Abstract: An elongated excavating tooth assembly includes a replaceable tooth point and an adapter structure comprising (1) an intermediate adapter having a front end nose complementarily received in a rear end pocket of the point and captively retained therein by a first connector pin structure, and (2) a main adapter having a front end nose complementarily received in a rear end pocket of the intermediate adapter and captively retained therein by a second connector pin structure, and a rear end operatively securable to an excavating bucket lip. Special configurations of the point and adapter portions of the assembly, including horizontally elongated oval configurations of the noses, horizontal orientation of the connector pins, nose stabilization bosses at the nose connector openings, and complementarily scalloped adapter and point interface areas, provide the assembly with reduced size and improved strength, wear and operational characteristics.

Abstract: A fuel-fired heating appliance, representatively a gas-fired water heater, has a combustion chamber in a lower end portion thereof, and fuel burner apparatus having main and pilot burner portions is operatively disposed in the combustion chamber. During operation of the water heater combustion air is supplied to the burner apparatus only via a duct structure having an inlet elevated relative to the floor or other horizontal support surface upon which the water heater rests. A flammable vapor sensor is mounted on the lower end portion of the water heater, externally of the combustion air supply duct structure and at an elevation lower than that of its elevated inlet, and is operatively connected to burner control circuitry which, in turn, is coupled to the burner apparatus. In the event flammable vapors are generated near the floor adjacent the water heater, the vapor sensor operates to detect such vapors and responsively disables the burner apparatus via the control circuitry.

Abstract: A refrigerant charging hose assembly has an aerosol shut-off valve connectable to a refrigerant canister and interconnected to a disconnect coupler fitting by a length of refrigerant charging hose, the body portion of the coupler fitting being economically formed from high tensile strength elastomeric plastic material. A spring-loaded, floatingly supported control pin member is shifted to open the disconnect coupler fitting when the pin member engages and depresses a corresponding pin member within an air conditioning system service fitting to which the coupler fitting is connected. when the coupler fitting is removed from the service fitting the coupler fitting pin member is spring-driven back to its original position in which a flange portion thereof closes the coupler fitting to prevent discharge of pressurized refrigerant therethrough from the canister.

Abstract: A fuel-fired, forced draft air heating furnace is provided with a draft inducer fan structure which substantially reduces the operational noise of the furnace. The draft inducer fan is disposed within a sealed burner vestibule area of the furnace and is provided with an auxiliary fan blade structure mounted on its drive shaft in a spaced relationship with its main fan impeller. The auxiliary fan blade structure and the fan motor are disposed within an open-ended air transfer duct structure coupled to an air inlet opening in an exterior wall portion of the vestibule. During operation of the draft inducer fan, combustion air is drawn inwardly through the transfer duct structure, across the inducer fan motor, and into the vestibule for supply to the furnace burner section. The use of the transfer duct structure and auxiliary fan blade structure serves to cool the fan motor, preheat the combustion air, and reduce the overall operational noise of the furnace.

Abstract: A specially designed quick coupler is representatively used to removably attach an excavation bucket to the outer boom end of an excavator. A top portion of the quick coupler is pinned to the outer boom end and has a bottom portion with spaced apart recesses configured to releasably receive portions of stick and curl pins on the bucket. An arcuate latch hook is translationally drivable by a hydraulic cylinder assembly toward one of the implement pins to releasably lock it in its associated coupler recess in a manner also captively retaining the other implement pin in its associated coupler recess. Stop structures oppose the latch hook and, using a simple shim arrangement, may be translationally shifted toward and away therefrom to easily adjust the coupler for wear and/or changes in the implement pin spacing. A redundant safety system is incorporated in the coupler and serves to hold the latch hook in its locking position.

Abstract: A method of producing reformed crosslinked polymer articles provides reformed crosslinked articles free of visible and objectionable folds, seams and interfaces on reformed surfaces thereof. In a preferred embodiment, a product is produced by a method including the steps of extruding a silane-grafted polyethylene tube, heating an end of the tube, reforming the end of the tube to produce a radially enlarged sealing surface thereon, cooling the reformed tube, and curing the reformed tube to produce an increase in the degree of crosslinking of the polyethylene material.

Abstract: An air conditioning unit, representatively an outdoor condensing unit, is provided with a vertically oriented fin/tube coil portion through which a fan inwardly draws ambient air in a generally horizontal direction. The coil has a non-uniform fin arrangement that provides a bottom portion of the coil with an effective fin density lower than that of an upper portion of the coil.

Abstract: A rotary valve is provided with an elliptical valve disc that seats against a seal element operatively mounted in an elliptically shaped depression formed in the rigid annular portion of a seal cartridge structure carried by the valve body. Due to the elliptical shapes of the disc and corresponding seating structure, and a conical configuration of the disc periphery, sealing of the valve disc, the integrity of the seal, and the ability of the seal to completely stop the flow of fluid through the valve body are desirably improved. The centering of valve disc relative to the seal cartridge is facilitated by a specially designed disc mounting structure that eliminates any necessity of adjusting the disc along its rotational axis, and a one-piece actuator bracket is removably mounted to the valve body to substantially simplify and reduce the expense of operatively associating an actuator with the valve.

Abstract: Opposite ends of the central section of an armament support plank structure are secured to the floor area of an aircraft cabin area, in a load transfer relationship with an underfloor support beam, by securing a skin doubler member to the support beam and replacing a portion of an existing floor panel which overlies the support beam with a specially designed apertured plank mounting plate which pivotally receives mounting struts. When it is desired to operatively mount the support plank structure on the cabin floor area, the struts are pivoted upwardly relative to their associated mounting plate and secured to the opposite ends of the central support plank section. Armament loads on the opposite ends of the central support plank section are efficiently transferred to the underlying, skin doubler-reinforced support beam.

Abstract: A central support plank section is transversely secured to the floor of a helicopter cabin area at exterior side wall door openings on opposite sides of the cabin area. Specially designed pintle arm assemblies are rotationally secured to opposite ends of the central support plank sections, with each of the pintle arm assemblies underlying and operatively supporting a cabin door area machine gun. Each pintle arm assembly is pivotable about a vertical axis in a manner permitting its machine gun to be horizontally swung into the cabin area to a stowed orientation therein, and is provided with a lock ring/detent structure that permits the pintie assembly to be quickly and easily locked in a selectively variable horizontal rotational orientation.

Abstract: A machine gun and associated armament apparatus, including an ammunition box for supplying belted ammunition to the gun, are exteriorly supported on a landing gear sponsor tow plate of a helicopter, adjacent a cabin area gunner's window, using a specially designed pintle support structure. The machine gun is horizontally rotatable about a vertical azimuth rotation axis which is forwardly tilted and substantially parallel to the similarly tilted rotor mast axis. The gun's upward firing elevation angle is limited to 1.5 degrees when the gun is pointed forwardly. However, due to the forward tilting of the gun's azimuth rotation axis, its maximum upward firing elevation angle automatically increases as the gun is swung rearwardly, thereby desirably increasing the gun's firing range to the side and rear of the helicopter while at the same time automatically maintaining the bullet path of the forwardly pointed gun safely below the forwardly drooped operational rotor tip path.

Abstract: A method of producing crosslinked reformed products provides such products which are, in one embodiment, produced by the monosil process and suitable for use in potable water applications. In a described embodiment, a method includes the steps of introducing a reduced level of silane in a feed throat of an extruder, extruding a product, reforming the extruded product, and then curing the reformed product for an extended period of time.

Abstract: A point-of-use electric water heater is provided with a unique configuration permitting it to be selectively used in (1) a wall or ceiling-mounted horizontal orientation, (2) a floor or wall-supported vertical orientation, or (3) a wall-supported inverted vertical orientation without any substantial modification of the water heater, thereby advantageously avoiding the previous necessity of manufacturing differently configured water heaters for mounting in these various operational orientations. Specially designed mounting brackets are provided to support the water heater in any of its wall or ceiling-mounted orientations. In one embodiment of the water heater a dual element electric resistance type immersion heater is provided with an integral temperature control structure illustratively in the form of a separate sensing tube having operatively mounted therein a pair of thermistors each operatively associated with a different one of the two heating elements.

Abstract: An electric water heater has upper and lower electric resistance type heating elements respectively controlled by a single pole, double throw upper thermostat and a single pole, single throw lower thermostat. The upper and lower thermostats are operatively interconnected by a wiring harness having outer wire end portions that may be connected in various orientations to the terminal block portion of an external junction box to provide the water heater with a variety of heating element operating modes without having to replace either of the thermostats or vary the wiring harness interconnections therebetween. The water heater may thus be advantageously manufactured in a single variant that may be easily and quickly modified in the field to selectively alter the heating element control mode of the water heater.

Abstract: A machine gun, representatively a 30 mm machine gun, is mounted on an outer end portion of a support plank structure projecting out of the cabin area of a helicopter using a roller cradle assembly secured to the outer plank end. A variety of structural improvements are incorporated into the machine gun to (1) reduce its mechanical complexity, (2) reduce its firing recoil to make the gun more suitable for light aircraft mounting, and to improve the gun's firing controllability and accuracy, and (3) to make the gun easily and quickly field strippable, for cleaning, inspection and repair purposes, without requiring the services of a highly skilled armament mechanic or taking the gun to a specialized repair facility.

Abstract: A central support plank section is transversely secured to the floor of a helicopter cabin area at exterior side wall door openings on opposite sides of the cabin area. Specially designed pintle arm assemblies are rotationally secured to opposite ends of the central support plank sections, with each of the pintle arm assemblies underlying and operatively supporting a cabin door area machine gun. Each pintle arm assembly is pivotable about a vertical axis in a manner permitting its machine gun to be horizontally swung into the cabin area to a stowed orientation therein, and is provided with a lock ring/detent structure that permits the pintle assembly to be quickly and easily locked in a selectively variable horizontal rotational orientation.

Abstract: A power burner type gas-fired water heater has a fuel supply manifold which is mounted within a sealed plenum box and supplied with gas from a valve externally mounted on the plenum box and coupled to the manifold via a flex hose disposed within the plenum box and removably connected to the gas valve. By simply removing an access wall portion of the plenum box, uncoupling the flex hose from the gas valve and disconnecting the manifold from associated support structure within the plenum box, the manifold may be removed from the plenum box for replacement of the fuel supply orifices carried by the manifold. This facilitates the field modification of the water heater's input rate and/or fuel type.

Abstract: Armament/cargo support apparatus for an aircraft includes a central support plank member transversely secured to a bottom side of a helicopter cabin area at door openings formed in forwardly and outwardly sloping opposite horizontal outer wall portions of the helicopter. The outer ends of the central plank member are inwardly offset from the opposite outer helicopter wall portions and have outer end surfaces which are parallel to such outer wall portions. Auxiliary plank sections are pivotally secured to the outer ends of the central plank section and are pivotable about axes parallel to the sloping helicopter outer side wall portions, between first positions in which they are folded onto top sides of the central plank section within the cabin area, and second positions in which the auxiliary plank sections extend outwardly beyond opposite sides of the helicopter.

Abstract: A spaced series of generally C-shaped wear members, representatively excavating tooth adapters, are positioned on a front edge portion of a lip structure on, for example, an excavating bucket, by placing the lip edge portion between rearwardly extending top and bottom leg portions of each wear member. Spring-loaded, low profile attachment structures are mounted within top leg recesses of the wear members prior to the installation of the wear members on the lip structure. After the wear members are in place on the lip structure, the internally disposed attachment structures are secured to the lip structure at open rear ends of the top wear member legs in a manner causing the internal attachment structures to resiliently bias their associated wear members in rearward self-tightening directions relative to the lip structure. Protective shrouds are then connected to the open rear ends of the top wear member legs to conceal and protect their internally carried attachment structures.

Abstract: An electric water heater is provided with simplified phase conversion apparatus including a terminal structure having replaceable line lug portions which are wired to a single phase row of multi-pin connector sockets by single phase routing circuitry, and to a three phase row of multi-pin connector sockets by three phase routing circuitry. Electrical supply wires from sets of fuse holders connected to multiple thermostat/heating element sets are grouped and connected to associated multi-pin connector plugs. To ready the water heater for single phase operation, the plugs are connected to the single phase row of sockets, and to convert the water heater to three phase operation the plugs are simply disconnected from the single phase sockets and connected to the three phase sockets. In this manner the necessity of individually repositioning all of the fuse holder wires on the terminal structure to change from single to three phase operation, or vice versa, is eliminated.