Methods of making thermal insulation products that may be usable to provide insulation in high temperature applications. One method includes sealing a support material (e.g., a nanoporous core such as fumed silica, an aerogel powder, etc.) and at least one vapor within an interior portion of a substantially gas-impermeable envelope (e.g., a metallic and/or polymeric film), and then condensing at least a portion of the vapor after the sealing step to reduce the pressure within the gas-impermeable envelope from a first pressure before the condensing to a lower second pressure after the condensing. The disclosed methods limit or eliminate the need for pumping mechanisms to draw the vacuum within the products, drying of the core before the sealing, and the like.

A hot-spinning formation method for large-diameter titanium alloy cylindrical parts. A workblank is placed in a resistance furnace to heated to 600-650° C., is maintained at this temperature for 0.5-1 h and is then taken out of the resistance furnace; after the workblank is heated, the inner diameter of the workblank becomes larger; the heated workblank is installed on a mandrel, and spinning is started when a maximum clearance between the workblank and the mandrel is less than 0.5 mm; the mandrel and the spinning rollers do not need to be preheated, and a multi-pass spinning process is adopted, such that the workblank can deform more uniformly. A vertical spinning lathe is used for spinning, the mandrel is easy to change, and the workblank is easy to assemble and disassemble.

Methods of making thermal insulation products are provided, one method including the steps of sealing a support material (e.g., a nanoporous core such as fumed silica, an aerogel powder, etc.) and at least one vapor (e.g., steam) within an interior portion of a substantially gas-impermeable envelope (e.g., a metallic and/or polymeric film), and then condensing at least a portion of the vapor after the sealing step to reduce the pressure within the gas-impermeable envelope from a first pressure before the condensing to a lower second pressure after the condensing. The disclosed methods limit or eliminate the need for mechanism pumping mechanisms to drawing the vacuum within the products, drying of the core before the sealing, and the like.

A method for producing a hollow part (17; 21; 46) made of a metal material, includes preparing a blank (1; 18; 33) of the metal material of the hollow part (17; 21; 46), and at least one sacrificial mandrel (2; 19; 34, 35) made of a material which has a yield stress in the range from −30% to +20% of the yield stress of the material of the blank (1; 18; 33), preferably in the range from −15% to +10%, ideally in the range from −5% to +3%; applying a punch (10) on at least one of the ends of the blank (1; 18; 33) in order to produce the expansion of at least a portion of said blank (1; 18; 33) and to create at least one internal space (12; 20; 36, 37) inside said blank (1; 18; 33); inserting a sacrificial mandrel (2; 19; 34; 35) in said an internal space (12; 20; 37) of the blank (1; 18; 33);crimping the sacrificial mandrel (2; 19; 34, 35) in said blank (1; 18; 33);producing, by co-forging, a simultaneous deformation of said blank (1; 18; 33) and of said sacrificial mandrel (2; 19; 34, 35), with a homothetic ratio K; and performing a machining in order to remove the sacrificial mandrel (2; 19; 34, 35).

In order to provide a structural component, in particular a cockpit cross-member for a motor vehicle, which can be produced simply and cost-effectively, according to the invention the structural component comprises the following: a profile element which has a peripheral wall that delimits an interior of the profile element at least in regions, and at least one through opening provided in the peripheral wall of the profile element; at least one fastening element which is arranged in the interior of the profile element so as to correspond to the at least one through opening; and at least one pressure-forming portion which is formed on the profile element and/or on the fastening element and positions the fastening element with respect to the through opening.

In order to provide a structural component, in particular a cockpit cross-member for a motor vehicle, which can be produced simply and cost-effectively, according to the invention the structural component comprises the following: a profile element which has a peripheral wall that delimits an interior of the profile element at least in regions, and at least one through opening provided in the peripheral wall of the profile element; at least one fastening element which is arranged in the interior of the profile element so as to correspond to the at least one through opening; and at least one pressure-forming portion which is formed on the profile element and/or on the fastening element and positions the fastening element with respect to the through opening.