A polymer floor element includes a decorative top layer on a substrate made of polymer. The floor element has a rectangular or square surface, for which it is valid that for a strip of the floor element with a first point Q defined as a vertex of the strip, and a point P at a distance of 40 cm with respect to Q along a side of the strip, suspended over a rod with diameter 2 cm with its side on which P and Q are defined, perpendicular to the axis of the rod, so that P is located in the vertical direction at the highest point where the floor element touches the rod. The strip, with point Q along one side, hangs down from the rod under the strip's own weight; the straight line PQ intersects the vertical through P at an angle less than 15°.

A substrate having a burnable coating mask includes: a substrate having a first section and a second section; a mask coating layer over the first section of the substrate; and a functional coating layer over at least a portion of the mask coating layer and over the second section of the substrate. A method of segmenting a substrate having a layer thereover, a method of preparing a segmented substrate having a layer thereover, a segmented substrate, and a transparency are also disclosed.

A treadmill having a curved treadmill deck is provided. Two curved side frames are disposed at two sides of the treadmill frame. Front and rear end ends of each curved side frame are higher than a middle section thereof. Inner sides of the two curved side frames are provided with a plurality of fixing seats, respectively. The fixing seats have fixing holes, respectively. An elastic deck is composed of a plurality of sheets connected side by side. The sheets each have perforations corresponding in position to the fixing holes of the respective fixing seats. A plurality of fixing pins are inserted in the perforations of the sheets of the elastic deck and secured to the fixing holes of the fixing seats. The elastic deck is forcibly fastened by the fixing pins and slightly deformed according to the curvature of the curved side frames to form the curved treadmill deck.

A beaded composite panel is fabricated using composite plies. An opening is formed in each of plies, and each ply is laid up on a bead feature and drawn down over the bead feature in the area of the opening so as to widen the opening into a gap allowing the ply to conform to the contour of the bead feature. Patches are fabricated and placed on the plies overlying over the openings. The laid-up plies are compacted and cured.

A beaded composite panel is fabricated using composite plies. An opening is formed in each of plies, and each ply is laid up on a bead feature and drawn down over the bead feature in the area of the opening so as to widen the opening into a gap allowing the ply to conform to the contour of the bead feature. Patches are fabricated and placed on the plies overlying over the openings. The laid-up plies are compacted and cured.

Various apparatuses are disclosed including those that have curvature arresting properties. According to one example, the apparatus can optionally include a flexible first film, a second film and a first plurality of features. The first plurality of features can be disposed between the first film and the second film At least some of the first plurality of features are spaced apart from one another by a gap when the first film is not subject to an applied bending force or is subject to the applied bending force below a predetermined magnitude in one or both of the transverse direction and the longitudinal direction, and at least some of the first plurality of features contact one another to arrest a curvature of the first film when the applied bending force is at or above the predetermined magnitude.

Various apparatuses are disclosed including those that have curvature arresting properties. According to one example, the apparatus can optionally include a flexible first film, a second film and a first plurality of features. The first plurality of features can be disposed between the first film and the second film At least some of the first plurality of features are spaced apart from one another by a gap when the first film is not subject to an applied bending force or is subject to the applied bending force below a predetermined magnitude in one or both of the transverse direction and the longitudinal direction, and at least some of the first plurality of features contact one another to arrest a curvature of the first film when the applied bending force is at or above the predetermined magnitude.

In order to provide a composite good in formability into a three-dimensional shape and easy to manufacture, in a laminate having a core material layer and a skin material laminated on the core material layer, the core material layer has a plurality of plate-shaped flakes lined up along a surface of the skin material, and adjacent plate-shaped flakes are separated from each other by a gap or by a cut in the core material layer, and cutting directions along a thickness direction, which is determined from cutting marks formed on an outer periphery, are identical to each other among the plurality of the plate-shaped flakes.

A non-fibrous film has at least one film body that is non-fibrous, and at least one film element that is non-fibrous. The film element is coupled to the film body at an interface that is non-continuous across a film width of the non-fibrous film. The non-fibrous film has at least one of the following characteristics: the interface has at least one mechanical property having a value that is different than the value of the mechanical property of at least one of the film element and the film body, and/or the film element has at least one mechanical property having a value that is different than the value of the mechanical property of the film body.

Various apparatuses are disclosed including those that have curvature arresting properties. According to one example, the apparatus can optionally include a flexible first film, a second film and a first plurality of features. The first plurality of features can be disposed between the first film and the second film At least some of the first plurality of features are spaced apart from one another by a gap when the first film is not subject to an applied bending force or is subject to the applied bending force below a predetermined magnitude in one or both of the transverse direction and the longitudinal direction, and at least some of the first plurality of features contact one another to arrest a curvature of the first film when the applied bending force is at or above the predetermined magnitude.