Lightweight baffle or reinforcement element and method for producing such a lightweight baffle or reinforcement element

1. An element for sealing, baffling and/or reinforcing a cavity in a structure of manufacture, comprising:

at least one carrier element,

at least one expandable element, supported by the carrier element, the expandable element comprising:

a material expandable by heat, humidity, and/or radiation, and

a plurality of microscopic gas bubbles incorporated into the expandable material such that more than 10% of the volume of the expandable material is substituted by gas,

wherein

the expandable material comprises a chemical blowing agent that causes an expansion of the expandable material, and

the microscopic gas bubbles have a diameter of between 1 and 100 micrometers.

2. The element of claim 1 , wherein the expandable element weighs at least 1% less than the same element without the microscopic gas bubbles.

3. The element of claim 1 , wherein the expandable element weighs at least 10% less than the same element without the microscopic gas bubbles.

4. The element of claim 1 , wherein the expandable element weighs at least 25% less than the same element without the microscopic gas bubbles.

5. The element of claim 1 , wherein the expandable element weighs at least 40% less than the same element without the microscopic gas bubbles.

6. The element of claim 1 , wherein the microscopic gas bubbles comprise air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, a gaseous hydrocarbon, a noble gas, or a mixture thereof.

7. The element of claim 1 , wherein the microscopic gas bubbles comprise a thermoplastic shell filled with air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, a gaseous hydrocarbon, a noble gas, or a mixture thereof.

8. The element of claim 1 , wherein the expandable material contains a second blowing agent that causes the formation of the microscopic gas bubbles during the manufacturing process of the element.

9. A process for manufacturing an expandable element to be incorporated into an element as described in claim 1 , comprising:

molding and/or extruding an expandable material to form an expandable element wherein the molding and/or extrusion process includes applying a sufficiently high temperature and sufficiently high pressure to the material for maintaining a gas, liquid or supercritical fluid within the material while the gas, liquid or supercritical fluid is being fed into the material during the molding and/or extrusion process in order to produce a plurality of microscopic gas bubbles in the expandable element.

10. The process of claim 9 , wherein the expandable material comprises at least one thermoplastic polymer including an epoxy resin, ethylene vinyl acetate, a polyurethane, a polyolefin, or a derivate or a mixture thereof.

11. A process for manufacturing an expandable element to be incorporated into an element as described in claim 1 , comprising:

molding and/or extruding an expandable material to form an expandable element wherein the expandable material contains essentially spherical bodies consisting of a thermoplastic shell filled with an expandable gas, liquid or supercritical fluid that expands during the molding and/or extrusion process by a sufficiently high temperature provided to form a plurality of microscopic gas bubbles in the expandable element.

12. A process for manufacturing an expandable element to be incorporated into an element as described in claim 1 , comprising:

molding and/or extruding an expandable material to form an expandable element wherein the expandable material contains a second blowing agent that forms a plurality of microscopic gas bubbles within the expandable element by decomposing into a gas and a residue during the molding and/or extrusion process.

13. A method comprising: sealing, baffling, or reinforcing a cavity or hollow structure of a land-, water-, or air-vehicle, and/or a cavity of a building with the element of claim 1 such that the transmission of noise, vibrations, and/or heat is reduced, and/or the object surrounding the cavity is mechanically strengthened.

14. A method for baffling and/or reinforcing a cavity or hollow structure, wherein the element of claim 1 is introduced into the cavity or hollow structure and subsequently the expandable element is expanded to form the expanded element.