Shaped bodies containing short inorganic fibers or whiskers and methods of forming such bodies

A method for forming a shaped body containing short inorganic fibers or whiskers having a high degree of three dimensional random orientation comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a mass of short fibers;
• (b) providing a mass of hot thermoplastic material which is heated to a fluid state;
• (c) adding the short fibers into the heated thermoplastic compound to provide a mix having from about 10 to about 40% by volume of fiber;
• (d) adding additional organic ingredients to the fiber containing compound to thereby form a moldable mixture;
• (e) providing a randomly oriented dispersion of the fibers within the mixture by subjecting the moldable mixture from step (d) to high shear mixing;
• (f) providing a mold defining a predetermined shaped cavity;
• (g) injecting the hot molten moldable mixture from step (e) into the mold with a pressure of between about 10 to about 150 psi while maintaining the high degree of random orientation and cooling the mixture;
• and
• (h) removing the cooled molded or shaped mixture from the mold and extracting at least about 95% by volume of the organic material to thereby provide a shaped preform of fibers having sufficient strength to allow handling of the preform.