Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a structural improvement in braced frame structures. An exemplary solution involves heat-treating a mid-section region of a steel brace, the steel brace comprising hollow structural sections tubing; after heat-treating the mid-section region, cooling the mid-section region of the steel brace; wherein the heat-treated steel brace has changed mechanical properties due to the heat-treatment, the changed mechanical properties including improved material ductility, work hardening ability, and notch toughness; and coupling the heat-treated steel brace to a gusset plate within a braced building frame structure without need of gusset plate reinforcement.

Abstract: The multi-layer multi-material foam mattresses of the present disclosure and related inventions provide novel combinations of multiple layer, multiple material foam layers or stacks which provide unexpected and improved support characteristics and pressure relief and distribution. By combining multiple layers of visco-elastic or latex foam as the top structure of a mattress supported by underlying layers of a laminated urethane foam core, the conformance properties of visco-elastic or latex foam are achieved along with structural support from the underlying core. The multi-layer multi-material foam mattresses of the present disclosure and related inventions include in the various embodiments two or three layers of a first type of foam such as visco-elastic foam or latex foam, in combination with a multi-layer foam support core of a second type of foam such as urethane foam.