A process for producing a textured laminate sheet includes a) positioning a substrate material adjacent a barbed face of a metal sheet. The barbed face has a plurality of barbs, and the metal sheet has an opposed face opposite the barbed face. The process further includes b) forcing the metal sheet and the substrate material together to impale the substrate material on the barbs and secure the substrate material and the metal sheet together as a laminate sheet, and c) debossing the opposed face to form a plurality of depressions in the laminate sheet and texture the laminate sheet.

An improved fastener comprising a fastener body having a tool-engaging portion, a threaded fastening portion and a shroud-receiving body portion; a shroud concentrically mounted on the shroud-receiving body portion and having an inner surface facing an outer surface of the shroud-receiving body portion; the inner surface of the shroud comprising an annular groove and the shroud-receiving body portion comprising a substantially arch-shaped axially-buckled radially-extending annular protrusion extending outwardly transverse to the central axis and disposed in the annular groove of the shroud; and the annular protrusion and annular groove of the shroud forming a shroud-retaining element restraining the shroud from movement in at least a first axial direction along the central axis such that the shroud will rotate relative to the fastener body under an applied external torque prior to the fastener body rotating when the fastener is engaged with an external structure at a design installation torque.

An improved fastener comprising a fastener body orientated about a central axis and having a tool-engaging portion, a threaded fastening portion and a shroud-receiving portion having an inwardly facing annular groove orientated transverse to the central axis; a shroud concentrically mounted on the shroud-receiving portion to rotate relative to the fastener body under an applied external torque and having an axially-buckled radially-extending annular protrusion extending outwardly transverse to the central axis and disposed in the inwardly facing annular groove of the shroud-receiving portion of the body; the axially-buckled radially-extending annular protrusion of the shroud and the annular groove of the shroud-receiving portion of the body forming a shroud-retaining element restraining the shroud from movement in at least a first axial direction along the central axis.

An implantable medical device that is fabricated from materials that present a blood or body fluid or tissue contact surface that has controlled heterogeneities in material constitution. An endoluminal stent-graft and web-stent that is made of a monolithic material formed into differentiated regions defining structural members and web regions extending across interstitial spaces between the structural members. The endoluminal stent-graft is characterized by having controlled heterogeneities at the blood flow surface of the stent.

A self-aligning swaging punch is provided for adjoining together a pin and a workpiece having a pinhole. The swaging punch comprises a shaft and a tip having an open-ended cavity. The shaft transfers an axial force from a press or hammer to the tip. The tip transfers the axial force from the shaft to a top surface of the workpiece near the pinhole. The tip may be spherical in shape for evenly deforming the workpiece near the upper edge of the pinhole. The open-ended cavity receives the pin therein and allows the pin to extend at least partially into the open-ended cavity while the tip contacts the workpiece. The open-ended cavity also ensures that the swaging punch is aligned with the pinhole and perpendicular to the surface of the workpiece when the pin is inserted into the pinhole such that the workpiece evenly deforms and presses against the pin.

A gas turbine engine may comprise a blade track and a method of making the same. The blade track may be constructed of ceramic matrix composite components including main body members and joints.

A method of assembling a prosthetic heart valve includes providing a collapsible and expandable stent having an annulus section and an aortic section. The annulus section has a first diameter in a relaxed condition and a second diameter less than the first diameter in a collapsed condition. A constraint is applied to the stent to constrain the annulus section to a predetermined diameter between the first and second diameters. Applying a cuff and/or a plurality of leaflets to the stent in the constrained condition enables less material to be used. The resultant prosthetic valve is therefore able to be collapsed to a smaller diameter for introduction into a patient.

Goggles are described as including an outrigger, an elastic band, and one or more cages. The elastic band is coupled to the cage, which may then be disposed within an opening of the outrigger. Thus, the elastic band may be coupled to the outrigger and, accordingly, to the goggle frame, through cage. Such a configuration may allow for the elastic band to have a stronger and more compact coupling to the outrigger and/or goggle frame. The cage may comprise metal or another material stronger than the material of the goggle frame and/or the outrigger. Furthermore, the cage may be more compact (e.g., narrower) than a typical connection while maintaining or improving strength.

A self-aligning swaging punch is provided for adjoining together a pin and a workpiece having a pinhole. The swaging punch comprises a shaft and a tip having an open-ended cavity. The shaft transfers an axial force from a press or hammer to the tip. The tip transfers the axial force from the shaft to a top surface of the workpiece near the pinhole. The tip may be spherical in shape for evenly deforming the workpiece near the upper edge of the pinhole. The open-ended cavity receives the pin therein and allows the pin to extend at least partially into the open-ended cavity while the tip contacts the workpiece. The open-ended cavity also ensures that the swaging punch is aligned with the pinhole and perpendicular to the surface of the workpiece when the pin is inserted into the pinhole such that the workpiece evenly deforms and presses against the pin.

An implantable medical device that is fabricated from materials that present a blood or body fluid or tissue contact surface that has controlled heterogeneities in material constitution. An endoluminal stent-graft and web-stent that is made of a monolithic material formed into differentiated regions defining structural members and web regions extending across interstitial spaces between the structural members. The endoluminal stent-graft is characterized by having controlled heterogeneities at the blood flow surface of the stent.