Arthur W Brooke

49617710, Oct 9, 1990

Dec 27, 1988

7/290664

Arthur W. Brooke - Lake Park FL

United Technologies Corporation - Hartford CT

C03B 1906

65 183

Disclosed is the manufacture of a stress-free composite including reinforcing fibers embedded in and bonded to a matrix material such that differential contraction takes place in the matrix material relative to the fibers in response to temperature decrease. It involves embedding the fibers in the matrix material at an embedding temperature to obtain a composite precursor preparatory to subsequent consolidation thereof into the composite material at a consolidation temperature, and longitudinally stretching the fibers to such an extent that the longitudinal dimension of any portion of each fiber is substantially the same as that of the contiguous portion of the matrix material both at the consolidation temperature with the fiber stretched and at a predetermined operating temperature of the composite material in the absence of such stretching. Upon consolidation, the composite material cools at least to the operating temperature and the stretching of the fibers is discontinued when the temperature of the composite material has decreased sufficiently below the consolidation temperature.