Novel shaped fibres are introduced as a means of improving the through-thickness properties of composite materials. Twelve qualitative guidelines for the geometry of novel shaped reinforcing fibres are described, and the bounds they place on fibre designs are discussed. The paper concludes by proposing a fibre design that conforms to the majority of the guidelines. Manufacturing methods for experimental quantities of fibre and composite have been developed. Extensive development and testing are now under way to demonstrate the benefits of novel shaped fibres.
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