Are disclosed a thermoplastic material for vehicle interior or exterior having not only excellent strength in winter but also excellent sound-absorption and heat-resistance, a method for preparing the same and an article for vehicle interior or exterior using the same. A method for producing a thermoplastic material for interior or exterior of vehicle, comprising the steps of: forming a fiber sheet or web by randomly arranging fibers having a length of 50 mm or more, the fibers being selected from the group consisting of glass fibers, carbon fibers, basalt fibers, aramid fibers and mixtures thereof; applying polyethylene powders to one side or both sides of the fiber sheet or web; forming a fiber reinforced mat by heating and pressing the fiber sheet or web to which the polyethylene powders are applied; and laminating the fiber reinforced mat on one side or both sides of a polypropylene base.

Provided are a shaped article made of a fibrous filler-reinforced thermoplastic resin composition and capable of increasing mechanical properties and a method for producing the shaped article. The shaped article is made of a resin composition containing: inorganic fibers having an average fiber length of 1 m to 300 m and an average aspect ratio of 3 to 200; and a thermoplastic resin, and the inorganic fibers have an average orientation angle of 24 or lower.

A foam includes a cellular structure and having a density of at most 0.50 g/cm.sup.3, where the cellular structure is provided by a solid material that includes humins. Such a foam is prepared in a process, which includes: providing a starting material containing humins; and heating the starting material to a temperature in the range of 150 to 450 C. The foam can be used in articles for a variety of applications such as substrate for plant growth, as adsorbent for treating waste water or waste gases, as support for solid catalysts, as insulation material, or packaging material.

A thermoplastic prepreg includes a mat, web, or fabric of fibers and hollow glass microspheres that are positioned atop the mat, web, or fabric of fibers or dispersed therein. The thermoplastic prepreg also includes a thermoplastic polymer that is fully impregnated through the mat, web, or fabric of fibers and the hollow glass microspheres so that the thermoplastic prepreg has a void content of less than 3% by volume of the thermoplastic prepreg. The thermoplastic material is polymerized monomers and oligomers in which greater than 90% by weight of the monomers or oligomers react to form the thermoplastic material.

A thermoplastic prepreg includes a mat, web, or fabric of fibers and hollow glass microspheres that are positioned atop the mat, web, or fabric of fibers or dispersed therein. The thermoplastic prepreg also includes a thermoplastic polymer that is fully impregnated through the mat, web, or fabric of fibers and the hollow glass microspheres so that the thermoplastic prepreg has a void content of less than 3% by volume of the thermoplastic prepreg. The thermoplastic material is polymerized monomers and oligomers in which greater than 90% by weight of the monomers or oligomers react to form the thermoplastic material.

The present invention relates to a method for producing a fibre-reinforced, transparent composite material (10), comprising the following steps: a) providing a material matrix melt and b) producing reinforcing fibres (14), step b) of the method comprising the steps of b1) providing a mixture having a silicon source and a carbon source, the silicon source and the carbon source being present together in particles of a granulated solid; b2) treating the mixture provided in step a) of the method at a temperature in a range from 1400 C. to 2000 C., more particularly in a range from 1650 C. to 1850 C.; thereby producing reinforcing fibres (14), the method comprising the further steps of c) introducing the reinforcing fibres (14) into the material melt; and d) optionally cooling the material melt to form a transparent composite material (10). A method of this kind allows a composite material to be produced that is able to unite high transparency with outstanding reinforcing qualities.

Disclosed embodiments include hollow composite utility pole, cross arm, and brace structures and methods of manufacture of the same using fire retardant materials. Poles, cross arm, and brace structures may be manufactured using a fire resistant resin impregnated, or resin wetted, filament roving that is wound onto a mandrel, pultruded or otherwise formed into a structural part. Various pole structures and manufacturing methods are described, including chemically bonded sleeve joint structures for poles of varying size.

Disclosed is a particulate combined with a silicate in a discontinuous phase dispersed in a continuous polymer phase in a composite having enhanced properties.

A sheetlike semifinished product comprising a matrix having at least one latent reactive plastics composition which is curable to afford an elastomer, in particular a thermoplastic elastomer, and fibers embedded in the matrix. A process for producing sheetlike semifinished products is further disclosed.

A stabilized reinforcing textile fabric including at least one uni-directional reinforcing yarn (A) layer and a plurality of stitching yarns. The plurality of stitching yarns are meltable thermoplastic yarns (B) functioning as a stabilizing resin. The at least one uni-directional reinforcing yarn is includes a carbon fiber, a glass fiber, an aramid fiber, and a natural fiber, or a combination thereof. The meltable thermoplastic stitching yarns include polyamides, polyolefins, polyphthalamides, polyphenylene sulfide, polysulfone, polyether sulfone, polyarylene sulfide, fluoropolymer, polyacetal, polycarbonate, polyether ketone, polyether ether ketone, polyimide, polyether imide, polyarylene ether sulfone, styrenic polymer, polyesters or a combination thereof.