An open-cell biodegradable foam material selected from cellulose and polylactic acid having a structure capable of supporting stems of cut flowers and process for its production.

Methods for manufacturing articles of footwear are provided. In various aspects, the methods comprise utilizing additive manufacturing methods with foam particles. In some aspects, the disclosed methods comprise selectively depositing a binding material on foam particles in a target area such that the binding material coats at least a portion of defining surfaces of the foam particles with the binding material. The binding material is then cured to affix foam particles in the target area to one another. In various aspects, the disclosed methods can be used to manufacturer articles with sub-regions that differential levels of affixing between the foam particles, and thereby resulting in sub-regions with different properties such as density, resilience, and/or flexural modulus. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.

A thermoplastic elastomer foam is made by incorporating a gaseous or supercritical blowing agent under pressure into a molten thermoplastic elastomer comprising polymeric crystalline domains, then releasing the pressure to foam the thermoplastic elastomer.

Disclosed is a method and system for supporting a pipeline in a trench. The disclosure is directed to the placement of urea-silicate sprayable or pumpable foams into trenches to provide pipeline pillow supports during placement of the pipeline and to form trench breakers in the trench prior to the trench being backfilled. The pillow supports and trench breakers inhibit erosion of the trench prior to and after being backfilled. The urea-silicate foam material has an open cell content of at least 50% to resist floatation, is non-flammable and electrically conductive. Also disclosed is use of supports for placement between the urea-silicate foam and the bottom of the trench to aid in utilization of the urea-silicate foams in cold weather conditions and in trenches with steeply sloped bottoms. Preferably the supports are biodegradable and electrically conductive when wet.

A composition for an expandable sealant including at least one polymeric material selected from the group consisting of low density polyethylenes (LDPE), linear low density polyethylenes (LLPDE), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), ethylene methacrylate (EMA), and ethylene-butyl acrylate (EnBA); and a chemical blowing agent, wherein the composition is substantially free of a cross-linking agent.

The invention relates to the co-use of a) a certain type of silica and b) a certain type of graphite, wherein the silica and the graphite are used in a weight ratio in a range of from 1:1 to 1:10, for decreasing the thermal conductivity of vinyl aromatic polymer foam.

Polymer compositions may include an elastomeric ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) composition; and one or more selected from base polymer, filler, peroxide agent, blowing agent, and blowing accelerator. Methods may include blending a polymer composition from a mixture of an elastomeric ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) composition, and one or more of base polymer, filler, peroxide agent, blowing agent, and blowing accelerator, wherein the elastomeric EVA composition has a melt flow index (MFI) at 190 C. and 2.16 kg as determined according to ASTM D1238 in the range of 6.1 g/10 min and 45 g/10 min.

The present invention provides a soft polyurethane foam molded atticle which has a mounting surface (1A) can be obtained by foaming and molding a raw foaming liquid, and has a constitution which a ratio of a diameter of a foaming cell in the horizontal direction X along the mounting surface (1A) to a diameter of the foaming cell in the vertical direction Y orthogonal to the mounting surface (1A) increases toward the mounting surface (1A) in the vertical direction (Y).

Methods of making a foamed article include: (a) milling a block or sheet of thermoplastic polymer to form a precursor; (b) crosslinking the thermoplastic polymer; (c) heating the precursor to a first temperature to soften the thermoplastic polymer; (d) infusing the thermoplastic polymer with at least one inert gas at a first pressure that is sufficient to cause the at least one inert gas to permeate into the softened thermoplastic polymer; and (e) while the thermoplastic polymer is softened, reducing the pressure to a second pressure below the first pressure to at least partially foam the precursor into a foamed article, wherein the foamed article is substantially the same shape as the precursor.

The invention relates to flame-retardant foam coatings for textile sheet products, wherein the coatings include plate-like expandable graphite which has a reduced salt content and a particle distribution with a proportion of >80 percent by weight having a diameter of at least 0.2 mm, and/or a minimum proportion of 70% having a mesh size of >50 mesh (0.3 mm), at least one binder and at least one foam stabilizer, and also processes for the production thereof, the use thereof for producing textile sheet products and also textile sheet products having such flame-retardant foam coatings.