A vehicle running board includes opposing vertical walls extending along a length of a tubular structure and including a carbon-fiber component. Opposing horizontal walls extend between the opposing vertical walls and include a glass component. The opposing vertical and opposing horizontal walls form the tubular structure having a generally rectilinear cross section. A polymer outer covering extends over the opposing vertical and opposing horizontal walls.

A structural reinforcement for an article including a carrier that includes: (i) a mass of polymeric material having an outer surface; and (is) at least one consolidated fibrous insert having an outer surface and including at least one elongated fiber arrangement having a plurality of ordered fibers arranged in a predetermined manner. The fibrous insert is envisioned to adjoin the mass of the polymeric material in a predetermined location for carrying a predetermined load that is subjected upon the predetermined location (thereby effectively providing localized reinforcement to that predetermined location). The fibrous insert and the mass of polymeric material are of compatible materials, structures or both, for allowing the fibrous insert to be at least partially joined to the mass of the polymeric material. Disposed upon at least a portion of the carrier will be a mass of activatable material.

A structural reinforcement for an article including a carrier that includes: (i) a mass of polymeric material having an outer surface; and (ii) at least one consolidated fibrous insert (14) having an outer surface and including at least one elongated fiber arrangement having a plurality of ordered fibers arranged in a predetermined manner. The fibrous insert is envisioned to adjoin the mass of the polymeric material in a predetermined location for carrying a predetermined load that is subjected upon the predetermined location (thereby effectively providing localized reinforcement to that predetermined location). The fibrous insert and the mass of polymeric material are of compatible materials, structures or both, for allowing the fibrous insert to be at least partially joined to the mass of the polymeric material. Disposed upon at least a portion of the carrier may be a mass of activatable material.

To provide a method for manufacturing an interdental cleaning tool that can prevent deformation of a core base at molding of a cleaning flexible part using an elastomer material, thereby effectively preventing occurrence of molding failure of the cleaning flexible part. The method in the present invention includes: a base part molding step of providing first metal molds 30 and 31 for molding base parts with a plurality of first molding spaces 32 aligned in parallel and including core base molding sections 32a and handle base molding sections 32b, providing the first metal molds 30 and 31 with connection part molding sections 35 to communicate with the adjacent handle base molding sections 32b, and supplying a synthetic resin material with a fiber material at a time to the plurality of first molding spaces 32 from gates 34 to form a plurality of base parts at a time; and a flexible part molding step of setting the core bases of the base parts into second metal molds, holding the core bases at two or more longitudinal portions by a plurality of pairs of hold pins in the second metal molds, each pair including two pins, and charging an elastomer material into the cleaning flexible part molding spaces.

A structural reinforcement for an article including a carrier that includes: (i) a mass of polymeric material having an outer surface; and (is) at least one consolidated fibrous insert having an outer surface and including at least one elongated fiber arrangement having a plurality of ordered fibers arranged in a predetermined manner. The fibrous insert is envisioned to adjoin the mass of the polymeric material in a predetermined location for carrying a predetermined load that is subjected upon the predetermined location (thereby effectively providing localized reinforcement to that predetermined location). The fibrous insert and the mass of polymeric material are of compatible materials, structures or both, for allowing the fibrous insert to be at least partially joined to the mass of the polymeric material. Disposed upon at least a portion of the carrier will be a mass of activatable material.

The invention relates to a method for producing a trim element for vehicles which has a genuine carbon appearance, comprising a carbon fiber layer which is arranged on an exposed side of the trim element and is visible from the outside, and which is made of a fiber structure composed of prefabricated carbon fibers with interstices, with the method comprising at least the process step of wet impregnating the prefabricated carbon fiber layer with an aqueous polymer dispersion based on polyurethane, acrylate or polyvinyl acetate or a mixture thereof, so that the polymer dispersion penetrates at least partially into the carbon fiber layer, increasing the suitability thereof for penetration of a coating into the interstices of the fiber structure of the carbon layer.

To provide method for manufacturing interdental cleaner configured to suppress leakage of elastomer from space for forming slip resistance portion in mold to outside of space in step of filling elastomer into mold. Method for manufacturing interdental cleaner includes first step of molding base portion having handle portion and shaft portion (40) by filling composite material into first mold, and second step of forming cleaning portion and slip resistance portion by filling elastomer into second mold (200) with the base portion situated in second mold (200). In first step, what is molded has handle portion including base (24), recessed portion (26), and bulge portion (28) bulging from surface of the recessed portion (26). In second step, cleaning portion and slip resistance portion are formed by filling elastomer into second space from portion of base portion distant from bulge portion (28) toward shaft portion (40).

To provide method for manufacturing interdental cleaner for suppressing elastomer from insufficiently filling into space around shaft portion in filling the elastomer into mold. Method for manufacturing interdental cleaner includes first step of molding base portion having handle portion and shaft portion (40) by filling composite material into first mold, and second step of forming cleaning portion, slip resistance portion and coupling portion by filling elastomer into second mold (200) from distal end portion side of shaft portion (40) with base portion situated in second mold (200), second mold (200) having second space for forming cleaning portion, slip resistance portion and coupling portion. What is used as second mold (200) in second step has ratio no less than 40% of a flow path area in second space for elastomer around distal end portion of handle portion to flow path area in second space for elastomer around proximal end portion of shaft portion (40).

A fastening insert made of plastic with a T-shaped configuration consisting of an insert disc and a hollow cylindrical shaft fastened to the insert disc. The insert disc has a plurality of passage openings arranged off-center, at least one of which has an edge projection extending circumferentially continuously or circumferentially in sections, which is formed as toothing and extends on one side or both sides beyond the respective fastening side of the insert disc. This toothing ensures an additional form-fit connection or fixation of the fastening insert in a preferably fiber-reinforced composite material.

Sports boot element of which the wall includes at least two different plastics materials (15, 16), the wall having (i) a first zone (11) including the two different plastics materials within its thickness, the first plastics material (15) forming two layers of the wall constituting the internal and external faces of the said wall, and the second plastics material (16) being interposed between the two layers of the first plastics material (15), and (ii) a second zone (13) including only the second plastics material (16).