| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20100143145 | FIBRE-REINFORCED COMPOSITE MOULDING AND MANUFACTURE THEREOF - Method of manufacturing a fibre-reinforced composite moulding, the method comprising the steps of: (a) disposing at least one layer of fibrous reinforcing material within a mould; (b) disposing at least one pre-preg layer adjacent to the fibrous reinforcing material, the pre-preg layer comprising fibrous reinforcement at least partially impregnated with uncured first resin material, to form a laminar assembly of the at least one layer of fibrous reinforcing material and the at least one pre-preg layer within the mould; (c) applying a vacuum to the assembly; (d) infusing a flowable uncured second resin material, under the vacuum, into the at least one layer of fibrous reinforcing material; and (e) curing the first and second resin materials at least partially simultaneously to form the fibre-reinforced composite moulding which comprises at least one first structural portion formed from the fibrous reinforcement and the cured first resin material bonded to at least one second structural portion formed from the at least one layer of fibrous reinforcing material and the cured second resin material. | 06-10-2010 |
| 20100261000 | COMPOSITE LAMINATED ARTICLE AND MANUFACTURE THEREOF - Composite laminated article having: a first layer of a fibre-reinforced resin, a second layer of a closed cell foam of a thermoplastic material, and a third layer of a fibre-reinforced resin, the resin of the first and third layers respectively adhering a surface of the first and third layers to a respective surface of the second layer to form a sandwich construction of the first, second and third layers, wherein the closed cell foam comprises a plurality of expanded beads mutually welded together, each bead comprising a plurality of closed cells, wherein in each bead the closed cell foam has an average cell size of from 15 to 75 microns, at least 50% of the beads comprise first beads having a uniform cell size in which the maximum cell size is 100 microns and at most 50% of the beads comprise second beads having a non-uniform cell size in which the majority of cells have a maximum cell size of 100 microns and a minority of cells have a maximum cell size from more than 100 microns to up to 660 microns. | 10-14-2010 |
| 20100291370 | COMPOSITE LAMINATED ARTICLE AND MANUFACTURE THEREOF - Composite laminated article having: a first layer of a closed cell foam of a thermoplastic material, a second layer of a fibre-reinforced resin, the resin adhering a surface of the second layer to a surface of the first layer, wherein the closed cell foam has an average cell size of from 15 to 75 microns. | 11-18-2010 |
| 20110104478 | STRUCTURAL FOAM AND MANUFACTURE THEREOF - A method of manufacturing a foam body having an anisotropic cell structure, the method including the steps of: expanding a polymer at an elevated temperature to form an initial foam body; and cooling the initial foam body under a negative pressure. There is also provided a method of manufacturing a foam body having an anisotropic cell structure, the method including the steps of: (a) in a first expansion step, expanding a foamable polymer composition substantially isotropically to form an initial foam body having an isotropic cell structure; and (b) in a second expansion step, expanding the initial foam body anisotropically in a selected direction under a negative pressure which applies an expanding force in the selected direction to provide a final foam body having an anisotropic cell structure. Apparatus for the methods are also disclosed. | 05-05-2011 |
| 20110114252 | COMPOSITE MATERIALS - A prepreg for manufacturing a fibre-reinforced composite material, the prepreg comprising a layer of a layer of fibrous reinforcement fully impregnated by a matrix resin material, wherein at least the surface of the resin material has a viscosity and a tack at room temperature, and each prepreg has a stiffness at room temperature, such that when two of the prepregs are disposed as a vertical stack thereof at room temperature with adjacent resin material surfaces, the adjacent resin material surfaces are unadhered and form continuous air paths therebetween. | 05-19-2011 |
| 20110244213 | CORE FOR COMPOSITE LAMINATED ARTICLE AND MANUFACTURE THEREOF - Core for a composite laminated article, the core being a sheet having a sandwich structure including a pair of outer foam bodies and a central structural insert therebetween, the structural insert including portions that are inclined to the plane of the sheet and to the through-thickness direction of the sheet. | 10-06-2011 |
| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20100170143 | CATALYSTS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS FOR PRODUCING FUELS AND FUEL ADDITIVES FROM POLYOLS - The present invention relates to catalysts, systems, and methods for producing products such as fuels and fuel additives from polyols. In an embodiment, the invention includes a method of producing a fuel additive, including combining a polyol and a component selected from the group consisting of alcohols and organic acids to form a reaction mixture and contacting the reaction mixture with a metal oxide catalyst at a temperature of greater than about 150 degrees Celsius. Other embodiments are also included herein. | 07-08-2010 |
| 20110060153 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR REFINING ALKYL ESTER COMPOSITIONS - The present invention relates to systems and methods for producing and/or refining alkyl ester compositions. In an embodiment the invention includes a method of producing a refined fatty acid alkyl ester composition. The method can include contacting a fatty acid feedstock and an alcohol with a first metal oxide catalyst at a temperature of greater than 200 degrees Celsius and a pressure of greater than 500 psi to form an unrefined fatty acid alkyl ester composition. The method can further include combining the unrefined fatty acid alkyl ester composition with dimethyl carbonate to form a refining mixture. The method can also include contacting the refining mixture with a second metal oxide catalyst at a temperature of greater than 100 degrees Celsius to form a refined fatty acid alkyl ester composition. Other embodiments are also described herein. | 03-10-2011 |
| 20110172450 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING ALKYL ESTERS FROM LIPID FEED STOCKS AND SYSTEMS INCLUDING SAME - The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for producing alkyl esters from lipid feed stocks, such as plant oils and/or animal fats, and systems including the same. In an embodiment, the invention includes a process for producing alkyl esters including mixing a lipid feed stock with an alcohol to form a reaction mixture; and contacting the reaction mixture with a catalyst under supercritical conditions for the alcohol, the catalyst comprising an unmodified metal oxide selected from the group consisting of alumina, titania, zirconia, and hafnia, and removing residual free fatty acids from the reaction mixture. Other embodiments are included herein. | 07-14-2011 |
| 20110288309 | Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide Using Metal Oxides - Embodiments of the present invention relate to carbon dioxide sequestration systems and methods. In an embodiment, the invention includes a method of sequestering carbon dioxide. The method can include mixing carbon dioxide with an alcohol to form a reaction mixture and contacting the reaction mixture with a metal oxide catalyst under reaction conditions sufficient to produce a carbonate as a reaction product. In an embodiment, the invention includes a carbon dioxide sequestration system. The system can include a carbon dioxide supply source, an alcohol supply source, and a reaction vessel. A metal oxide catalyst can be disposed within the reaction vessel. The system can be configured to mix carbon dioxide from the carbon dioxide supply source with an alcohol from the alcohol supply source to form a reaction mixture and contact the reaction mixture with the metal oxide catalyst. Other embodiments are also described herein. | 11-24-2011 |