Printed Scaffold Structure for Hybrid Composites

摘要

The present invention provides a 3-D printed scaffold tailored to a particular hybrid composite material to receive the reinforcement components and support them during application of a secondary composite material. The printed scaffold may provide for retention features that locate and hold the reinforcement components in a variety of different configurations and may incorporate a microstructure having vacuum diffusion properties to assist in composite material lay-up. The invention contemplates either that the scaffold may be sacrificial (retained in hybrid composite) or constructed to permit disassembly and reuse. The 3D printed scaffold may also provide shapes or profile surfaces serving as layup forms that give shape to the woven fiber mat during assembly.

主权项

1. A method of fabricating a hybrid composite material comprising the steps of:
(a) generating a scaffold structure using additive manufacturing; (b) attaching preformed composite material components to the scaffold; and (c) integrating the preformed composite material components into a secondary composite material applied thereto.