The invention relates to a structured body and a method for its preparation, whereby the structured body is produced of at least one powdery starting material by application of heat and/or pressure, and has several layers, whereby the starting material consists predominantly of thermoplastic basic material, and whereby the density of at least two layers of the structured body differ from each other, and whereby at least one layer of lower density contains hollow microspheres.

In an injection molded product of the invention, an unevenness forming portion having unevenness formed by thermal expansion of thermally expandable capsules is formed. The injection molded product includes a highly expanded portion that is formed at a surface side of the unevenness forming portion in a thickness direction of the injection molded product and in which the thermally expandable capsules are thermally expanded, and a main body portion that is a portion adjacent to the highly expanded portion in the thickness direction and in which the thermally expandable capsules are substantially not thermally expanded. The thickness of the highly expanded portion is a half or smaller than the thickness of the injection molded product in the unevenness forming portion, and a polymer material of the highly expanded portion and a polymer material of the main body portion are the same polymer material.

An appliance includes an outer shell and an inner shell, wherein the outer shell and the inner shell are engaged to define an insulating cavity therebetween, and wherein the inner shell includes an inner surface that defines an interior cavity. An insulation member includes a plurality of layers, each layer of the plurality of layers including an insulative sheet defining first and second surfaces and a plurality of microspheres at least partially disposed within the insulative sheet, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of microspheres extends outward from each of the first and second surfaces to define a plurality of protrusions, and wherein the engagement of two adjacent layers of the plurality of layers causes a portion of the plurality of protrusions to engage and define a plurality of insulating air pockets between the adjacent layers.

The trailing edge structure of an aircraft wing is subjected, in use, to high temperature efflux from an aircraft's engines. Such elevated temperatures can detrimentally affect the ultimate tensile strength of the trailing edge. An aircraft wing component includes composite material having a first portion including a metal matrix containing reinforcing material, and a second portion including a metal matrix containing hollow metal ceramic spheres, the second portion being adjacent a surface of the composite material. The provision of two portions, one of which contains reinforcing material and the other comprising hollow spheres means that the composite material has both structural strength and heat shielding qualities where they are needed most in the component. The portion of composite containing the hollow metal ceramic spheres acts as an embedded layer of heat insulation.

Disclosed are void-containing films and shrinkable films which show excellent density reduction that is retained upon exposures to high temperatures. The voiding agents are hollow glass microspheres. The shrinkable films have high shrinkage and retain their low density after processing under conditions of temperature and moisture used in typical recycling processes. The films are useful as for sleeves, labels, laminates and other shrinkable film applications, and their lower density allows them to be readily separated from soft drink bottles, food containers and the like during recycling operations.

The trailing edge structure of an aircraft wing is subjected, in use, to high temperature efflux from an aircraft's engines. Such elevated temperatures can detrimentally affect the ultimate tensile strength of the trailing edge. An aircraft wing component includes composite material having a first portion including a metal matrix containing reinforcing material, and a second portion including a metal matrix containing hollow metal ceramic spheres, the second portion being adjacent a surface of the composite material. The provision of two portions, one of which contains reinforcing material and the other comprising hollow spheres means that the composite material has both structural strength and heat shielding qualities where they are needed most in the component. The portion of composite containing the hollow metal ceramic spheres acts as an embedded layer of heat insulation.

A method for manufacturing a flexible surface element with at least one thermoplastic, thermosetting and/or elastomeric wear layer is provided. The method includes introducing expandable hollow microspheres into the wear layer and/or a functional layer, applying at least one pressure-resistant layer detachably to the wear layer, and subsequently heating at least one section of the surface element to be treated by a thermal energy supply to a temperature within an expansion temperature range of the hollow microspheres, so that at least the hollow microspheres contained in the section to be treated are at least partially expanded and/or further expanded. Expansion of the hollow microspheres is limited by pressure-resistant properties of the pressure-resistant layer. The method further includes removing the pressure-resistant layer from the wear layer at least sectionally.

An appliance includes an outer shell and an inner shell, wherein the outer shell and the inner shell are engaged to define an insulating cavity therebetween, and wherein the inner shell includes an inner surface that defines an interior cavity. An insulation member includes a plurality of layers, each layer of the plurality of layers including an insulative sheet defining first and second surfaces and a plurality of microspheres at least partially disposed within the insulative sheet, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of microspheres extends outward from each of the first and second surfaces to define a plurality of protrusions, and wherein the engagement of two adjacent layers of the plurality of layers causes a portion of the plurality of protrusions to engage and define a plurality of insulating air pockets between the adjacent layers.

An appliance includes an outer shell and an inner shell, wherein the outer shell and the inner shell are engaged to define an insulating cavity therebetween, and wherein the inner shell includes an inner surface that defines an interior cavity. An insulation member includes a plurality of layers, each layer of the plurality of layers including an insulative sheet defining first and second surfaces and a plurality of microspheres at least partially disposed within the insulative sheet, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of microspheres extends outward from each of the first and second surfaces to define a plurality of protrusions, and wherein the engagement of two adjacent layers of the plurality of layers causes a portion of the plurality of protrusions to engage and define a plurality of insulating air pockets between the adjacent layers.

A fabric includes a first flexible fabric layer, having fabric emissivity properties in a visible radiation range that are selected so as to mimic ambient emissivity properties of a deployment environment of the fabric, and at least one second flexible fabric layer, which is joined to the first flexible fabric layer, and which is configured to scatter long-wave radiation that is incident on the fabric. The first and second flexible fabric layers are perforated by a non-uniform pattern of perforations extending over at least a part of the fabric.