A molded packing material and a method of making the molded packing material. The molded packing material includes a plurality of molded fiber cushioning elements. The molded packing may also include a matrix comprising cellulosic fibers bonding the plurality of molded fiber cushioning elements to each other. The plurality of molded fiber cushioning elements and matrix form a mass that has been molded into a shape having exterior surfaces and an interior with some of the plurality of molded fiber cushioning elements being on the exterior surfaces of the mass and the remainder of the plurality of molded fiber cushioning elements being in the interior of the mass. The molded packing material may also include a fiber shell having a cavity formed therein with the plurality of molded fiber cushioning elements located in the cavity.

A multilayer protective tape for rotor blades of wind energy turbines is provided herein. The protective tape comprising a protective top layer comprising a polymer film, and an adhesive bottom layer. The top layer having a continuous surface (S) that is outwardly curved or outwardly trapezoidal such that the tape has a cross-sectional profile having an inner section between first and second edge lateral sections. The inner section comprises up to 30% of the width of the tape and has a thickness (Ti), while the first and second edge lateral sections have a thickness of T1 and T2, respectively, wherein Ti greater than each of T1 or T2, and the thickness (T1 or T2) of at least one edged lateral section is at most 600 m and the thickness of the inner section (Ti) is at least 330 m.

Also provided is a method for applying the tape to rotor blades and a rotor blade protected by said protective tape.

A structural component for an aircraft or spacecraft, comprising: a planar member; a reinforcing member which projects from the planar member and is rigidly connected thereto; the reinforcing member comprising at least a foam layer and a cover layer, a plurality of pins extending at least through the foam layer and the cover layer, and at least the pins and the cover layer comprising a curable matrix.

Disclosed is a building board construction with increased surface strength. More specifically, increased nail pull strength is achieved via the application of an external surface coating. The surface coating is ideally applied to a paper faced gypsum building board. In one possible embodiment, the coating is formed from a water soluble polymer.

This disclosure generally relates to retroreflective articles and methods of making such articles.

A protective material/structure is provided that reduces the risk of injury for a person after contact with said material/structure, and is based on a structure where an inner and outer shell can move relative to each other. The shells are separated by spikes or thin beams and the outer shell covers or envelops the spikes. The spikes or beams are constructed so that they permit displacement of the outer shell relative to the inner shell in the event of an oblique impact against the protective material/structure. The spikes or beams are designed to be thin/slim and can be made of flexible polymer materials such as plastics, rubber or fibers. This enables the spikes to give way after a tangential/rotational impact and thereby efficiently reduce the negative effects of such an impact on the brain.

Aspects herein relate to apparel items and apparel systems that utilize applied or printed foam nodes to provide, among other things, stand-off between an apparel item and a wearer's skin surface. One or more of the foam nodes, or areas of the textile surrounding the foam nodes, may be perforated to provide a fluid communication path between an inner-facing surface and an outer-facing surface of the apparel item. The communication path may be used to facilitate air exchange between the external environment and the wearer's body and/or to provide an exit path for moisture vapor generated by the wearer.

Aspects herein relate to apparel items and apparel systems that utilize applied or printed foam nodes to provide, among other things, stand-off between an apparel item and a wearer's skin surface. One or more of the foam nodes, or areas of the textile surrounding the foam nodes, may be perforated to provide a fluid communication path between an inner-facing surface and an outer-facing surface of the apparel item. The communication path may be used to facilitate air exchange between the external environment and the wearer's body and/or to provide an exit path for moisture vapor generated by the wearer.

A method includes performing a contrast enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan of tissue of interest of a subject, with an imaging system having a radiation source and a detector array, in which a peak contrast enhancement of the tissue of interest, a full range of motion of the tissue of interest, and an entire volume of interest of the tissue of interest are concurrently imaged during a single rotation of the radiation source and the detector array of the imaging system over an entire or a predetermined sub-portion of a breathing cycle.

The invention provides novel aerated composite materials that possess excellent physical and performance characteristics of aerated concretes, and methods of production and uses thereof. These composite materials can be readily produced from widely available, low cost raw materials by a process suitable for large-scale production with improved energy consumption, desirable carbon footprint and minimal environmental impact.