating element to produce an exothermic chemical reaction or exothermic physical reaction so that the temperature of the uncured composite workpiece is raised to a predetermined first temperature, and curing the composite workpiece while it is at a temperature that is at least the predetermined first temperature.

Abstract: A material system including a plurality of expandable pellets or a monolithic flexible carrier is disclosed, each of which may include a polymer matrix configured to hold an expandable core, and a flexible skin configured to encapsulate the polymer matrix, and where the flexible skin is at least partially permeable with respect to the expandable core or a gas released by the expandable core. Implementations of the material system may include where the polymer matrix may include a thermoplastic polymer. The material system may include a charging source configured to introduce blowing agent. A method of curing a composite part is also described.

Abstract: A method of curing a composite part, including placing an uncured composite part on a mandrel, placing a plurality of expandable pellets on the uncured composite part, expanding the plurality of expandable pellets, applying a positive pressure to the uncured composite part, and curing the uncured composite part.

Abstract: A material system including a plurality of expandable pellets or a monolithic flexible carrier is disclosed, each of which may include a polymer matrix configured to hold an expandable core, and a flexible skin configured to encapsulate the polymer matrix, and where the flexible skin is at least partially permeable with respect to the expandable core or a gas released by the expandable core. Implementations of the material system may include where the polymer matrix may include a thermoplastic polymer. The material system may include a charging source configured to introduce blowing agent. A method of curing a composite part is also described.

Abstract: A method related to generating a facies-cement model of a subsurface region. The method includes obtaining depositional data regarding the subsurface region, wherein the depositional data incudes wave impact data. The method further includes generating, by a computer processor, a geological model for the subsurface region using a forward-depositional modeling process and the depositional data, wherein the geological model comprises wave energy data. The method further includes determining, by the computer processor, carbonate cementation data for the subsurface region using a diagenetic modeling process and the wave energy data, wherein the carbonate cementation data describes cementation in one or more depositional processes, and generating, by the computer processor, a facies-cement model of the subsurface region.

Abstract: A foam sheet core, including a plurality of foam sheet walls defining an array of hollow cells, wherein the plurality of foam sheet walls are bonded together to form the array of hollow cells, each of the plurality of foam sheet walls has a thickness from about 0.002 inches to about 0.08 inches, and each of the plurality of foam sheet walls has an average height from about 0.05 inches to about 5 inches.

Abstract: A method for repairing a composite structure, includes creating a repair cavity in a composite structure, placing foamable media in the repair cavity, placing a replacement skin over the repair cavity, and expanding the foamable media placed in the repair cavity.

Abstract: Skinned cell structures and methods of producing the same are disclosed. A disclosed example apparatus includes a placer to place foamable structures together to define a bundle, a restrainer to restrain the bundle, an activator to activate the foamable structures to expand and form a cell structure within the restrainer, a trimmer to trim the cell structure to define a core, and an assembler to couple a skin to the core to define the skinned cell structure.

Abstract: Composite fabrication system and associated methods. In one embodiment, a composite fabrication system comprises a molding tool that includes a forming surface at least partially disposed within a constrained space, and a foamable material that expands inside of the constrained space to form an expanded material that presses a layup of one or more composite layers against the molding tool. The composite fabrication system further comprises a curing device configured to cure the layup to form a composite part, and a cutting wire embedded in the constrained space that is heated and configured to cut the expanded material into pieces that are removable from the constrained space.

Abstract: Methods of recovering and/or recycling expanded polymer tooling, the methods including collecting expanded polymer tooling, reducing the collected expanded polymer tooling into smaller particles, treating the reduced expanded polymer tooling in order to yield an at least partially purified recovered polymer composition, and then collecting the at least partially purified recovered polymer composition. The at least partially purified recovered polymer composition can then be used to form new expandable polymer tooling.

Abstract: Methods of manufacturing composite workpieces that include adding an expandable element to an internal volume of a constraining container proximate to a uncured composite workpiece supported on a rigid form, where the expandable element is configured to expand when a predetermined change is produced in an attribute of the expandable element; expanding the expandable element by producing the predetermined change in the attribute of the expandable element, so that an expansion of the expandable element applies pressure to the workpiece supported on the rigid form within the internal volume, and curing the composite workpiece while the resulting pressure is applied to the workpiece supported on the rigid form.

Abstract: Methods of recovering and/or recycling expanded polymer tooling, the methods including collecting expanded polymer tooling, reducing the collected expanded polymer tooling into smaller particles, treating the reduced expanded polymer tooling in order to yield an at least partially purified recovered polymer composition, and then collecting the at least partially purified recovered polymer composition. The at least partially purified recovered polymer composition can then be used to form new expandable polymer tooling.

Abstract: A method of curing a composite part, including placing an uncured composite part on a mandrel, placing a plurality of expandable pellets on the uncured composite part, expanding the plurality of expandable pellets, applying a positive pressure to the uncured composite part, and curing the uncured composite part.

Abstract: A method includes printing one or more features on a surface of a structure of an aircraft, and providing, by the one or more features, one or more liquid management patterns. The printing can includes controlling, by a control unit, a printer to form the one or more features on the surface of the structure. The method can also include curing the one or more features with ultraviolet (UV) light.

Abstract: Methods of manufacturing composite workpieces that include adding an expandable element to an internal volume of a constraining container proximate to a uncured composite workpiece supported on a rigid form, where the expandable element is configured to expand when a predetermined change is produced in an attribute of the expandable element; expanding the expandable element by producing the predetermined change in the attribute of the expandable element, so that an expansion of the expandable element applies pressure to the workpiece supported on the rigid form within the internal volume, and curing the composite workpiece while the resulting pressure is applied to the workpiece supported on the rigid form.

Abstract: A system for curing a composite part, includes a mandrel configured to receive and support the uncured composite part; a plurality of expandable pellets disposed on the uncured composite part; and a mold configured to hold the mandrel, the uncured composite part, and the plurality of expandable pellets, wherein the plurality of expandable pellets are configured to expand and apply a positive pressure to the uncured composite part according to a change in condition or triggering event, and wherein each of the plurality of expandable pellets includes a blowing agent, a polymer matrix configured to hold the blowing agent, and a flexible skin configured to encapsulate the polymer matrix and the blowing agent, wherein the flexible skin is at least partially permeable with respect to the blowing agent or a gas released by the blowing agent.