Abstract: A foamed aqueous dispersion of a mixture of particulate plastics material is formed when the fibers are between 5% and 35% of the volume of the mixture, where no more than about 7% of the volume of the mixture is conductive fibers between about 7 and 20 mm long, and where any other fibers are reinforcing fibers with a high modulus of elasticity and between about 7 and about 50 mm long. A web is formed from the foamed dispersion using a wet laying process. The web is dried and compacted under heat and pressure. The compacted web is cooled to form a consolidated element in which the conductive fibers extend as a conductive lattice. The resulting element can be formed or molded into shielding to provide attenuation of electrical or magnetic fields.

Abstract: Laminated reinforced thermoplastic sheets are made by preparing first and second porous sheets, each having 20% to 60% by weight of reinforcing fibers having a high modulus of elasticity and 40% to 80% by weight of a thermoplastic material differing from the thermoplastic material in the other sheet and applying heat and pressure to cause the sheets to consolidate and adhere together to form the laminate.

Abstract: A fibre reinforced thermoplastics material structure having a first layer which is fully consolidated with uniformly dispersed fibres and a second layer which is formed as an absorbent matrix.

Abstract: An air permeable sheet-like structure comprising 5% to 50% by weight of reinforcing fibres, and between about 5 and about 50 millimeters long, and from 50% to 95% by weight of wholly or substantially unconsolidated particulate non-cross-linked elastomeric material, and in which the fibrous and elastomeric components are bonded into an air permeable structure.

Abstract: A method of making a fibrous web containing at least two particulate materials and which includes mixing the dry particulate materials together in a substantially dry condition, using the dry mix to form at least part of an aqueous dispersion of fibres, and draining the dispersion to form a web.

Abstract: Photographic base paper comprising a surface ply 1 of photographic grade paper and at least one backing ply 3 of a stronger paper such as a kraft paper provides smoothness and rigidity at least as good as conventional wholly photographic grade paper at reduced raw materials cost. Preferred weight of the surface ply is a range of from 20 to 50 gm.sup.-2.The paper can be made on a two-wire Fourdrinier machine (FIG. 5) or on a single wire machine with a secondary headbox (FIGS. 6 and 7).

Abstract: An air permeable sheet-like structure comprising 20% to 60% by weight of single discrete reinforcing fibres having a high modulus of elasticity (as herein defined), and being between about 7 and about 50 millimeters long and 40% to 80% by weight of wholly or substantially unconsolidated elements of thermoplastics material, and in which the fibrous and thermoplastics components are bonded into an air permeable structure, at least some of said elements of thermoplastics material each having a first dimension of not more than 1 millimeters, a second dimension of between 1.5 millimeters and 30 millimeters, a total volume of not more than 30 cubic millimeters and a surface area to volume ratio greater than about 4:1, with any further elements of thermoplastics material present each having a volume of less than about 1.8 cubic millimeters.

Abstract: An air permeable sheet-like structure comprising 5% to 50% by weight of reinforcing fibres, and between about 5 and about 50 millimeters long, and from 50% to 95% by weight of wholly or substantially unconsolidated particulate non-cross-linked elastomeric material, and in which the fibrous and elastomeric components are bonded into an air permeable structure.

Abstract: A process for the manufacture of a stiff permeable sheet-like fibrous structure which includes forming a web with 20% to 60% single fibres having a high modulus of elasticity (as herein defined) and between 7 and 50 millimeters long, and 40% to 60% by weight of a wholly or substantially unconsolidated particulate plastics material, and then treating the web by heating to melt the plastics material and passing it between a pair of nip rollers so that the plastics material can flow and wet out the fibres, the nip between the rollers being set to a dimension less than the thickness of the unconsolidated web and greater than that of the web if it were to be fully consolidated, and allowing the web to expand and remain substantially permeable after passing through the rollers.

Abstract: A process for forming a homogeneous sheet from particulate elements, (as herein defined), at least some of which have an inherent vertical mobility (as herein defined) in water at normal temperature and pressure of from about 1 to about 21 cms/sec, which comprises the steps of forming a foamed dispersion of said particulate elements, and depositing and draining said dispersion on a foraminous support.

Abstract: A fibre reinforced thermoplastics material structure having a first layer which is fully consolidated with uniformly dispersed fibres and a second layer which is formed as an absorbent matrix.

Abstract: Laminated reinforced thermoplastic sheets are made by preparing first and second porous sheets, each having 20% to 60% by weight of reinforcing fibers having a high modulus of elasticity and 40% to 80% by weight of a thermoplastic material differing from the thermoplastic material in the other sheet and applying heat and pressure to cause the sheets to consolidate and adhere together to form the laminate.

Abstract: A process for moulding articles of fibre reinforced plastics material which includes pre-heating a sheet of consolidated thermoplastics material which has dispersed therein from 20% to 70% by weight of reinforcing fibres which have a high modulus of elasticity (as herein defined) and between about 7 and about 50 millimeters long to cause the sheet to expand due to relief of the stresses in the reinforcing fibres, placing the expanded sheet in a compression mould and closing the mould to form an article of predetermined shape having portions of different density.

Abstract: A shaped article of fiber reinforced material is made by forming a foamed aqueous dispersion having single discrete fibers, and unconsolidated particulate thermoplastic or thermosetting material, laying down and draining the dispersion to form a web, transferring the web to an oven and heating it to form a self-sustaining permeable sheet, transferring the sheet to a through-air heating oven, passing heated air through the sheet to cause substantially uniform and homogeneous heating of the thermoplastic component, transferring the heated sheet to a compression mold, and subjecting the sheet to compression molding to form a shaped fiber reinforced plastic article.

Abstract: A method of applying a liquid composition to a moving fibrous web including forming a moving wet-laid fibrous web, partially draining the web and then applying a liquid composition by causing it to flow along a curved surface adjacent the web and in the direction of movement thereof, a foraminous material moving at the same speed and in the same direction of movement of the web being interposed between the surface and the web so that the material is applied to the web through said foraminous material.

Abstract: An air permeable sheet-like structure comprising 20% to 60% by weight of reinforcing fibers having a high modulus of elasticity (as herein defined), and being between about 7 and about 50 millimeters long, and 40% to 80% by weight of wholly or substantially unconsolidated particulate plastics material, and in which the fibrous and plastics components are bonded into an air permeable structure.

Abstract: A fibre reinforced plastics structure comprising a porous matrix of thermoplastics material and reinforcing fibres, the pores of said matrix being wholly or partly invested with a thermosetting plastics material.

Abstract: A process for moulding articles of fibre reinforced plastics material which includes heating and moulding a sheet of consolidated thermoplastics material which has dispersed therein from 20% to 70% by weight of reinforcing fibres which have a high modulus of elasticity (as herein defined) and between about 7 and about 50 millimeters long so that the stresses embodied in the glass fibres cause the matrix to expand into the configuration of the mould and become porous.

Abstract: A solid fibre reinforced plastics material sheet comprising 20% to 60% by weight of reinforcing fibres having a high modulus of elasticity (as herein defined), a substantial proportion of the fibers being between 7 and 50 millimeters long and 13 microns or less in diameter, and 40% to 80% by weight of a thermoplastics material.

Abstract: A jet of liquid (3) is deposited from a reservoir outlet (2) on to a moving surface (4) located below the outlet. Deposition is effected by discharging a jet of the liquid on to the underside of a curved guide member (5) which is disposed between the outlet and the moving surface and which is oriented so as to cause the liquid to flow down the member on its underside so that its direction of flow approaches the direction of travel of the moving surface.The invention is particularly advantageous in the production of paper webs, especially multi-layer paper webs on a Fourdrinier paper-making machine.