Patent ID: 8003037

Claim:
A method for constructing a surface-reinforced article, comprising: forming a core assembly that includes a quantity of molded foam and multiple coupling fibers that have fiber inner portions molded in said foam and fiber outer portions that project outside said quantity of molded foam, including laying said coupling fibers on the inside walls of an initial mold and introducing foamable material into said initial mold and allowing said foamable material to fill said initial mold and penetrate a portion of said coupling fibers; establishing said core assembly in a second mold cavity that has mold walls, and leaving a space between said mold walls and said core assembly, establishing second fibers in said space that occupy only part of said space and that are stronger than said coupling fibers, and closing said second mold cavity; injecting a flowable resin into the space between said core assembly and the walls of said mold cavity that is partially occupied by said second fibers, and allowing said second material to solidify, whereby to couple said second material to said core assembly through said coupling fibers.