Optimised fibre reinforced films

A method of producing a reinforced thermoplastic film comprising:

• (i) extruding a base film comprising a stretchable polyolefin material comprising one or more layers;
• (ii) extruding a plurality of reinforcing fibre elements;
• (iii) applying the plurality of reinforcing fibre elements to at least one side of the base film;
• and
• (iv) bonding the reinforcing fibre elements to the base film;
• wherein the extruded reinforcing fibre elements form fibre protrusions relative to a surface plane of the base film;
• wherein at the location where each reinforcing fibre element is provided on the base film, an interface is formed comprising direct interactions between a base film domain and a protrusion domain;
• wherein the base film domain is a domain of a pure base film material and the protrusion domain is a domain of a pure reinforcing fibre element material;
• wherein the interface between the base film domain and the protrusion domain is interrupted by two or more discrete intermixed domains;
• wherein the intermixed domains comprise a material mixture comprising the base film material and the reinforcing fibre element material;
• and
• wherein the two or more intermixed domains partially interrupt the direct interactions at the interface between the base film domain and the protrusion domain;
• wherein the two or more intermixed domains have interfaces and direct interactions with the base film and protrusion domains;
• and
• wherein an average thickness of the base film is less than an average thickness of the fibre protrusion.

A reinforced thermoplastic film obtainable by the steps comprising:

• (i) extruding a base film comprising a stretchable polyolefin material comprising one or more layers;
• (ii) extruding a plurality of reinforcing fibre elements;
• iii) applying the plurality of reinforcing fibre elements to at least one side of the base film;
• and
• (iv) bonding the reinforcing fibre elements to the base film;
• wherein the extruded reinforcing fibre elements form fibre protrusions relative to a surface plane of the base film;
• wherein at the location where each reinforcing fibre element is provided on the base film, an interface is formed comprising direct interactions between a base film domain and a protrusion domain;
• wherein the base film domain is a domain of a pure base film material and the protrusion domain is a domain of a pure reinforcing fibre element material;
• wherein the interface between the base film domain and the protrusion domain is interrupted by two or more discrete intermixed domains;
• wherein the intermixed domains comprise a material mixture comprising the base film material and the reinforcing fibre element material, and
• wherein the two or more intermixed domains partially interrupt the direct interactions at the interface between the base film domain and the protrusion domain;
• wherein the two or more intermixed domains have interfaces and direct interactions with the base film and protrusion domains;
• and
• wherein an average thickness of the base film is less than an average thickness of the fibre protrusion.