Components for articles of footwear and athletic equipment including a foam are provided. The foam portion of the components and articles include a composition which includes a thermoplastic copolyester, the composition having a foam structure. A polymer layer is provided on at least on surface of the foam portion. The polymer layer can control or reduce the water uptake of the foam portion. Methods of making the compositions, foams, and components are provided, as well as methods of making an article of footwear including one of the foam components. In some aspects, the foams and foam components can be made by injection molding, or injection molding followed by compression molding.

A method of forming a composite product is described. An example of the method comprises providing a layer (34) comprising a sheet-form moulding material and providing a substrate (36). The layer of sheet-form material is applied onto a surface of the substrate (36); and pressed to the substrate in a mould (30). In some examples, the substrate (36) is an open celled foam and gas and/or vapour can be displaced from the pressing region.

The tire of the present disclosure includes an inner surface layer that forms a tire inner surface and is formed of a thermoplastic resin or contains a thermoplastic resin, and a porous body that is partially embedded in the inner surface layer.

Described herein is a method for producing a PU foam insole, including the following steps of: (1) pouring the raw materials used to form a PU foam into a mould, reacting to obtain a PU sheet, where the height of the mould cavity is from about 1.0 to about 1.6 times of the total thickness of two finished insoles; (2) splitting the PU sheet into two halves in the horizontal direction to obtain two pieces of PU insole material, where one surface of the material has open pores, and the other surface of the material has a skin; and (3) attaching a piece of fabric onto the surface having open pores of the material obtained in step (2). Also described herein is a PU foam insole produced by the method.

The mat of the present invention includes a main body integrally formed by a plastic material. The main body at least has a first surface and a second surface adjacent to the first face. The first face and the second face have different surface physical characteristics. The first surface and the second surface are shaped into a third surface and a fourth surface respectively. The third surface and the fourth surface have a substantially same surface physical characteristic. An angle between the third surface and the fourth surface outside the main body is a specific value.

Composite materials having superior material properties useful as impact absorbing devices can be fabricated by embedding a lattice structure (e.g., polymer lattice structure) within a foam, so that the foam reinforces the lattice structure under impact. Materials and dimensions of the foam and the lattice structure may be selected to achieve composite materials having tailored impact absorbing elastic and/or viscoelastic responses over a wide range of temperatures.

A thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) foam having a soft open-cell inner layer and a washable closed-cell outer layer which surrounds and substantially seals the inner layer, and which may be used alone or in combination with other components to produce useful articles. The TPE foam includes a base resin which is a styrenic block copolymer, and a foaming agent. A process of forming and molding the TPE foam includes using a shutoff nozzle to prevent the foaming agent from activating before reaching the mold cavity, using an oversized gate to minimize shear heat, and using oversized vents. An earplug may be constructed by molding the TPE foam over a core or body formed from a material which is denser than the TPE foam. A first earplug design may employ a constrained layer damping effect, while a second earplug design may employ an adjustable sound attenuation effect.

An illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method of manufacturing a composite structure. A composite material having a closed cross-section or a partially closed cross-section is cured to form the composite structure, wherein the composite material is in contact with a foam mandrel assembly when curing begins. A supportive foam mandrel in the foam mandrel assembly is collapsed during curing.

Components for articles of footwear and athletic equipment including a foam are provided. The foam portion of the components and articles include a composition which includes a thermoplastic copolyester, the composition having a foam structure. A polymer layer is provided on at least on surface of the foam portion. The polymer layer can control or reduce the water uptake of the foam portion. Methods of making the compositions, foams, and components are provided, as well as methods of making an article of footwear including one of the foam components. In some aspects, the foams and foam components can be made by injection molding, or injection molding followed by compression molding.

Components for articles of footwear and athletic equipment including a foam are provided. The foam portion of the components and articles include a composition which includes a thermoplastic copolyester, the composition having a foam structure. A polymer layer is provided on at least on surface of the foam portion. The polymer layer can control or reduce the water uptake of the foam portion. Methods of making the compositions, foams, and components are provided, as well as methods of making an article of footwear including one of the foam components. In some aspects, the foams and foam components can be made by injection molding, or injection molding followed by compression molding.