Abstract: An end member assembly includes a first end member and a second end member. An air spring assembly can be formed using an end member assembly on one end thereof. A method is also described.

Abstract: A method for continuously removing mercury from a supply of combustion gas is provided. The method includes adjusting a power input to an electrostatic precipitator to control a quantity of fly ash emitted from the electrostatic precipitator. A turbulent flow of combustion gas is produced to suspend particulate matter including the quantity of fly ash contained in the supply of combustion gas. A substantial portion of the mercury is absorbed within the particulate matter including the quantity of fly ash. The supply of combustion gas is filtered to remove the particulate matter from the mercury. A quantity of absorption sites available for absorbing mercury is controlled by monitoring an emission of fly ash from the electrostatic precipitator.

Abstract: A particulate filtration system for removing particulates suspended in a fluid include, in an exemplary embodiment, a filter element and a pre-collector body component operably connected to the filter element. The pre-collector body component is capable of receiving an electrical charge to attract and remove particles suspended in the fluid.

Abstract: An air spring assembly including a first end member that includes a side wall, and a second end member spaced from the first end member. A flexible sleeve includes a sleeve wall and opposing open ends secured on the first and second end members. First and second retaining member are used to secure one open end of the flexible sleeve on the associated end member. A method is also disclosed.

Abstract: A flue gas treatment system for a fossil-burning power plant having a fuel source and a boiler includes a barrier filter downstream of the boiler, the barrier filter including an electrostatically-stimulated fabric filter utilizing high-permeability fabric, having an air permeability of at least 75 acfm/sq.ft. A method of treating flue gas includes generating a flue gas; and passing substantially 100% of the flue gas from a boiler directly through an electrostatically-stimulated fabric filter incorporating high-permeability fabric with an air permeability of at least 75 acfm/sq.ft.

Abstract: A method for filtering particle-laden gas includes electrostatically precipitating particles from the particle-laden gas to produce a gas having residual particulates, agglomerating the residual particulates, and using a fabric filter to filter the agglomerated residual particulates from the gas.

Abstract: A method for operating a filter assembly having a filter medium includes applying a constant or nearly constant static DC potential to dust entering the filter assembly and the filter medium, passing dust-laden gas through the filter medium in a first direction through the filter assembly while the filter medium is statically charged with the DC potential, measuring pressure drop through the filter assembly, and, in response to the pressure drop meeting a preset limit, reversing the polarity of the DC potential to thereby allow dust particles on the filter medium to drop off the filter medium.

Abstract: An automated third party verification system and method for verifying a customer's authorization to switch long distance service providers. The system broadly comprises a customer database manager, a third party verification (TPV) interactive voice response (IVR) system, and a TPV management system. The customer database manager contacts the customer and, responsive to the customer's authorization to switch long distance carriers, creates a text file of the customer's responses to a series of questions supporting the authorization. The text file is sent to the TPV IVR system. The TPV IVR system directs a series of scripted questions, corresponding to those already asked by the customer database manager, to the customer and records the responses as voice clips. The TPV management system presents the voice clips and the corresponding text file to a verifier through a voice data verification module.

Abstract: An automated third party verification system and method for verifying a customer's authorization to switch long distance service providers. The system broadly comprises a customer database manager, a third party verification (TPV) interactive voice response (IVR) system, and a TPV management system. The customer database manager contacts the customer and, responsive to the customer's authorization to switch long distance carriers, creates a text file of the customer's responses to a series of questions supporting the authorization. The text file is sent to the TPV IVR system. The TPV IVR system directs a series of scripted questions, corresponding to those already asked by the customer database manager, to the customer and records the responses as voice clips. The TPV management system presents the voice clips and the corresponding text file to a verifier through a voice data verification module.

Abstract: An array of cutting inserts has been invented having a plurality of adjacent inserts, each insert comprising a body having a top surface, a bottom, and a base, and a plurality of spaced-apart chipbreaking indentations in the top surface of the body, and a strengthening ridge between adjacent indentations of the plurality of spaced-apart chipbreaking indentations, and a peripheral strengthening ridge around an outer edge of the top surface of the body surrounding the plurality of spaced-apart chipbreaking indentations.

Abstract: A sander includes a sander body, a motor held by the sander body, a pad operably connected to the motor so as to impart an orbital motion to the pad, a housing swivellably attached to the sander body, and bumped structure between the housing and the sander body. The bumped structure is constructed and arranged for imparting friction between the housing and the sander body to increase a force required to swivel the housing about the sander body. A groove having a wall is defined in at least one of the housing and the sander body, and the bumped structure includes a plurality of protuberances along the wall of the groove. The housing includes a dust exhaust channel attached to a filter housing, and the filter housing includes a rigid, porous material having a pore size effective for entrapping dust which enters the filter housing.

Abstract: An automated third party verification system and method for verifying a customer's authorization to switch long distance service providers. The system broadly comprises a customer database manager, a third party verification (TPV) interactive voice response (IVR) system, and a TPV management system. The customer database manager contacts the customer and, responsive to the customer's authorization to switch long distance carriers, creates a text file of the customer's responses to a series of questions supporting the authorization. The text file is sent to the TPV IVR system. The TPV IVR system directs a series of scripted questions, corresponding to those already asked by the customer database manager, to the customer and records the responses as voice clips. The TPV management system presents the voice clips and the corresponding text file to a verifier through a voice data verification module.

Abstract: A collector plate (10) for an electrostatic precipitator is provided. Collector plate (10) has end portions (12) which are substantially symmetrical about the plane of the collector plate (10). Each end portion (12) is preferably polygonal and has a substantially unobstructed interior. Dimples (80) may be located in end portions (12) to improve rigidity of the plate. Collector plate (10) yields better precipitation results because of the minimal or nonexistent deflection of plate (10) into voltage discharge regions surrounding electrodes (36) within the precipitator. Precipitation results are further improved because power input to the precipitator is not limited by an instable electric field resulting from irregularities in the surface of plate (10).

Abstract: A non-destructive method for stimulating, refurbishing, or otherwise increasing production from water wells, using pressure waveforms and mass displacement within the well bore volume. The non-destructive methods are useful in a variety of water production contexts and can be modified downhole to meet specific performance requirements.

Abstract: An electrical terminal 10 has two electrical connectors 16 and 18 carried by upper 12 and lower 14 insulating body members by which it is clamped to a mounting 84. Each connector has a terminal hole 64 and carries an insulating knob 66, 68, which is screw adjustable over an upper length 52 of the connector to open and close the terminal hole 64 while providing an insulating cover for the upper length of each connector. The body member 12 extends over the connectors 16 and 18 to encompass the terminal holes 64 and has access holes 38 and 40 which coincide with the respective terminal holes 64. The upper body member 12 has cavities 20 and 22 within which the insulating knobs 66 and 68 are accommodated respectively as they are adjusted longitudinally on their respective connectors. The structure and dimensions of the terminal 10 preferably ensure that the connectors in the body 12 and knobs are inaccessible to a test finger when the terminal is mounted on a housing.

Abstract: An electrical connector has an insulating body 30 with longitudinal chambers 45, 46 and 47 running through it. Electrical contact elements 81, 82 and 83 are received one each in the chambers. Each chamber has projections .alpha. and .beta. and each contact element has a rebate 86. Rotation of the contact element in the chamber relative to the body from an initial orientation to a second orientation engages the rebate 86 with the projections .alpha. and .beta. to restrain the elements from longitudinal displacement relative to the body. Projections 50 on the external face of the body 30 can engage an external portion of the contact element when that element is rotated to its second orientation to retain the element from rotating relative to the body. The connector can be a plug or a socket. A corresponding method of assembling an electrical connector is described.

Abstract: A vermiculite insulated tube furnace is heated by a helically-wound resistance wire positioned within a helical groove on the surface of a ceramic cylinder, that in turn is surroundingly disposed about a doubly slotted stainless steel cylindrical liner. For uniform heating, the pitch of the helix is of shorter length over the two end portions of the ceramic cylinder. The furnace is of large volume, provides uniform temperature, offers an extremely precise programmed heating capability, features very rapid cool-down, and has a modest electrical power requirement.

Abstract: A device for chopping bales includes a rotary cutter device (20) mounted for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis. A tumble mechanism (4) supports a bale with its lower part adjacent the cutter device (20) and tumbles or rotates the bale such that an outer layer is removed from the bale and is fed to the cutter device to be comminuted thereby and discharged by the rotation of the cutter device (20). Means (50) is provided to move the bale periodically further away from the cutter device (20).

Abstract: An assembly for facilitating the cutting of matching panel joints includes a base body which is adapted to be secured to the lower surface of a router or the like and has a lower ramped slide surface defined therein, and a slide member having a topped ramped bearing surface defined therein for contacting the lower ramped slide surface in the base body. The base body and slide member are mounted for sliding relationship relative to each other so that a lower bearing surface on the slide member is vertically adjustable relative to a corresponding lower bearing surface on the base body. In operation, the base body and slide member are adjusted so that their respective bearing surfaces differ in elevation to a degree equal to one-half the wavelength of a cutting bit to be used in the router.

Abstract: A bale handler includes a body with ground wheels and a bed for supporting two or more round bales end-to-end rotatably supported for rearward tilting movement about a horizontal axis to unload the bales as a vertical stack. A secondary support is provided and supports the bales as the bed is tilted. The bed may be brought to an unloading/reloading position past vertical at which the stack remains stable and the secondary support bears the weight of the rear of the handler. The aforesaid axis is positioned so that the portion of the bed between the secondary support and the axis is sufficient to stabilize the stack during reloading.A bale loading cradle includes a pair of laterally spaced support members which pass under a bale to lift and support it and which define at their forward ends opposed edges which, in a horizontal plane, are mutually forwardly divergent and are configured for centering a bale approached off-center.