A pipeline system is enclosed including unlined or plastic lined pipes. A mechanical metal to metal connection is employed that can provide a fluid tight seal. A pipe coupling may be employed to span the connection. Plastic lined pipes can have their plastic liners connected to form a fluid tight bladder. Electro fusion may be employed.

A method for coupling a tube to a tube fitting includes radially outwardly expanding a tubular compression collar from a constricted state to an expanded state, the compression collar having a throughway extending there through and being made of a resiliently flexible material. An end of the tube is inserted within the throughway of the expanded compression collar, the tube bounding a passage. A tube fitting is inserted within the passage of the tube. The compression collar is allowed to resiliently rebound back towards the constricted state so that the compression collar pushes the tube against the tube fitting.

An assembly includes a first part made of composite material including a polymer matrix and a second part made of metal. The two parts are assembled by opposite or assembly faces along an interface subjected to shear loads. The first part is made of a composite having continuous reinforcing fibers in a thermoplastic matrix. The second part includes, on its assembly face, a coupling form having a plurality of patterns. Each pattern has a closed contour in a plane parallel to the assembly face of the second part and extends along a direction normal to the assembly face of the second part. A method for making such an assembly is also provided.

A method for joining a first component with a second component includes providing a first component with a thermoplastic rivet; providing a second component having a rivet hole, wherein the rivet hole forms a rivet hole inlet in a first surface of the second component and a rivet hole outlet in a second surface of the second component, and wherein the second component forms in the second surface a structured rivet head accommodating portion disposed in a region of the rivet hole outlet; inserting a free end of the rivet via the rivet hole inlet into the rivet hole until a unilaterally abutting, inserted position of the rivet reaching through the rivet hole is reached; and heat staking the free end of the rivet in the inserted position while forming a rivet head, so that the rivet head is at least partially accommodated in the rivet head accommodating portion.

A method of anchoring a connector element (10) in a receiving object (66) comprises inserting a distal end of the connector element (10) into a mounting hole in an insertion direction along an insertion axis; inserting a sleeve (36) comprising a thermoplastic material into the mounting hole, the sleeve (36) enclosing the connector element (10); and transferring energy to liquefy at least a portion of the thermoplastic material of the sleeve (36). A machine (500) configured for carrying out the method and a connector element anchoring kit comprising a connector element (10) and a sleeve (36) comprising thermoplastic material.

A method of mechanically securing a first object including a thermoplastic material in a solid state to a second object with a generally flat sheet portion, with a perforation of the sheet portion, and with the sheet portion having an edge along the perforation is provided, wherein the first object is positioned relative to the second object so that the edge is in contact with the thermoplastic material and wherein mechanical vibration energy is coupled into the assembly including the first and second objects until a flow portion of the thermoplastic material due to friction heat generated between the edge and the thermoplastic material becomes flowable and flows around the edge to at least partially embed the edge in the thermoplastic material. After the mechanical vibration stops, the thermoplastic material is caused to re-solidify, whereby the re-solidified thermoplastic material at least partially embedding the edge anchors the first object in the second object.

The present invention provides a method for producing a joined body of different materials, which may easily achieve joining between a plurality of resin layers and joining between a resin and a metal, and a joined body of different materials.

A coupling assembly includes: a tubular compression collar having a tubular body made of a resiliently flexible polymeric material and having an interior surface and an opposing exterior surface; an end of a tube disposed within a throughway of the compression collar; and a tube fitting disposed within the passageway of the tube. The tube fitting includes: a tubular stem; a flange radially outwardly projecting from an exterior surface of the stem; and an annular barb encircling and radially outwardly projecting from the exterior surface of the stem, the annular barb including a frustoconical outside face that extends along and outwardly slopes away from the stem as the outside face extends toward the flange. The compression collar radially inwardly compresses the tube against the annular barb of the tube fitting so that a liquid tight seal is formed between the tube and the tube fitting.

Methods of producing polymer-metal hybrid components that are bonded by CO-M bonds at the interface using at least one of the hot pressing, rolling, and injection molding methods to create chemical bond formation conditions at the polymer and metal interface. When the thermal cycle and compressive pressure specified herein is combinationally created at the polymer and metal interfaced, strong CO-M bonds forms at the interface and strongly bonds the metal and polymer together through the reaction carbonyl groups (CO) in polymer and the metal surface. For polymers lacking enough carbonyl groups, new functional groups can be in-situ generation through introducing distributed air pockets at the polymer-metal interface for forming 3-dimensional distributed CO-M bonds at the interface.

A method of anchoring a connector element (10) in a receiving object (66) comprises inserting a distal end of the connector element (10) into a mounting hole in an insertion direction along an insertion axis; inserting a sleeve (36) comprising a thermoplastic material into the mounting hole, the sleeve (36) enclosing the connector element (10); and transferring energy to liquefy at least a portion of the thermoplastic material of the sleeve (36). A machine (500) configured for carrying out the method and a connector element anchoring kit comprising a connector element (10) and a sleeve (36) comprising thermoplastic material.