A foamed, opacifying element has a porous substrate composed of woven yarn strands composed of a thermoplastic polymer-coated multifilament core. It has a dry foamed composition on an opposing surface of the substrate, which includes: (a) 0.1-40 weight % of porous particles; (b) 10-80 weight %; (c) 0.2-50 weight % of one or more additives selected from the group consisting of dispersants, plasticizers, flame retardants, optical brighteners, thickeners, biocides, fungicides, tinting colorants, metal flakes, and inert inorganic or organic fillers; (d) less than 5 weight % of water; and (e) at least 0.002 weight % of an opacifying colorant different from all of the one or more additives of (c), which opacifying colorant absorbs electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength of 380-800 nm. The elements have a light-blocking value (LBV) of at least 4 and can have a bending stiffness that is greater than 0.15 milliNewtons-meter.

A foamed, opacifying element is useful as a light-blocking article, and includes a substrate; an opacifying layer disposed on the substrate, and a functional composition disposed over the opacifying layer. The functional composition comprises a tinting material comprising one or more pigments, one or more dyes, or a combination thereof to provide a desired tint or colorant to the entire foamed, opacifying element.

A panel for forming a floor covering, where this panel includes a substrate including at least a layer of thermoplastic material, where the panel, above the layer, comprises at least also a printed decor and a translucent or transparent wear layer. The layer also includes at least individual fibers having a length greater than 1 millimeter, where the individual fibers are loose and freely distributed within the layer of thermoplastic material.

A method for manufacturing panels with at least a substrate and a top layer. The method having the steps of providing a granulate having thermoplastic material and having an average particle size of less than 1 millimeter, forming a substrate layer by strewing the granulate, consolidating the layer between the belts of a continuous press device, and providing the top layer on the substrate.

A method for manufacturing a mat of inorganic fibres including the manufacture or supply of a mat of inorganic fibres having two major surfaces, which is strengthened with a chemical binder, or by means of a hydrodynamic method, coating of a first major surface of the mat by means of the application of an aqueous solid dispersion on one of the two sides of the mat, drying the coated mat, printing the coated mat by means of rotary printing, digital printing, screen printing, or offset printing on the first major surface of the coating, optional application of a protective layer onto the first major surface, application of a binder, at least partial drying and at least partial crosslinking of the mat to which binder has been applied, and rolling up of the obtained material web, or cutting to size as sheets.

Textile fabrics consolidated with a binder that is made from a binder system are described. The binder system may include:

a) 30% or less by dry weight of at least one polymer based on polyvinyl alcohol;

b) 70% or more by dry weight of at least one starch, wherein the at least one starch comprises 50% by weight or more of one or more natural starches based on the total weight of the at least one starch;

c) 0 to 10% by dry weight of at least one crosslinker;

d) 0 to 10% by dry weight of at least one filler; and

e) 0 to 10% by dry weight of at least one additive,

wherein a sum of components a) through e) is 100% by dry weight of the binder system. Method of making the textile fabrics consolidated with binders made from the binder systems are also described.

A foamed, opacifying element is useful as a light-blocking article, and includes a substrate; an opacifying layer disposed on the substrate, and a functional composition disposed over the opacifying layer. The functional composition comprises a tinting material comprising one or more pigments, one or more dyes, or a combination thereof to provide a desired tint or colorant to the entire foamed, opacifying element.

A foamed, opacifying element useful as a light-blocking article has a substrate; an opacifying layer disposed on the substrate, and a functional composition disposed over the opacifying layer. The functional composition comprises: (i) inorganic or organic spacer particles having a mode particle size of at least 1 m and up to and including 100 m, and which inorganic or organic spacer particles resist melt flow at a pressure of up to and including 100 psi (689.5 kPa) and a temperature of up to and including 220 C.

Disclosed is a flexible material including a web of fibers chosen in the group consisting of carbon fibers, glass fibers and aramid fibers, this web of fibers being impregnated on a so-called external face with an impregnation layer produced from a polymer binder and containing at least one plasticizing agent or a mixture of plasticizing agents. A fibrous textile substrate is superimposed on the web of fibers on an internal face of the web opposite the external face.

The present invention relates to textile fibre products having a coating comprising polymers based on ethylenically polymerisable monomers with a glass transition temperature of at least 60 and a coating method for coating fibre products with an aqueous polymer dispersion, wherein an aqueous polymer dispersion based on vinyl polymerisable monomers with a glass transition temperature of at least 60 C. is firstly provided, and this is brought into contact with a fibre product and then dried. The invention also relates to the use of corresponding polymer dispersions for the coating of fibre products, correspondingly coated fiber products, use thereof to reinforce mineral matrices, and corresponding fibre-composite materials, in particular textile-concrete composite materials. In particular, the invention relates to a coating means that can be applied to a textile fabric in a continuous, water-based process and enables an optimal introduction of force from the mineral matrix into the textile reinforcement.