Enhanced reinforced foam core construction
View Patent ↗A surface-reinforced article includes a core assembly ( 12 ) comprising a foam core ( 20 ) with a surface region ( 22 ) that includes fine fibers, and an outer reinforcing covering ( 14 ) which includes thicker fibers in a resin ( 30 ). The fine fibers includes coupling fibers ( 100 ) with outer ends ( 106 ) embedded in the resin. After the core assembly is molded, the spacers are removed, the core assembly is wrapped in the outer fibrous material, and the wrapped core assembly ( 120 ) is placed in the second mold cavity that is formed by the original mold but without the spacers.
1. A method for constructing a surface-reinforced article, comprising: forming a core assembly that includes a quantity of molded foam and multiple coupling fibers that have fiber inner portions molded in said foam and fiber outer portions that project outside said quantity of molded foam, including laying said coupling fibers on the inside walls of an initial mold and introducing foamable material into said initial mold and allowing said foamable material to fill said initial mold and penetrate a portion of said coupling fibers;
establishing said core assembly in a second mold cavity that has mold walls, and leaving a space between said mold walls and said core assembly, establishing second fibers in said space that occupy only part of said space and that are stronger than said coupling fibers, and closing said second mold cavity;
injecting a flowable resin into the space between said core assembly and the walls of said mold cavity that is partially occupied by said second fibers, and allowing said second material to solidify, whereby to couple said second material to said core assembly through said coupling fibers.
2. The method described in claim 1 wherein: said step of establishing second fibers in said space between said mold walls and said core assembly includes wrapping at least one resiliently depressable outer layer of fibrous material around the core assembly so the wrapped core assembly is large enough to contact the walls of said second cavity, and placing the wrapped core assembly in said mold cavity, including allowing said resiliently depressable outer layer of fibrous material to fit between said core assembly and walls of said mold cavity so said wrapped fibrous material contacts both the core assembly and the walls of said second mold cavity.