Abstract: A roof assembly mounted on a composite box structure with an air plenum assembly attached to and extending from an interior surface of the roof assembly. The composite box structure includes a pair of end wall assemblies, a pair of side wall assemblies, a floor assembly and the roof assembly. An opening may be formed in one end of the end wall assemblies to allow installing a temperature control system. An airflow management system may be incorporated into the composite box structure. The composite box structure may be assembled on a railway car underframe to form a temperature controlled railway car or an insulated box car.

Abstract: Pultruded panels having a first longitudinal edge profile and a second longitudinal edge profile may be used to form a floor assembly mounted on a railway car underframe. The pultruded panels may also be used to form walkways, bridges, piers and other structures. A bead may be placed on at least one of the longitudinal edge profiles to form a gap between an adjacent pultruded panel. An adhesive may be placed within the gap to couple or bond adjacent pultruded panels with each other. Void spaces may be formed within the pultruded panel and filled with foam to provide improved resistance to heat transfer through the respective panel. Respective coverings may be placed on opposite ends of each panel to block access to the associated void spaces.

Abstract: A composite box structure assembled on and securely attached to a railway car underframe to form a temperature controlled railway car or on insulated boxcar. The composite box structure defined in part by an exterior metal surface, interior side stakes and at least one layer of fiber reinforced plastic attached to the side stakes. Foam insulation may be disposed between the side stakes, the exterior metal surface and the at least one layer of fiber reinforced plastic. The foam insulation provides improved resistance to heat transfer between the interior and the exterior of the composite box structure. An airflow management system may be incorporated into the composite box structure.

Abstract: An interior coating for use on the interior surface of a concrete mixing drum including a mixing fin employed therein. The interior coating preferably protects the interior surface of the drum from severe service including abrasion, wear and corrosion. The interior coating provides a generally smooth and essentially slippery surface to improve discharge of concrete mix as well as to provide complete cleanout of the residual mix remaining in the drum.

Abstract: A vehicle suspension apparatus according to the invention includes a vehicle suspension strut and a continuous position sensor coupled to the vehicle suspension strut and adapted to provide information indicative of a continuous position of a first portion of the vehicle suspension strut relative to a second portion of the vehicle suspension strut. The continuous position sensor includes a magnet coupled to the first portion of the vehicle suspension strut and a sensing mechanism coupled to the second portion of the vehicle suspension strut and responsive to the magnet to provide an output indicative of the continuous position of the first portion relative to the second portion.

Abstract: A three piece stabilized railway car truck is provided with dimensions corresponding generally with an AAR nominal 100 ton size truck and a load carrying capability satisfactory for use with railway cars having a 315,000 pound gross weight on rail rating. Various components of the truck have been modified to improve the fatigue life of each component and the overall service life of the resulting railway truck.

Abstract: A composite box structure is formed from individually manufactured components such as a pair of endwalls, a pair of sidewalls, a floor and a roof. One or more components preferably include a core encapsulated in multiple layers of fiber reinforced plastic. The core may be formed from various materials which provide improved resistance to heat transfer between the interior and the exterior of the composite box structure. The composite box structure may include one or more components manufactured at least in part from steel alloys, aluminum alloys, wood and/or other materials associated with conventional railway boxcars. An opening is provided in each sidewall to allow access to the interior of the composite box structure. An opening may be formed in one of the endwalls of the composite box structure to allow installation of a temperature control system. An airflow management system may also be incorporated into selected interior portions of the roof, sidewalls, endwalls, and floor.

Abstract: A real time three dimensional ultrasound imaging probe apparatus is configured to be placed inside a body. The apparatus comprises an elongated body having proximal and distal ends with an ultrasonic transducer phased array connected to and positioned on the distal end of the elongated body. The ultrasonic transducer phased array is positioned to emit and receive ultrasonic energy for volumetric forward scanning from the distal end of the elongated body. The ultrasonic transducer phased array includes a plurality of sites occupied by ultrasonic transducer elements. At least one ultrasonic transducer element is absent from at least one of the sites, thereby defining an interstitial site. A tool is positioned at the interstitial site. In particular, the tool can be a fiber optic lead, a suction tool, a guide wire, an electrophysiological electrode, or an ablation electrode. Related systems are also discussed.

Abstract: A railway car with a pair of improved sidewalls is provided. For some applications, the railway car may include a steel railway car underframe with an aluminum body mounted thereon. The car body preferably includes a pair of sidewalls and a pair of end walls. The car body may have an open top or a roof mounted thereon. Relatively, thin side posts are disposed on the exterior of the sidewalls to allow increasing cargo carrying capacity of the railway car. At least one longitudinal stiffener is disposed along the interior surface of each sidewall to provide sufficient strength for the sidewall based on anticipated loading while at the same time allowing reducing the number and the thickness of the side posts. For some applications the side posts and the longitudinal stiffeners may be formed by an extrusion process with substantially the same cross section.

Abstract: A configuration of slices of a volume, such as B slices, I slices, and/or C slices, is selected. Subsequently, the volume is scanned based on the selected configuration of slices. For example, transmit ultrasound beams are transmitted from an ultrasound transducer downstream into the volume through a selected slice. The transmit ultrasound beams are tracked downstream in the volume until the transmit ultrasound beams reach points that lie in a plane that corresponds to the selected slice of the volume. The tracking is used to form ultrasound scan lines which represent the portion of the volume through which the transmit ultrasound beams were tracked. The ultrasound scan lines are used to provide a view of the plane that corresponds to the selected slice. The transmit ultrasound beams are not tracked downstream from the plane in the volume that corresponds to the selected slice. Alternately, B slices of the volume are selected.

Abstract: A pressure discharge railway hopper car includes a car body having a plurality of hoppers arranged in adjacent relation longitudinally, each opening at the bottom end to an aerator tub assembly. Each aerator tub assembly has two aerator units, one on each side laterally of the longitudinal centerline of the car body, defined by downwardly convergent inclined walls. An outlet from each aerator unit is connected to a product discharge conduit that leads substantially horizontally and laterally toward the centerline of the car body to a generally L-shaped discharge pipe. Each discharge pipe may include a longitudinal leg that runs between the two sections along the car centerline and a lateral leg extending transversely to the centerline to an outlet end laterally outwardly of the aerator tub assembly, where it is connected to a main discharge pipe.

Abstract: A large capacity car body for a pressure discharge railway hopper car has a plurality of end slope plates assemblies, each having a slope sheet, and a plurality of intermediate slope sheet units, each of inverted “V” shape. The intermediate slope sheet units and the end slope plates form the end walls of a plurality of hoppers. A crossridge frame is associated with each of the intermediate slope sheet units and together with the end frames supports side sheets and a top sheet. Top chord members and bottom chord members extend coextensively with and are welded to upper and lower edge portions of each side sheet. Edge portions of the top sheet overlap and are welded to upper leg portions of the two top chord members. The crossridge frames and chord members considerably increase the resistance of the side sheets and top sheet to deforming when the car body is pressurized during unloading.

Abstract: A railway car includes a first end, a second end, and a first side disposed longitudinally between the first end and the second end. The first side includes a concave portion in a generally horizontal plane of the railway car. The concave portion provides a railway car with increased cargo-carrying capacity.

Abstract: An improved railway car axle having a shaft body with a pair of wheel seats and a pair of journals respectively disposed adjacent to opposite ends of the axle. A dust guard seat may be located between each wheel seat and the associated journal. Also, fillets are preferably provided at transitions between the dust guard seat and the wheel seat and the dust guard seat and the journal respectively. The journals will preferably be generally cylindrical and may have a nominal outside diameter of approximately six and one half inches and a nominal length of approximately eight and three fourth inches. The dust guard seats separating the respective journals and wheel seats may have a length of approximately three and one half inches. Finally, the wheel seats preferably have a nominal outside diameter of nine and one fourth inches.

Abstract: A railway gondola car having trucks for movably supporting the car on railway tracks includes a center sill and a gondola body supported by the trucks. The gondola body includes first and second ends, a first side, a second side, and a bottom assembly. The bottom assembly includes a trough disposed between the trucks and attached to the first and second sides. The bottom assembly also includes a generally hat-shaped stiffener attached to the trough, the first side, and the second side.

Abstract: A real time three dimensional ultrasound imaging probe apparatus is configured to be placed inside a body. The apparatus comprises an elongated body having proximal and distal ends with an ultrasonic transducer phased array connected to and positioned on the distal end of the elongated body. The ultrasonic transducer phased array is positioned to emit and receive ultrasonic energy for volumetric forward scanning from the distal end of the elongated body. The ultrasonic transducer phased array includes a plurality of sites occupied by ultrasonic transducer elements. At least one ultrasonic transducer element is absent from at least one of the sites, thereby defining an interstitial site. A tool is positioned at the interstitial site. In particular, the tool can be a fiber optic lead, a suction tool, a guide wire, an electrophysiological electrode, or an ablation electrode. Related systems are also discussed.

Abstract: A shock absorber includes a housing having a chamber and a piston slidably disposed in the chamber. A piston rod is connected to the piston and extends out of the housing. The piston rod includes a bore extending longitudinally therein. A magnetostrictive transducer provides an output signal indicative of the piston with respect to the housing. The magnetostrictive transducer includes a magnetostrictive waveguide disposed in the bore and a magnet joined to the housing that is operably coupled to the magnetostrictive waveguide.

Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer assembly is disclosed having both transmit and receive circuitry integral to the transducer assembly for generating and receiving ultrasonic pulses. The ultrasonic transducer array which is integral with the transducer assembly preferably includes multi-layer transducer elements as transmit elements of the array and may include single layer transducer elements as receive elements. Also disclosed is an ultrasonic scanner utilizing the transducer assembly with integral transmit and receive circuitry to reduce the amount and complexity of interconnections between the transducer assembly and a scanner rack.

Abstract: A stalk operated switch assembly having a stalk or lever end-mounted on a housing includes a button on the free end which is user rotatable for effecting rotation of a cam within the housing. The housing includes a plurality of capacitive switches aligned thereon. Each switch is made by applying alternate layers of conductive and dielectric ink and curing to form individual pairs of spaced capacitive plates. A conductive elastomer pad is disposed over each pair of plates and compressed against the plates by an individual actuator for each pad. The individual actuators are moved by one of plural concentric cam tracks formed on the rotor. The stalk type rotary multiple capacitive switching assembly has application for automotive windshield wiper delay circuit control.

Abstract: A medical ultrasound array transducer assembly for achieving two-dimensional phase correction of an aberrated ultrasound beam is disclosed. The array transducer assembly comprises a plurality of transducer elements and is configured for insertion in or contacting to the human body. The two-dimensional phase correction comprises mechanically correcting ultrasound beam phase errors in a first dimension, and electronically correcting ultrasound beam phase errors in a second dimension. The transducer array assembly requires significantly fewer channels than a standard array which used for two-dimensional phase correction.