Abstract:
The present disclosure provides a laminate structure including a laminate body with a second ply positioned between a first ply and a third ply, the second ply having an edge extending outward from a corresponding edge of the first and third plies. The laminate structure further includes a flange positioned on the edge of the second ply. The flange includes a first finger and a second finger extending outward to define a receptacle that receives the edge of the second ply therein.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is based on, claims the benefit of, and incorporates herein by reference U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/978,128 filed on Apr. 10, 2014. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH 
       [0002]    Not applicable. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The disclosure relates, in general, to methods for joining incompatible materials, and more particularly to a system and method for enabling laminates to be welded to traditional materials such as steel. 
         [0004]    Welding is a process in which two or more work pieces are joined by transforming at least one of the work pieces and, optionally, a filler material into a molten state to provide a weld pool. The weld pool is then cooled to form a strong bond or joint between the work pieces. In one aspect, this joining process can additionally involve heat, pressure or a combination thereof. Examples of materials that can be joined through welding include metals such as steel, aluminum, copper, and titanium, as well as thermoplastics such as acrylic, Nylon, PVC and Teflon. 
         [0005]    Weldability refers to the ease or difficulty of welding a given set of work pieces with a certain process and a specified procedure to obtain acceptable welds. One definition of weldability according to the American Welding Society is, “the capacity of a material to be welded under the imposed fabrication conditions into a specific, suitably designed structure, and to perform satisfactorily in the intended service.” In general, if the procedure is simple, the material can be considered easily weldable. If special precautions, such as preheating, specified heat input, controlled cooling, and postheating are required, the material generally is considered not so easily weldable. 
         [0006]    While certain combinations of materials can be joined relatively easily via welding, other material combinations can prove to be more difficult. Generally, challenges may arise if the combined metallurgy of each of the original materials prevents the production of sound joints. Unsound joints result from differences in melting temperatures, lack of appreciable solubility of either metal in the other in the solid state, and formation of brittle intermetallic compounds. In addition, stresses can develop in the weld joint due to differences in thermal expansion coefficients, thermal conductivities, and specific heats of the materials. 
         [0007]    In one example, welding of either titanium or aluminum with other metals such as steel can be difficult due to issues such as embrittlement caused by the formation of intermetallic phases. Attempts to weld such materials without the use of specialized techniques generally results in welds of limited ductility. Table 1 provides data as reported by Sassani et al., for friction welding of combinations of materials (Sassani et al., 1988. Welding Journal 67(11): 264-s to 270-s). In the particular case of steel and titanium, the low solubility of iron in alpha titanium at room temperature results in a weld wherein the resulting intermetallic phases (i.e., TiFe and TiFe 2 ) are very hard and brittle, thereby preventing the production of functional welds. 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
             
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
             
             
               
                   
               
               
                 (Sassani et al.) 
               
             
          
           
               
                 Material Combination 
                 Type of Weld Formed 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Aluminum alloys/magnesium alloys 
                 No weld 
               
               
                 Brass/copper 
                 No weld 
               
               
                 Bronze/plain carbon steel 
                 No weld 
               
               
                 Bronze/steel alloy 
                 No weld 
               
               
                 Magnesium alloys/magnesium alloys 
                 No weld 
               
               
                 Magnesium alloys/stainless steel 
                 No weld 
               
               
                 Nickel/titanium 
                 No weld 
               
               
                 Niobium/stainless steel 
                 No weld 
               
               
                 Niobium/zirconium alloys 
                 No weld 
               
               
                 Silver/titanium 
                 No weld 
               
               
                 Plain carbon steel/titanium 
                 No weld 
               
               
                 Plain carbon steel/tungsten carbide, cemented 
                 Brittle weld 
               
               
                 Stainless steel/titanium 
                 Brittle weld 
               
               
                 Stainless steel/zirconium alloy 
                 Brittle weld 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0008]    Issues with forming suitable welds between work pieces or material can also arise for laminates. Laminate structures are created by stacking layers of different material in a variety of configurations followed by the application of heat and pressure to react or otherwise bond the layers together. A reliance on laminates for a particular project may be useful as these materials generally have the advantage of being both strong and light weight. Although there is a variety of material combinations used in the formation of laminates, oftentimes the resulting laminate structure cannot be directly welded to traditional steel. As a result, it may be difficult to incorporate laminates into structures of which the majority of the structural components are steel. While current methods of incorporating laminates require adhesive bonding or mechanical fastening (e.g., bolting, riveting, and the like), it may be useful to identify methods by which laminates could be welded to steel and other materials. However, more specialized techniques are required to use a welding technique to bond two or more incompatible materials. 
         [0009]    In one aspect, techniques have been developed to isolate the incompatible materials from one another during the welding process. The two most common methods of facilitating welding and, in particular, arc welding of materials such as laminates, aluminum and, steel include the use of bimetallic transition inserts and the coating of the dissimilar material prior to welding. 
         [0010]    Bimetallic transition materials are generally sections of material that comprise one material that has been bonded to another. Instead of arc welding, methods used for bonding the incompatible materials together can include rolling, explosion welding, friction welding, flash welding and hot pressure welding. The bimetallic transition materials can then be used as inserts to bridge two incompatible materials in normal arc welding procedures. For example, for an aluminum-steel bimetallic transition material insert, one side of the insert is welded steel-to-steel and the other aluminum-to-aluminum. One drawback is that care must be taken to avoid overheating of the insert during welding, which can result in undesirable brittle intermetallic compounds at the interface of the transition insert. Moreover, the selection of a transition insert is further complicated when one of the work pieces to be welded is a heterogeneous laminate. 
         [0011]    In another aspect, a coating can be applied to the first material (e.g., steel) to facilitate arc welding to a second material (e.g., aluminum). One method is to coat the first material with the second material using a techniques such as dip coating (e.g., hot dip aluminizing), or brazing. Thereafter, the coated first material can be welded to the second material. However, this process also has a number of drawbacks as certain precautions must still be taken during the welding process. In particular, the second (uncoated) material should be used to form the weld pool. Alternatively, the first material can be coated with a third material that is compatible with the second material. For example, a steel surface can be coated with silver solder for welding to aluminum using aluminum filler alloy. Nevertheless, coating type joint methods are usually used for sealing purposes only and are generally not applicable when is desirable to achieve a full mechanical strength joint. 
         [0012]    Given the aforementioned disadvantages of currently available methods for joining incompatible materials, there is a need for a system and method for enabling the welding of such incompatible materials and, in particular, the welding of laminates with traditional materials such as steel. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0013]    The present disclosure overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks by providing a laminates structure with a laminate body and a flanged end piece. In one example, a steel edge is incorporated into a laminate structure by layering steel within the structure, but only on the edge. The steel layers will bond to each other and the other material within the laminate will be imbedded within the steel edge. This allows for retention of strength and weight savings provided by the laminate while creating the ability to directly attach the structure to any other steel part using traditional methods such as welding. 
         [0014]    In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a laminate structure includes a laminate body having a second ply positioned between a first ply and a third ply, the second ply having an edge extending outward from a corresponding edge of the first and third plies. The laminate structure further includes a flange positioned on the edge of the second ply and having a first finger and a second finger extending outward to define a receptacle that receives the edge of the second ply therein. 
         [0015]    In another aspect of the present disclosure, a laminate structure includes a flange having a first projection extending outward from the flange and having at least one hole formed therethrough. The laminates structure further includes a laminate body having a second ply positioned between a first ply and a third ply, the second ply having an edge extending inward from a corresponding edge of the first and third plies, the laminate body configured to receive the first projection in the flange. The first ply is connected to the third ply through the hole in the projection. 
         [0016]    In still another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of making a laminate structure includes the steps of providing a laminate body having a second ply positioned between a first ply and a third ply, the second ply having an edge extending outward from a corresponding edge of the first and third plies, providing a flange positioned on the edge of the second ply and having a first finger and a second finger extending outward to define a receptacle that receives the edge of the second ply therein, assembling the steel flange with the laminate body to form a laminate structure, and compressing the laminate structure. 
         [0017]    The foregoing and other aspects and advantages of the disclosure will appear from the following description. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which there is shown by way of illustration a preferred embodiment of the disclosure. Such embodiment does not necessarily represent the full scope of the disclosure, however, and reference is made therefore to the claims and herein for interpreting the scope of the disclosure. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0018]      FIG. 1A  is a partial plan view of an edge of an example laminate material. 
           [0019]      FIG. 1B  is a partial cross-sectional view of the edge of the laminate material of  FIG. 1A  as taken along the line  1 B- 1 B. 
           [0020]      FIG. 2A  is a partial plan view of an edge of a first non-limiting example of a laminate structure having a body with a flange disposed thereon according to the present disclosure. 
           [0021]      FIG. 2B  is a partial cross-sectional view of the edge of the laminate structure of  FIG. 2A  as taken along the line  2 B- 2 B. 
           [0022]      FIG. 3  is a partial cross-sectional view similar to  FIG. 2B  showing a second non-limiting example of an edge of a laminate structure having a body with a flange disposed thereon according to the present disclosure. In one aspect, at least one hole is formed in one of the fingers of the flange. 
           [0023]      FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the flange according to  FIG. 3 . 
           [0024]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an example laminate structure according to the present disclosure. 
           [0025]      FIG. 6  is a plan view of an example laminate structure in which flanges are disposed only at the corners of the laminate body. 
           [0026]      FIG. 7  is a plan view of an example laminate structure in which flanges are disposed on only a portion of the edges of the laminate body. 
           [0027]      FIG. 8  is a plan view of an example laminate structure with a flange positioned interior to the laminate body. 
           [0028]      FIG. 9  is a plan view of an example laminate structure with a flange position around the entirety of the perimeter of the laminate body. 
           [0029]      FIG. 10  is a plan view of an example laminate structure with flanges positioned on opposing edges of the laminate body such that portions of the flanges extend past the edges of the laminate body. 
           [0030]      FIG. 11  is a partial cross-sectional view similar to  FIG. 2B  showing a third non-limiting example of an edge of a laminate structure according to the present disclosure. 
           [0031]      FIG. 12  is a schematic illustration of an elevational view of the edge of the laminate structure of  FIG. 11  showing the behavior of the laminate upon application of a load to a face of the body of the laminate structure. 
           [0032]      FIG. 13  is a partial cross-sectional view similar to  FIG. 3  showing a laminate structure including an example flange according to the present disclosure disposed on a laminate body having a construction similar to the laminate structure of  FIG. 11 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0033]    The present disclosure is presented in several varying embodiments in the following description with reference to the Figures, in which like numbers represent the same or similar elements. Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in an embodiment,” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment. 
         [0034]    The described features, structures, or characteristics of the disclosure may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the following description, numerous specific details are recited to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the system. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the system and method may both be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, and so forth. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the disclosure. 
         [0035]    Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a laminate structure including a laminate body and at least one flange component. With respect to the laminate body, at least two layers, sheets or plies are bonded to one another to form a stacked structure. In one aspect, each of the layers is made of the same material. However, in one embodiment, the composition of the layers may be varied. For example, at least two layers of a first material can be provided with at least one layer of a second material bonded between the layers of the first material. The laminate body materials can be selected from materials which are not readily compatible for joining to another component via welding. 
         [0036]    In another aspect of laminate structure according to the present disclosure, at least one flange component is coupled to the laminate body to form the laminate structure. In one embodiment, the flange includes a plurality of staggered layers which can mate, overlap, or be otherwise interleaved with the layers of the laminate body during the fabrication process. The materials that make up the flange can be the same as one or more of the materials used to form the laminate body. In one aspect, the flange materials are selected from materials that are compatible for joining or welding to another component using a welding method. In one aspect, the flange materials are generally incompatible for welding to the materials that form the laminate body. Thus, in situations were it may be useful to weld a laminate body to a component that is incompatible for welding to the laminate body, a flange can be incorporated into the laminate body to form a laminate structure. The resulting laminate structure, and in particular the flange, can enable the laminate body to be welded, albeit indirectly, to another component. 
         [0037]    In one embodiment, the flange includes one or more layers of steel and the laminate body includes alternating layers of titanium (Ti) and alloys of titanium and aluminum (Al). One suitable alloy is titanium aluminide, which is a lightweight material that is resistant to oxidation and heat, but suffers from low ductility. Several forms of titanium aluminide exist including TiAl, Ti 3 Al, TiAl 3 , Ti-48Al-2Nb-2Cr, and Ti 2 AlNb. However, three of the more common intermetallic compounds are gamma TiAl, alpha 2-Ti 3 Al and TiAl 3 . In one example, the laminate body includes alternating layers titanium and Ti 3 Al. 
         [0038]    Referring to  FIGS. 1A and 1B , an exemplary, non-limiting laminate body  10  includes two Ti 3 Al layers  12  and three Ti layers  14 . Each Ti 3 Al layer  12  is bonded between two of the Ti layers  14 . In this non-limiting example, the laminate body  10  includes five layers with the outer two layers being the Ti layers  14 . However, it will be appreciated that any number of layers may be provided for a particular application. For traditional laminates, the layers  12 ,  14  are generally aligned at an edge  16  of the laminate  10  as shown in  FIG. 1 . Therefore, none of the layers  12 ,  14  extends outwards from the edge  16 , but are instead shown to be flush with one another. 
         [0039]    Turning to  FIGS. 2A and 2B , an embodiment of a laminate structure  18  according to the present disclosure includes a laminate body  20  and a flange  30 . The laminate  20  includes two Ti 3 Al layers  22  and three Ti layers  24 . Each Ti 3 Al layer  12  is bonded between two of the Ti layers  14 , and overall, the laminate  20  includes five layers with the outer two layers being Ti layers  14 . As for the laminate  10  of  FIG. 1 , it will be appreciated that any number of layers may be provided for a particular application of the laminate  20 . Unlike the laminate  10  of  FIG. 1 , the edges of layers  22  are staggered with the edges of layers  24 . In particular, layers  22  extend outwards from the edge  26  as defined by the ends of layers  24 , of laminate body  20 . In one aspect, the amount by which the edge  28  of layers  22  extends past edge  26  of layers  24  may be generally between about 1 millimeter (mm) and about 1000 mm. In other embodiments, the amount is between about 2 mm and about 100 mm, and in still other embodiments, the amount is between about 5 mm and about 20 mm. 
         [0040]      FIGS. 2A and 2B  also illustrates flange  30 , which is configured to receive and couple to the laminate body  20 . In one aspect, the flange  30  has a unitary construction, and in another aspect, the flange  30  is made up of a number of layers similar to the design of the laminate body. In the present example, the flange  30  has five stainless steel layers overall, including three longer layers  32  and two shorter layer  34 . Each layer  34  is positioned between two of the layers  32 . In a manner similar to the layers  22 ,  24  of laminate body  20 , layers  34  are aligned with edge  28 , whereas layers  32  extend past edge  28 , thereby forming a channel to receive an edge of layers  22 . Moreover,  FIG. 2  shows that layers  32  abut layers  24 , and layers  34  abut layers  22 . However, it is not necessary that the each of the flange layers abuts a corresponding layer within the laminate body  20 . 
         [0041]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , another embodiment according to the present disclosure is shown in which a hole or passage  36  is formed within one or more of the internal layers  32  of the flange  30 . The passage  36  enables internal layers  22  to pass through the passage  30  in order to contact each other. In one aspect, it can be useful for internal layers  22  to be in contact in order to form a bond between the layers  22  and to improve the structural integrity of the coupling between the flange  30  and the laminate body  20 . In another aspect, the layers  22  can be made to flow, deform, or otherwise pass through passage  36  by first layering the components of the laminate structure  18  and then heating the layers of the laminate structure  18 , compressing the layers of the laminate structure  18 , or a combination thereof. One result of such a processing step is that the adjacent layers  22  (separated by a single layer  24 ) are made to contact each other through the passage  36 . 
         [0042]    Turning now to  FIG. 4 , the flange  30  consists of a plurality of individual layers having varying dimensions. In particular, layers  32  have a greater length dimension than the layers  34 . Moreover, one of the layers  32  is shown to include a passage  36  that is characterized by a rectangular cross-section. While the present example passage  36  includes a rectangular cross-section, other cross-sectional geometries can be used in the design of a flange according to the present disclosure. Example cross-sectional geometries can include circles, squares, triangles, stars shapes, and other polygonal and curvilinear designs. Further, more than one passage  36  can be included in the layers  32 , and the position of the one or more passages  36  can be spaced in any suitable manner to achieve a particular number of locations for connections between layers  22 . 
         [0043]    The passage  36  is further shown in  FIG. 4  to pass through one of the layers  32  with openings in both an upper face  38  and a lower face  40  of the layer  32 . However, other types of features can be supplemented or exchanged for passages  36 . Examples of such features include any sort of cavity, depression, trench or other like feature formed in one of the layers  32  and the layers  34  of the flange  30 . In one example, each internal face of layers  32  can have at least one depression formed thereon such that when assembled with the laminate body  20  and compressed, portions of layers  22  will flow or deform into the depressions. In this case, the layers  22  are able to comingle with layers  32  but do not come into contact with adjacent layers  22  as the depressions only extend partway into the layers  32  and do not pass entirely through the layers  32  as with passage  36  in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . 
         [0044]    With reference to  FIG. 5 , an example is shown of a laminate structure  18  according to the present disclosure. The laminate structure  18  includes a laminate body  20  and a pair of flanges  30  positioned on opposing ends of the laminate body  20 . In one aspect, the flanges  30  can be steel flanges in order enable the laminate structure  18  to be welded onto a steel component such as a vehicle frame. In the case where the laminate body  20  comprises titanium and aluminum alloy plies, the steel flanges  30  enable the laminate body  20  to be incorporated without the use of fasteners, adhesives or other specialized joining techniques for coupling aluminum or titanium to steel. Alternatively, the laminate body  20  and the flanges  30  can comprise a variety of materials that are generally considered incompatible with each other and/or a third component as in the case of the steel vehicle frame in the previous example. 
         [0045]    It can be seen from  FIG. 5  that the laminate structure  18  is not a flat sheet, but rather has a complex shape with multiple creases and an overall three-dimensional shape. Thus, it can be appreciated that the laminate structure  18  can be formed into a variety of shapes and sizes. For example, during forming, the laminate structure  18  can be formed over a form or guide to permit the laminate to be formed into curved or segmented shapes such as a curved section. Moreover, the final shape of the laminate structure  18  can be formed during the process of assembling the layers of the laminate body and the flange. Alternatively, the shape of the laminate structure  18  can be altered at a later time. In one example, the laminate structure  18  can be bent, cut, deformed or otherwise shaped following assembly of the laminate structure  18  by using various methods known in the art for working with laminates and steel. 
         [0046]    The laminate structure  18  of  FIG. 5  is shown to include two flanges  30 . However, one or more flanges can be positioned at any suitable position with respect to the laminate body. In one aspect, the laminate structure  18  can also be formed with only a single flange  30  or with multiple flanges  30  on multiple edges of the laminate body  20 . In one aspect, the flange  30  can be incorporated into only a portion of an edge of the laminate body  18 . For example, the generally rectangular laminate body can be formed with flange portions positioned only at the corners of the laminate body as in  FIG. 6 . In another aspect, flanges can be positioned at about the midpoints of the laminate body  18  such that the flanges  30  do not extend all of the way to the corners of the laminate body ( FIG. 7 ). In yet another aspect, a flange can be incorporated at an interior location with respect to the laminate body ( FIG. 8 ). The flanges  30  can be made to extend along the entire length of an edge of the laminate body  18  ( FIG. 5 ), around all edges ( FIG. 9 ), or even extend past an edge of the laminate body  18  ( FIG. 10 ). 
         [0047]    In one aspect, each of the layers of the laminate structure  18  can have the same thickness dimension, whereas in another aspect, corresponding layers can have varying thickness dimensions. If the thicknesses of each of the layers are allowed to vary, corresponding layers can have the same thickness in order to ensure uniformity between the flange  30  and laminate body  20 . For example, an outer layer  32  and a corresponding outer layer  24  can each have a first thickness dimension, while an adjacent layer  34  and corresponding layer  22  can each have a second thickness dimension different from the first thickness dimension. In one embodiment, the layers are between about 0.125 mm (about 0.005 inches) and about 2.5 mm (about 0.1 inches) thick. Other thickness foil layers may also be used, such as between about 0.04 mm (about 0.015 inches) to about 2 mm (about 0.08 inches). 
         [0048]    Whereas one example embodiment of a laminate structure includes layers of Ti and Al foils, other embodiments can includes other types of metallic foils such as nickel (Ni), iron (Fe), NiAl, FeAl and the like. According to another embodiment, the laminate includes fiber layers and optionally, a resin matrix that holds polymer fibers. The resin matrix can be a thermo hardening material permitting heat cure of the laminate. 
         [0049]    According to one method of the present disclosure, the layers of the laminate are bonded to each other during assembly of the laminate. The layers of the first material can suitably bond themselves to the layers of the second (third, fourth, and so on) material when the laminate is assembled and exposed to heat, held under pressure, or a combination thereof. However, in some embodiments, it may be useful to enhanced bond strengths between the layers. In one example, the bond is enhanced by pre-treatment of one or more of the layers with an adhesive disposed between the layers. Moreover, the layers of the laminate can be bonded together by methods known in the art, such as explosive welding, hot isostatic pressing (HIP), diffusion bonding, roll-bonding, or a combination thereof. 
         [0050]    In some embodiments, the metallic layers themselves can be pre-treated to improve characteristics such as adhesion, strength, and durability of the laminate. Pre-treatments may include a wide variety of metallic pre-treatments including acid or alkaline etching, conversion coatings, phosphoric acid anodizing, and the like. Such pre-treatments can increase surface roughness, thereby facilitating a stronger physical or chemical bond with an adhesive, for example. In another embodiment, a further alternate pre-treatment of applying a sol-gel coating to the layers can be utilized prior to assembly of the laminate. The sol-gel process commonly uses inorganic or organometallic precursors to form an inorganic polymer sol. The resulting inorganic polymer sol coating serves as an interphase layer between the layers when they are bonded together. Pre-treatments may also include grit blasting. Grit blasting may also be applied to cold work alloys, if present, in the metallic layers. Further example pre-treatments may include heat treatments and wet honing. 
         [0051]    Turning now to  FIGS. 11 and 12 , another embodiment of a laminate structure  50  can include a first set of plies or layers  52  and a second set of plies or layers  54 . In one aspect, each of the layers  52  and the layers  54  can vary in a thickness dimension. For example, the example laminate structure  50  is formed in an asymmetric manner with the layers  52  and the layers  54  having different material properties. When a load (L) is applied to a first face  56  of the laminate structure  50 , the portion of the first face  56  where the load (L) is incident experiences compression forces (Fc), while a second face  58  of the laminate structure  50  opposing the first face  56  experiences tension forces (FT). In one aspect, each of the load (L) the compression forces (Fc) and the tension forces (FT) are indicated by corresponding dashed lines in  FIG. 13 . 
         [0052]    In the case of a homogenous single layer or laminate material, the weakest aspect of the physical and mechanical properties (e.g., response to compressive vs. tensile forces) can lead to failure of the material. However, in the case of the laminate structure  50 , the layers  52  can be selected to have different material properties from the layers  54 . By arranging the layers  52  with relatively stronger compressive properties (as compared with the layers  54 ) toward the impact (load receiving) face (e.g., the first face  56 ) of the laminate structure  50 , and the layers  54  with relatively stronger tensile properties (as compared with the layers  52 ) toward the opposing second face  58 , an improved material can be created as compared with a homogenous single layer or homogenous laminate material having the same overall thickness (i.e., in the direction extending between the first face  56  and the second face  58 ). 
         [0053]    In some embodiments, the layers  52  can have a thickness dimension that is relatively greater towards the first face  56  and the layers  54  can have a thickness dimension that is relatively greater toward the opposing second face  58  of the laminate structure  50  as shown, for example, in  FIG. 11 . In one aspect, an exterior one of the layers  52  at the first face  56  of the laminate structure  50  can be relatively thicker than a juxtaposed or subjacent one of the layers  54 . In another aspect, an exterior one of the layers  54  at the second face  58  of the laminate structure  50  can be relatively thicker than a juxtaposed or subjacent one of the layers  52 . In yet another aspect the thickness of the layers  52 , the layers  54 , or a combination thereof can decrease in a thickness direction of the laminate. For example, the layers  52  may reduce in size sequentially from the one of the layers  52  closest to the first face  56  to the one of the layers  52  closest to the second face  58 . 
         [0054]    With reference to  FIG. 13 , an embodiment of a laminate structure  60  according to the present disclosure can include a laminate body  62  similar to the laminate structure  50  and a flange  64 . The laminate structure  60  includes a plurality of layers  66  and layers  68 . Each of the layer  66  is bonded to adjacent the layers  68 , and overall, the laminate structure  60  includes ten layers with the an outer one of the layers  66  defining a portion of a first face  70  of the laminate structure  60 , and an outer one of the layers  68  defining a portion of a second face  72  of the laminate structure  60 . As for the laminate structure  50  of  FIGS. 11 and 12 , it will be appreciated that any number of layers may be provided for a particular application. Unlike the laminate structure  50  of  FIG. 11 , the edges of the layers  66  are staggered with the edges of layers  68 . In particular, the layers  68  extend outwards from an edge  74  as defined by the ends of the layers  66  of laminate body  62 . In one aspect, the amount by which an edge  76  of the layers  68  extends past the edge  74  of the layers  66  may be generally between about 1 mm and about 1000 mm. In other embodiments, the amount is between about 2 mm and about 100 mm, and in still other embodiments, the amount is between about 5 mm and about 20 mm. 
         [0055]      FIG. 13  also illustrates the flange  64 , which is configured to receive and couple to the laminate body  62 . In some embodiments, the flange  64  can have a unitary construction, while in other embodiments, the flange  64  is made up of a number of layers similar to the design of the laminate body  62 . In the present example, the flange  64  has 10 stainless steel layers overall, including five longer layers  78  and five shorter layer  80 . Each of the layers  78  is alternated with the layers  80 . In a manner similar to the layers  66  and the layers  68  of laminate body  62 , the layers  80  are aligned with the edge  76 , whereas the layers  78  extend past the edge  76  and to the edge  74 , thereby forming a channel to receive an edge of the layers  68 . Moreover,  FIG. 13  shows that the layers  78  abut the layers  66 , and the layers  80  abut the layers  68 . However, it is not necessary that the each of the layers  78  or the layers  80  of the flange  64  abuts a corresponding one of the layers  66  or the layers  68  within the laminate body  62 . 
         [0056]    In some embodiments, a hole or passage  82  is formed within one or more of an internal one of the layers  78  or the layers  80  of the flange  64 . The passage  82  can enable an internal one of the layers  68  (or the layers  66 ) to pass through the passage  82  in order to contact each other. In one aspect, it may be useful for the two or more of the internal layers  68  to be in contact in order to form a bond between the layers  68  and to improve the structural integrity of the coupling between the flange  64  and the laminate body  62 . In another aspect, the layers  68  can be made to flow, deform, or otherwise pass through passage  82  by first layering the components of the laminate structure  62  and then heating the layers of the laminate structure  62 , compressing the layers of the laminate structure  62 , or a combination thereof. One result of such a processing step is that the adjacent layers  68  (separated by one or more of the layers  66 ) are made to contact each other through the passage  82 . 
         [0057]    In some embodiments, the flange  64  may have a construction similar to the flange  30  as shown in  FIGS. 2-4 . Accordingly, the example passage  82  can include a rectangular cross-section. However, other cross-sectional geometries can be used in the design of a flange according to the present disclosure. Example cross-sectional geometries can include circles, squares, triangles, stars shapes, and other polygonal and curvilinear designs. Further, more than one passage  82  can be included in the layers  78  or the layers  80 , and the position of the one or more of the passages  82  can be spaced in any suitable manner to achieve a particular number of locations for connections between the layers  68 . 
         [0058]    The passages  82  are further shown in  FIG. 13  to pass through one of the layers  78  with openings in both an upper face and a lower face of the one of the layers  78 . However, other types of features can be supplemented or exchanged for the passages  82 . Examples of such features can include any sort of cavity, depression, trench or other like feature formed in one of the layers  66 , the layers  68 , the layers  78 , the layers  80 , or a combination thereof. In one example, each internal face of the layers  78  or the layers  80  can have at least one depression formed thereon such that when assembled with the laminate body  62  and compressed, portions of layers  66  or the layers  68  will flow or deform into the depressions. In this case, the layers  66  or the layers  68  are able to comingle with the layers  78  or the layers  80  but do not come into contact with an adjacent one of the layers  66  or the layers  68  as the depressions only extend partway into the layers  78  or the layers  80  and do not pass entirely through the layers  78  or the layers  80  as with passage  82  in  FIG. 13 . 
         [0059]    The present disclosure has been described in terms of one or more preferred embodiments, and it should be appreciated that many equivalents, alternatives, variations, and modifications, aside from those expressly stated, are possible and within the scope of the disclosure. 
         [0060]    Each reference identified in the present application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
         [0061]    While present inventive concepts have been described with reference to particular embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that various substitutions and/or other alterations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the spirit of present inventive concepts. Accordingly, the foregoing description is meant to be exemplary, and does not limit the scope of present inventive concepts. 
         [0062]    A number of examples have been described herein. Nevertheless, it should be understood that various modifications may be made. For example, suitable results may be achieved if the described techniques are performed in a different order and/or if components in a described system are combined in a different manner and/or replaced or supplemented by other components or their equivalents. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the present inventive concepts.