Provided are a flame-retardance-imparting material and a flame-retardant resin formed article that utilize plant waste.

Resolution means:

The present invention is a flame-retardance-imparting material obtained by contacting a plant material selected from plants and plant-derived materials with an aqueous solvent and then removing the aqueous solvent; and a flame-retardant resin formed article including a resin composition containing a flame-retardance-imparting material obtained by contacting a plant material selected from plants and plant-derived materials with an aqueous solvent and then removing the aqueous solvent, and a resin.

A method for manufacturing impregnated fiber bundle includes: a step of feeding material including feeding at least one fiber bundle to a feeding wheel assembly; a step of resin molding including feeding resin to the fiber bundle in a high pressure manner to make the resin infiltrate the fiber bundle and to form an outer resin layer on the outer surface of the fiber bundle, so as to make the fiber bundle become a resin impregnated fiber bundle; a step of semi-cured molding including semi curing the resin inside and outside the resin impregnated fiber bundle by controlling temperature and pressure; and a step of reeling including reeling up the resin impregnated fiber bundle which is to be woven into a fabric.

A fiber structure manufacturing apparatus includes: a defibration unit that pulverizes and defibrates a fiber raw material that contains fibers; a transportation unit that transports a defibrated material after defibration by the defibration unit; a melting-material mixing unit that mixes a melting material into the defibrated material transported by the transportation unit; a fibrous web forming unit that forms a fibrous web by causing a mixture of the defibrated material and the melting material to accumulate; a sheet supplying unit that supplies a shape retainer sheet to the fibrous web; and a heating-and-pressing mechanism that forms a fiber structure by heating and pressing the fibrous web after the shape retainer sheet is supplied; wherein the sheet supplying unit supplies the shape retainer sheet in such a state that nap is raised on a surface, of the shape retainer sheet, that is to be in contact with the fibrous web.

Provided is a fiber sizing agent including a vinyl ester resin (A), an epoxy compound (B), and an aqueous medium. The vinyl ester resin (A) has an alkoxy polyoxyalkylene structure and a urethane linkage. The fiber sizing agent exhibits excellent binding ability for various fibers, such as glass fibers and carbon fibers. Molded articles produced from a molding material including the fiber sizing agent have various excellent physical properties, and examples of the physical properties include flexural strength, compressive strength, and interlaminar shear strength. Accordingly, the molded articles can be used, for example, in automotive parts, aircraft parts, windmill parts, industrial parts, and the like.

Provided is a fiber sizing agent including a vinyl ester resin (A), an epoxy compound (B), and an aqueous medium. The vinyl ester resin (A) has an alkoxy polyoxyalkylene structure and a urethane linkage. The fiber sizing agent exhibits excellent binding ability for various fibers, such as glass fibers and carbon fibers. Molded articles produced from a molding material including the fiber sizing agent have various excellent physical properties, and examples of the physical properties include flexural strength, compressive strength, and interlaminar shear strength. Accordingly, the molded articles can be used, for example, in automotive parts, aircraft parts, windmill parts, industrial parts, and the like.

Provided is a composite laminate having excellent releasability from a mold during a production process, excellent surface appearance (surface smoothness) and mechano-physical properties, and excellent workability and coating adhesion. A composite laminate 1 includes an A layer 2 and a B layer 3, wherein the A layer 2 is provided directly or indirectly on one or both sides of the B layer 3, the A layer 2 contains reinforcing fibers (a1) with an average fiber length of 1 μm to 300 μm, spherical particles (a11) with a volume mean particle diameter of 0.01 μm to 100 μm, and a thermoplastic resin (a2), and the B layer 3 contains reinforcing fibers (b1) with an average fiber length of 1 mm or more and a thermoplastic resin (b2).

A spreading apparatus for use with fibre-reinforced composite tapes, and related methods are disclosed. The spreading apparatus comprises an input side to receive an incoming tape to be spread, and an output side from which tape is delivered after spreading. The apparatus further comprises a tape heater (150, 250, 650) to in use apply heat to a tape; and a tape spreader (100, 1, 200, 600) to in use to apply contact pressure to the heated tape to thereby spread the tape.

Compositions comprising a fiber component, optionally a dispersing agent operable to disperse the fiber component to create a fiber matrix, a starch component distributed essentially throughout the fiber matrix, and a filler component are disclosed. Methods of forming articles such as containers and packages from such compositions are also disclosed.

Compositions comprising a fiber component, optionally a dispersing agent operable to disperse the fiber component to create a fiber matrix, a starch component distributed essentially throughout the fiber matrix, and a filler component are disclosed. Methods of forming articles such as containers and packages from such compositions are also disclosed.

The present invention relates to a process for the manufacturing of composite materials from natural fibers and thermoplastic polymers. Examples of fibers are wood fibers originating from pulping processes known as refiner pulp (RMP), thermomechanical pulp (TMP) or chemi-thermomechanical pulp (CTMP), but the process can also be applied to other kinds of natural fiber containing raw materials. In the process according to the present invention, fibers are introduced from the blowline or the housing of a refiner into a flash tube dryer, separated from humid air in a cyclone, introduced into a compounder and mixed with at least one thermoplastic polymer and the product is subsequently pelletized. The process according to the present invention is advantageously run as a continuous process.