Abstract: In a tapping unit according to the invention, the tap is held in a tap-carrier which is screwed into a pattern retained and fixed against rotation in a casing. The tap, the tap-carrier and the pattern form a subassembly mobile with limited amplitude in axial translation and radial displacement inside the casing, so that the tap can follow unwanted movements of the part being tapped.

Abstract: A method for reclamation of atmospheric water uses a water reclamation chamber (1) with water reclamation cells (2) and variable high-performance blowers (3). In this occurs by means of cooling collectors (6) during the nighttime the cooling of a coolant stored in a cooling resorvoir (7), and during the daytime operation by means of solar collectors (8) occurs the heating of a further fluid stored in a heat reservoir, so that the coolant that is cooled during the night for the purpose of water reclamation cools by day and/or night the cooling registers through which air flows. At these cooling registers, the air is dehumidified so that the heat-accumulating fluid by day and/or by night is used for the generation of energy for the operation of the equipment and/or for the extraction of water.

Abstract: A combustion system for a gas turbine includes a steam reformer and a combustor connected in series. A portion of the incoming fuel is diverted to the steam reformer, the balance passing directly to the combustor. The effluent from the steam reformer, which effluent includes a significant amount of hydrogen, is combined with the unreformed fuel entering the combustor. The result is a hot combustion gas which contains very little NOx.

Abstract: Flange plates control the flow of fluid between fluid handling devices. In one embodiment, a sealing plate includes an O-ring and a structural support ring disposed within the O-ring. The support ring prevents the O-ring from being dislodged due to fluid pressure in the line. The support ring may have chamfers which aid in centering the O-ring. The support ring may also have a plurality of orifices allowing fluid flow between the interior of the support ring and the O-ring. In another embodiment, a blanking plate includes a domed portion, oriented in a direction towards the fluid being contained. The domed portion imparts strength to the blanking plate, allowing the plate to be made of a thinner piece of material. In another embodiment, an orifice plate includes a domed portion as described above, with an orifice located at the center of the dome.

Abstract: Methods of synthesizing high molecular weight polycarbonate polymers are described. Also described are polycarbonates produced by these methods.

Abstract: A clip for a handgun allows the handgun to be carried either on a belt or in a holster. The clip includes a mounting plate, removably attached to the handgun, and a clip portion which is screwed onto the mounting plate. The mounting plate is preferably affixed to the handgun using a double-sided adhesive. The position of the mounting plate can be changed, and the mounting plate can also be moved to an entirely different handgun. The clip of the present invention can therefore be used with a wide variety of handguns. When the clip portion is attached, the handgun can be carried on a belt or other non-holstered holding device. When the clip portion is removed, the handgun can be stored in a holster, with the mounting plate still attached.

Abstract: A portable nondestructive testing instrument uses high-speed phase-stepping shearography, and vacuum stressing, to produce images of disbonds, impact damage, or delaminations, in metal or composite structures. The invention is especially useful in the inspection of large areas where only external access is feasible, such as in large aircraft, space vehicles, boats, or civil engineered structures having multiple bond lines. The invention includes a novel combination of components and techniques, including a high-spatial-resolution CCD sensor, low-voltage piezoceramic phase stepping, rapid phase stepping, a fast phase calculation technique, a fast image smoothing technique, and an implementation of all of the above in a portable unit. Specially designed timing and control algorithms allow data acquisition, transfer, calculation, smoothing, and display at rates of up to two times per second.

Abstract: A one-piece, flanged, fluid-flow connector for connecting tube, pipe, hose or the like to a port face includes a base having a flat port face on one end, and a connection piece fixed to and extending from the other end. At least four tabs extend from the base, the tabs having apertures for mounting the connector. The base includes a reinforcement portion that transitions continuously from a lesser thickness adjacent the tabs to a greater thickness adjacent to the connection piece. The connector makes it feasible to provide a one-piece, four-bolt connector which occupies substantially less space than a comparable connector of the prior art, but which handles at least the same fluid pressures.

Abstract: Biocompatible, lubricious, highly durable coatings for medical devices are formed from a highly adherent base coat and a hydrophilic top-coat which is chemically grafted to the base coat. The base coat includes an aqueous acrylic emulsion polymer, having one or more monomers having alkyl groups of varying number. The monomers are combined such that the “Equivalent Alkyl Number”, essentially a weighted average number of carbon atoms, for the resulting polymer or copolymer, is in a range of about 3.5-4.5. The coating is prepared without using any organic solvents, and thus the final product contains no residue of such solvents. The coated products display an unmatched combination of adhesion, abrasion resistance, water resistance, biocompatibility, and lubricity.

Abstract: A gas separation system comprising one or more ceramic membranes is described. The system, particularly, the arrangement of the ceramic membranes and/or other polymeric membranes or PSA systems, results in maximum durability of the ceramic membranes.

Abstract: A game for training of managers includes a playing area having an annular path with color-coded spaces, a material storage area, a set of home bases, and a plurality of small islands. The players are told that the object of the game is to accumulate bridge-building elements from the storage area, and to build bridges to the small islands so as to retrieve and solve a puzzle found on each island. The game is designed to teach the players, in a humorous and non-threatening way, the importance of strategic planning and cooperation among departments of an organization. A portable version of the game is played on a game board which has most of the elements as the large game, in miniature. The portable version does not include the puzzle, but does allow its players to develop strategy and to learn the value of teamwork.

Abstract: A storage structure includes generally rectangular panels arranged in at least one group of panels that are vertically oriented and each hinged about a respective hinge pin to a common connecting structure to pivot between two limit orientations. Each end panel has, on its bottom horizontal edge, a support wheel, which rolls on the floor to support the panel cantilever-fashion. Each panel can carry objects, such as works of art, that can be observed from a sufficient distance in a storeroom. Both faces of each panel are accessible and can be used to fix objects, which maximizes the available storage area.

Abstract: A feeder chuck according to the invention includes a tubular chuck body with an axial bore through which a bar is passed, with a downstream section including longitudinal slots enabling elastic deformation in the radial direction. An exterior envelope with an internal conical clamping bearing surface comes into contact with an external conical clamping bearing surface of the chuck body, and is screwed onto the chuck body. The intermediate portion of the exterior envelope has a capacity for elastic deformation in the longitudinal direction, for example by virtue of oblique openings. The feeder chuck therefore has a capacity for adjustment of its diameter combined with improved radial retention of the bar.

Abstract: A mechanical system closes and latches one or more drawers in a multiple-drawer cabinet. Drawers which are slightly ajar are grasped by the latching mechanism, pulled fully closed, and locked shut. A latch finger engages a catch connected to the drawer and pulls the drawer closed. The finger is actuated by a crankshaft which, as it rotates, first lowers the latch finger to capture the catch, and then retracts the latch finger and with it the captured drawer. The crankshaft rotates to a position where any pull forces on the finger are nearly in line with the axis of the crankshaft and have little tendency to cause reverse rotation. The crankshaft is then retained in this position, effectively locking the drawer closed. Thus, any drawer which is left slightly ajar, and which may falsely appear to be latched, is subsequently closed and securely locked. The latching mechanism may be motorized or manually operated.

Abstract: A one-piece, flanged, fluid-flow connector for connecting tube, pipe, hose or the like to a port face includes a base having a flat port face on one end, and a connection piece fixed to and extending from the other end. A set of tabs extends from the base, the tabs having apertures for mounting the connector. The base includes a reinforcement portion that transitions continuously from a lesser thickness adjacent the tabs to a greater thickness adjacent to the connection piece. The connector makes it feasible to provide a one-piece, two-bolt connector which occupies substantially less space than a comparable connector of the prior art, but which handles at least the same fluid pressures.

Abstract: Oxygen is mixed with waste water at an early stage in a water treatment facility, to reduce odor caused by anaerobic reactions of sulfur. Waste water is withdrawn from a collection basin, by a pump connected to a suction pipe, and is mixed with oxygen from an external source. The mixture, having been saturated with oxygen, is then returned to the collection basin through a discharge pipe. The end of the discharge pipe is positioned at a higher vertical level than the end of the suction pipe, to prevent gas from entering the pump which would cause cavitation. Also, the end of the discharge pipe has a blind flange, such that the oxygen-enriched water exiting the discharge pipe flows in a direction which is non-parallel to the axis of the pipe. This arrangement provides better mixing of the oxygen with the water in the basin, and prevents the oxygen-enriched water from flowing too soon to the suction pipe.