A method of making steel fibers, preferably for use as a concrete additive, and for the supply thereof in making steel fiber concrete, characterized in that to form the steel fibers (2) first a sheet-metal strip (1) is notched either on one face or both faces so as to form steel-fiber wires (4) that are initially connected together by webs (5), and that further, for subsequently converting the webs (5) into thin easily mutually separable separation webs forming separation surfaces that are fracture-rough and low in burring upon separation, the steel-fiber strip is subjected to a flexing process in which each web (5) is subjected to multiple bending deformations about its longitudinal axis in such a way that incipient cracks are produced at the webs (5) due to fatigue fracture and thus the separation webs are produced.

Metal nanowires with uniform noble metal coatings are described. Two methods, galvanic exchange and direct deposition, are disclosed for the successful formation of the uniform noble metal coatings. Both the galvanic exchange reaction and the direct deposition method benefit from the inclusion of appropriately strong binding ligands to control or mediate the coating process to provide for the formation of a uniform coating. The noble metal coated nanowires are effective for the production of stable transparent conductive films, which may comprise a fused metal nanostructured network.

Reduction/oxidation reagents have been found to be effective to chemically cure a sparse metal nanowire film into a fused metal nanostructured network through evidently a ripening type process. The resulting fused network can provide desirable low sheet resistances while maintaining good optical transparency. The transparent conductive films can be effectively applied as a single conductive ink or through sequential forming of a metal nanowire film with the subsequent addition of a fusing agent. The fused metal nanowire films can be effectively patterned, and the patterned films can be useful in devices, such as touch sensors.

A joined body includes a first member, a second member, and a joining portion disposed therebetween and joining the first member and the second member. The joining portion includes a first joining layer on a side toward the first member and formed of a first joining material, a second joining layer on a side toward the second member and formed of a second joining material, and a metal layer therebetween and having a plurality of holes communicating with one another. The metal layer includes a first-joining-material-impregnated layer on a side toward the first joining layer and in which the plurality of holes are impregnated with the first joining material, a second-joining-material-impregnated layer on a side toward the second joining layer and in which the plurality of holes are impregnated with the second joining material, and an unfilled hole layer therebetween and in which the plurality of holes are void.

A load-bearing structure is disclosed and configured to, during operation of the structure, transfer load from a first part of the structure to a second part of the structure via a load path. The component includes a matrix material, a plurality of longitudinal first reinforcing elements embedded in the matrix material, and a plurality of longitudinal second reinforcing elements embedded in the matrix material. The long axis of each first reinforcing element is substantially aligned with a first direction and the long axis of each second reinforcing element is substantially aligned with a second direction, the second direction being substantially perpendicular to the first direction. The structure has a predefined crack-propagation region configured to control the propagation of a crack in the structure. The crack-propagation region either comprises multiple first reinforcing elements and does not comprise any second reinforcing elements; or comprises multiple second reinforcing elements and does not comprise any first reinforcing elements.