A method of manufacturing a preform including a core and a sole includes contour weaving the preform on a lap roller having a groove or an outgrowth allowing shape weaving of the core and the sole of the preform. At least one portion of the core and at least one portion of the sole include weft yarns which cross each other on common warp yarns.

The invention relates to a sound protection panel for cladding a wall of an automotive vehicle, the panel includes a mass-spring system. The panel has a lower spring layer based on a resiliently compressible material, an upper mass layer based on resiliently compressible foam flakes, the flakes being bound together by a two-component fibre-based bonding agent comprising a core. The core is fusible at a high temperature or infusible, and a sheath fusible at a lower temperature, the flakes being fused with the sheath to form an upper agglomerated layer.

An electrically decoupled jet engine. The electrically decoupled jet engine includes a combustion chamber which creates a toroidal flow of air and a rotational electric motor which drives a fuel supply into the combustion chamber. The toroidal flow of air is mixed with the fuel and combusted in the combustion chamber to create thrust.

Disclosed is a thermal insulating shipping container with a five-sided box wherein a bottom and four sides all have an inner layer of corrugated polymer, a middle layer of shrink-wrapped panels with each panel being a vacuum panel, and an outer layer of corrugated polymer. The container is formed by inserting polyurethane liquid into the gaps and spaces between the shrink-wrapped panels and the inner and outer layers and foaming the polyurethane liquid and allowing it to harden. Weather stripping may be adhered to the edges of the container which are opposite to the bottom of the container.

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 healing to foam and cure the epoxy materials. Alternatively they may be formed by extrusion of the foamable material between the surface layers.

A fibrous vehicle underbody shield and method for manufacturing the same is provided. A binderless core of non-woven fibrous material defines first and second surfaces of the fibrous vehicle underbody shield. The second surface of the fibrous vehicle underbody is opposite the first surface such that the first and second surfaces are separated by a final product thickness. The first and second surfaces include at least one molded contour that gives the first and second surfaces a non-planar shape. The non-woven fibrous material of the binderless core includes a plurality of fibers that are mechanically entangled with each other and have a coating that withstands a heat exposure of 200 degrees Celsius. The fibrous vehicle underbody shield includes a latex impregnation. The latex impregnation is disposed on at least one of the first and second surfaces and penetrates the non-woven fibrous material of the binderless core an impregnation distance.

Low-density thermoplastic expandable microspheres are disclosed. Various low-density structures, in particular, sandwich panels, based on foam prepared from the low-density microspheres, are also disclosed. Process of preparing low-density polymeric microspheres, per se, and the corresponding low-density structures, based on the microsphere foam, are also disclosed.

The present invention provides a glossy finish sandwich composite, comprising face sheet as skin element and a core element; wherein, the skin element is a composite selected from the group consisting of inorganic industrial waste particulates reinforced polymeric composite; fibres reinforced polymeric composite; and fibres and particulate reinforced hybrid polymer composite; wherein, the core element is selected from the group consisting of polyurethane foam and wastes reinforced polymeric material. The present invention also provides a novel process for developing glossy finish high performance hybrid sandwich composite(s). Moreover, the sandwich composite(s) of the present invention are unique materials which have versatile applications in wider spectrum of utility in sustainable manner and address issues on waste management, effective utilisation of renewable resources and agro-wastes.

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.

Embodiments disclosed herein relate to polymer resins having a first thermoset and one or more additional components (e.g., a second thermoset and/or a thermoplastic), composite laminates including the same, methods of making and using the same, and composite laminate structures including the same.