A friction damped insert for highly stressed engineering components is disclosed. The disclosed inventive concept provides a method and system for increasing the damping capacity of an engineering system by adding a non-flat solid, highly damped insert to a system component that contributes most to the system's dynamic response. The insert can either be embedded into a system component during casting or be fastened to the system component outer surface. The insert is made of the single layer of flexible material by forming it into a rigid elongated body. The layer of material can be turned over on itself without folding to create a cylinder or can be folded over a number of times to create a prismatic bar. The layer of material may be shaped into a corrugated panel. The layer of flexible material may have a number of relatively small openings or perforations with a uniform spatial distribution.

The compressible sealing element (1) comprises at least one piece made of a resilient foam (17). This foam has an open-cell content of at least 50% and has such a hardness that it requires a force of less than 2000 N to compress the sealing element (1) per meter length thereof to such an extent that the volume of a rectangular cuboid circumscribing the sealing element is reduced by 40%. The sealing element comprises a water-impermeable cover layer (18) which extends at least over its top surface. The sealing element is intended for filling at least partially the gaps between the stock rails (13) and the switch rails (12) in a railway switch to prevent the switch from being blocked in particular by snow. Advantages of the new sealing element is that it can easier be inserted in these gaps and that it has a smaller effect on the force required to close the switch so that it can also be applied closer to the free extremity of the switch rail (12).

Methods for manufacturing articles of footwear are provided. In various aspects, the methods comprise utilizing additive manufacturing methods with foam particles. In some aspects, the additive manufacturing methods comprise increasing the temperature of a plurality of foam particles with actinic radiation under conditions effective to fuse a portion of the plurality of foam particles comprising one or more thermoplastic elastomers. Increasing the temperature of the foam particles can be carried out for one or multiple iterations. The disclosed methods can be used to manufacturer articles with sub-regions that exhibit differing degrees of fusion between the foam particles, thereby resulting in sub-regions with different properties such as density, resilience, and/or flexural modulus. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.

A thermal/acoustic insulation product, such as for an aircraft, comprising a block of flexible, open-celled, cellular foam having a predefined shape and having a thermoformed amorphous film covering that completely envelops the foam block. A process for making the insulation product includes first cutting the block of foam to a predefined shape, such as a shape suitable for placement in an area of an aircraft in need of insulation. Then, a first sheet of film is heated to its melt point and conformed to a first surface area of the block, and a second sheet of film is heated to its melt point and conformed to a second surface area of the block, wherein the first film and the second film are joined to one another at one or more seams. The insulation product may then be installed in an aircraft.

To provide a method for readily forming an easily separable portion having an adhesive strength that is required as a package bag on packaging film, a package bag having an easily separable portion formed by this method, and a filling-packing machine utilizing this method. A method forming an easily separable portion in packaging film by interposing at least two packaging films between a horn emitting ultrasonic waves and an anvil oppositely disposed to the horn, and vibrating the packaging films by the ultrasonic waves, in which a vibratable layer is provided on the packaging film in at least one of the horn side and the anvil side.

A case for a mobile device with a screen, the case comprising a band arranged to surround the edge of the device. The band comprises a layer of flexible polymer and a layer of a damping material which is softer than the flexible polymer provided within the flexible polymer layer. The damping material has a plurality of integrally formed protrusions projecting inwardly protrusions projecting inwardly from a substantial portion of the inner periphery of the band to engage with the device. The protrusions are provided at least in the corner regions of the case and the protrusions are arranged such that, in normal use there is substantially no contact between the band and the device other than through the protrusions.

Vibration damping and sound absorbing foam formed of foam and fine particles present inside the foam so as to form bell-like structures in the foam is produced by performing the following steps [I] to [III] in the stated order. [I] Producing fine particles each having a surface coated with a coating material capable of being dissolved in at least one liquid selected from water and a solvent. [II] Mixing the coated fine particles into a material for foam, and producing foam from the mixture. [III] Immersing the foam in at least one liquid selected from water and a solvent to remove the coating of each of the fine particles in the foam by dissolution in the liquid.

Methods for manufacturing articles of footwear are provided. In various aspects, the methods comprise utilizing additive manufacturing methods with foam particles. In some aspects, the disclosed methods comprise selectively depositing a binding material on foam particles in a target area such that the binding material coats at least a portion of defining surfaces of the foam particles with the binding material. The binding material is then cured to affix foam particles in the target area to one another. In various aspects, the disclosed methods can be used to manufacturer articles with sub-regions that differential levels of affixing between the foam particles, and thereby resulting in sub-regions with different properties such as density, resilience, and/or flexural modulus. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.

The present invention is directed to a device for at least partially covering a vehicle floor pan of a motor vehicle, comprises a carrier element made at least by a hard foam material, a vibration decoupling element made at least by a soft foam material, a surface layer to visually cover the device from the top, wherein the device has a shield element, which is made at least by a plastic material and is configured for accepting, absorbing and distributing the energy of a localized impact stress, which is applied on the device from above against the shield element. The present invention is also directed to a method for producing the device.

A decorated molded body includes a decorated layer B and a support layer A, wherein the support layer A is any of a non-woven fabric (a) including at least two types of thermoplastic resin fibers, a non-woven fabric (b) including a thermoplastic resin fiber and an inorganic fiber, or a thermoplastic resin composition layer (c) having a thermoplastic resin in which an inorganic fiber is contained, the decorated layer B includes a thermoformable thermoplastic resin and is any of an easily-moldable polyester film (d), a non-woven fabric (e) including a composite fiber made from at least two types of thermoplastic resins having different melting points, the non-woven fabric (e) having a surface with projections and recesses, or a synthetic leather (f) having an organic fiber as a base material, and the decorated layer B and the support layer A are combined with each other via a heat-bonding resin.