Abstract: Improved energy absorbing seat frame structure for an aircraft seat has leg structures which comprise a pair of generally U-shaped front and rear legs which are joined back to back in a generally X-shaped configuration. A curved die member is held in contact with the forward facing concave portion of the front leg by a strap member which surrounds the rear leg. In a crash situation, the front leg can bend about the die member to lower the center of gravity. In a preferred embodiment, strap type clamps on the upper ends of each leg permit the legs to rotate relative to the tubular stretcher members of the seat. The ability of the front legs to be deformed downwardly permits a portion of the excess loading on one front leg to be transferred through the front stretcher member to the other leg which is less heavily loaded.

Abstract: Method of converting a hopper type of rail car to accept a wider outlet gate permits existing cars which are in over-supply to be made useful. The method requires that the opposed pairs of side slope sheets of the original car, and the opposed pairs of center and end slope sheets which are joined to them to form the bottom portions of the hoppers, be cut apart. One of the pairs of slope sheets then has its width reduced at its lower end portion while the lower end portions of the other pair of slope sheets are cut away and replaced by new slope sheet portions which are of greater width than the original portions. After the mounting flanges for the original outlet gates are removed, new mounting flanges which are wider in one direction and narrower in the other, are located in a predetermined fixed position relative to the frame of the car, preferably by an assembly jig which is temporarily clamped to the car frame.

Abstract: A covered, dual hopper car made by converting a rail car having three or more covered hoppers suitable for carrying a large volume of a relatively low density commodity, to a car having a fewer number of hoppers suitable for carrying a smaller volume of a higher density commodity. This is done by internally bracing an interior portion of one end of one hopper end section; severing an unwanted center hopper section from two end hopper sections; removing the unwanted section; and then reassembling and welding the free end sections to each other. The vertical cutting and welding is horizontally offset at the side plate and the sill to provide tab and notch locking arrangements for reinforcement. Preferably, the roof loading hatches are also modified to include downwardly extending collar portions which limit the maximum loading height within the hoppers.

Abstract: Improved method and apparatus for making finned tubing from difficult to work materials such as titanium and stainless steel uses spaced sets of finning discs on a plurality of arbors to form a tube against a mandrel having different diameters under each set of discs. By forming the tube fin tips to their final O.D. in a first disc set and by depending their roots to bring the fins to their final height in a second disc set, tubes with higher fin counts and/or higher fin heights can be achieved than were formerly possible. The process of separately cold working the tips and roots also permits tubes to be made which are dimensionally identical to prior art tubes but with higher quality and productivity since tube stresses are greatly reduced. An improved titanium tube is also disclosed which has at least 26 fins per inch, a fin height of at least 0.034" and an outside to inside surface area ratio of at least 3.0.

Abstract: Apparatus for effecting multiple treatment steps needed to regenerate spent hydrocarbon conversion catalyst. Catalyst is contacted with a hot oxygen-containing gas stream in order to remove coke which accumulates on the catalyst while it is in a hydrocarbon conversion zone. After the coke is burned off in a combustion zone, catalyst is passed into a halogenation zone wherein a halogen is deposited on the catalyst. Catalyst leaving the halogenation zone is passed into a drying zone for removal of water formed in the combustion zone which has remained on the catalyst instead of being carried off with combustion gases. Water removal is accomplished by passing a hot dry air stream through the catalyst in the drying zone.

Abstract: Improved heat transfer tube and method of making same has mechanical enhancements which can individually improve either the inner or outer surfaces or which can cooperate to increase the overall efficiency of the tube. The internal enhancement, which is useful on either boiling or condensing tubes, comprises a plurality of closely spaced helical ridges which provide increased surface area and are positioned at an angle which gives them a tendency to swirl the liquid. The external enhancement, which is applicable to boiling tubes, is provided by successive cross-grooving and rolling operations performed after finning. The finning operation, in a preferred embodiment for nucleate boiling, produces fins while the cross-grooving and rolling operation deforms the tips of the fins and causes the surface of the tube to have the general appearance of a grid of generally rectangular flattened blocks which are wider than the fins and separated by narrow openings between the fins and narrow grooves normal thereto.

Abstract: Bi-level cartridge for an endless printer ribbon has superposed upper and lower compartments with a ribbon stuffing feed means located in each compartment. The ribbon is guided so that it travels once through each of the compartments for each pass that it makes past a printing station. The feed means for each compartment are coaxial and keyed together so they can be driven by the printer's drive member. To facilitate threading and stuffing of the cartridge, an idler roller portion for one of the feed means is selectively movable into or out of biased engagement with its driven roller portion.

Abstract: Fluid cylinder of the repairable type having a plurality of tie rod members to retain a tubular member between a pair of end cap members is constructed so that the O-rings or gaskets normally used to seal the tubular member to the end caps can be eliminated. The tubular member is formed of a material such as stainless steel which is harder and has a higher yield strength that the material of the end caps, which is preferably an aluminum alloy. The mating surfaces are machined to be very smooth and flat so that the relatively thin wall of the tube will cause deformation of the end caps within their elastic limit, thus providing a metal to metal seal which permits the parts of the cylinder to be assembled and reassembled without danger of leakage. A surface finish on the mating parts of 32 microinches appears to be quite satisfactory.

Abstract: Process for sampling particulate matter in a downwardly movable bed thereof which is successively contacted by two different process gases, the second of which is moving upwardly, in such a manner that the particulate matter sampled will be fully representative of particles which have been fully contacted by the first process gas but which have not been contacted by the upwardly moving second process gas. The particulate matter is passed downwardly in the shape of an annular bed through a first annular treatment zone while the major portion of the first process gas is passed through the annular bed in a radially inward direction. The annular bed is then passed downwardly along with a small amount of the first process gas from the first treatment zone through an elongated transition zone and into the radially outermost upper portion of a generally cylindrical second treatment zone.

Abstract: Improved method and apparatus for making finned tubing from difficult to work materials such as titanium and stainless steel uses spaced sets of finning discs on a plurality of arbors to form a tube against a mandrel having different diameters under each set of discs. By forming the tube fin tips to their final O.D. in a first disc set and by deepening their roots to bring the fins to their final height in a second disc set, tubes with higher fin counts and/or higher fin heights can be achieved than were formerly possible. The process of separately cold working the tips and roots also permits tubes to be made which are dimensionally identical to prior art tubes but with higher quality and productivity since tube stresses are greatly reduced. An improved titanium tube is also disclosed which has at least 26 fins per inch, a fin height of at least 0.034" and an outside to inside surface area ratio of at least 3.0.

Abstract: Emergency oxygen system of the type where masks are in compartments in the backs of aircraft seats uses an underseat compartment located under the plane of the seat cushion to house the large canister of chemicals which generate the oxygen when the canister is activated. A spring loaded cable connects the two compartments so that when any of the tether cords connected to each mask is pulled, a locking pin is pulled free from a release mechanism for the cable. Once released, the cable spring immediately moves the cable axially so its lower end can actuate another release mechanism in the canister compartment to activate the canister and produce oxygen. Since the canister can reach a temperature of over 500.degree. F., its removal from the seat back reduces any possibility of burns to passengers while allowing for a lower back height and less back thickness, thereby providing more passenger living space and less obstruction to viewing of visual entertainment.

Abstract: Compact, low cost connector system for flexible tubing is adapted to removably connect a length of flexible plastic tubing for rotational but not axial movement to a recessed opening in a body member such as a pneumatic valve, a fitting, or an air cylinder. A generally cylindrical, hollow plastic sleeve member surrounds the tubing, and is firmly anchored to it by a U-shaped metal retaining clip which is slidably movable in, and retained by, a pair of facing slots located near the outer end of the sleeve member. The slots are located in each of two legs of the sleeve which are spaced from each other except at the sleeve's inner end where they are joined. The sleeve member is assembled to the recessed opening by squeezing its legs together to allow opposed projecting tabs on each of the legs to enter the opening. The legs are then released so the tabs can snap into, and be retained by, a radially extending recess means in the wall of the opening.

Abstract: Plural vertical tube reactor provides downward flow only, in a serial manner, through a plurality of sets of tubes containing a particulate contact material such as a catalyst which are located in adjacent sectors or reigons of a shell and tube reactor. An empty tube(s) is provided to carry the reactant fluid upwardly from the bottom of one sector of tubes to the top of another. In a two sector configuration, the upper and lower end chambers are each partitioned in half, but the lower partition has a screened port to allow reacted fluid from the first sector to reach, and move upwardly through, an empty tube(s) in the second sector which is isolated from the other tubes in the second sector at its bottom end but not at its top end.

Abstract: Apparatus for transferring particulate contact material by gravity from an upper contact zone wherein it is contacted by a first gas flowing radially, to a lower zone wherein it is contacted by a second gas flowing upwardly. The apparatus includes a generally annular transition zone which connects the upper and lower zones. The transition zone effectively isolates the second gas from contacting the particulate material in the upper zone. In a preferred embodiment in the form of a catalyst regenerator, catalyst particles can be sampled for carbon level in the transition zone to determine if the carbon burn-off therefrom is sufficiently complete in an upper radial flow regenerator bed by contact with a first gas, having a relatively low oxygen level. The sampling can be done on stream, even though a second gas, such as relatively oxygen-rich halogenation gas, is passing up through the catalyst in the lower zone.

Abstract: Dish for use with meal tray feeding system in which dish is lifted for heating by a heater shelf slid between the dish and the tray has improved retention to resist being jostled out of contact with heater. Two parallel runners on the dish bottom have downwardly extending foot portions at their ends which greatly enhance the retention of the dish relative to both a pair of guide rib portions on the tray and the heater shelf. The heater shelf is mounted by a bracket to the side wall of a cart within which the heater shelves are mounted and the foot portions straddle the bracket.

Abstract: Multipassenger aircraft seat has at least one seating position which can be converted from a seat to a cocktail table to increase the comfort of adjacent seat passengers. The headrest pivots about 180.degree. relative to the back cushion frame so that it becomes hidden under the back cushion frame and in compressed contact with the lower seat cushion when a cocktail table on the back cushion frame is deployed in a horizontal plane. Concealed locks inside the headrest permit the headrest and back cushion frame to be firmly locked to the reclinable main seat back frame.

Abstract: Convertible aircraft passenger seat can be quickly changed from a three-seating position configuration to a more spacious two-seating position configuration without the use of tools. Such a seat permits the seating capacity of an aircraft to be altered to match the expected passenger load in different classes, such as tourist and business class. In the three-position configuration, a pair of relatively narrow width armrests, which may contain recline lock control cables or audio cables, project vertically out of the lower seat cushion on either side of the center seating position but are pivotally mounted so that they will overlie the center position in a generally horizontal fashion in the two-position configuration, thus adding several inches of width to the adjacent end seating positions.