A process for the production of padding layers having a high degree of thermal insulation, and particularly suitable for use in clothing and furnishing, comprises the steps of producing, by means of carding machines, a layer or web comprising a mixture of polyester fibres with silicone treated fibers of the same or different nature. This layer or web is then resin coated on one side with a mixture of sticky plastic adhesives which, when polymerized, form a very soft and elastic film; on the other side of the same layer a non-sticky adhesive is sprayed or otherwise applied and the thus treated web is then subjected to a calendering operation at a temperature varying between predetermined limits. Subsequently, a layer of metal particles embedded in synthetic resins is applied to one or both sides of the said layer in such a way as to form a thermal barrier operable to reduce the transmission of heat by radiation and convection through the layer itself.

There is provided a composite having improved structural integrity and suitable for use in abrasive, high temperature environments. The composite comprises randomly laid and oriented heat resistant fibers interlocked together into the form of a shape sustaining paper having two lateral surfaces. The paper has a thickness of from about 0.01 to 0.50 inch. An abrasion-resistant, high temperature resistant scrim is disposed upon at least one of the lateral surfaces of the paper, and a network of abrasion-resistant, high temperature-resistant threads is stitched through the scrim and the paper such that the scrim is mechanically locked to the paper by said threads. The network of threads and the scrim substantially retain the structural integrity of the said paper in use in the abrasive, high temperature environments.

A reinforced elastomer attachment joint includes an elastomer section (304) butt bonded to a FIBERGLAS section (332), a boundary line (340) being defined therebetween. One or more fabric plies (338) are embedded within the elastomer (304) and FIBERGLAS (332) sections so as to be capable of transmitting loads from the elastomer section (304) to the FIBERGLAS section (332). The rigid FIBERGLAS section (332) is capable of being drilled and countersunk so as to accomodate fastening means (306) whereby the attachment joint can be secured to basic support structure (302).

A printed circuit board is made from at least one non-woven sheet or web layer comprising at least 50% by weight acrylic fibers, with any balance substantially electrically non-conductive fibers, filler, and binder. The sheet or web is preferably made by the foam process, and may contain 60-80% straight polyacrylonitrile fibers and 40-20% fibrillated (pulp) ones. The web or sheet is preferably compressed by thermal calendering so that it has a density of about 0.1-1 grams per cubic centimeter; and the web or sheet may have a basis weight of between about 20-120 grams per square meter. The web or sheet may also have a 1-40% of substantially electrically non-conductive organic or inorganic binder, or may be substantially binder free. A printed circuit board made using the layers of these non-woven webs or sheets is otherwise conventional, including a pre-preg material, electrically conductive circuit elements, and electronics, and has improved properties compared to woven glass and non-woven aramid products, including improved fiber consolidation, easy board construction, and improved MD/CD ratio and stability.

Vinyl chloride (VC) resins, particularly poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and chlorinated poly(vinyl chloride) (CPVC) are reinforced with glass fibers which have been sized with a particular aminosilane coupling agent and an alkylene oxide-containing film former. This combination of sizing components, among all others, generates allylic Cl atoms in the VC chain of the polymer. Though the VC resin contains an adequate amount of stabilizer to counter the formation of such allylic Cl atoms in the mass of the resin, enough are generated near the surface of the glass to cause a reaction with the aminosilane so as to bond the glass fibers to the VC resin so strongly that a composite only fails in coherent failure. The sizing consists essentially of (i) an aminosilane coupling agent having a reactive amine moiety which upon reaction with the VC resin results in a compound having a peak in a proton magnetic resonance spectra at 5.65 ppm, and (ii) a film former consisting essentially of a polymer having a ring-opened lower alkylene oxide containing from about 2 to about 4 carbon atoms as an essential component in a repeating unit optionally containing another copolymerizable component. The wet strength of the composite is about equal to or greater than the dry strength of an identical composite which has no film former in the sizing.