3D-HEXAGONAL BRAIDING: POSSIBILITIES IN NEAR-NET SHAPE PREFORM PRODUCTION FOR LIGHTWEIGHT AND MEDICAL APPLICATIONS

摘要

Braids provide an ideal preform for textile composite materials, while the structure of braids is restricted by the machine braiding procedure. One major limitation of three-dimensional (3-D) braided composites is that the maximum preform size is determined by the braiding machine size. Furthermore most industrial machines are only able to braid preforms with a small cross section. Balancing the yarn length is especially a challenge for the braiding of micro filaments.