Shaped expandable material

摘要

An expandable material is shaped to form a part that can provide functional attributes such as reinforcement to a structure of article of manufacture such as an automotive vehicle.

主权项

1. A method of reinforcing a structure of an article of manufacture, the method comprising:
providing an expandable material having a self supporting characteristic during expansion thereof that is due to partial curing of the expandable material, fast cure time of the expandable material or the inclusion of one or more of the following in the expandable material: i) relatively high molecular weight polymeric material; ii) toughened thermoplastic; or iii) thixotropic or fibrous filler; shaping the expandable material into a part; inserting the part into a cavity that is at least partially defined by a structure of the article of manufacture; and activating the activatable material to cure, expand and adhere to walls of the structure.