Abstract: A problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a prepreg and an integrally molded article, wherein the prepreg exhibits suitable flexibility and adhesiveness, excels in formability on a complicated mold face and adhesion to a mold face, causes no positional shift, and can be efficiently reinforced and stiffened at an intended position. A main object of the present invention is to provide a prepreg including (A) reinforcing fibers, (B) a thermosetting resin, and (C) a thermoplastic resin, wherein the (C) thermoplastic resin exists in at least a part of a face of the prepreg, and wherein the prepreg satisfies the condition [I], and satisfies the condition [II] or the condition [III]: [I]: the (B) thermosetting resin has a peak in the temperature range of more than 100° C. and 180° C.

Abstract: A surface-treating agent containing a fluoropolyether group-containing silane compound and an amide compound, wherein the amide compound is contained in an amount of 0.5% by mass or more based on a total amount of the surface-treating agent. Also disclosed is a pellet including the surface-treating agent; and an article including a substrate and a layer formed of the surface=treating agent disposed on the substrate.

Abstract: A battery management apparatus including a microprocessor configured to perform acquiring a battery information on batteries, acquiring a battery requirement information required by a user, and extracting a candidate battery satisfying the battery requirement as a candidate for a presentation battery from among the batteries based on the battery information and the battery requirement information. The battery information includes a battery element information on each of battery elements included in a first battery and a second battery, and the microprocessor is configured to perform the extracting including determining whether it is possible to constitute the candidate battery by a combination battery including the battery elements included in the first battery and the second battery, and when it is determined that it is possible to constitute the candidate battery by the combination battery, extracting the combination battery as the candidate battery.

Abstract: A vehicle dispatch apparatus configured to execute vehicle dispatch for a user in response to a travel instruction from a first point to a second point instructed by the user, includes: an electronic control unit having a CPU and a memory. The CPU is configured to perform: acquiring a destination information about a destination corresponding to the second point; acquiring a driver information about a driver owning a vehicle associated with an area including the destination based on the destination information acquired; and instructing dispatch of the vehicle associated with the area to the first point based on the driver information acquired.

Abstract: A method for creating a finite element model of a filler compounded rubber including a filler dispersed in a matrix rubber, including a first step of defining a filler model in which the filler is discretized using a finite number of elements, a second step of defining a matrix rubber model independently of the filler model, the matrix rubber model being created by discretizing a space in which at least the matrix rubber occupies using a finite number of elements, and a model-embedded step of embedding the filler-model in the matrix rubber model. The model-embedded step includes overlapping the filler-model with the matrix rubber model without considering sharing of the respective nodes of the filler model and the matrix rubber model, and defining a filler compounded rubber model by providing a constraint condition to at least a boundary between the filler and matrix rubber models.

Abstract: A method for producing a simulation model of a filler compound in which a filler is dispersed and mixed in a matrix includes partitioning a simulation-model forming space, using a computer, into a filler region and a non-filler region so as to determine a boundary between these regions, dividing the filler region into a finite number of elements so as to set a filler model, dividing the non-filler region into a finite number of elements, setting, as an interface model, at least one element among the finite number of elements of the non-filler region, the at least one element being at least in contact with the filler model, and after setting the interface model, setting, as a matrix model, at least one element among the finite number of elements of the non-filler region, the at least one element being outside the interface model.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for simulating a contact state of a rubber material with a contact surface is disclosed, wherein a rubber model of the rubber material is defined; the rubber material is modeled by a finite number of particles on which a motion equation is defined; a contact zone model of a contact zone including the contact surface is defined; the contact zone is modeled by a finite number of particles; the rubber model is contacted with the contact zone model and a deformation calculation of the rubber model is performed; and the motion equations defined on the particles of the rubber material have a term expressive of resilience of the rubber material.

Abstract: An objective of the present invention is to provide a method for creating a finite element model for a filler compounded rubber that can reduce the time and effort involved in creating the model. Provided is a method of using a computer to create a finite element model for a filler compounded rubber wherein a filler is dispersed in a rubber matrix, said method comprising a first step of defining a filler model wherein filler is discretized using a finite number of elements, a second step of defining, separately from the filler model, a rubber matrix model wherein at least the space occupied by the rubber matrix is discretized using a finite number of elements, and a model embedding step of overlaying the rubber matrix model and the filler model and imparting a constraint to at least a boundary between the filler model and the rubber matrix model to define a filler compounded rubber model.

Abstract: A computerized method for simulating deformation of a rubber compound with filler particles comprises: a step in which a pseudo-two-dimensional rubber compound model of the rubber compound is generated; a step in which a deformation calculation is performed by the use of the pseudo-two-dimensional rubber compound model; and a step in which a necessary physical quantity is acquired from the deformation calculation. The pseudo-two-dimensional rubber compound model comprises a model of a rubber matrix and a plurality of models of filler particles. The pseudo-two-dimensional rubber compound model has a small thickness and has the same cross section in succession in the thickness direction.

Abstract: A method for simulating a rubber material comprises a step of setting a rubber material model modeled on a rubber material including rubber, silica, and an interface bonding agent to bond them with numerically analyzable elements; a step of calculating deformation by setting conditions in the rubber material model; and a step of acquiring needed physical quantity from the deformation calculation. The rubber material model (2) comprises a matrix model (3) modeled on a rubber matrix, a plural of silica models (4) modeled on the silica arranged in said matrix model (3), and an interface model (5) surrounding annularly each of the silica models (4) and having a harder physical property than the matrix model. The rubber material model comprises a coupled body formed by coupling a plural of the silica models (4) via the interface model (5).

Abstract: A method for creating a 2D or 3D finite element model of a rubber composite of a rubber matrix and fillers are disclosed. The method comprises a first step in which a region of the rubber matrix and a plurality of regions of the fillers are defined in a predetermined 2D or 3D space; a second step in which the regions of the rubber matrix and fillers are divided into primary elements to form a primary finite element model, wherein the primary elements are triangular elements and optional quadrilateral elements when the space is two-dimensional or tetrahedral elements and optional hexahedron elements when the space is three-dimensional; and a third step in which each of the primary elements is subdivided into quadrilateral elements when the space is two-dimensional or hexahedron elements when the space is three-dimensional.

Abstract: A method for simulating deformation of rubber compound including silica particles and an interfacial coupling agent therefor is disclosed. Using a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM), data of STEM images of the rubber compound are acquired. Based on the STEM image data, a dataset of a 3D structure of the rubber compound is reconstructed. Based on the dataset, a model of the rubber compound is generated. Using the model on which conditions are defined, a deformation calculation is made and a physical quantity is acquired. The rubber compound model comprises a rubber component model, silica particle models and interface models surrounding the silica particle models and defined as being harder than the rubber component model.

Abstract: A computerized simulation method to obtain a loss tangent of a rubber compound comprising a rubber matrix and filler particles, wherein a model of the rubber compound is generated; as deformation conditions thereof, two different values of strain are defined; deformation simulations are made under the two different values of the strain, to compute a normal strain and a shear strain of each element under each of the two different values of the strain, and to compute an energy loss of each element by the use of the computed strain; and the loss tangent of the rubber compound is computed from the sum of the energy losses of all of the elements, a strain amplitude caused by the difference between the two different values of the strain, and an elastic modulus of the rubber compound model.

Abstract: Provided is a method that is useful for accurately setting a rubber material model for a simulation from an actual rubber material and obtaining a high-accuracy calculation result. A method for simulating a rubber material containing a filler comprises a measurement step (S1) for measuring scattering data relating to x-rays and/or neutron in the rubber material, a visualization step (S2) for specifying the three-dimensional structure of the filler in the rubber material through a reverse Monte Carlo method from the scattering data, model setting steps (S3 to S6) for setting a rubber material model on the basis of the three-dimensional structure of the filler, and a step for performing a deformation simulation on the basis of the rubber material model, wherein in the measurement step, obtaining the scattering data with a scattering vector (q) within the range of 10?4 nm?1 to 10 nm?1.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for simulating a contact state of a rubber material with a contact surface is disclosed, wherein a rubber model of the rubber material is defined; the rubber material is modeled by a finite number of particles on which a motion equation is defined; a contact zone model of a contact zone including the contact surface is defined; the contact zone is modeled by a finite number of particles; the rubber model is contacted with the contact zone model and a deformation calculation of the rubber model is performed; and the motion equations defined on the particles of the rubber material have a term expressive of resilience of the rubber material.

Abstract: In the present invention, a simulation model for a filler mixed material is generated easily and in a short time using a computer. The present invention is a method for generating, using a computer, a filler mixed material simulation model in which a filler is dispersed and mixed in a matrix, wherein the method is characterized by comprising the following: a step (S1) for partitioning the simulation-model forming space into a filler region and non-filler regions, and determining the boundaries of those regions; a step (S2) for dividing the filler region into a finite number of elements and setting the filler model; a step (S3) for dividing the non-filler region into a finite number of elements; a step (S4) for setting as an interface model at least those elements, from among the elements of non-filler regions, that are in contact with the filler model; and a step (S5) for setting as a matrix model those elements, from among the elements of non-filler regions, that are outside the interface model.

Abstract: A computerized method for creating a 2D or 3D finite element model of a rubber composite of a rubber matrix and fillers is disclosed. In the case of the 2D finite element model, a primary finite element model of the rubber composite is first created by defining a rubber matrix model of the rubber matrix and filler models of the fillers by the use of rectangular elements. Then, a second finite element model as the target 2D finite element model is created by moving boundary nodes positioned at boundaries between the rubber matrix model and filler models in the primary finite element model so that concavity and convexity of the surface of each filler model becomes less, whereby, in the second finite element model, some of the rectangular elements including the moved boundary nodes are deformed, but the rest of the rectangular elements are not deformed.

Abstract: A method for producing a hollow foam molding having a thin and uniform wall thickness, including extruding a foamable melt containing a polypropylene resin having an equilibrium compliance Jeo of 0.5×10?3 to 1.8×10?3 Pa?1 and a swell ratio Sw of 2.5 or less and a physical blowing agent through a die to obtain a parison having a softened polypropylene resin foam layer, placing the parison in a mold, and blowing a gas into the parison to obtain a hollow foam molding having a hardened polypropylene resin foam layer with an apparent density of 0.35 to 0.65 g/cm3.

Abstract: A hollow foamed blow-molded article has a polypropylene-based resin foam layer, wherein the polypropylene-based resin foam layer has an equilibrium compliance Je0 of 2.0×10?3 Pa?1 or more and a swell S of 2.5 or less, wherein the foam layer has an apparent density “d” of 0.20 to 0.65 g/cm3 and a ratio a/c of an average cell diameter “a” in the thickness direction of the molded article to an average cell diameter “c” in the longitudinal direction of the molded article of 0.1 to 0.5. The hollow foamed blow-molded article has an average molded article thickness T of 1 to 5 mm and a variation coefficient Cv of the molded article thickness of 50% or less.

Abstract: A computerized method for simulating deformation of a rubber compound with filler particles comprises: a step in which a pseudo-two-dimensional rubber compound model of the rubber compound is generated; a step in which a deformation calculation is performed by the use of the pseudo-two-dimensional rubber compound model; and a step in which a necessary physical quantity is acquired from the deformation calculation. The pseudo-two-dimensional rubber compound model comprises a model of a rubber matrix and a plurality of models of filler particles. The pseudo-two-dimensional rubber compound model has a small thickness and has the same cross section in succession in the thickness direction.