Abstract: An abdominal support belt of the type which includes an elongated flat waist band adapted to encircle the waist of a user and one or more supplemental elastic (resilient) strap or straps having unattached ends adapted to be grasped and drawn toward the anterior midline of the user's abdomen and releasible secured to the waist band when the belt is secured about the waist of the user for enhancing the support provided by the belt, and including one or more devices for limiting the extent of return of the strap or straps when the unattached end thereof is released from the waist band and the strap or straps is permitted to return toward its relaxed state. The belt further includes improved wear resistance and shape retention properties, particularly associated with the opposite ends of the waist band.

Abstract: A semi-flexible back support belt with selective rigidity control. The belt is formed primarily of a multiple-ply webbing of woven polymeric material. The plies in this webbing are joined together by longitudinally extending binder yarns in a weave pattern which ties together the plies of the webbing in such a manner as to provide a hinging action within the webbing during the application of a longitudinally applied tensile loading on the webbing as provided by the tightening of the belt about the waist of the user which effectively increases the rigidity of the belt. The loosening of a previously tightened belt will decrease the rigidity of the belt. By selectively varying the user applied tensile loading on the webbing, the belt is provided with a wide range of rigidity levels.

Abstract: This disclosure describes a device and method for in situ shortening of nuclear reactor zirconium alloy process tubes which have grown as a result of radiation exposure. An upsetting technique is utilized which involves inductively heating a short band of a process tube with simultaneous application of an axial load sufficient to cause upsetting with an attendant decrease in length of the process tube.