A method of making personal protective equipment, such as a push-in earplug, is disclosed. The method includes the steps of covering a substrate with an outer layer that includes an unactivated foaming agent, positioning at least a portion of the outer layer in a mold, and activating the foaming agent such that a portion of the outer layer expands.

Chemical foaming agents having p-toluenesulfonyl groups. Processes for preparing foamed polyolefin compositions using chemical foaming agents having p-toluenesulfonyl groups. Articles of manufacture containing formed polyolefins prepared using chemical foaming agents having p-toluenesulfonyl groups.

The disclosed latex system comprises a one-component, closed-cell, semi-foam, mastic sealant using gas-filled, flexible, organic microspheres to create a product that is elastic and compressible under pressure without protruding in an outward direction when compressed, thereby allowing the applied sealant to compress in an enclosed, maximum-filled channel unlike typical mastic sealants (while retaining the ability to rebound). This allows the sealant to function as a gasket, and, once fully cured, to have properties including vibration damping, insulating, and condensation resistance. The sealant can be formulated as an air barrier or a vapor barrier and at various degrees of moisture resistance. It may be applied by different packaging variations including aerosol can (bag in can or bag on valve), airless sprayer, cartridge tubes, foil tubes, squeeze tubes, and buckets to be applied using a brush, trowel, spatula, etc. The disclosed mastic sealant can also be formulated to be smoke-resistant and flame-resistant.

Disclosed herein is a foam composition comprising an olefin copolymer that comprises ethylene and an α-olefin or propylene and an α-olefin; an unneutralized carboxylated olefin copolymer; a crosslinking agent; and a blowing agent; where the foam composition is substantially free from neutralized carboxylated ethylene copolymer. Disclosed herein too is a method of manufacturing a foam composition comprising blending together an olefin copolymer that comprises ethylene and an α-olefin or propylene and an α-olefin; an unneutralized carboxylated olefin copolymer; a crosslinking agent; and a blowing agent to form the foam composition; where the foam composition is substantially free from neutralized carboxylated ethylene copolymer; heating the foam composition to activate the blowing agent to form a foam; and crosslinking the foam.

A method of manufacturing a fluid control device includes extruding a polymer melt into a chamber defined by an outer surface of a support structure and a disintegrable metallic tubular member disposed at the support structure, the polymer melt comprising a high heat polymer and a foaming agent, the high heat polymer having a heat deflection temperature of about 100° C. to about 300° C. measured at 1.82 MPa in accordance with ASTM D648-18; sealing the chamber; and foaming the high heat polymer to produce a porous filtration medium in a compacted shape.

Described herein are physically crosslinked, closed cell continuous multilayer foam structures that includes a foam layer comprising polypropylene, polyethylene, or a combination of polypropylene and polyethylene and a polyamide cap layer. The multilayer foam structure can be obtained by coextruding a multilayer structure comprising at least one foam composition layer and at least one cap composition layer, irradiating the coextruded structure with ionizing radiation, and continuously foaming the irradiated structure.

A non-woven polymeric mat for protecting pipelines, the mat including a plurality of extruded, strands derived from a polymer blend of pelletized polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin having a k-value ranging from 60 to 70 and an olefin-based thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), wherein the amount of TPE in the polymer blend ranges from about 2.8 parts by weight to about 4 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of PVC resin in the polymer blend and is sufficient to improve the modulus and tensile strength of the mat, and further wherein the polymer blend is devoid of a nucleating agent and is devoid of a cross-linking agent, and wherein the extruded strands have a specific gravity ranging from about 1.25 to about 1.4.

There is provided a polyolefin resin foam sheet formed by foaming a polyolefin resin, wherein the expansion ratio of the foam sheet is 1.5 to 20 cm.sup.3/g, the average cell sizes in the MD direction and the TD direction of the foam sheet are 130 μm or less, and the following formulas (1) and (2) are satisfied:
T.sub.M/D≥6  (1); and
T.sub.T/D≥5  (2), where T.sub.M denotes the tensile strength at 90° C. in the MD direction, T.sub.T denotes the tensile strength at 90° C. in the TD direction, and D denotes the density (g/cm.sup.3) of the foam sheet.

A foamed resin molded article (1) including: a foamed resin layer (30) comprising a first resin which is a copolymer including a rubber component, a vinyl cyanide monomer unit and an aromatic vinyl monomer unit, and a blowing agent; and a non-foamed resin layer (50) covering the foamed resin layer (30), wherein: the non-foamed resin layer (50) comprises a second resin which is a copolymer including a rubber component, a vinyl cyanide monomer unit, and an aromatic vinyl monomer unit; and the amount of the rubber component in the non-foamed resin layer (50), determined by pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (PGC/MS), is 1% by mass or more and 30% by mass or less, based on the total mass of the second resin.

A highly fire-resistant expanded polymeric material for thermal insulation, acoustic insulation and/or fire barrier contains rubber, expandable graphite, at least one alkaline earth metal component selected from alkaline earth metal carbonates, alkaline earth metal hydroxides, hydrates of either, and combinations thereof, and a component containing silica or a silicate. The expanded polymeric material is preferably manufactured by a process including decomposition of a chemical blowing agent.