Space filling material, method for manufacturing same, and space filling structure

Abstract

Provided is a space filling material having excellent strength in reinforcing a predetermined space to be filled with the space filling material and/or strength in fixing a material to be fixed therewith. The space filling material (11) includes reinforcing fibers and a thermoplastic resin, wherein the reinforcing fibers form a plurality of intersections at least a part of which are bonded with the thermoplastic resin, and among all of the reinforcing fibers, a proportion in volume of reinforcing fibers each having a bent ratio of 1.004 or higher is 20 vol % or more relative to a total volume of the reinforcing fibers, the bent ratio being defined as a ratio of fiber length/shortest distance between opposite ends of fiber. The space filling material (11) expands to fill a predetermined space (13) when the thermoplastic resin is softened by heating to release bending loads of the reinforcing fibers.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.