An actuator is described, including a first sheet comprising a plurality of first openings,; and a second sheet comprising a plurality of second openings; wherein the first and second sheets are stacked together such that at least one of the first and second openings are misaligned; and the actuator is configured to move from a first state to a second state, wherein in the first state, out-of-plane motion of the first and second sheets is permitted; and in the second state, the first and second sheets as well as the misaligned first and second openings are jammed together to restrict the out-of-plane motion of the first and second sheets. Methods of actuating and making such actuator are also described.

An object of the present invention is to provide a sound insulating sheet member that has high sound-insulating performance which exceeds mass law while being relatively light weight, that is highly flexible in design, excellent in versatility, and easy to manufacture so that productivity and economic efficiency can be improved, and a sound insulating structural body or the like using the same. The object thereof is achieved by using a sound insulating sheet member comprising at least a sheet having rubber elasticity and a plurality of resonant portions, wherein the resonant portions are provided in contact with a sheet surface of the sheet, each of the resonant portions including a base part and a weight part, and the weight part being supported by the base part and having a larger mass than the base part.

A flooring assembly comprising a flooring unit comprising a stability core layer having a plurality of edge surfaces, two of which have an interlocking mechanism for attachment to the edge surfaces of the stability core of adjacent flooring units; a sound attenuating acoustic layer attached to the bottom surface of the stability core layer; and a finish layer attached to the top surface of said stability core layer.

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.

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.

Hose embodiments include an inner tube, a reinforcement layer disposed outwardly adjacent the inner tube, and an outer cover layer disposed outwardly adjacent the reinforcement layer. One or more of the inner tube and cover layer may be based upon a curable composition having EPDM, a filler package, and a sulfur curative, and after curing, the hose embodiments meet the testing requirements of the UL 94 standard. In some cases, the inner tube is based upon the curable composition, while in some other cases, the cover layer is based upon the curable composition. Yet, in other cases, the inner tube and the cover layer each is based upon the curable composition. In some aspects, the curable composition includes the EPDM in an amount of from 10% to 30% by weight, or even in an amount of from 30% to 80% by weight.

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to crosslinked TPE or TPV compositions, flexible pipes containing crosslinked TPE or TPV compositions, and methods for forming crosslinked elastomer polymer compositions and flexible pipes. In an embodiment, a flexible pipe includes a plurality of layers, where at least one layer includes a composition including: at least one polar elastomer, and a polymer having a crystallinity of about 20% or greater. In an embodiment, a pipe includes an inner sheath, an outer sheath, a first armor layer, and a second armor layer, where at least one of the inner sheath and the outer sheath comprises a crosslinked TPE or TPV composition that is the reaction product of an elastomer having a polarity of about 90° or less, a polymer having a crystallinity of about 20% or greater, and a crosslinking agent.

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to crosslinked TPE or TPV compositions, flexible pipes containing crosslinked TPE or TPV compositions, and methods for forming crosslinked elastomer polymer compositions and flexible pipes. In an embodiment, a flexible pipe includes a plurality of layers, where at least one layer includes a composition including: at least one polar elastomer, and a polymer having a crystallinity of about 20% or greater. In an embodiment, a pipe includes an inner sheath, an outer sheath, a first armor layer, and a second armor layer, where at least one of the inner sheath and the outer sheath comprises a crosslinked TPE or TPV composition that is the reaction product of an elastomer having a polarity of about 90° or less, a polymer having a crystallinity of about 20% or greater, and a crosslinking agent.

An NBR composition for rubber laminated metal having 1 to 3 parts by weight of sulfur and 1 to 15 parts by weight of a disulfide compound such as 4,4′-dithiodimorpholine or dithiodicaprolactam represented by the general formula RN—S—S—NR (wherein RN is a cyclic linking group formed together with the N atom bonded to the S atom), based on 100 parts by weight of NBR. The rubber composition that can improve the protrusion properties of a rubber layer when used for, for example, a gasket or a brake shim material that is a laminated composite metal laminated with another metal plate.

An NBR composition for rubber laminated metal having 1 to 3 parts by weight of sulfur and 1 to 15 parts by weight of a disulfide compound such as 4,4′-dithiodimorpholine or dithiodicaprolactam represented by the general formula RN—S—S—NR (wherein RN is a cyclic linking group formed together with the N atom bonded to the S atom), based on 100 parts by weight of NBR. The rubber composition that can improve the protrusion properties of a rubber layer when used for, for example, a gasket or a brake shim material that is a laminated composite metal laminated with another metal plate.