A glass and polymer film assembly including a glass film and a polymer film bonded to a surface of the glass film. The polymer film is directly bonded to the glass film by applying the polymer to the glass film when the glass film is above a bonding temperature of the polymer film. The glass film may have a thickness less than about 1 mm and the polymer film may be an oriented semicrystalline homopolymer which is permanently bonded to a major surface of the glass film.

An aerospace vessel including a fuselage, a means for causing the fuselage to fly coupled to the fuselage, and an environmental control system within the fuselage. The environmental control system includes a duct made of closed cell thermoplastic foam, such as polyvinylidene fluoride foam.

An aerospace vessel including a fuselage, a means for causing the fuselage to fly coupled to the fuselage, and an environmental control system within the fuselage. The environmental control system includes a duct made of closed cell thermoplastic foam, such as polyvinylidene fluoride foam.

Methods and apparatuses for bonding polymeric parts are disclosed. Specifically, in one embodiment, the polymeric parts are bonded by plastically deforming them against each other while they are below the glass transition temperatures. A method includes: placing a first polymeric part in contact with a second polymeric part; and plastically deforming the first polymeric part and the second polymeric part against each other to bond the first polymeric part to the second polymeric part. Additionally, during the plastic deformation, a temperature of the first polymeric part is less than a glass transition temperature of the first polymeric part and a temperature of the second polymeric part is less than a glass transition temperature of the second polymeric part.

The present invention is a method for seaming a polymeric material. The method involves forming an interface between a plurality of separate polymeric sheets of materials. Next, heat and pressure are applied to facilitate the diffusion of the polymer molecules at the interface. A diffusion weld is made when the polymer molecules diffuse across the interface.

A method for joining one or more first-type thermoset components to a second-type thermoset component, each first-type thermoset component being manufactured by providing an uncured starting thermoset component on which a thermoplastic material layer is placed, such that an interpenetrating network forms between the thermoset polymer of the starting thermoset component and the corresponding thermoplastic material layer when each first-type thermoset component is cured; and each first-type thermoset component being then placed on an uncured second-type thermoset component so that when the latter is cured, a further interpenetrating network forms between each thermoplastic material layer and the thermoset polymer of the second-type thermoset component; this results in a strong joint between the first-type and the second-type thermoset components.

The present invention relates to a method for producing thermosetting components from two or more semifinished composite-material products with textile fibre reinforcement and matrix material, wherein the semifinished composite-material products are fully consolidated, with the exception of local regions, and are brought into contact at the partially consolidated (gelled) regions (201, 211, 221, 241) such that the matrix material of the partially consolidated regions (201, 211, 221, 241) bonds and the regions joined together in this way are subsequently fully consolidated. Furthermore, a device which is suitable for producing the semifinished composite-material products is disclosed.