CA1179215A

CA1179215A - Fibrous mat and product and method of making the same

Info

Publication number: CA1179215A
Application number: CA000382590A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Richard P. Doerer; Joseph T. Karpik
Original assignee: Van Dresser Corp
Current assignee: Van Dresser Corp
Priority date: 1981-04-06
Filing date: 1981-07-27
Publication date: 1984-12-11
Also published as: BE892732A; CA1200958A

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

A fibrous mat which may itself or in combina-tion with other materials be an end product, or from which a product of predetermined shape can be molded by the application of heat and/or pressure. The mat con-sists essentially of two types of fibers with the first fibers having a substantially higher softening tempera-ture than the second fibers. The fibers intertwine to resist separation. The second fibers are bonded to the first fibers and to each other to form connections.
There is also disclosed a method by which the fibrous mat is made and product made from the mat.

Description

117~2i.
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Title: "FIBROUS MAT AND PRODUC~ AND
M:ETHOD OF MAKING THE SAME"

~ his invention relates generally to fiber technology. The fibers may, for example, be of tubular S solid or cellular form and are of natural or synthetic material. More particularly, the invention refers to fibrous mat which may be in a continuous length or in individual sections, product made from the mat, and a method of making the same.

While a variety of dif~erent fibers may b~
used in carrying out this invention, fibers of cellu~
losic material are stressed throughout this specifica-tion not only because of their suitability DUt also because many are readily available from virgin or re-claimable sources and are relatively inexpensive. Wood fibers constitute an example of such a cellulosi~
material.
Fibe~board, particle board and hardboard are terms applied to a variety of products made primarily from wood fibers, wood chips or shavings. It is known to form these products by a so-called wet slurry process in which wood fibers are mix~ with water and other chemicals and formed into a slurry which is applie~
over a pattern having the desired form~ While satis-factory products can be formed by the wet slurry process, it is a relatively expensive process not ~k~

1 i 7 ~ ~1 5 only in terms of the amount of energy re~uired but also because of its long manufacturing cycle time and the cost of cleaning the effluent resulting from the process prior to dumping.
It has also been known to form wood component based products by dry processing, but these previously known dry processes are capable of producing products having only relatively flat simple shapes.
It is a primary object of this invention to provide a unique dry process of forming products con-sisting essentially of two types of fibers, one of which is a natural or synthetic fiber, sometimes referred to as a base fiber, and the other of which is a linking or carrier fiber adapted to intertwine or interlock with the base fibers. The base and carrier fibers may be either virgin or reclaimed. Suitable ~ase fibers are made of materials such, for example, as wood, jute, sisal, cotton, coconut, kapok, rayon,acetate, triacetate, paper, graphite, glass, mineral wool, and other synthetic fibers. Product~ having far more difficult and complex shapes can be made by this new dry process than could possibly be made by previously known dry processes. Products made by the method of t~is invention can be formed relatively fast and ~5 inexpensively into a variety of items sucll, for example, as decorative trim panels, automotive head-liners, door panels, instrument panels, center trim pillars, package trays, consoles, furniture, luggage, building materials, packaging, automotive components, and the like. Such a product may have areas of - ( ~, differing density to provide portions that are soft to the touch or to provide visual embossing, and provide both thermal and accoustical insulation.
A further object is to provide relatively S flat, flexible, formable ~iber mat in continuous form or in sections from which products can be made; also to provide a method of making the mat and the product.
In accordance with a specific embodiment of the invention, the mat may comprise a mixture of wood fibers and thermoplastic carrier fibers that mechani-cally intertwine or interlink with the wood fibers andare bonded or adhered to them to form interlocking connections which resist separation. The mat fibers are adhered together by heating the mat to a tem-perature and for a period of time such that the thermo-plastic carrier fibers soften and become sufficientlytacXy to heat-seal to the wood fihers and to each other, but still substantially retain their essentially fibrous form. The carrier fibers add substantial flexural strength to the mat so that even when products molded therefrom have co~plicated or difficult shapes and include sharp bends and cut-outs, the body of the mat will nevertheless hold together without ripping or tearing when thè mold parts close. Other materials may be added to the formulation of the mat depending upon the characteristics desired in the finished product. As an example, a suitable thermosetting resin may be employed which will cure and set during ~olding to add structural stiffness and heat distor-tion resistance to the product.

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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF' THE l:)RAWINGS

These and other objects and features of the invention will become more apparent as the following description proceeds, especially when considered with accompanying drawings wherein:

~ ig. 1 is a perspective view of a section of fibrous mat made according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a typical product that can be made from the section of mat shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a flow diagram of the method by which the mat is made.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary diagrammatic view showing the relationship between fibers in the mat.

- Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates a pro-duct which is relatively stiff or self-supporting, and 12 generally designates a section of fibrous mat from which the product is made.
The mat section 12 is formed of a multi-plicity of fibers, virgin or reclaimed, including a mixture of base fibers 14 and carri~r fibers 16. In Fig. 4, the base fibers 14 are shown in solid lines and the carrier fibers in dotted lines as a simple fl~7~f~

means of distinguishing between the two. The base fibers 14 may be of natural or synthetic materials. Suitable natural materials may be cellulosic such as wood, paper, coconut, cotton, jute, sisal, or kapok Suitable synthetics might be fibers of glass, rayon, acetate or triacetate. Other suitable materials would be mineral wool and graphite. Preferably the base fibers areof wood,virgin, or reclaimed, and are obtained from any suit-able tree, such for example, as-~e aspen. The carrier fibers may be made of material selected from the vinyl family, the poly-ester family, the polyolefin family, the polyamide family, andany physical or chemical combination of those families. Examples of polyolefins are polyethylene and polypropylene. An example of a polyamide is nylon. Examples of vinyls are Saran , Vinyon and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Saran is a polymer composed of at least 80% by weight of vinylidene chloride. Under the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act, any fiber containing 85% or more vinyl chloride may be labeled Vinyon and this includes 100% PVC fiber. Preferably the carrier fibers are thermoplastic in nature and excellent results have been achieved with poly-olefins. The carrier fibers are intertwinedor interlinked withthe base fibers. The carrier fibers add flexural strength to t~.e mat, and resist separation of the base fibers from the mat and accordingly make the mat more flexible so that it will hold together without tearing or breaking despite rough handling and also when the mold partsclose on *trade marks r~t/ -5-li7~2~i , it to form a product. Both the base fibers and the carrier fibers are substantially uniformly distributed throughout the body of the mat. The base fibers prefer-ably comprise the greater number and the greater weight of fibers in the mat.
In addition to being mechanically intertwined, the base and carrier fibers of the mat are also bonded or adhered to one another where indicated diayrammatically at 17 in Fig. 4O While a separate bonding agent may be employed, preferably the carrier fibers themselves serve this purpose. As s~ated, the carrier fibers are prefer-ably thermoplastic. During the manufacture of the mat, the mat is heated sufficiently to soften the thermo-plastic carrier fibers and render them tacky. Hence, lS the carrier fibers o the mat retain their fibrous nature, and are generally recognizable as such, but heat-seal to one another and to the base fibers to form connections when the carrier fibers cool. The base fibers, whether of wood or any other material, will not signiCicantly soften or otherwise be affected by the temperature at which the mat is heated to tackify the thermoplastic material.
In its simplest form, the mat consists only of the two fibers xeferred to above, namely the base fibers wh~ch may be any of those previously identified but preferably are wood, and the carrier fibers which also may be any of those previously identified but preferably are thermoplastic such as a polyolefin.
These fibers are mixed together in a blender 40 (Fig.~) by 117~2~S

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any suitable means so that they are uniformly distri buted throughout the batch. This initial mix may consist of about 70% to 98% by weight of base fibers and about

2% to 30% by weight of thermoplastic carrier fibers, but preferably about 8S% by weight of base fibers and about 15% by weight of thermoplastic carrier fibers.
~ rom the blender 40, the mix is passed through a former 44 which is a device for distributing the mix on a moving belt 46 in a desired width and thickness to provide a continuous web 48 of mat material~ The'web ~8 of mat material is transported on the belt through a curing oven 50 at~a temperature and speed such that the matexial of the web remains in the oven only long enou~h to sorten the thermoplastic fibers and make them ' tac~y. Hence the thermoplastic fibers'remain generally recognizable as fibers but, being tacky, they heat-seal to the base fibers and to each other to form connections when the mat cools. The thermoplastic fibers may be any o those previously identified, but if made of polyethylene, the oven 50 may, for example be maintained at a temperature in the ran~e of about 250~. to about 370~. and the web will remain in the oven about one to three minutes. Temperature of the oven and web speed will, of course, vary depending upon the thermopia~tic material employed, ma~ thickness, moisture content and mat density. The base fibers would not soften or other-wise be affected except at a substantially higher temperature or longer dwell time in the oven 50.
I'he web 48 of mat material after it leaves the oven 50 is transported to a crim~ing device which ~L~L7!3Z~5 .. .. ( . ~ .

in this case is a paix of crimping rolls 110 which are cylinders having peripheral grooves extending length-wise of said cylinders defining ribs between which the mat material passes. These crimping rolls 110 further increase the flexibility of the web of mat material, permitting it to be handled and bent or flexed without breaking. After leaving the crimping rolls llO, the web of material may be stored in roll form until ready for use or it may be immediately cut into individual mat sections of the type shown in ~ig. 1 by a cutter 109 in Fig. 3.
The proce~sing of the mat upon leaving the crimping rolls and being cut into sections is complete.
It is essentially dry, containing minimum moisture.
The carrier fibers which are intertwined and interlocked with the base fibers hold them together and resist separation of individual base fibers from the body of the mat. The fibers are adhered or heat-sealed to-gether by the thermoplastic carrier fibers. Mat sections shown in Fig. 1 cut from the web 48 of mat material after it leaves the crimping rolls 110 consist of a coherent mass which can be stacked, banded together in packs, compressed, picked up, molded into a produc~, and in general handled without coming apart or breaking or tearing.
The mold for forming products 10 in Fig. 2 from the essentially dry mat has mold parts shaped to the - desired configuration of the product. The mold may be operated at a temperature of about 325 F. to 590 F. J at a pressure of about 200 to 1000 psi. The mold cycle ~ ~L79Z~') ~ . . .

( . ( I
g 1, time may be as little as one minute or less. Actually, the temperature, pressure, and time cycle required will vary depending on the ~inal product requirements. l~he thermoplastic fibers soften and most, if not all, melt in the mold. Upon cooling the thermoplastic hardens to form a finished product which can be self-supporting, that is capable of holding its shape. The base fibers retain their fibrous ~orm during molding, neither charring-nor burning at the temperature of the mold, and impart tensile strength and stiffness to the product.
Products can be formed by the dry process of this invention with configurations just as complex and with bends as sharp and angles of as small radii as by the wet slurry process; and yet this dry process is faster and less expensive than the wet slurry process~
The wet slurry process requires substantially greater energy input than this dry process in order to remove the great amount of moisture inherent in the wet slurry process~ The wet slurry process requires special equip~
ment to handle large amounts of water and to clean up the effluent. Such equipment is not needed in this dry process. The wet slurry process also requires more than one mold to make a product, whereas in this dry process a product is formed from the mat in a single step in a single mold. Products can be formed by this dry process with far more difficult and complex shapes than could be att~ed by dry processes heretofore in use.
The products produced by the dry process o~
this invention have many uses. They may be used, for example, as decorative trim panels, automotive head-liners, door panels, instrument panels, center trim 117'~21.5 .

pillars, package trays, ~onsoles, furniture, luggage, building materials, packaging, automotive components and other formed products.
To summarize, the thermoplastic carrier fibers S are mixed with the base fibers to intertwine with them to strengthen the mat and hold it intact when compressed between the mold parts to form a panel or other product.
When the mat is heated in the oven, the carrier fi-ners become tacky and form a multiplicity of interlocking connections between fibers. Although the carrier fibers retain their identity as fibers in the mat, they melt in the molding of a panel or other product. As the product cools, the thermoplastic hardens to bind the base fibers into a molded form which is self-supporting, that is, stiff enough to retain its shape. It should be understood that the product may be used alone or as a layer in a laminated structure in which one or more additional layers of the same or different material are laminated thereto.
As previously stated, fibers other than wood and polyethylene may be employed with similar results.
For example, base fibers of glass and carrier fibers of polypropylene may be mixed in varying percentages. These when processed as above described may be formed into a mat from which panels and other products can be made, change being made in the oven temperature and speed of travel through the oven as may be necessary to f ackify the polypropylene fibers sufficiently to effect a heat sealing together of the fibers, and in the mold temperature, pressure and time as may be necessary to melt the poly-propylene and form a finished product. The glass fibers ~17~
~- ~

have a higher softening point than the polypropylene fibers and, therefore, will not soften or otherwise be affected by the oven temperature employed to soften and tacXify the polypropylene fibers.
Supplementary carrier fibers are sometimes added to the composition of the mat. Examples of supplementary carrier fibers are acrylics, modacrylics~
metallics and elastomers including rubbers and urethanes.
These particular supplementary carrier fibers have rela-tively hiqh heat-resistance and would not normally soften in the oven, but impart special properties to the mat and to the product. Thu`s, the acrylics and modacrylics add softness and suppleness, the elastomers add stretchability and resilience, and the metallics act as a "heat sink~
Certain of the previously identified carriers which would normally soften in the oven also add special properties to the mat and to the product. Thus, polyethylene and polypropylene impart abrasion resistance and are hydro-phobic, the polyesters are also hydrophobic, and the polyamides, particularly nylon, impart high heat resistance to the mat and to the finished product.
There may also be dispersea throughout the mat a thermosetting material, such as a phenolic resin. This resin would not be affected by the oven temperature but would cure and set in the molding of the finished product. The purpose of adding the thermosettinq material would be to enhance the stiffness of the product and make it less likely to sag or lose its shape while still hot from the mold and also when subjected to high ambient temperatures of ultimate use. A suitable mix of m2terials ~1~9~
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might consist of 85% by weight wood fibers,10% by weight polypropylene carrier fibers and 5% by weight of phenolic resin.
In addition to thermoplastic carrier fibers, there are other thermoplastic materials that may be added to the mix from which the mat i5 formed. The added material would be dispersed throughout the body of the mat znd have a softening point approximately the same as that of the thermoplastic carri~r fibers, or at least such that it would soften in the oven, to serve as a bonding agent between the base and carrier fibers. The use of the added th~rmoplastic material would supplement the bonding action of the thermoplastic carrier fibers, or the carrier fibers could be made of some other, perhaps less expensive, material without the capability of softening in the oven, in which event the bonding together of the fibers in the mat and in the finished product would be effected by the added thermoplastic material. An example of a less expensive material from which the carrier fibers might be made is shoddy which is about 35% cotton and about 65% polyester. A suitable mix with percentaaes by weight might consist of 85%-87% wood fibers, 5% poly-ethylene, 3-5% shoddy, and 5% phenolic resin. The oven temperature employed to make a mat from this mix would be sufficient to soften the polyethylene but not sufficient to soften or otherwise ~ffect the fibers.
The mat has been described as something from which a product can be molded by the application of heat and/or pressure. Actually, however, the mat itself may serve as an end produt. As such, the mat may be given z~

a predetermined shape as by draping it over a form immediately after it leaves the oven and while the thermoplastic fibers are still in a heat-softened condi-tion and the mat is flexible, so that the mat will assume S the shape of the form. The thermoplastic fibers form heat-sealed connections between fibers and upon cooling harden or set ~o bind the mat into the shape imparted to it by the form. The mat, when an end product, may be - used as a filter or as hea~ or sound insulation or packaging or cushioning material. It may be used alone or as one layer of a laminated or multi-layer product.
Another layer or layers of the same or different material miqht extend over an outer surface of the mat or internally thereof to complete the laminated product.
15The carrier fibers of the mat previously referred to as having the capability of softening or tacki~ying in the oven have all been thermoplastic by nature. However, it is possible to use carrier fibexs which are thermosetting. For example, carrier fibers formed of phenolic resin may be mixed with suitable base fibers selected from those previously listed and heated in the oven 50 at a sl~itable temperature for an appropriate period of time to cause the carrier fibers to cure and set and form bonded connections to the base fibers~
-Although the tackifying of the carrier fibers to cause them to form bonded connections with the base fibers has been described as being carried out by heat-ing the mat in an oven, and excellent results may be achieved by this method, it should be understood that Z~

the carrier fibers can be activated or tackified by other means such, for example, as by a chemical activating agent or by radiation curing. Moisture may serve as a chemical activating agent. Thus, the mat may be passed throuyh a water vapor chamber instead o~ the oven 50, so thàt the carrier fibers will soften and become tacky and seal or bond to the base fibers. Ammonia is another chemical activating agent that may be employed. Radiation cur;ng of the carrier fibers to make them tacky may be effec~ed, for exam~le, by gamma rays, ultra-violet rays or an electron beam.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A method of making a soft, flexible, handle-able fibrous mat from which a permanently rigid, shaped product can be molded by the application of heat and pressure in a subsequent compression molding operation, comprising providing a mixture consisting essentially of cellulose base fibers, linking and acti-vatable bonding means including carrier fibers, and a thermosetting ingredient, forming said mixture into a mat in which said fibers are interspersed, and activating said bonding means to cause said carrier fibers to bond to said base fibers and to each other forming connections therebetween and holding said fibers together, said thermosetting ingredient remaining in an uncured state during said activation of said bonding means, but being adapted to cure when said mat is subjected to heat and pressure in said subsequent compression molding oper-ation to make said product.

2. A method as defined in Claim 1, wherein said base fibers are wood.

3. A method as defined in Claim 1, wherein said carrier fibers are thermoplastic in nature, and wherein said bonding is caused by heating the said thermoplastic carrier fibers to their tack point but not to melting, thus maintaining their essentially fibrous form, said tack point being below the curing temper-ature of the thermosetting ingredient involved thereby avoiding any curing of the thermosetting ingredient as a result of such heating of the thermoplastic carrier fibers.

4. A method as defined in Claim 3, wherein said carrier fibers are formed of thermoplastic material selected from the group consisting of the vinyl family, the polyester family, the polyolefin family, the polyamide family and any physical or chemical combination of the above families.

5. A method as defined in Claim 1, wherein said bonding means includes a chemical bonding agent which effects the aforesaid bonding of said base and carrier fibers.

6. A method of making a soft, flexible, handleable fibrous mat from which a permanently rigid, shaped product can be molded by the application of heat and pressure in a sub-sequent compression molding operation, comprising providing a mixture with percentages by weight consisting of 85%-87% wood fibers, 3%-5% blended non-thermo-plastic textile fibers of 35% cotton and 65% polyester, 5%
thermoplastic resin, and 5% phenolic resin which cures at a temperature above the temperature at which said thermoplastic resin softens and becomes tacky, forming said mixture into a mat in which said fibers and resins are interspersed, and heating said mat to a temperature sufficient to tackify said thermoplastic resin and thereby bond said fibers together but insufficient to cure said phenolic resin, whereby said phenolic resin remains in an uncured state but is adapted to cure when said mat is subjected to heat and pressure in said subsequent compression molding operation to make said product.

7. A method as defined in Claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said mat is passed through a crimping device after the said bonding of said fibers to enhance the flexibility of said mat.

8. A method as defined in Claim 4, 5, or 6, wherein said mat is passed through a crimping device after the said bonding of said fibers to enhance the flexibility of said mat.

9. A two-stage method of manufacturing a permanently rigid shaped end product comprising:
(1) in a first stage and by a dry process, making a soft, flexible, handleable fibrous mat by providing a mixture consisting essentially of cellulose base fibers, linking and activatable bonding means including carrier fibers, and a thermosetting ingredient, forming said mixture into a mat in which said fibers are interspersed, activating said bonding means to cause said carrier fibers to bond to said base fibers and to each other forming connections therebetween and holding said fibers together, said thermosetting ingredient re-maining in an uncured state during said acti-vation of said bonding means and (2) thereafter making said end product in a second stage at any later time by subject-ing said mat to sufficient heat and pressure in a compression molding operation to cause said thermosetting ingredient to cure and to com-press the material to the desired thickness and density, thereby completing the manufact-ure of said end product.

10. A method as defined in Claim 9, wherein said base fibers are wood.

11. A method as defined in Claim 9, wherein said carrier fibers are thermoplastic in nature, and wherein said bonding is caused by heating the said thermoplastic carrier fibers to their tack point but not to melting, thus maintaining their essentially fibrous Form, said tack point being below the curing temperature of the thermosetting ingredient involved, thereby avoiding any curing in stage 1.

12. A method as defined in Claim 11, wherein said carrier fibers are formed of thermoplastic material selected from the group consisting of the vinyl family, the polyester family, the polyolefin family, the polyamide family and any physical or chemical combination of the above families.

13. A method as defined in Claim 9, wherein said bonding means includes a chemical bonding agent which effects the aforesaid bonding of said base and carrier fibers.

14. A two-stage method of manufacturing a perma-nently rigid, shaped end product comprising:
(1) in a first stage and by a dry process, making a soft, flexible, handleable fibrous mat by providing a mixture with percentages by weight consisting of 85%-87% wood fibers, 3%-5% blended non-thermo-plastic textile fibers of 35% cotton and 65% polyester, 5%
thermoplastic resin, and 5% phenolic resin which cures at a temperature above the temperature at which said thermoplastic resin softens and becomes tacky, forming said mixture into a mat in which said fibers and resins are interspersed, heating said mat to a temperature sufficient to tackify said thermoplastic resin and thereby bond said fibers together but insufficient to cure said phenolic resin, and (2) thereafter in a second stage and at a later time subjecting said mat to sufficient heat and pressure in a compression molding operation to cause said phenolic resin to cure and to compress the material to the desired thickness and density, thereby com-pleting the manufacture of said end product.

15. A method as defined in Claim 9, or 14, wherein the dies employed in said compression molding operation are designed so as to provide areas of lower and higher density, by compressing some areas of the fibrous mat more than others.

16. A soft, flexible, handleable fibrous mat from which a permanently rigid, shaped product can be molded by the application of heat and pressure in a compression molding operation, said mat consisting essentially of collulose base fibers, linking and bonding means for resisting separation of said base fibers and adding tensile strength to said mat in-cluding carrier fibers intertwined with said base fibers and bonded to said base fibers and to each other forming connections therebetween, and a thermosetting ingredient, said thermosetting ingredient being uncured, but being adapted to cure when said mat is subjected to heat and pressure in said compression molding operation.

17. A fibrous mat as defined in Claim 16, wherein said base fibers are wood.

18. A fibrous mat as defined in Claim 16, wherein said carrier fibers are thermoplastic in nature, and wherein said bonding is caused by heating the said thermoplastic carrier fibers to their tack point but not to melting, thus maintaining their essentially fibrous form, said tack point being below the curing temperature of the thermosetting ingredient involved thereby avoiding any curing of the thermosetting ingredient

19. A fibrous mat as defined in Claim 18, wherein said carrier fibers are formed of thermoplastic material selected from the group consisting of the vinyl family, the polyester family, the polyolefin family, the polyamide family and any physical or chemical combination of the above families.

20. A fibrous mat as defined in Claim 16, wherein said bonding means includes a chemical bonding agent which effects the aforesaid bonding of said base and carrier fibers.

21. A soft, flexible, handleable fibrous mat from which a permanently rigid, shaped product can be molded by the application of heat and pressure in a compression molding operation, said mat being made of a mixture with percentages by weight consisting of 85%-87% wood fibers, 3%-5% blended non-thermoplastic textile fibers of 35% cotton and 65% poly-ester, 5% thermoplastic resin, and 5% phenolic resin which cures at a temperature above the temperature at which said thermoplastic resin softens and becomes tacky, said thermo-plastic resin bonding said fibers to each other forming con-nections therebetween, said phenolic resin being uncured but adapted to cure when said mat is subjected to heat and pressure in said compression molding operation, said bonding of said fibers to each other by said thermo-plastic resin being caused by heating said thermoplastic resin to its tack point but below the curing temperature of said phenolic resin to avoid any curing of said phenolic resin.

22. A fibrous mat as defined in Claim 16, 19 or 21, having indentations in both of its surfaces to increase the flexibility thereof.

23. A product made from the fibrous mat defined in Claim 16, 19 or 21 by subjecting said mat to sufficient heat and pressure in a compression molding operation to cure said thermosetting ingredient and to compress the material to the desired thickness and density.

24. A product made from the fibrous mat defined in Claim 16, 19 or 21 by subjecting said mat to sufficient heat and pressure in a compression molding operation to cure said thermosetting ingredient and to compress the material to the desired thickness and density, and having areas of significantly differing density, designed to provide both structure and cushioning.

25. A laminated structure composed of a product made from the fibrous mat defined in Claim 16, 19 or 21 by subjecting said mat to sufficient heat and pressure in a compression molding operation to cure said thermosetting ingredient and to compress the material to the desired thick-ness and density, wherein said product constitutes a first layer of said structure and one or more additional layers of the same or different material are laiminated to said first layer.