A method of thermo-mechanically processing a preform composed of tool steel and a tool to modify a workpiece. The preform has a region containing austenite. The method comprises establishing the region at a process temperature between a martensitic start temperature and a stable austenitic temperature. While at the process temperature, the region is deformed to change an outer dimension and to modify the microstructure to a depth of 1 millimeter or more. The tool comprises a member composed of tool steel. The member includes a first region that extends from the outer surface to a depth of greater than 1 millimeter and a second region. The first region includes a plurality of grains having an average misorientation angle greater than about 34°, an average grain size that is at least 10% smaller than the second region, and has a different grain orientation than the second region.

An apparatus and system whereby a user can move by guidance of a return track on a challenger course. The return track may extend away from the challenge course and overhang its main frame so the user can experience an element outside of the main frame.

A wall-mounted exercise apparatus, including a plurality of elongate anchor members fixed to a first wall and a second wall; a plurality of hooks fixed to each elongate anchor member; a first strap configured to be attached to a first hook of the plurality of hooks, the first hook being located on a first elongate anchor member fixed to the first wall; and a second strap configured to be attached to a second hook of the plurality of hooks, the second hook being located on a second elongate anchor member fixed to the second wall; wherein the first and second hooks are selected based on a desired difficulty of a selected exercise to be performed.

Bimetallic alloys prepared in a ball milling process, such as iron nickel (FeNi), iron palladium (FePd), and magnesium palladium (MgPd) provide in situ catalyst system for remediating and degrading nitro explosive compounds. Specifically, munitions, such as, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), cyclo-1,3,5-trimethylene-2,4,6-trinitramine (RDX), nitrocellulose and nitroglycerine that have become contaminants in groundwater, soil, and other structures are treated on site to remediate explosive contamination.

The present invention relates to a method for recrystallizing fine spherical cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (Research Department Explosive, hereinafter, referred to as “RDX”) particles, and the method for recrystallizing fine spherical RDX particles according to the present invention may include (a) introducing a powder material containing RDX into a container, (b) introducing a dimethylether compressed gas into the container and dissolving the RDX to form a RDX solution, (c) releasing and decompressing the RDX solution into atmospheric pressure to form crystallized RDX particles, and (d) separating and collecting the RDX particles.

A munition is described including a reactive fragment having an energetic material dispersed in a metallic binder material. A method is also described including forming a energetic material; combining the energetic material with a metallic binder material to form a mixture; and shaping the mixture to form a reactive fragment. The munition may be in the form of a warhead, and the reactive fragment may be contained within a casing of the warhead.

A primer for small arms ammunition including a primary explosive and an oxidizer system containing bismuth oxide is provided. A method of forming the primer and a small arms ammunition cartridge also is provided. The oxidizer system can be non-hygroscopic and non-toxic. The primer can include reducing agents or fuels, sensitizers, binders and gas producing agents.

A double base propellant modifier uses a lead-tin component with a defined amount of lead and a copper component with a defined surface area to effect super-rate burning of double base propellants with defined plateau and mesa burning rate characteristics.

A double base propellant modifier uses a combination of a lead component, a tin component and a copper component in physical contact to effect super-rate burning of double base propellants with defined plateau and mesa burning rate characteristics.

A composition capable of producing either solid propellant grains, liquid or gel monopropellants, all of which are electrically ignitable and capable of sustained controllable combustion at ambient pressure. Additional compositions capable of sustained controllable combustion at elevated pressures are described. Applications for the compositions disclosed herein are provided, and include among other applications use in small micro thrusters, large core-burning solid propellant gains, shaped explosives charges for military application, and pumpable liquids and gel monopropellants or explosives for military, commercial mining or gas and oil recovery. In alternative embodiments the above compositions may also incorporate an energetic nitrate polymer, bum rate modifiers, and/or metal fuel(s). The HIPEP formulation makes it possible to ignite and sustain combustion at ambient and vacuum conditions (a) without continuous electrical power and (b) while providing faster bum rates.

A wall mounted ironing board cabinet has a door on two-way sliders enabling cabinet “opened-to-the-right,” “closed” and “opened-to-the-left” conditions. The sliding door and ironing board hardware afford a cabinet which maximizes the number of possible locations of the cabinet in a room, minimizes the depth of the protrusion of the closed cabinet into the room and renders the door outer surface adaptable to uses unrelated to the storage and support of an ironing board. The ironing board hardware also allows user selection of the ironing board surface level from multiple available intervals.

The small clothes iron for use with children's clothes is a small iron when compared to a traditional clothes iron. The small clothes iron resembles a toy train wherein a front surface resembles a face of a toy character while a top surface includes a handle, control buttons, and a chimney/smokestack for refilling a water reservoir. The small clothes iron has a smaller iron surface on a bottom surface, which is useful in ironing small clothes for children and infants.

A ball guide having a body for receiving and guiding balls of a specified size along a specified path that is defined by the body. At least one vibration generator is provided which is connected to the body in a vibration-transmitting manner.

A process of forming the wall of the mouth of a cylindrical, metal container or packaging from a tubular ring that may or may not be molded that has to accommodate a sealing lid equipped with an elastic seal secured by a vacuum created in the container is characterized essentially by the use of a single element, the head carrying out the deformation of the internal diameter of the container by expansion to produce a bead together and simultaneously with a contraction that produces shrinkage above the bead of the mouth, the head comprising an expansible stationary part and a moving part that turns around the stationary part, the parts of the head being coaxial, which has the effect of compressing the metal and hardening it by organizing the metal molecules under two simultaneous stresses, which hardens the packaging and allows it to withstand the vacuum applied thereto.

A method of using a hydraulically driven pressing device for pressing a fitting on a tube is provided. The pressing device includes a piston and a cylinder for acting on pressing jaws. A piston shaft is connected to rollers. The pressing device can be used to carry out pressing operations requiring different levels of pressing power, by using an adjustable stop which is provided in the direction of displacement of the piston in order to achieve different end positions for the piston during the piston return stroke.

A device is provided for collapsing a stented bioprosthetic valve, including first section and second sections, each spanning between first and second ends of the device. The second section of the device is associated with the first section to at least partially enclose an internal cavity formed by the first and second sections, the internal cavity tapering from an open insertion portion at a first end of the device to an open exit portion at a second end of the device. The insertion portion has a larger dimension than the exit portion. When the first section and second section are substantially enclosing the internal cavity, a stented bioprosthetic valve may be inserted into the insertion portion and collapsed as it is moved toward and through the exit portion. The valve may then be loaded on an apparatus for insertion into the body.

A method for forming a piece of a sheet metal is performed by positioning a consumable body, made of metal, proximate to the piece of the sheet metal. The consumable body is rapidly vaporized, and the gas pressure generated thereby is directed into the piece of the sheet metal. This results in acceleration of the piece of sheet metal, and it is collided into a stationary body at a velocity, generally in excess of 200 m/s. Depending upon the type of stationary body, the piece of sheet metal is deformed into a predetermined shape or is welded onto the stationary body. The vaporization is accomplished by passing a high current of electricity into the consumable body. The effect of the vaporized metal may be augmented by additional components in the consumable body.

A method of processing an alloy workpiece to reduce thermal cracking may comprise spraying a metallic coating material onto at least a portion of a surface of the alloy workpiece to form a surface coating metallurgically bonded to the alloy workpiece. The surface coating may be more ductile than the alloy workpiece and reduces heat loss from the alloy workpiece.

A digital manufacturing system comprises a build chamber, a build platform disposed within the build chamber, at least one extrusion line configured to heat a metal-based alloy up to a temperature between solidus and liquidus temperatures of the metal-based alloy, a deposition head disposed within the build chamber and configured to deposit the heated metal-based alloy onto the build platform in a predetermined pattern, an umbilical having a first end located outside of the build chamber and a second end connected to the deposition head, and at least one gantry assembly configured to cause relative motion between the build platform and the deposition head within the build chamber, where the at least one gantry assembly comprises a motor disposed outside of the build chamber.

A hydraulically installed tube plug with or without O.D surface enhancements and plug installation tooling, high pressure fluid system and method. The invention stops leaks in tubes with a plug that utilizes controlled high pressure fluid within the plug itself to radially expand the plug in place. Other plugs and plugging systems rely on mechanical methods for setting the plugs in the tubes with little or no control on the radial pressure applied to the tube. This lack of radial pressure control can result in a tubesheet ligament being over stressed (plastically deformed) or not enough pressure applied to stop the leak. The plug high pressure expansion tooling is designed with built in safety components that allow high pressure hydraulic expansion methods to be used safely in blind holes. The high pressure fluid system's design allows it to be used in hazardous environments.

A green ball grinding method includes the step of supplying a green ball between a first surface of a first member and a second surface of a second member constituting a grinding apparatus, and the step of grinding the green ball between the first surface and the second surface while the green ball rotates around its own axis and in orbital motion. In the step of grinding the green ball, the step of causing the green ball grinding to proceed while applying load between the green ball and each of the first surface and the second surface, and the step of modifying the rotation axis of the green ball by reducing the load lower than in the step of causing the green ball grinding to proceed are executed alternately.

A method for manufacturing an Ni base alloy pipe stock comprises piercing and rolling a billet by use of Mannesmann piercing and rolling mill. The pipe stock has controlled amounts of C, Si, Mn, P, S, Cr, Ni, Mo, W, Cu, Al, N, with the balance being Fe. With the method, the following equations are satisfied, wherein values of TGBm, Psr and Pσ represented by the following equations (1) to (3) being not more than 1300, not more than 200 and not less than 0, respectively TGBm=1380−5000P−100S−4400C (1), PsrNi+10(Mo+0.5W)+100N (2), Pσ=(Ni−50)+10(N−0.1)−2(Cr−25)−5(Mo+0.5W−6)+12 (3), wherein each element symbol in the equations represents mass % of the element concerned.

Improved self cleaning and lubricating all-weather fishing lines and methods of manufacture are disclosed. The line includes a core line portion of polyester multifilament fiber and a coating portion, the coating formed by a thermoplastic polyester elastomer mixed with a blowing agent . The methods of this invention are characterized by the use of a finely ground powder of copolymer and blowing agent processed through a medical-quality elongated mixing screw at the line coating unit and very low processing temperatures.

Bucket teeth having a metallurgically bonded wear-resistant coating and methods for forming the coated bucket teeth are disclosed. The bodies of the bucket teeth have a hard metal alloy slurry disposed on a surface and then are fused to form a metallurgical bond with the iron-based alloy. The wear-resistant coating can be formed of a fused, metal alloy comprising at least 60% iron, cobalt, nickel, or alloys thereof. The portion of the outer surface of the bucket teeth having the wear-resistant coating corresponds to a wear surface of the bucket teeth during operation.

A method puts into operation a clearing apparatus suitable for picking up ballast and is disposed in an endless configuration during employment so as to encircle a railroad track. The clearing apparatus has a horizontal cross-duct which, prior to a start of the employment, is intended to be positioned below the railroad track and connected, on the one hand, to a rising duct and, on the other hand, to a return duct of the clearing apparatus. The method includes displacing ties of the railroad track in a longitudinal direction of the railroad track to create a tie gap; lowering the cross-duct through the tie gap between two rails of the railroad track and transferred, below the ties, into a working position extending crosswise to the longitudinal direction of the railroad track; and connecting the cross-duct to the rising duct and to the return duct.

The present invention provides an electronic device (100) having smaller number of drive chips and including a timing controller (10), a gate and a source drive chips (20, 30), a pixel cells matrix (60) and a multiplexer (40). The multiplexer (40) includes a plurality of first signal outputs connected to the pixel cells matrix (60). The timing controller (10) might generate enable signals for the multiplexer (40). In this way, the multiplexer (40) could output scan signals to the pixel cells matrix by a corresponding signal end. The number of the drive chips could be reduced by the present invention.

The general field of the invention is that of the graphical representation of a synthetic three dimensional view of the exterior landscape in an onboard visualisation system for aircraft, said graphical representation being displayed on a visualisation screen comprising the piloting and navigation information of said aircraft superposed onto said three-dimensional synthetic representation of the exterior landscape, said synthetic representation being computed up to a first determined distance, characterised in that said three-dimensional synthetic representation is tilted at a tilt angle about an axiom positioned at the level of the terrain in a substantially horizontal plane, and substantially perpendicularly to an axis between the flight direction and the heading of the aircraft, said axis moving with the aircraft.

A device for changing a pallet car in a plant for the treatment of bulk materials where pallet cars that are continuously conveyed using a lifting wheel and a lowering wheel on an outer rail and an inner rail in an endless chain includes, in regions of a bottom and top strand of the lifting wheel, first and second outer curve links of the outer rail that are openable such that the pallet car is removable from the chain and another pallet car is insertable into the chain. A removal switch is disposed in the region of the bottom strand of the lifting wheel, via which the pallet car is movable out from the chain, and a supply switch is disposed in the region of the top strand of the lifting wheel, via which the pallet car is insertable into the chain.

Fall protection systems, methods of installing such systems, and buildings embodying such systems. Such fall protection system extends from structure elements of the building about an encompassed space into which there is risk of a person falling. An open-mesh web is supported from the structure elements and overlies, and extends across, the space. A perimeter band extends about the encompassed space. The perimeter band is secured to the building structure elements about the space and thus entraps the web between the band and the building structure elements. The web may also be supported in the space by supplemental supports, which can be crossing support bands, attached to the structure elements, or intervening e.g. walls within the space. The web is left in place and is covered by internal finish materials whereby the web is captured between internal finish materials and ceiling and/or floor members in the finished building.

A fall arrest block has a drum (40) on which a lifeline is wound and from which the line can be drawn off or drawn back on, as the work man moves towards and away from the block. One end of the lifeline is permanently secured to the drum, and the drum has sockets (50) for securing ends of more than one different type of lifeline. The block also has a brake (24) in the form of a sealed unit which can be removed and replaced with a fresh unit, when servicing of the brake is required.

The present invention relates to fall protection systems to which a scaffolder can tie off during scaffold construction by adjusting the height of the lifeline and to move along the entire length of a scaffold level without having to disengage the lifeline. In one embodiment the fall protection system includes two vertical support members adapted to be affixed to a scaffold frame wherein the two vertical members have attachment means for attachment of a lifeline, and wherein the attachment means are located at each respective vertical member and configured for movable attachment at a plurality of positions along the vertical axis of each support members. In addition the present invention relates to methods to use the fall protection system during scaffold construction.

The fall restraint traveler device has a hollow body structure, two or more spacers, one or more lanyards and a leash. The hollow body structure has a first end and a second end. A safety rope extends passing through both first and second ends. The body structure has an elongated slot extending between the ends. The two or more tubular spacers are placed internal of the body structure with the safety rope passing through each spacer. The one or more lanyards are for attachment to a climber. Each lanyard has at least one locking element. The device is aligned with and free to slide along the safety rope during ascent or descent of the climber and in the event of a fall, the at least one locking element tightens as it pulls on the safety rope pulling the rope out of alignment and thereby cinching to the rope.

A fall protection system is provided providing all protection for all workers in building erection. The system involves an interior net, and a perimeter net if needed. The net system may be both horizontally and vertically mobile, allowing it to be easily moved as building erection continues.

An electromagnetically actuable valve, e.g., a fuel injector for fuel-injection systems of internal combustion engines, includes an electromagnetically actuable actuating element having a solenoid coil, a fixed core, a valve jacket, and a movable armature for actuating a valve-closure element, which cooperates with a valve-seat surface provided on a valve-seat body. A sleeve-shaped guide element is introduced into an inner longitudinal bore of the armature and into an inner flow bore of the internal pole, the guide element being firmly fixed in place in the armature or the inner pole, and loosely guided in the respective other component.

Methods and apparatus for multiple user uplink are provided. In one aspect, method for wireless communication includes receiving an assignment of a frequency bandwidth for an uplink transmission of a station. The method further includes determining whether a portion of the assigned frequency bandwidth is unavailable for the uplink transmission. The method further includes selectively transmitting the uplink transmission based on whether the portion of the assigned frequency bandwidth is unavailable.

Various communication systems may benefit from managing signal interference. For example, certain wireless communication systems may benefit from a dynamic time division duplex system involving slot allocation. A method includes allocating, by an access point, in a time division duplex frame a plurality of radio resource slots, each one of the plurality of radio resource slots being allocated for a downlink or an uplink transmission, and determining that the allocation of the downlink or uplink transmission should be changed. The method also includes applying a permutation pattern to re-allocate at least one of the plurality of radio resource slots for the downlink or uplink transmission.

A first wireless device may determine a bandwidth for transmitting a frame, calculate two or more Spatial Reuse (SR) parameter values for the bandwidth, set, using the SR parameter values, first and second SR fields of the frame based on the bandwidth and a channel center frequency in which the bandwidth is carried, and transmit the frame to a second wireless device on the bandwidth. The first and second SR fields may be set to a first value when the bandwidth is a 40 MHz bandwidth and the channel center frequency is in a 2.4 GHz band. The first and second SR fields may be set to the first value when the bandwidth is an 80+80 MHz bandwidth and the channel center frequency is in a 5 GHz band. The first value may be a minimum of SR parameter values for first and second bandwidths in the bandwidth.

XQuery queries that include functions that operate on dynamically typed XML data are rewritten into compilable SQL constructs. XML data that is dynamically typed is XML data for which a specific XML data type cannot be determined at compile time and in fact may vary. In general, XQuery queries are rewritten into SQL queries that use SQL constructs in lieu of XQuery constructs. The SQL constructs include an “SQL polymorphic function” that is defined or recognized by a database system as valid syntax for an SQL query. The rewritten query applies the XML data to the SQL polymorphic function, but the XML data has been typed as XMLType, a data type recognized by SQL standards.

An improved apparatus for correcting deflection in small diameter feed and retard rolls of an open width stabilizer so as to create a straight line nip with uniform pressure across the nip. The improved apparatus provides apparatus for adjusting deflection of the rolls to thereby maintain a desired size to a passageway between them so as to optimize compaction of a fabric web material. A wedge-like member is disposed between, and in moving relationship to, feed and retard roller bearings. The wedge-like member is asymmetrical, has feed and retard sides that engage the feed and retard roller bearings, respectively, and exerts reaction forces against each of the respective bearings. Improvement resides in the reaction forces causing the rolls the rolls to not deflect downwardly.

A machine and a method for treating fabrics, comprise in combination a step of inducing substantially vertical vibrations in a quantity of fabric in the form of a substantially compact mass and a simultaneous step of drying the rest of the fabric in opened-out form.

There are described powders comprising agglomerated nanocrystals of an electroactive alloy and oxygen. The main component of the alloy can be of nickel, cobalt, iron or mixtures thereof while the alloying element is one or more transition metals such as Mo, W, V, the alloy also including oxygen. Preferably the nanocrystals will be made of an alloy of nickel, molybdenum and oxygen. An electrode which is used by compacting the powders is also disclosed. Also disclosed, is a process for producing the powders by providing particles of nickel, cobalt and iron or oxides thereof with particles of at least one transition metal, (Mo, W, V) or oxides thereof and subjecting the particles to high energy mechanical alloying such as ball milling under conditions which include oxygen and for a sufficient period of time to produce a nanocrystalline alloy. Electrodes produced from these powders have an electrocatalytic activity for the hydrogen evolution which is comparable or higher than the electrodes which are presently used in the electrochemical industry. Moreover, these materials present an excellent chemical, electrochemical and mechanical stability. When use as a cathode the powders are useful in water electrolyzers, in chlor-alkali or the like cells.

A robotic arm especially suited for laparoscopic surgery, having a torsional joint and a flexural joint forming serially arranged joints is described. The joints provide respective degrees of freedom for the arm, which further receives drive means for such joints. The robotic arm also has transmission means placed between the drive means have and the joints. The transmission means a first and a second assembly of three gear wheels, preferably conical gear wheels, and a train of three additional gear wheels, preferably straight-cut gear wheels, which couple the first and second assembly to form a differential mechanism.

An XY all-directional precision alignment platform is provided and includes an XY-axes moving platform including X-axis moving platform and Y-axis moving platform, the X-axis and Y-axis moving platforms being stacked together, and a θ-angle rotating platform, the θ-angle rotating platform stacked onto the carrier surface thereof; wherein the θ-angle rotating platform is driven to perform precise θ-angle rotation achieving 360° and is of a four-layered thickness only, achieving the goal of having a light and thin product.

A housing for a transmission is disclosed. The housing may have a plurality of integrally-formed walls that together create an enclosure with an open first end and an open second end disposed axially opposite the first end. The housing may also have a first flange located at the first end of the enclosure and configured to engage an input housing of an engine, and a second flange located at the second end of the enclosure and configured to engage a differential housing. The plurality of integrally formed walls includes a lower wall having at least one impingement protection feature.

A centerline marker holder used for engaging and sliding along a portion of two intersecting walls and sliding along an exterior or interior rounded or bull nose corner between the walls. The marker holder uses a pencil for drawing a centerline along a length of the corner. The marker holder includes a flat, first wall engaging member attached at an angle to a flat, second wall engaging member. Along a length of an intersection of the first and second wall engaging members is a centerline hole. The centerline hole is dimensioned to receive the pencil therethrough for marking the centerline. The marker holder also includes a plurality of offset holes from the centerline hole for drawing parallel offset lines at a selected distance from the centerline.

A frame assembly for simulating topography of an existing wall portion provides points of adjustment behind a wallboard panel mounted to the frame assembly. In this manner imperfections in an existing wall can be replicated to facilitate cabinet or countertop installation.

A method for forming a friction facing comprises placing a bonding powder mix in to a die, and placing a performance powder mix in to the die. Pressing the performance powder mix and the bonding powder mix creates a compact. Sintering the compact forms a friction facing. A clutch disc assembly can be formed. A clutch disc can comprise a mounting hole for securing a friction facing and a backer plate can comprise a pass-through hole. A mounting mechanism joins the mounting hole to the pass-through hole. The mounting mechanism comprises a head-height for a portion of the mounting mechanism that is mounted near the sintered compact. The bonding layer comprises a thickness corresponding to the head-height of the mounting mechanism.

Capacitors connected between gate terminals of a plurality of parallel-connected power transistors are charged and discharged in each switching cycle to provide a plurality of power transistor control waveforms from a single gate driver waveform that equalize power losses/temperatures or steady-state currents among the plurality of power transistors. The capacitors are charged to different voltages by diverting current from one transistor driver by disabling another power transistor driver at different respective times in response to measured transient or steady state current or temperature or other operational parameter.

A protective layer system for a metallic lithium-containing anode of a lithium cell, for example a lithium-sulfur cell and/or lithium-oxygen cell. To increase the service life and reliability of the cell, the protective layer system includes a lithium ion-conducting layer, in particular an inorganic layer, on the anode side. The anode-side layer has an anode contact side which rests against or which may be placed against the anode. At least one lithium ion-conducting layer, in particular a polymer layer, which contains at least one agent which is reactable with metallic lithium to form an electrically insulating solid is situated on a side of the anode-side layer opposite from the anode contact side. Moreover, the invention relates to an anode which is equipped with such a protective layer system, a lithium cell, and a lithium battery.

Systems and methods for treating small elongated fibrous and particles of certain materials, e.g., PTFE materials in a suspension are presented. In some instances, high-intensity ultrasound (or acoustical energy) is applied to a sample of the material, through a fluid coupling medium or suspension, to achieve a material transformation in the sample. In various embodiments, fibrillation of particles of PTFE or similar materials is accomplished, or the formation of extended structures of these materials is caused or enhanced. Also, the ability to separate long fiber samples by ultrasonic or acoustic cavitation action is provided.