A method for producing an automotive equipment part includes the following steps: arranging a porous layer in a foaming mold; injection, on one side of the porous layer, of a foam precursor; expansion of the precursor material to form a foam base layer bonded to the porous layer; and extraction from the mold of the equipment part including the porous layer and the foam base layer bonded to the porous layer. The method further includes a step for injecting a pressurized fluid on a second side of the porous layer to form a counter-pressure to the expansion of the precursor material.

A continuous process for preparing insulation panels having thick (0.2 mm to 1 mm) metal facing panels and a fiber-reinforced polymer foam core is disclosed. In the process, a bottom metal facing panel (2) is continuously supplied. A mat (10) of reinforcing fibers and a foamable resin composition (19) are applied to the bottom facing panel. A flexible barrier layer (5) is applied atop the foamable resin composition, and the assembly is passed through nip rolls (12,13) to compress the assembly and force the resin composition into the fiber mat. An adhesive layer (4) and top metallic facing layer (1) are then applied on top of the flexible barrier layer, and the resulting assembly is gauged and cured by passing it through a double band laminator (11).

The invention relates to a panel with a porous shell and a spring layer, part of which enters the shell and produces an integrated sealed barrier. The foam of the shell is an integral skinned foam and the shell has a core with a substantially homogenous density and a porous skin. The overall density of the shell is between 150 and 350 kg/m3. The skin thickness is between 0.3 and 2 mm and has a permeability such that a 2 mm thick foam strip cut into the shell and integrating the skin exhibits air flow resistance of between 250 and 2000 N.s.m−3.

A fiber-reinforced resin composite having high peeling strength between a fiber-reinforced resin and a resin foam. The fiber-reinforced resin composite (10) is a fiber-reinforced resin composite (10) including a skin (11) and a resin foam (12), the resin foam including a foamed resin (16), the skin including a fiber sheet (14), a thermoplastic matrix resin (15), and the foamed resin (16) that is continuous from the resin foam and is impregnated into the skin.

The present invention is an artificial tree consisting of a shape such as conical wherein there is an artificial outer layer, e.g., artificial grass, a solidified foam core, and a post molded into the foam core.

A sockliner for a shoe may be formed to include an integral fabric skirt. The fabric skirt may remain loose from the sockliner along at least a portion of the periphery of the sockliner. The loose periphery of the fabric skirt may be used to join the sockliner to other shoe components, as in a strobel-type seam.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate roofing membranes that may include at least one first layer including a first plurality of protrusions; at least one second layer including a second plurality of protrusions; and a plurality of inner regions disposed between a raised protrusion of the first plurality of protrusions and a raised protrusion of the second plurality of protrusions. Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods of forming roofing membranes. The methods may include applying a blowable ink onto at least one porous layer; sandwiching the at least one porous layer between the at least one first layer and the at least one second layer; and expanding the blowable ink, so as to form the first plurality of protrusions, the second plurality of protrusions, and the plurality of inner regions.

Light weight composites with high flexural strength comprise epoxy foam sandwiched between two layers of facing material have high strength and low weight and can be used to replace steel structures. The facing layer may be fibrous material especially glass or carbon fibres, the facing material is preferably embedded into the epoxy matrix. Alternatively they may be matching box structures or concentric metal tubes. The sandwich structures may be prepared by laying up the fibre; coating and/or impregnating the layer with epoxy resin, laying a layer of heat activatable foamable epoxy material, providing a further layer of the fibrous material optionally coated and/or impregnated with epoxy resin on the foamable material and heating to foam and cure the epoxy materials. Alternatively they may be formed by extrusion of the foamable material between the surface layers.

There is provided a method for manufacturing a patterned cellulose-based film. The cellulose-based film is modified with a pattern provided by a mold is caused to absorb water. The absorbed water causes a volume increase of the cellulose-based film, which causes modifying the cellulose-based film by the cellulose-based film pressing against the mold. Since, the cellulose-based film is pressed against the mold due to swelling caused by water molecules absorbed into the cellulose-based film, the pattern of the mold may be replicated to the cellulose-based film without necessarily requiring any external pressure.

A sockliner for a shoe may be formed to include an integral fabric skirt. The fabric skirt may remain loose from the sockliner along at least a portion of the periphery of the sockliner. The loose periphery of the fabric skirt may be used to join the sockliner to other shoe components, as in a strobel-type seam.