Patent attributes
A composite material comprising braided composite yarns that can be embedded within or at the surface of the material. The braided composite yarns can incorporate one or more multicomponent fiber bundles. The braided composite yarns can be the axial yarns in a triaxial braided fabric that has structural yarns as the bias yarns. The composite material can comprise a carbon fiber prepreg. The thickness of each braided composite yarn can be approximately the thickness of a single composite ply. At least one conductive wire can be wrapped around an axial yarn of the braided composite yarn at a location desirable for electrical contact to be made to at least one conductor in the axial yarn. At least some of the conductive wire is preferably soldered to at least one of the conductors. The conductive wire can be twisted with a structural yarn and is stitched across the braided composite yarn. A conductive pad can be soldered to the one conductive wire.
