An insulating material and a method using that material for preventing perioperative hypothermia in hospital patients. Hospital blankets, hospital gowns and thermal wraps are made with the insulating material, which comprises in one embodiment an inner layer and an outer layer of a nonwoven material and a middle layer of a polymer laminate material. The nonwoven material is a bicomponent coextruded spunbond nonwoven polypropylene and polyethylene textile and the polymer laminate material comprises polyethylene and metallised polyethylene terephthalate. The nonwoven material is arranged with an elastic such that the insulating material can change between a first configuration wherein the elastic is stretched such that the primary material lies adjacent to it, and a second configuration wherein the elastic is relaxed such that the primary material is bowed with respect to it, forming at least one cavity for entrapping air.

A textured release sheet includes a substrate, which has been electron beam treated, including a top side and a bottom side. A matte surface is formed on the bottom side thereof, wherein the matte surface of the surfacing material is a coating of an radiation curable material applied to the bottom side of the substrate. The coating is an UV curable acrylate mixture applied to the substrate, wherein the UV curable acrylate mixture is irradiated with UV-radiation via an excimer laser emitter to produce a UV-irradiated layer wherein the UV curable acrylate mixture is only crosslinked on the surface thereof, which produces a matting surface through the effects of a micro-convolution.

A method is described for forming reconstituted leather sheet material from a mixture of base fibres, such as leather fibres, and bi-component synthetic fibres which have outer layers which melt at a lower temperature than their inner cores. The fibres are mixed, formed into a web and then heated so that the synthetic fibres fuse together to form a network within the web. The base fibres are then tangled, whilst constrained by the network, preferably using hydroentanglement. A high quality reconstituted leather sheet material is thus produced.

An uncured composite member is formed over a mandrel having a contour using a flexible compactor. Forming is performed outwardly from the apex of the contour.

Novel fibrous structures that contain filaments, and optionally, solid additives, such as fibers, for example wood pulp fibers, sanitary tissue products comprising such fibrous structures, and methods for making such fibrous structures and/or sanitary tissue products are provided.

A surfacing material includes a substrate having a top side and a bottom side. A matte surface is formed on the bottom side thereof, wherein the matte surface of the surfacing material is a coating of an electron beam radiation curable material applied to the bottom side of the substrate. The coating is an epoxy acrylic or urethane acrylic laid upon the substrate. The epoxy acrylic or urethane acrylic is irradiated with UV-radiation to produce a UV-radiation layer wherein the epoxy acrylic or urethane acrylic is neither hardened nor is an entire layer of the epoxy acrylic or urethane acrylic crosslinked but rather the epoxy acrylic or urethane acrylic is only crosslinked on the surface thereof, which produces a matting surface through the effects of a micro-convolution.

A graphene sheet and a method of manufacturing the graphene sheet are provided. The method includes: growing a graphene sheet on a graphene growth support by applying carbon sources and heat to the graphene growth support, the graphene growth support including a carbonization catalyst; and forming at least one ripple on the graphene sheet by cooling at least one of the graphene growth support and the graphene sheet, wherein the graphene growth support and the graphene sheet have different thermal expansion coefficients.

Methods for measuring and/or mapping in-plane strain of a surface of a substrate. A grating is formed on at least a portion of the surface of the substrate. A laser is then used focused onto the grating to determine the strain on the surface by determining the variation of the grating wavelength due to the strain on the surface. The strain information is essentially carried by the grating, in terms of grating wavelength, because it varies according to the volume change of the underlying substrates. By scanning the surface grating with the small laser size, a high resolution strain map of the surface can be produced. The induced strain is related to the grating wavelength variation, which leads to the diffraction angle variation that is captured by the strain sensing measurements.

The present invention is directed to novel, improved, modified or treated microporous membranes for use in textile related applications and which are preferably composed of two or more dissimilar porous membrane or material layers laminated together using heat, compression and/or adhesives. The preferred inventive laminated composite microporous membrane is modified using a technique or treatment such as microcreping to introduce permanent small, regularly spaced, crepes, profiles, compactions, pleats, or wrinkles into the laminated composite microporous membrane for the purpose of improving mechanical strength, elasticity and/or resiliency. In addition, the inventive microcreped microporous laminated membrane more preferably has significantly improved hand or softness, has next-to-the-skin softness, and/or is quiet without crinkling noises during movement, which may be desired performance properties or characteristics of or in textile garments, materials or applications.