Heat-recoverable coupling assembly

A coupling assembly, comprising:

• a connector body positioned inside a substrate outer wall such that mating areas of the substrate outer wall and the connector body are at least in part adjacent the substrate outer wall having an undeformed outside diameter;
• and
• dimensionally-recoverable driver member made from a heat recoverable material having the property of plasticity, the driver member being capable of dimensional recovery from an unrecovered configuration in which an inside diameter thereof is greater than the undeformed outside diameter of the substrate outer wall to a recovered configuration in which the inside diameter is smaller than the undeformed outside diameter;
• the driver member surrounding the substrate outer wall over at least a portion of the mating areas;
• a hood for protecting the driver member from direct flame and for uniformly warming the driver member;
• such that upon heating the driver member to its recovery temperature, the driver member (a) recovers toward its recovered configuration with sufficient force to deform the substrate outer wall and retains the substrate and the connector body together.