Apparatus and method for receiving and holding debris in a collection chamber of a vacuum cleaner. The collection chamber has an inlet opening through which debris-entrained air enters the collection chamber. When the vacuum cleaner is off, an internal valve prevents debris from leaving the collection chamber through the inlet opening. The internal valve is movable from a first sealed position, in which the internal valve covers the chamber inlet opening, to a second unsealed position in which the internal valve does not cover the chamber inlet opening.

A sound-absorbing material has an excellent sound absorbing property in a low-frequency range, an intermediate-frequency range, and a high-frequency range. The sound-absorbing material is a laminated sound-absorbing material, which includes at least one first layer, and at least one second layer that differs from the first layer. The first layer has a mean flow pore diameter of 2.0 to 60 μm and an air permeability according to the Frazier method of 30 to 200 cc/cm.sup.2.Math.s. The second layer is a layer including at least one kind selected from a foamed resin, a nonwoven fabric and a woven fabric, has a thickness of 3 to 40 mm, and has a density that is lower than the first layer and is 51 to 150 kg/m.sup.3. The first layer is disposed on a sound incidence side of the second layer.

Down-proof baffles are described herein. An example down-proof baffle may comprise composite material. The composite material may be or comprise the shell of the example down-proof baffle. The example composite material may comprise a membrane disposed adjacent one or more layers.

An object of the present invention is to provide a fiber-reinforced composite material achieving both lightweight properties and mechanical properties, a laminate thereof, and a prepreg capable of easily molding a sandwich structure thereof. The present invention is a prepreg comprising a reinforced fiber substrate (B) impregnated with a resin (A), wherein the reinforced fiber substrate (B) exists in a folded state having a plurality of folds with a fold angle of 0° or more and less than 90° in the prepreg.

A cleansing wipe may be formed from a nonwoven and includes a first ethylene/alpha-olefin interpolymer and a second ethylene/alpha-olefin interpolymer. The cleansing wipe may also have a SaMbSc configuration, wherein the M, meltblown layer, is formed from the first ethylene/alpha-olefin interpolymer and the second ethylene/alpha-olefin interpolymer. The cleansing wipe may be formed a nonwoven comprising bicomponent fibers that incorporate the first ethylene/alpha-olefin interpolymer and the second ethylene/alpha-olefin interpolymer.

Methods of disposing of liquid radioactive medical waste are disclosed. The methods relate to depositing liquid radioactive medical waste into or onto a substrate that includes (a)(i) fibers, or (ii) both fibers and foam, and (b) activated carbon. The substrate adsorbs liquid radioactive medical waste to facilitate safe disposal of liquid radioactive medical waste.

Waste disposal substrates are also disclosed. The waste disposal substrates include (a) at least one layer of fibers, (b) at least one layer containing activated carbon; and (c) at least one layer containing superabsorbent particles. Methods of using waste disposal substrates are also disclosed. Methods of using a waste disposal substrate may include contacting a waste disposal substrate with a liquid fluid, the waste disposal substrate containing: (a) at least one layer of fibers, (b) at least one layer containing activated carbon; and (c) at least one layer containing superabsorbent particles. The liquid fluid, or a component of the liquid fluid, is collected, dissolved, adsorbed, inactivated, destroyed, and/or disposed of within the waste disposal substrate.

A multi-layer ballistic woven fabric, including an upper woven layer having upper warp yarns and upper weft yarns that are interwoven together to form the upper woven layer. The multi-layer ballistic woven fabric also includes a lower woven layer having lower warp yarns and lower weft yarns that are interwoven together, and a plurality of securing yarns, each securing yarn interwoven with at least some of the upper yarns and some of the lower yarns so as to secure the upper and lower woven layers together. At least one of the securing yarns is woven underneath a first lower weft yarn, then above a second upper weft yarn adjacent the first lower weft yarn, then underneath a third lower weft yarn adjacent the second upper weft yarn and then above a fourth upper weft yarn adjacent the third lower weft yarn. The multi-layer ballistic woven fabric is formed by interweaving the securing yarns with the warp yarns and weft yarns as the upper woven layer and lower woven layer are made.

The present disclosure is directed to dielectric elastomeric composites that include a retainable processing membrane, an elastomer material, and an electrically conductive material. The elastomer layer may be partially imbibed into the retainable processing membrane. The retainable processing membrane may be porous. The retainable processing membrane is compacted in the transverse in direction, machine direction, or in both directions prior to the application of an elastomer material and an electrically conductive material. The compaction of the retainable processing membrane may form structured folds or folded fibrils in the membrane, giving the retainable processing membrane a low modulus and flexibility. In some embodiments, the dielectric composites are positioned in a stacked configuration. Alternatively, the dielectric elastomeric composites may have a wound configuration. The dielectric composites have a total thickness less than about 170 μm. The dielectric elastomeric composites may be used, for example, in dielectric elastomer actuators, sensors, and in energy harvesting.

This invention relates a compostable lid for sealing a beverage capsule or a beverage pad wherein the lid comprises a natural-fiber based support obtainable by: (i) providing a first fibrous base sheet comprising natural fiber material sensitive to a gelatinizing agent; (ii) treating the first base sheet with a gelatinizing agent to give a treated first fibrous base sheet comprising gelatinized material; (iii) providing a second fibrous base sheet; (iv) contacting the treated first fibrous base sheet and the second base sheet with each other; (v) causing at least partial migration of the gelatinized material from the treated first fibrous base sheet into the second fibrous base sheet to give a multilayer product; and (vi) neutralizing and/or washing the product thus obtained and then drying it.

A wind turbine component, the wind turbine component comprising a laminate of layers with an outer side and an inner side, wherein the outer side faces an exterior of the wind turbine component and the inner side faces an interior of the wind turbine component, the laminate of layers being configured to reflect a radar wave impinging the outer side of the laminate of layers, wherein a reflection loss of the reflected radar wave is below a threshold at a frequency, the laminate of layers comprising: an attenuating layer comprising reinforcing fiberglass or reinforcing carbon fibers, a polymer matrix, and radar absorbing particles; a reflective layer arranged on the inner side of the attenuating layer, the reflective layer being configured to reflect a transmitted portion of the radar wave, the transmitted portion of the radar wave being a portion of the radar wave that has passed through the attenuating layer.