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In this design study, a model airplane wing, partially constructed from braided composite panels, was made for the purpose of demonstrating the applications of braided composites for aerospace components. Fibres of Kevlar® were braided together along a tubular surface, then subsequently cut and unrolled to form two planar sheets of interlaced yarns that could be laid down in a 3D printed mold to later be coated in resin. The mold consisted of four parts: two female parts to shape the composite wing panels and two male parts to compress the composite. When connected together they form a fused core. A fibre sheet was draped over each female part, and its extraneous edges were folded inward to form a second layer as reinforcement. Each sheet was then laid up with Ecopoxy® resin and allowed to cure while sandwiched between the female mold and its corresponding male component. Upon disassembly of the mold system, a braided composite wing panel had formed upon both halves of the 3D printed core. The external portion of each panel was found to be smooth with few irregularities that could potentially compromise their aerodynamic performance. The mold was constructed to facilitate the process of cold-curing rather than curing at an elevated temperature. For heated cure process, the use of metal would be recommended because it generally deforms negligibly through heating and cooling. A metal mold would also be used to ease the process of debonding from the composite materials. Care should be taken to ensure that fibre orientation is consistent. The results illustrate how a mold can be fabricated to facilitate the process of curing braided composites, and can serve to improve the quality of products that require a higher strength to weight ratio.

Current badminton rackets are typically made out of steel, aluminium, or carbon fibre. Although these materials perform acceptably, there are some downsides to their properties. However, these non-ideal characteristics of badminton rackets may be overcome with the usage of different manufacturing materials, specifically braided composites. An example of a braided material is KevlarⓇ. Kevlar is a heat resistant and high strength synthetic fibre that can be manufactured into braids using a maypole braiding system. These Kevlar braids can then be manipulated to a preferred shape for the curing process. In order to come up with a feasible design to base the prototype, a 3D modelling software (SolidWorksTM) is used. This ensures geometrical viability and possible to manufacture of the prototype. Modeling a badminton racket on Solidworks required the modelling of a racket head, and handle. The head was created using 2 ellipses, one of which acted as a skeleton, or mould for the Kevlar braid, and the other was a hollow ellipse which encompassed the mold and acted as the Kevlar braid. The solid ellipse was created in two halves, each having either an extrusion or a hole in the ends. This allowed them to easily attach to form a full ellipse. Once modeled, the solid ellipse was 3D printed to act as the curing mandrel, an internal skeleton for the Kevlar braids. In order to attach the head to the handle, a three-part connector piece was created and 3D printed. The rod of the racket was not created with an internal skeleton because the flexibility would falter. Instead, the Kevlar braids were slid off the material after curing and attached to the racket heads connector piece. In order to have a balanced weight ratio throughout the racket, the grip was created with an internal 3D printed skeleton. This structure allowed for a feasible, flexible, and strong Kevlar based product.

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