reinforcing members for securement of reinforced plastic composite components in restricted and confined space locations as a substitute for reinforcing stitching . the reinforcing members are highly effective for securing &# 34 ; t &# 34 ; stiffeners and the like to a skin structure in confined and restricted locations where a stitching machine cannot be used . the composite pieces which are reinforced and secured together by the reinforcing members provide excellent damage tolerance , are highly resistant to delamination and are resistant to tensile pulling and plane shear properties . the reinforcing members primarily comprise a plurality of pins or spikes which are effectively formed by sewing through a disposable and eliminatable core such that when the core is removed , all of the pins , which originally constituted threads passing through the core are secured together in an array by an open mesh physical cross - linking of the pins .