Flowable pressure compensating fitting materials

Claim 1

A deformable, pressure-compensating pad comprising: a flexible protective envelope having confined therein a predetermined amount of viscous flowable, pressure-compensating material; said envelope being shaped to allow flow therein of confined material in response to continuously applied, deforming pressure loads exerted on the pad; said confined pressure-compensating material having a substantially homogeneous, flowable, continuous phase comprising an oil; a colloidal silica product, said silica product being uniformly distributed throughout said flowable, continuous phase; and hollow discreet glass microbeads, said oil being substantially non-hardening, said glass microbeads having a density lower than the combined density of said oil and said silica product, said glass microbeads being uniformly distributed throughout said flowable, continuous phase; said confined pressure-compensating material being characterized: by being flowable in response to continuously applied pressure, but being essentially non-flowable in the absence of such pressure; by a substantially homogeneous consistency which does not vary substantially in viscosity in response to ambient temperatures and ambient temperature changes; and by being resistant to phase separation.