A fluorinated copolymer composition includes a thermoplastic resin A and a fluorinated elastomer B dispersed within thermoplastic resin A. Thermoplastic resin A has a shear stress (.sub.A) of greater than 0.11 MPa when measured with a capillary rheometer at a shear rate of 243 sec.sup.1 and at 360 C. in accordance with ASTM D3835. Fluorinated elastomer B dispersed within thermoplastic resin A has an average dispersed particle size of less than 50 m.

A brake pad, a mixture of materials for forming a brake pad, and a method for forming a brake pad.

A method of manufacturing a brake pad including a friction pad and a mounting structure includes providing a cure mold; filling the cure mold with granulated thermoset plastic to form the mounting structure and particulate friction material to form the friction pad; and press curing in a single step the filled cure mold to form the brake pad.

Provided are a brake pad for a disc brake including a resin back plate and a friction material joined to one surface of the resin back plate, in which the resin back plate is formed of a cured product of a first thermosetting resin composition, and a metal reinforcing material is provided on a surface of the resin back plate opposite to the surface joined to the friction material or inside the resin back plate, and a method of manufacturing the brake pad.

A friction material comprising a particulate inorganic porous material, wherein the particulate porous material comprises tan anticorrosive agent absorbed within its pores.

A method for producing a molded article of the present invention includes a step of preparing a pellet raw material containing a resin and raw fibers, a step of cutting the pellet raw material to obtain a plurality of pellets each containing the resin and fibers produced by cutting the raw fibers, a step of opening the fibers contained in each pellet; and a step of molding the pellets after being opened to obtain the molded article. According to the present invention, it is possible to easily produce a molded article (e.g., a back plate of a brake pad) having excellent mechanical strength. Further, According to the present invention, it is also possible to provide a molded article and a back plate each having excellent mechanical strength, and a brake pad having high reliability.

A textile-reinforced composite friction material is provided by the present invention that includes a nonwoven needlepunched fiber mat, a resin matrix impregnated within and onto the fiber mat, and a carbon nanomaterial dispersed within the resin matrix. The carbon nanomaterial is preferably carbon nanotubes and/or carbon nanofibers.

The disclosure describes a low density cloth preform, and apparatuses and methods for manufacturing the same. The low density cloth preform has a lower density than other preforms manufactured using prior apparatuses and methods, thereby rendering the low density cloth preform more amenable to the addition of matrix carbon thereto through the use of less expensive carbon sources and more rapid processes for adding matrix carbon. The apparatuses and methods for manufacturing the low density cloth preform comprise preform needling machines configured and preform needling processes operable to provide a more uniform and lesser needling depth with the result being a preform having a lower density. The preform needling machines utilize foam bases formed from resilient materials having appropriate rebound rates, arrangements of barbed needles in one or more groups and needling stages, and positioning of the barbed needles to minimize deflection of the foam bases and preform material.

A hub for a bicycle wheel includes a hub shell that defines one or more spoke holes. The hub shell includes a fiber reinforced material. The fiber reinforced material has one or more reinforcement fibers bending around the spoke holes to remain continuous around the spoke holes. One or more flanges with the spoke holes extend from the hub shell at an outer radial direction. A clutch or freehub adapter is coupled to the hub shell. Depending on the type of clutch mechanism used in the freehub, different clutch adapters can be incorporated into the hub.

In some examples, a method including depositing a resin and a plurality of carbon fibers via a print head of a three-dimensional printing system to form a carbon fiber preform including a plurality of individual carbon fiber layers, wherein each individual layer of the plurality of individual carbon fiber layers includes the resin and carbon fibers, and wherein the carbon fiber preform exhibits at least one of a non-uniform composition of the resin within the preform, different types of the carbon fibers within the preform, or non-uniform fiber orientation within the preform.