A moldable composite sheet having improved thermal and mechanical property characteristics. In one aspect, the composite sheet may be a porous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic resin comprising discontinuous mineral reinforcing fibers, and one or more skin layer materials. Generally, the composite sheet may have a void content or porosity from about 5% to about 95% by volume of the sheet, an areal weight between about 400 g/m.sup.2 to about 4000 g/m.sup.2 (gsm), a mineral fiber content from about 20% to about 80% by weight, and a thermoplastic resin content from about 20% to about 80% by weight of the composite sheet. The composite sheet can be molded via low pressure processes, such as thermoforming, match metal molding on stops, vacuum forming and pressure forming, to produce durable automotive interior trim parts and construction articles having improved thermal and mechanical properties in addition to other beneficial characteristics.

The present invention relates to a paper or non-woven web, comprising fibers and at least one crosslinking or functionalization agent selected from the group consisting of carboxylic acids, halogenated heteroaromatic compounds and salts thereof, wherein said at least one crosslinking or functionalization agent has a molecular weight of not more than 1000 g/mol, and wherein at least a part of said crosslinking or functionalization agent is bound to said fibers, a process for producing said paper or non-woven web, and the use of said crosslinking or functionalization agent in a paper or non-woven web.

The present invention relates to a paper or non-woven web, comprising fibers and at least one crosslinking or functionalization agent selected from the group consisting of carboxylic acids, halogenated heteroaromatic compounds and salts thereof, wherein said at least one crosslinking or functionalization agent has a molecular weight of not more than 1000 g/mol, and wherein at least a part of said crosslinking or functionalization agent is bound to said fibers, a process for producing said paper or non-woven web, and the use of said crosslinking or functionalization agent in a paper or non-woven web.

The invention relates to a method for making a nonwoven fabric comprising forming polymer fibers from a melt of the polymer material and using these fibers to obtain a nonwoven fabric during a subsequent nonwoven fabric formation procedure, wherein the melt of the polymer material comprises a melt additive, wherein the method comprises thermal bonding at a temperature higher than 40 C. below the melting point of the polymer material and, additionally, one or both of the following steps: a. improving the mobility of the additive by heat-treating the nonwoven fabric at 100 C. or more for 0.1 seconds or more after the nonwoven fabric formation procedure and/or including a filler having a higher thermal conductivity than the polymer material to the polymer material; b. influencing the polymer crystallinity by including a nucleating agent, branched polymers and/or random co-polymers to the polymer material.

The invention relates to a method for making a nonwoven fabric comprising forming polymer fibers from a melt of the polymer material and using these fibers to obtain a nonwoven fabric during a subsequent nonwoven fabric formation procedure, wherein the melt of the polymer material comprises a melt additive, wherein the method comprises thermal bonding at a temperature higher than 40 C. below the melting point of the polymer material and, additionally, one or both of the following steps: a. improving the mobility of the additive by heat-treating the nonwoven fabric at 100 C. or more for 0.1 seconds or more after the nonwoven fabric formation procedure and/or including a filler having a higher thermal conductivity than the polymer material to the polymer material; b. influencing the polymer crystallinity by including a nucleating agent, branched polymers and/or random co-polymers to the polymer material.

A nanofiber nonwoven product is disclosed which comprises a polyamide with a relative viscosity from 2 to 330, spun into nanofibers with an average diameter of less than 1000 nanometers (1 micron). In general, the inventive products are prepared by: (a) providing a polyamide composition, wherein the polyamide has a relative viscosity from 2 to 330; (b) melt spinning the polyamide composition into a plurality of nanofibers having an average fiber diameter of less than 1 micron, followed by (c) forming the nanofibers into the product.

A nanofiber nonwoven product is disclosed which comprises a polyamide with a relative viscosity from 2 to 330, spun into nanofibers with an average diameter of less than 1000 nanometers (1 micron). In general, the inventive products are prepared by: (a) providing a polyamide composition, wherein the polyamide has a relative viscosity from 2 to 330; (b) melt spinning the polyamide composition into a plurality of nanofibers having an average fiber diameter of less than 1 micron, followed by (c) forming the nanofibers into the product.

In a method for producing a filter medium, at least one substrate layer of a nonwoven comprising cellulose fibers and/or synthetic polymer fibers is provided and a fiber layer of polymer fibers is deposited on the at least one substrate layer. Prior to depositing the fiber layer, a solvent is applied to the at least one substrate layer, wherein a material of the substrate layer and/or a material of the fiber layer is soluble in the solvent. A filter medium produced by the method has material-fused connections at crossing points of the polymer fibers and/or cellulose fibers of the substrate layer with the polymer fibers of the fiber layer.

An aqueous fluid irrigation system for protecting a region of a subsurface irrigation tube from root or microbial mass intrusion, comprising a porous cover covering a subsurface irrigation tube, wherein the cover essentially covers the region of the tube surface, and wherein the cover comprises a non-plexifilamentary material characterized by a peak void volume of less than 35 microns, and any planar region of the non-plexifilamentary material of an area of 500 square microns or less contains a contiguous polymer structure that remains contiguous when exposed to aqueous fluid.

An aqueous fluid irrigation system for protecting a region of a subsurface irrigation tube from root or microbial mass intrusion, comprising a porous cover covering a subsurface irrigation tube, wherein the cover essentially covers the region of the tube surface, and wherein the cover comprises a non-plexifilamentary material characterized by a peak void volume of less than 35 microns, and any planar region of the non-plexifilamentary material of an area of 500 square microns or less contains a contiguous polymer structure that remains contiguous when exposed to aqueous fluid.