Method and apparatus for forming complex glass fiber and resin shapes

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR FABRICATING A DENSIFIED GLASS FIBER AND RESIN ARTICLE HAVING A COMPLEX CONTOUR THAT COMPRISES IMPREGNATING A PLURALITY OF BLANKET-LIKE LAYERS OF GLASS FIBER WOOL HAVING A DENSITY SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THE DENSITY OF THE FINISHED ARTICLE AND TWO MAJOR SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL FACES, WITH ONLY SUFFICIENT QUANTITY OF RESIN IN LIQUID FORM TO BOND THE ENGAGING PORTIONS OF THE FIBERS OF SAID LAYERS TO EACH OTHER, AND NOT TO FILL APPRECIABLE NUMBERS OF THE INTERSTICLES IN SAID LAYERS, THE GLASS FIBERS IN SAID LAYERS BEING HETEROGENEOUSLY DISOPSED WITH THE MAJORITY LYING AT LEAST GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE MAJOR FACES OF SAID LAYERS AND A CONSIDERABLE PORTION EXTENDING GENERALLY ANGULARLY TO SUCH MAJOR FACES, SHAPING ONE OF SAID LAYERS ACCORDINGLY TO THE SURFACE CONTOURS OF THE FINISHED ARTICLE,ASSEMBLING AT LEAST ONE OTHER OF SAID LAYERS IN LAMINAR RELATION TO THE FIRST SAID LAYER, APPLYING PRESSURE OVER THE OUTER SURFACES OF SAID ASSEMBLED LAYERS GENERALLY NORMAL TO THE SURFACES THEREOF FOR DENSIFYING SAID LAYERS INTO A SHAPE RETAINING MASS WHEREIN THE INTERSTICES REMAIN UNFILLED AND FOR INTERENGAGING THE FIBERS AT THE INTER-FACE SURFACES OF SAID ASSEMBLED LAYERS, AND CURING THE RESINOUS MATERIAL WHILE MAINTAINGING THE MASS IN DENSIFIED CONTOURED CONDITION.