| US 7,579,292 B2 | ||
| Open-work knitted textile resin infusion medium and reinforcing composite lamina | ||
| Patrick E. Mack, Milford, Mass. (US); and Matthew Ogden, Ayr (United Kingdom) | ||
| Assigned to VRAC, LLC, Plymouth, Mass. (US) | ||
| Filed on Apr. 19, 2005, as Appl. No. 11/109,403. | ||
| Application 11/109403 is a continuation in part of application No. 10/914931, filed on Aug. 10, 2004. | ||
| Claims priority of provisional application 60/493639, filed on Aug. 11, 2003. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2006/0035546 A1, Feb. 16, 2006 | ||
| Int. Cl. D04B 21/10 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 442—312 [442/304; 442/313; 442/314; 442/318; 442/319] | 20 Claims |
| 1. An open weave textile for use as a resin-infusion medium comprising:
a ground mesh knitted from yarns having a relatively low decitex value, the ground mesh defining a substantially horizontal
plane and further defining warp and weft directions within the horizontal plane;
knop-forming yarns having a higher decitex value than the ground mesh yarns;
where the knop-forming yarns are knitted into the ground mesh in such a manner as to form sides and vertices of a series of
features that, when viewed looking down onto the ground mesh plane, define generally polygonal shapes interconnected to and
above the ground mesh;
where the vertices of the polygonal-shaped features are created by knops formed by a series of interconnected knop stitches
of the knop-forming yarns, the sides of the polygonal-shaped features are formed by the knop-forming yarn without knop stitches,
and each polygonal-shaped feature has an open central area; and
where the knops restrict resin flow more than do the sides of the polygonal-shaped features, to create a preferential resin
flow path in one of the warp or weft directions.
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