A composite material comprising an elastomer and nanocellulose. The nanocellulose may comprise a nanocellulose material derived from plants having C4 leaf anatomy, or a nanocellulose material derived from a plant material having a lesser amount of lignin than hemicellulose, or a nanocellulose having a hemicellulose content of from 25% to 55% by weight of the nanocellulose material, or a nanocellulose comprising nanofibrils having a diameter of up to 5 nm, or a nanocellulose comprising nanocellulose material of plant origin comprising nanocellulose particles or fibres having an aspect ratio of at least 250, or the composite material having a stiffness of not greater than 2.5 times the stiffness of the elastomer without the nanocellulose material being present, or the nanocellulose particles or fibres being derived from a plant material having a hemicellulose content of 30% or higher (w/w). The nanocellulose may be derived from arid Spinifex.

A method for renovating the interior of a hollow structure such as a sewerage pit (1) is described. The method provides an access opening (16) to the hollow structure (1); provides a plurality of material sheets (3) comprising reinforcing fibers and a curable resin composition through the access opening (16) and against a wall (11a, 11b) of the hollow structure (1); and provides an inflatable pressure means (4a, 4b) within the hollow structure (1). The pressure means (4a, 4b) are inflated against the wall (11a, 11b). A curing means (6) is then provided within the hollow structure (1) for curing the resin composition; and the resin composition is cured to harden the material sheets and provide a renovated interior of the hollow structure (1).

Provided is a resin molding in which two types of substrates have a connection part constituted of a thin part provided from the one substrate to the other substrate with a boundary defined by end surfaces of the respective substrates, wherein the density of the one substrate in the connection part is higher than the density of a base part excluding the connection part. The resin molding can have a configuration in which the one substrate is a plate-like substrate including reinforcing fibers and a first thermoplastic resin binding the reinforcing fibers to each other and the other substrate is an injection-molded member connected along the plate face direction of the one substrate from an end surface of the one substrate. Moreover, it is preferred that the connection part have, on the side thereof closer to the other substrate, a section gradually thinned from a position at which the connection part extends and the connection interface be located at an intermediate part of the part that is gradually thinned. It is preferred that the reinforcing fibers be plant fibers, such as kenaf.

A molded article 1 is made of a resin material 3 containing cellulose fibers 2. The molded article 1 has a surface portion 4 that is in a range satisfying T.sub.F0.1T where T is the thickness of the molded article 1 and T.sub.F is a distance from the surface of the molded article 1, and the molded article 1 satisfies D.sub.F1.1D where D is an average cellulose concentration of the overall molded article 1 and D.sub.F is an average cellulose concentration of the surface portion 4. Thus, the molded article suppresses an increase in bending modulus while considerably improving a tensile modulus.

A composite composition includes a thermoset resin and about 3 wt. % to about 35 wt. % of at least one material selected from the group consisting of cellulose nanofibrils (CNF), micro-sized cellulose fibers (MFC), and cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) dispersed therein as measured with respect to the overall weight of the composite composition. The cellulose nanofibrils and/or nanocrystals have an average diameter of about 5 nm to about 500 nm and an average aspect ratio in the range of about 5:1 to about 500:1. The cellulose micro-sized fibers have an average diameter of about 5 m to about 100 m and an average aspect ratio in the range of about 5:1 to about 250:1.

A window regulator includes a guide rail including a thermoformed composite. The thermoformed composite includes a thermoplastic composition and reinforcing fibers.

A composite including: (I) a fiber-reinforced composite material; and (II) a metal member joined and fixed to the fiber-reinforced composite material by welding. The fiber-reinforced composite material is composed of reinforcing fibers and a resin composition. The resin composition contains (A) a polypropylene-based resin and (B) a modified polyolefin-based resin. The polypropylene-based resin has a tensile modulus of not less than 1 GPa. The modified polyolefin-based resin is a modified polyolefin resin modified with at least one kind of monomer which is selected from carboxylic acid group-containing vinyl monomers and epoxy group-containing vinyl monomers. A weight ratio between (A) and (B) in the resin composition is 90:10 to 40:60.

A composite including: (I) a fiber-reinforced composite material; and (II) a metal member joined and fixed to the fiber-reinforced composite material by welding. The fiber-reinforced composite material is composed of reinforcing fibers and a resin composition. The resin composition contains (A) a polypropylene-based resin and (B) a modified polyolefin-based resin. The polypropylene-based resin has a tensile modulus of not less than 1 GPa. The modified polyolefin-based resin is a modified polyolefin resin modified with at least one kind of monomer which is selected from carboxylic acid group-containing vinyl monomers and epoxy group-containing vinyl monomers. A weight ratio between (A) and (B) in the resin composition is 90:10 to 40:60.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a resin composition for forming three-dimensionally shaped objects having high dimensional accuracy. In order to achieve the purpose, the resin composition is used in a three-dimensional shaping method wherein either forming a thin layer that comprises a particulate resin composition and selectively irradiating the thin layer with laser light are repeated or melt-extruding a resin composition into a filament shape and forming a layer of the filament-shaped extruded resin composition are repeated, thereby forming a three-dimensionally shaped object. The resin composition has a particulate or filament shape, comprises polysaccharide nanofibers and a resin, and has a content of the polysaccharide nanofibers of 1-70 mass %. In the resin composition, the maximum value of loss modulus at temperatures in the range of (melting temperature)20 C. is 10-1,000 times the minimum value of loss modulus at temperatures in the range of (melting temperature)20 C.

Disclosed herein are, for instance, reinforced composites comprising an airlaid mat comprising a natural fiber component; and a resin dispersed within the airlaid mat; wherein the reinforced composite has a natural fiber volume fraction of 20 vol % to 80 vol %, by volume of the reinforced composite. Also disclosed herein are methods of making reinforced composites. For instance, disclosed herein are methods comprising forming a preform comprising: heating an airlaid mat to a temperature of from 40 C. to 200 C., the airlaid mat comprising a natural fiber component and a binder fiber component; and compressing the airlaid mat at a pressure of from 100 psi to 1200 psi; and impregnating the preform with a resin to form a reinforced composite.