From U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,075, it is already known to produce structural elements, comprising a fiber-reinforced plastics material. In this respect, a skeleton consisting of tubes and frames is shaped into the desired form using a plurality of retaining elements and is then provided with a woven fabric which is wound round this skeleton. Finally, a plastics material is applied which is cured and provides the structural element with the final shape. To put it simply, U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,075 proposes the production of spar beams, whereby a skeleton is shaped into the desired form and then wrapped in a woven fabric and thereafter a curable plastics material is applied to said woven fabric.
A disadvantage of the method described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,075 is that the production of the shaping skeleton consisting of tubes, retaining elements and frames is very complex and due to this complexity of the proposed skeleton, the moldability of the structural elements is subject to narrow limits. Thus, for example, narrow bend radii or relatively complex topologies, such as loops or knots cannot be achieved or can only be achieved at a considerable expense. Furthermore, the application of woven fabric by winding round the final shape, proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,075, is very complex and in addition, the surface which can be achieved thus has visual impairments due to the winding structure of the woven fabric.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,075 proposes a further method in which, instead of the shaping skeleton consisting of tubes, retaining elements and frames, an inflatable bladder is used as a positive mold for the application of the fiber-reinforced plastics material, and this bladder has to be configured such that as a result of being inflated, it assumes the desired shape onto which the woven fabric is then applied by winding.
This method has the disadvantages that on the one hand, the production of such an inflatable positive mold, which is to assume the desired shape due to the inflation pressure, is very complex and on the other hand, here as well narrow bend radii or relatively complex topologies, such as loops or knots cannot be achieved, or can only be achieved at a considerable expense.
Furthermore, the structural elements proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,075 are unsuitable, or are only suitable at a disproportionately high production cost and outlay for combining into relatively complex construction modules, support elements, supporting frameworks and freely formable and configurable plane load-bearing structures.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds