Fiber reinforced plastics structures

An air permeable sheet like structure comprising 20% to 60% by weight of single discrete reinforcing fibres having a modulus of elasticity higher than 10,000 mega pascals, and being between about 7 and about 50 millimeters long, and 40% to 80% by weight of unconsolidated particulate plastics material, selected from the group consisting of a thermoplastic and a thermosetting plastic material, the particulate plastics material having a particle size less than about 1.5 millimeters, and in which the fibrous and plastics components are bonded into an air permeable structure with the particulate plastics material retaining its particulate form in the air permeable structure, in which the components are bonded together by a binder, in which the binder is selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl acetate, carboxymethyl cellulose and starch.

A process for the manufacture of a permeable sheet like fibrous structure which consists essentially of forming a web with 20% to 60% of single discrete fibres having a modulus of elasticity higher than 10,000 mega pascals, and between 7 and 50 millimeters long, and 40% to 60% by weight of unconsolidated particulate plastics material selected from the group consisting of a thermoplastic and a thermosetting plastic material, the particulate plastics material having a particle size less than about 1.5 millimeters, and then treating the web to bond the fibres and plastics material together while maintaining the particulate form of the plastic material.