Viscous, flowable, pressure-compensating fitting compositions having therein both glass and resinous microbeads

A viscous, flowable, pressure-compensating fitting composition, which essentially consists of:

• a major proportion by weight of a substantially homogeneous, substantially stable, viscous, flowable, continuous phase formed of the combination of wax and oil in a weight ratio of about 9.5 to 56.2 parts by weight of wax and about 90.5 to 43.8 parts by weight of oil, and in combination therewith, a minor proportion by weight of a discontinuous microbead phase of particles having about 1 part by weight of discrete, lightweight, sturdy, hollow, unicellular, glass microbeads per about 0.7 to 9 parts by weight of both wax and oil, said microbead phase being substantially uniformly distributed in and having a lower density than said continuous phase with the combination of wax and oil;
• said glass microbeads being substantially uniformly distributed in said phase with wax and oil in combination with distributed, discrete, lightweight, sturdy, hollow, unicellular, resilient, resin microbeads which impart selected characteristics which are different than those associated with said glass microbeads;
• said wax and oil phase being present in an amount sufficient (a) to more than merely thinly coat substantially the entire outer surface of essentially each of said microbeads or to more than merely form a film over the surface of essentially each of said microbeads, and (b) to provide a volume that is substantially more than the volume of the interstitial spaces of the quantity of microbeads alone;
• said composition being characterized by being a viscous, flowable and thus deformable, and pressure-compensating composition, having a specific gravity in the vicinity of about 0.8, or less, having a substantially homogeneous consistency and not substantially changing in volume responsive to ambient temperatures or ambient temperature changes, being resistant to sag, flowing under shear stress after its yield point is reached, having a minimum yield point of at least about 4 gm./cm..sup.2, flowing in response and conformance to continuously applied pressure, and, when confined during conditions of use, being resistant to flow in response to instantaneously applied pressure, having resilient characteristics in that it is momentarily or slowly, at least in part, recoverable from deformation upon or following the relief of deforming pressure loads, and undergoing flow and deformation away from areas of highest pressure loads.