Anti-paint cracking systems are provided as part of a painted aerospace component (e.g., a fuselage, an engine nacelle, a wing, an empennage, a fairing and the like) having a pair of adjacent structural panels defining therebetween a joint space having a lengthwise extent and a finished paint topcoat covering an exterior surface of the adjacent structural panels and the joint space therebetween. The anti-paint cracking system will thus be associated with the joint space along the lengthwise extent thereof and positioned below the finished paint topcoat. The anti-paint cracking system will include a joint sealant positioned in the joint space and an adhesive tape or a fibrous tape formed of a fiber composite material applied over the joint space and the joint sealant positioned therein.

Improved containment mats and systems of containment mats may include multiple adjoining mats with a top surface and a bottom surface. The multiple mats may provide a modular structural mat system that may be installed at a drill site, with multiple mats placed adjacent to each other with a lap joint connecting adjacent mats. A geotextile may be used to cover the lap joints and a coating applied to the geotextile. Such a system may provide containment of potential spills, a reliable working surface for drilling operations, and relatively fast and less expensive installation.

A thermal insulating structure includes: at least two first multilayer vacuum insulators that adjoin each other and that cover a to-be-insulated surface; a retainer that is fixed to the to-be-insulated surface and that protrudes from a boundary between the first multilayer vacuum insulators; a second multilayer vacuum insulator that extends along the boundary and that covers the boundary, the second multilayer vacuum insulator including a through-hole formed therein, in which the retainer is inserted; and a keep plate that is fixed to the retainer and that holds the second multilayer vacuum insulator and the first multilayer vacuum insulators.

The present disclosure provides high tensile strength FCL seams, as well as methods for forming high tensile strength FCL seams by laser welding. The present disclosure also provides weldable FCL tabs for the reinforcement of both linear and curved sections of seams, as well as methods for reinforcing linear and curved sections of seams with weldable FCL tabs.

Improved containment mats and systems of containment mats may include multiple adjoining mats with a top surface and a bottom surface. The multiple mats may provide a modular structural mat system that may be installed at a drill site, with multiple mats placed adjacent to each other with a lap joint connecting adjacent mats. A geotextile may be used to cover the lap joints and a coating applied to the geotextile. Such a system may provide containment of potential spills, a reliable working surface for drilling operations, and relatively fast and less expensive installation.

Aspects of the present invention relate to a glazing assembly (1) for a vehicle (2). The glazing assembly (1) includes a glazing element (10), a finisher component (11) and a connector (14). The glazing element (10) has an inner surface (10A) and an outer surface (10B); the finisher component (11) has an inner surface (12A) and an outer surface (12B). A portion of the glazing element inner surface (10A) forms a first encapsulation area (A1); and a portion of the finisher component inner surface (12A) forms a second encapsulation area (A2). The finisher component (11) is connected to the glazing element (10) by the connector (14) which is composed of an encapsulation material which encapsulates the first encapsulation area (A1) and the second encapsulation area (A2). The resulting glazing assembly (1) has a substantially continuous outer surface. The present invention also relates to an encapsulated assembly (1) for an exterior of a vehicle (2). Furthermore, the present invention relates to methods of forming a glazing assembly (1); and an encapsulated assembly (1).

Described is a laminate, including a stack of mutually bonded adhesive layers and metal sheets. The laminate includes abutting and/or overlapping metal sheet edges that extend along a length direction within a splicing region. A splice strap is connected to the laminate at an outer surface of the laminate across said splicing region. The splice strap includes one layer of fiber-reinforced adhesive or of metal sheet, or stacked layers of fiber-reinforced adhesive and/or metal sheets. A widest splice strap layer is connected to the laminate over a transverse distance of at least 5 times the widest strap layer thickness, and the widest strap layer has a lower bending stiffness than the bending stiffness of one of the spliced metal sheets.

A transport, driving or pressing belt, comprising at least one belt material having a lower and an upper face limited by two longitudinal edges and two transverse edges running obliquely with respect to the main extension direction of the belt, the belt material being closed and the longitudinal edges being folded down, and a method for manufacturing a transport, driving or pressing belt. To ensure high tensile strength over the complete belt length and avoid an edge tearing of the first belt material at the longitudinal edges, the transverse edges of a first belt material lie against each other in abutting relationship, and a second belt material is arranged centrically on the first belt material at least in the region of the transverse edges. The second belt material here nearly covers a width of 50% of the first belt material and is centrically glued with the first belt material.

Provided herein are ecologically friendly waterproof fabrics that include a base fabric having a body-facing surface and an outward-facing surface, and a hydrophobic, waterproof barrier disposed on the outward-facing surface of the base fabric. The base fabric may be a wicking fabric or may be treated with a compound that enhances wicking, and the hydrophobic, waterproof barrier may include a plastic polymer, polyurethane, polyethylene, and/or polytetrafluoroethylene. The waterproof fabrics also may include an abrasion-resistant coating and/or a PFC-free durable water repellant (DWR) agent disposed on an outward-facing surface of the hydrophobic, waterproof barrier, and one or both of the abrasion-resistant coating and/or PFC-free DWR agent may be discontinuous. Also provided are methods of making a waterproof fabric.

A hybrid carbon/fiberglass structural component or beam for an aircraft is constructed with layers of strips of glass fibers interspersed with layers of strips of unidirectional carbon fibers where the carbon fibers are oriented only in alignment with or along the longitudinal direction of the length of the beam thereby adding strength and stiffness to the beam while reducing weight and manufacturing costs.