A thermoplastic composite sheet may be composed of a polymer material matrix and a lightweight material that is disposed throughout the polymer material matrix. The polymer material matrix may extend continuously throughout a length, width, and thickness of the thermoplastic composite sheet. The polymer material matrix may be a fully polymerized thermoplastic material. The lightweight material may be fully saturated by the thermoplastic material of the polymer material matrix. The thermoplastic composite sheet may include between 50 and 99 weight percent of the thermoplastic material and between 1 and 50 weight percent of the lightweight material. The thermoplastic composite sheet may be free of reinforcing fibers.

A concentrate carrier system for adding colorants and/or other additives to resin formulations over a broad range of processing temperatures is described. The carrier system includes at least 20 wt. % of a base acrylate copolymer, such as ethyl-methyl acrylate, provided in combination with less than 55 or less than 30 wt. % of a ring-opened cyclic ester or ether derivative, such as polycaprolactone, polyhydroxyalkonates, polyglycolide, polylactide, poly(butylene succinate), other aliphatic linear polyesters. The remainder, which may include an optional organic plasticizer such as epoxidized soybean oil, is dedicated to an additive package that may include colorants, property enhancers, and/or non-property fillers.

A decorative sheet includes a primary film layer; a transparent resin layer; and a surface protective layer, in this order; the surface protective layer is formed of a plurality of layers with a layer located on an outermost surface is a surface protective layer, and a layer underlying the surface protective layer is a second surface protective layer and includes one or more ionizing radiation-curable resins having an erosion rate E in a range of 0.10 μm/g or more and 0.45 μm/g or less, and one or more thermosetting resins having an erosion rate E in a range of 0.30 μm/g or more and 0.6 μm/g or less, the erosion rate E being measured by using polygonal alumina powder having an average particle size (D50) of 1.2 μm, and a mass ratio between the ionizing radiation-curable resin and the thermosetting resin (ionizing radiation-curable resin/thermosetting resin) is 95/5 to 40/60.

A thermally expandable composition that comprises at least one organic compound having at least one cyclic carbonate group as a blowing agent, at least one catalyst for the blowing agent, at least one reactive binder and at least one hardener and/or accelerator. Also provided are molded bodies containing the composition, and a method for sealing and filling hollow spaces in components, in order to strengthen or stiffen components, in particular hollow components, and for adhering movable components through use of molded bodies of this type, as well as to the use of corresponding cyclic organic carbonates as a blowing agent in thermally expandable compositions.

Prepregs and laminates made from resin compositions having a free resin portion and a resin impregnated reinforcing material portion where the resin includes one or more base resins and one or more high Dk materials wherein the one or more high Dk materials are present in the resin composition in an amount sufficient to impart the resin composition with a cured Dk.sub.W that matches the Dk.sub.WR of a resin impregnated reinforcing material to which the resin composition is applied to within plus or minus (±) 15%.

The present invention provides thermosetting resin pre-impregnated or infused fiber materials or prepregs comprising a thermosetting resin mixture and a fiber material component of a heat resistant fiber, such as carbon fiber, having an areal weight of from 500 to 3,000 g/m2 having a coating of from 0.5 to 4 phr of a latent, particulate curative or solid curative, preferably, dicyandiamide, wherein the prepregs are infused with a thermosetting resin mixture comprising (a) at least one liquid epoxy resin, and (b) a hardener and/or a catalyst, as well as methods of making the same. The prepregs of present invention enables the simple provision of lightweight composites having consistent resin cure throughout.

The present invention relates to a composite preform comprising a multistage polymer. The present invention further relates to a method for making a composite preform comprising a fibrous material and a multistage polymer and its use in making composite articles. The present invention also relates to a process for preparing a composite preform comprising a fibrous material and a multistage polymer and its use for producing fibre reinforced impact modified composites.

A method and apparatus for manufacturing a filler for a composite structure. The apparatus may comprise a filler. The filler may comprise a fiber matrix that is uniform in all directions. The fiber matrix may comprise a first plurality of discontinuous filaments and a second plurality of discontinuous filaments. Each filament of the first plurality of discontinuous filaments may be comprised of a stiffening material. Each filament of the second plurality of discontinuous filaments may be comprised of a binding material. Discontinuous filaments of both the first plurality of discontinuous filaments and the second plurality of discontinuous filaments may be randomly oriented and entangled with each other.

Novel ultra-thin unidirectional pre-preg tapes are disclosed. They can be used to produce ultra-thin woven, bias, multiaxial, chopped-oriented etc. types of pre-pregs. These ultra-thin pre-pregs enable production of composite material products with well-controlled dimensional tolerances and smooth/even surfaces. Further, they render the production of composite material products relatively simpler, tidier, quicker, and economical. The obtained composite material products are relatively thinner, lighter, and mechanically higher-performing.

The disclosure describes composite nosecones and techniques for forming composite nosecones including a matrix material, relatively higher-modulus reinforcement elements, and relatively tougher polymer-based reinforcement elements. An example composite nosecone includes a body substantially symmetrical around a central axis. The body includes a side wall defining a diameter of the body that increases from a forward side of the body to an aft side of the body. The body includes a composite material including a plurality of relatively higher-modulus reinforcement elements, a plurality of relatively tougher polymer-based reinforcement elements, and a matrix material substantially encapsulating the plurality of relatively higher-modulus reinforcement elements and the plurality of relatively tougher polymer-based reinforcement elements. The plurality of relatively higher-modulus reinforcement elements are different from the plurality of relatively tougher polymer-based reinforcement elements.