System and method of forming a fiber preform for use in manufacturing a component made of a composite material

1. A method of making a preform for use in manufacturing a component made of a composite material, the method comprising:

stitching fibers onto a film to form a fiber bed in a two-dimensional shape;

removing the film from the fiber bed; and

adjusting the fiber bed into a three-dimensional shape to form the preform.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining an amount by which the fibers are deformed when the fiber bed is adjusted from the two-dimensional shape to the three-dimensional shape; and

determining, based on the fiber deformation amount, at least one of an orientation of the fibers within a plane of the fiber bed, a number of the fibers per unit area of the fiber bed, a material of stitches securing the fibers to the film, a number of the stitches per unit area of the fiber bed, and a length of the fibers between a pair of adjacent ones of the stitches.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

determining a first area of the fiber bed in which the fiber deformation amount is greater than the fiber deformation amount in a second area of the fiber bed; and

stitching the fibers onto the film such that the fiber length in the first area of the fiber bed greater than the fiber length in the second area of the fiber bed.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising placing a piece of foam onto the film in the first area of the fiber bed before stitching the fibers onto the film to increase the fiber length in the first area.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

determining a first area of the fiber bed in which the fiber deformation amount is greater than the fiber deformation amount in a second area of the fiber bed;

stitching the fibers onto the film using a first set of the stitches in the first area of the fiber bed, wherein the stitches in the first set are made of a first material;

stitching the fibers onto the film using a second set of the stitches in the second area of the fiber bed, wherein the stitches in the second set are made of a second material that has a higher melting point than the first material; and

melting the stitches in the first area of the fiber bed after removing the film from the fiber bed and before adjusting the fiber bed to the three-dimensional shape.

6. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

determining a first area of the fiber bed in which the fiber deformation amount is greater than the fiber deformation amount in a second area of the fiber bed;

stitching the fibers onto the film in the second area of the fiber bed; and

not stitching the fibers onto the film in the first area of the fiber bed.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the film is water-soluble, the method further comprising removing the film from the fiber bed by dissolving the film.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the film is paper, the method further comprising removing the film from the fiber bed by tearing the film.

9. A method of making a preform for use in manufacturing a component made of a composite material, the method comprising:

stitching first fibers onto a first film to form a first fiber bed in a first two-dimensional shape with a first dart;

forming a lacing that extends across the first dart; and

pulling the lacing to close the first dart and adjust the first fiber bed into a first three-dimensional shape.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising forming the lacing using the first fibers.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising loosening stitches securing the first fibers to the first film along edges of the first dart after forming the lacing and before pulling the lacing.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising removing the first film after stitching the first fibers onto the first film and before pulling the lacing.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising forming the first dart in the first two-dimensional shape of the first fiber bed by stitching the first fibers onto the first film in an area surrounding the first dart without stitching the first fibers onto the first film in an area of the first dart.

14. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

determining a stress in the first fibers when the first fiber bed is adjusted from the first two-dimensional shape to the first three-dimensional shape; and

forming the first dart in an area of the first fiber bed in which the fiber stress is greater than the fiber stress in another area of the first fiber bed.

15. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

stitching second fibers onto a second film to form a second fiber bed in a second two-dimensional shape with a second dart;

closing the second dart in the second fiber bed to adjust the second fiber bed to a second three-dimensional shape; and

overlaying the first and second fiber beds so that (i) the second fiber bed covers the first dart in the first fiber bed and (ii) the first fiber bed covers the second dart in the second fiber bed, wherein the first and second fiber beds form the preform.

16. A method of making a preform for use in manufacturing a component made of a composite material, the method comprising:

stitching fibers to a film to form a fiber bed having a two-dimensional shape, wherein stitching the fibers to the film includes:

stitching the fibers to the film using a first number of stitches per unit area in a first area of the fiber bed; and

stitching the fibers to the film using a second number of the stitches per unit area in a second area of the fiber bed, wherein the first number is less than the second number; and

adjusting the fiber bed to a three-dimensional shape to form the preform.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

determining a stress in the fibers when the fiber bed is adjusted from the two-dimensional shape to the three-dimensional shape; and

stitching the fibers to the film using the first and second numbers of stitches per unit area in the first and second areas of the fiber bed, respectively, when the fiber stress in the first area is greater than the fiber stress in the second area.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

stitching a third number of the fibers per unit area to the film in the first area of the fiber bed; and

stitching a fourth number of the fibers per unit area to the film in the second area of the fiber bed, wherein the third number is less than the fourth number.

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising removing the film after stitching the fibers to the film and before adjusting the fiber bed to the three-dimensional shape.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the first area of the fiber bed corresponds to a dart in the two-dimensional shape, the method further comprising:

loosening the stitches along edges of the dart after removing the film; and

pulling those of the fibers extending across the dart to close the dart and adjust the fiber bed to the three-dimensional shape.