Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus and method for forming three-dimensional woven preforms that can be curved and have continuous fibers in the direction of curvature. Also disclosed are woven preforms formed thereby.

Abstract: Jacquard loom for producing a woven preform from several warp yarns and several weft yarns, the loom including a device for taking up the preform when it is being produced, in order to move it along an axis (X) as it is being formed, which axis is substantially parallel to a production direction for the preform, characterised in that the loom also includes a control for rotating the preform, substantially about the axis.

Abstract: A weaving loom including a mechanism drawing-in threads, for insertion of picks, and for formation of a weaving shed, so as to render possible formation of a continuous angle or corner by a thread during weaving. The loom preferably also includes a vertical offset system, so that it is possible to weave a three-dimensional surfacic structure, the threads of which are continuous between the faces and at the level of the edges. The loom can be configured particularly for manufacture of continuous tridedral corners that are used as reinforcements for composite structures.

Abstract: A method is described for forming a longitudinal fiber web, wherein synthetic tapes with an elongated cross-sectional contour are positioned substantially parallel to each other for forming a bundle, wherein the tapes are embedded in a matrix material. The tapes are positioned partially overlapping each other.

Abstract: A weaving machine includes two temples whose axis is parallel to the weft threads and which are located at the lateral edges of the cloth, a cylindrical cloth-deflecting bar on which the cloth presses around an arc of contact before winding around a haul-off roll on which one or more backup rolls press. The clothdeflecting bar has a central cylindrical portion which connects coaxially on either side with two terminal portions next to the areas where the temples are installed, the terminal portions having a cross section which varies in shape proceeding from their ends adjacent to the central portion towards the free ends, causing a variation in the tension transmitted to the corresponding areas of the cloth by the hauloff roll, such that it varies from a minimum value at the ends of the terminal portions adjacent to the central portion to a maximum value at their free ends.

Abstract: A device for producing at least two tubular belt bands that are turned inside out, where each of the belt bands has two fabric layers on top of one another and connected to each other in a longitudinal direction by woven hems to form a cavity. Warp threads of the layers have a uniform warp thread density over an entire length of the belt bands. The device includes a power loom having a shedding mechanism with a reed with parallel dents, a weft insertion device extending over an entire width of the power loom, a control unit for controlling the shedding mechanism, and an expander extending over the entire width of the power loom. The expander has a smaller diameter in a tubular area than in a hem area in correspondence with the belt bands to be produced so that clamping pressure of the expander is substantially constant over an entire width of the woven fabric. A thermal cutting device has cutting heads that are operative to cut out the belt bands in the hem area from the woven fabric web.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for producing a tape having a curve, especially a curved flat line compound. The inventive device consists of several clamping jaw pairs that are arranged downstream in relation to a weaving device and serve for withdrawing the individual lines. The clamping jaw pairs are moveably arranged along the direction of withdrawal, are driven and can be swivelled. In a preferred embodiment, two clamping jaw pairs are used which can be moved to-and-fro along the direction of withdrawal in an alternating manner and by means of drives that engage on the ends of the clamping jaws. The amplitude of the movement can be changed in an independent manner on both sides. The drive device can be configured as a crank gear system. A crank gear engages on each side of each clamping jaw and the lifting movement of the crank gears of one side can be adjusted in relation to the lifting movement of the crank gears on the remaining side. Different warp threads (e.g.

Abstract: A woven belt having thick and narrow portions with a breaking strength per unit width that exceeds the level of strength of conventional fabric straps and belts. One embodiment of the belt includes at least four layers of weave structure in which two outer layers are woven into a hollow tube by a common weft and the remaining inner layers are woven together by a second weft. The widthwise central area of the belt is provided with a thickness that is larger than a quarter of the belt width.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for fabricating straight or curved planar or three-dimensional (C channel, for example) fabric for fabrication into composite structures. In the first embodiment, the fill yarns are inserted between layers of warp yarns, and a canted or curved reed, depending on the desired orientation of the fill yarns, is used to compact or "beat-up" the fill yarns. In the second embodiment, the warp yarns of the fabric are curved using a conical or a combination of conical and cylindrical rollers to effect differential fabric take-up of the warp yarns for obtaining a constant radius of curvature of the warp yarns. In a third embodiment, a clamping bar fabric take-up device is used to effect the differential fabric take-up of the warp yarns for obtaining straight warp yarns, curved warp yarns with a constant radius of curvature, curved warp yarns with a non-constant radius of curvature, or some combination of straight and curved warp yarns.

Abstract: Rocket exit cones, rocket motors, curved objects, and the like, are produced by weaving a fabric onto a non linear form and rotating the form to wind up the fabric as it is being woven. Compensation between the linear, flat shape of the fabric and a non linear shape of the wind up form is obtained by conforming the shape of the reed portion of the loom to the shape of the form, and by providing a constant and/or variable spacing between the reed elements. A uniformly wrapped, non linear shape is is produced by the process.Following wrapping, the fabric shape is impregnated with resin, and cured to a carbonized and/or graphitized state. Finally, the cured shape may be machined to its desired size and contour, having uniform properties.

Abstract: A loom for weaving contoured cloth has a shed forming part for forming a warp yarn shed, a rapier apparatus for inserting successive lengths of weft yarn through the shed, a beating up apparatus for beating up the weft yarns into a woven fabric, a contoured rotatably driven mandrell positioned downstream, relative to the direction of the warp yarn movement, for receiving the woven fabric and drawing it from the beating up apparatus, the mandrel having at least a part thereof with a spheroidal shape for giving a spheroidal shape to the fabric passed around the mandrel, nip rollers pressing the woven fabric against the mandrel for causing said mandrel to draw the woven fabric from the beating up apparatus and shape the fabric according to the contour of the mandrel, a fabric guide having a contour along the mandrel corresponding to the contour of said mandrel and guiding the fabric into engagement with the mandrel, and warp yarn path length extenders positioned along the path of the fabric from the beating up a

Abstract: Rocket exit cones, and similar components are produced by weaving graphite fibers into fabric and wrapping a continuous length of the woven fabric over a rotating wind up form having a non-linear shape as the fabric leaves the loom. A compensator system is provided to accommodate for the varying distances the fabric must travel from the loom to the non-linear wind up form. During wrapping, the wind up form may be traversed for a short distance across the weaving loom to produce a differential wall thickness between the cylinder portion and the conical portion of the cone. In addition, the traverse motion enables the proper curvature to be imparted to the interface between the cylinder and conical portions of the exit cone.The built fabric has a controlled shape, which is adapted for resin-impregnation and curing. The cured structure has sufficient integrity that permits machining of the conical portion to a uniform thickness or to a tapered thin wall.

Abstract: In a weaving loom having a frame and a take-up roller spanned between first and second spaced sections of the frame to wind thereon a fabric, a resilient rod is spanned between the first and second spaced sections to cross the fabric at a position upstream of the take-up roller while being in slidable contact with the fabric, and camber producing means is arranged to flex the resilient rod to produce a camber which protrudes towards the fabric pressing same and is changeable in shape in response to the degree of a biasing force applied to the resilient rod. Thus, the desired form of the camber appropriate for neat winding of the fabric on the take-up roller is easily provided by an operator.

Abstract: In order to form a package which includes a length of fabric which at one side edge region is substantially longer than at its other side edge region, the fabric is wound so as to form a wound body of fabric surrounding a given axis, and along the latter axis there is situated a core which has opposed free end regions which respectively have transversely with respect to said axis maximum dimensions one of which is substantially greater than the other. The core end region which is of the greater maximum dimension supports the fabric at its longer side edge region. The core preferably includes tubular and finned core portions, the latter having fins which project from the axis of the core, and the finned core portion extends partly into the tubular core portion.