Abstract: The installation includes two needling apparatuses (2, 3) which succeed each other on one side of the path (1) for the fleece to be needled. The needles (47) have an “elliptical” movement, i.e. their reciprocating movement of penetration is combined with a reciprocating movement parallel to the direction of progression. The two mechanisms are actuated at the same speed but with a phase shift of 180° between them. The installation is used for balancing horizontal vibrations.

Abstract: A system for the needle treatment of a conveyable fiber bat is provided with at least one conveying device having a plurality of needles that can be inserted into and withdrawn from a fiber bat. At least one rotating cylinder is provided to make possible a high needle-treatment speed and a uniform structure of the needle-felted fiber bat. The outside of this rotating cylinder forms a conveying surface for the fiber bat. The needles can pass through the conveying device from the inside toward the outside. The needles penetrate the fiber bat perpendicular to the conveying direction and then withdraw. The outside of the rotating cylinder, the fiber bat, and the needles have a similar speed in the conveying direction during the needle-treatment.

Abstract: A three-dimensional fiber structure is formed by superposing layers of felt and by bonding them together by needling, then the structure is compressed to obtain a preform having a fiber volume fraction of not less than 20%. The preform is held in its compressed state by being impregnated with a liquid composition containing a bonding agent capable of bonding the fibers of the preform together. Thereafter, the preform consolidated in this way is densified, e.g. by chemical vapor infiltration.

Abstract: An apparatus for needling a fiber fleece web has a plurality of needle bars, the drive means thereof being individually associated to the individual needle bars or a group of closely adjoining needle bars which belong to one of a plurality of needling zones, and wherein said drive means are connected to a common control means which enables an individual control of the movement of the needle bars or needle bar groups. The needle bars or needle bar groups can in particular be moved in three directions orthogonal with respect to one another, and the needles can possibly be supported rotatably, and can perform a controlled rotary movement during the stitching movement.

Abstract: A needle loom including a support and a stripper defining a path for a fiber lap. A needle board supported by sliding shanks moves back and forth between a maximum penetration position and a retracted position, by means of a connecting rod/crank assembly including a connecting rod hingedly connected to the sliding shank. A slide bearing remote from the needle board has a greater diameter than the other slide bearing, and engages a tubular portion of the shank. The hinge connection between the connecting rod and the sliding stank is located within the axial section covered by the slide bearing and the interval therebetween. For this purpose, the hinge is arranged in the tubular portion. Bearing wear, extraneous stress and vibration may thus be reduced.

Abstract: The invention relates to the field of needling processes for forming fibrous preform structures. The invention is particularly useful in forming fibrous preform structures suitable for subsequent processing into high temperature resistant composite structures such as carbon/carbon aircraft brake disks. The process according to the invention compensates for fiber pull back induced by fiber resilience, and for compaction in previously needled layers induced during subsequent needling passes. According to a further aspect of the invention, Z-fiber distribution throughout the thickness of the fibrous preform structure may be manipulated as necessary to achieve a desired distribution.

Abstract: A succession of fibrous sheet segments (10) are supplied from a rotary magazine (12) to a rotating bowl (14). Segments are added to the bowl with their adjacent radial edges abutting each other and are passed beneath a reciprocating needle board (20), whereby filaments from the segments in upper layers are displaced into segments in lower layers to bind the segments together and form a self-supporting preform. Two needle heads (22) are able to move up and down and rotate in order to pick up a segment from the store and deposit that segment on the bowl. A few barbed needles (22A) pick up the segment and more grooved needles (22B) push through fibre to tack the segments down. A conical roller (28) bears against the top of the segments after they leave the needle board to bear against the preform to compress the fibres and also to provide a monitor of the distance between the needle board or the mounting block and the top layer of the preform.

Abstract: The invention relates to the field of needling processes for forming fibrous preform structures. The invention is particularly useful in forming fibrous preform structures suitable for subsequent processing into high temperature resistant composite structures such as carbon/carbon aircraft brake disks. The process according to the invention compensates for fiber pull back induced by fiber resilience, and for compaction in previously needled layers induced during subsequent needling passes. According to a further aspect of the invention, Z-fiber distribution throughout the thickness of the fibrous preform structure may be manipulated as necessary to achieve a desired distribution.

Abstract: The material web is guided at a predetermined speed over a plurality of needle rollers rotating about their longitudinal axis and arranged transversely to the direction of movement of the material web. The material web covers part of the surface of each of the needle rollers. The circumferential speed of the needle rollers is set relative to the speed of the material web in such a way that the desired amount of needling, with adjustable longitudinal stretching, is obtained.

Abstract: An apparatus is described which serves to needle a nonwoven web and comprises a slider crank mechanism, which is pivoted to a rocker and serves to actuate at least one needle board, which is secured to the rocker. The apparatus also comprises a web guide consisting of a web support, which is opposite to the needle board, and a stripper, which extends between the web support and the needle board. To permit an influence to be exerted on the result of the needling operation it is proposed that the mean inclination of the paths on which the needles of the needle board penetrate the nonwoven web relative to the direction of travel of the nonwoven web is adjustable.

Abstract: Rectilinear vertical reciprocating movement is transmitted to the needle-holder beam of a needling machine by a crank mechanism preferably comprised of two horizontal auxiliary connecting rods hinged to a support of the beam. The two auxiliary connecting rods are mounted to the two sides of the needle-holder beam and support. Each auxiliary rod includes an end hinged to a related main connecting rod, with the other end being joined to the structure of the machine by a sliding block and two conjugate profiles. One of the profiles is fixed and the other profile is mobile. The profiles form a rolling coupling, so that each sliding block that is hinged to the related ancillary connecting rod slides when the crank mechanism runs between two extreme axial positions.

Abstract: A unidirectional textile reinforcement fabric for use in laminated articles and a method of making such fabric from conventional warp and weft fabric is shown in which the filament bundles in one of either warp or weft are substantially broken with little or no damage to the other.

Abstract: This invention relates to needling of continuous glass yarn mats.The invention consists in subjecting the mat to the action, preferably simultaneous action, of needles of different diameters. Thus perforations of different dimensions, preferably regularly distributed, are made in the mat.This mat is intended to be used as reinforcement in composite materials with a base of thermoplastic resins, in particular in laminates.

Abstract: A needling apparatus for making a patterned felt web comprises at least one needle board, which is connected to a needle board drive, a feed drive for feeding the felt web through a felt guide between a felt support and a stripper, and means for adjusting the stroke position of the needle board relative to the felt guide between an idle stroke position and a working stroke position for the largest depth of penetration. To permit an increase of the average feeding speed along a series of patterns, the feeding speed imparted to the feed web by the feed drive is adapted to be controlled in dependence on the stroke position of the needle board relative to the felt guide in accordance with a predetermined coordination between the stroke position of the needle board and the feeding speed of the felt web.

Abstract: An apparatus for manufacturing endless, needled, longitudinally oriented, paper machine felts having a predetermined width formed from a plurality of overlapping loops of a narrower width strip is disclosed.

Abstract: Apparatus and method of tufting are disclosed wherein the edges of carpet backing and the like are folded to assure presenting a desired width of backing to the tufting needles in proper position thus avoiding the necessity for making an excessive width of carpet in order to assure an adequate usable width of finished carpet thereby avoiding waste.

Abstract: A novel cut pile fabric (110) and a method of making same is disclosed. The cut pile fabric (110) includes a needled non-woven batt (14) of staple fibers (12) that has a carrier member (60) which may be a separate sheet of material carried by a face surface (22) of the batt. A texturized surface is formed using a texturizing needle loom (17) which punches through the batt (14) from the one surface (20) (called the back surface) of the batt (14) so that texturized loops (70) project from the carrier (60) on the other face surface (22) of the batt. The one non-texturized back surface (20) of the batt (14) has a backing (24) applied thereto as by latexing, fusing, or the like, with the texturized loops (70) being tigered to break, fracture or cut a high percentage of the loops (70). The tigered pile is polished by a polishing roll (34) to remove the crimps in the fibers and to orient the fibers in a direction substantially perpendicular to the batt prior to being sheared in a shear (36).

Abstract: Preparation of a non-woven web of fibrous material so as to obtain a product having considerably better mechanical characteristics than the "breathable" non-woven fabrics of the prior art, without any substantial loss of its softness, drape or porosity characteristics. A starting needle punched non-woven web consisting substantially of thermoplastic synthetic fibers is subjected to pulsating sharp blow mechanical pressure applied transversely to web surface sufficient to generate heat by inter-fiber friction and deformation work subjected on the fibers to increase the temperature of fibers to soften them and bring the fibers tightly to adhere one with another and lock together because of the non-regular shape of fiber surface and cross section caused by said treatment. Simultaneously the interstices between the fibers are reduced and the web is compacted resulting in a relatively close natural leather-like non-woven fabric.