A downhole probe of a drilling rig has a probe sleeve for protecting the downhole probe. The probe sleeve may be made of a metal or a polymer such as polyphenylene sulfide. The probe sleeve may be heat-shrinkable to provide a tight fit between the downhole probe and the probe sleeve. The probe sleeve may include one or more protrusions shaped to engage a centralizer surrounding at least part of the downhole probe. The one or more protrusions may be arranged to prevent rotation of the centralizer relative to the probe sleeve. The probe sleeve may be made using a modified extrusion process and may include reinforcement to add strength to weld-lines along the length of the probe sleeve. The protrusions may also be used as reinforcement.

A process of heat shrinking an article is provided. The process includes shaping a thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) into an article, the TPV having: a partially vulcanized rubber dispersed in a continuous thermoplastic phase, wherein more than 5 wt % of the rubber is extractable in boiling xylene, and wherein the thermoplastic phase comprises a thermoplastic resin having a Tm>110 C. and a propylene-based elastomer (PBE) having a Tm<110 C.; and heating the article to a temperature between about 100 C. and 250 C. to shrink the article.

In an aspect, a biaxially oriented pipe has a thickened end portion. The end portion has the same inner diameter as the biaxially oriented pipe and has a larger thickness than the biaxially oriented pipe. The end portion is made of the same thermoplastic polymer composition as the biaxially oriented pipe.

A textile machine component and to a method for providing component information at the textile machine component, in particular at a spindle arrangement for spinning or twisting machines. In order to ensure permanent and reliable provision of component information at a plastic-coated textile machine component, provision is made for the textile machine component to be enclosed at least in sections by a heat-shrinkable plastic enclosure that provides the component information, the enclosure being shrunk onto the textile machine component. In order to provide a plastic-coated textile machine component, in particular a spindle arrangement, with component information that can be acquired reliably, provision is made for a plastic enclosure that provides component information to be shrunk onto at least a section of the textile machine component.

The present disclosure provides a dual layer heat shrink tube having: an inner polymeric layer with a thickness t.sub.1 and an outer diameter D.sub.1; and an outer, expanded polymeric layer with a thickness t.sub.2 and an outer diameter D.sub.2 obtained by expanding a polymer tube from D.sub.2 to D.sub.2 and t.sub.2 to t.sub.2 at a selected temperature so that D.sub.2?2(t.sub.2)>D.sub.1, wherein a ring cut from a cross-section of the dual layer heat shrink tube, slit into a rectangle and gripped at cut ends by tension grips within a DMA, and subjected to a temperature sweep of 3? C./min at a frequency of 1 Hz from the onset of a melting endotherm of the inner polymeric layer to that of the outer, expanded polymeric layer is greater than 1? C. and less than 12? C. The disclosure further provides associated methods for preparing and using such tubes, as well as to products comprising such tubes.

A method of manufacturing a fluid impermeable rigid composite pipe (10) or hollow tube comprising the steps of:a. providing a supporting mandrel (15) that is shaped to define a bore of the pipe (10); b. laying onto the outer circumferential surface of the mandrel (10) one or more first tapes (11) made of a thermoplastic material thereby to create a first region (11) that is predominantly thermoplastic material adjacent the bore of the pipe (10); c. providing a plurality of tows (14) that comprise co-mingled reinforcing fibers and thermoplastic filaments; d. weaving a plurality of the tows (14) to form one or more circular braids (13) and laying down the one or more of the circular braids (13) on to the first layer (11): to form a second region (12); e. applying to the outer surface of the second region (12) a heat-shrinkable layer (13); f. heating the product of steps (b) to (e) on the mandrel (15) to a first temperature at which the thermoplastic materials of the one or more tapes 11 and the tows 14 melt and the heat-shrinkable layer 13 shrinks radially inwards to consolidate the melted thermoplastic material to form a thermoplastic matrix in which the reinforcing fibers are embedded and a fluid impermeable thermoplastic rich region (11) is formed at the bore of the pipe (10); and, g. allowing the pipe (10) to cool to form a self supporting pipe (10).

Methods and systems of making a composite open lattice are provided. The method comprises the following: (i) providing a mandrel having a plurality of studs extending outwardly from an outer surface of the mandrel, wherein the plurality of studs define a network of pathways; (ii) winding a pre-impregnated tow of structural fibers through the network of pathways and forming at least one axial lattice element (ALE), at least one helical lattice element (HLE), and a plurality of intersection locations defined by overlapping portions of the pre-impregnated tow to form an intermediate composite open lattice; and (iii) curing the intermediate composite open lattice to provide the composite open lattice. Composite open lattices are also provided.

A process produces a tubular hybrid molding made of a plastics foam element that exhibits temperature-dependent shrinkage and a fiber-plastics composite. The method includes inserting the plastics foam element, unhardened first and second fiber-plastics composite sections into a mold, where the plastics foam element has open pores at locations in contact with the fiber-plastics composite. The plastics foam element and the fiber-plastics composite sections are shaped by the mold. The mold is exposed to a first temperature to minimize the viscosity of the resin in the fiber-plastics composite. The mold is exposed to a second temperature to harden the fiber-plastics composite and to achieve mechanical fixing of the plastics foam element thereon. The mold is exposed to a third temperature to shrink the plastics foam element and cause its shape to conform to that of the mold and achieve a final shape of the said element.

A resin part, wherein the resin part has an asymmetrical shape in a thickness direction, so that a portion in which an increase in internal temperature by heating is relatively quick is positioned closer to one end of the resin part in the thickness direction while a portion in which an increase in internal temperature by heating is relatively slow is positioned closer to the other end of the resin part in the thickness direction, wherein the resin part has an asymmetrical shape in a width direction, so that the portion in which the increase in internal temperature by heating is relatively quick is positioned closer to one end of the resin part in the width direction while a portion in which an increase in internal temperature by heating is relatively slow is positioned closer to the other end of the resin part in the width direction.

Provided herein are methods and compositions for narrowing the inside diameter of tubing, in some cases where the narrowing is provided by a taper on one or both ends of the narrowed portion of the tubing.