Abstract: The continuous firing furnace includes: a single or a plurality of heating units (120), each of which includes a casing (120b) provided with a through-hole (120a) in a transport direction of a material to be heated, a heating section (160) that heats the material to be heated, and a movable section (150) that is provided at a lower portion of the casing and that supports and allows the casing to move in a horizontal direction, wherein through-holes are formed so as to be able to communicate with each other in the transport direction; a single or a plurality of cooling units (122) configured to cool the material to be heated, each of which includes a casing (122b) provided with a through-hole (122a) in the transport direction of the material to be heated, and a cooling section (170) that cools the material to be heated, wherein through-holes are formed so as to be able to communicate with the through-holes of the plurality of heating units; and a pressing section (124) configured to press the single or the plu

Abstract: A pneumatic tire including sipes that have at least one ends positioned within blocks. The sipes are arranged such that each of the sipes meanders from the one end to the other end thereof to form a meandrous shape, and as the depth of the sipes increases, the meander width of the sipes gradually increases from their openings to at least the 80%-worn position of the blocks. The sipes each have a sipe length L, which is defined as a center line length between an intersection of a center line passing the center of the meander width of the meandrous shape with a first straight line and an intersection of the center line with a second straight line, the first straight line being orthogonally drawn to the center line from the one end of the sipe and the second straight line being orthogonally drawn to the center line from the other end of the sipe at the same depth position of the sipe, the sipe length L gradually decreasing as the sipe depth increases.

Abstract: An air-fuel ratio control apparatus estimates, on the basis of an exhaust air-fuel ratio of exhaust gas flowing into an exhaust purifying catalyst unit disposed in an exhaust passage of an engine, an emission of at least one specific component contained in exhaust gas flowing out of the exhaust purifying catalyst unit. The air-fuel ratio control apparatus performs the estimation by use of a model, and controls the air-fuel ratio in such a manner that the estimation value reaches a target state. The model is previously determined in consideration of the mass balance of the specific component.

Abstract: A pneumatic tire including sipes that have at least one ends positioned within blocks. The sipes are arranged such that each of the sipes meanders from the one end to the other end thereof to form a meandrous shape, and as the depth of the sipes increases, the meander width of the sipes gradually increases from their openings to at least the 80%-worn position of the blocks. The sipes each have a sipe length L, which is defined as a center line length between an intersection of a center line passing the center of the meander width of the meandrous shape with a first straight line and an intersection of the center line with a second straight line, the first straight line being orthogonally drawn to the center line from the one end of the sipe and the second straight line being orthogonally drawn to the center line from the other end of the sipe at the same depth position of the sipe, the sipe length L gradually decreasing as the sipe depth increases.

Abstract: An air-fuel ratio control apparatus according to the present invention estimates, on the basis of an exhaust air-fuel ratio of exhaust gas flowing into an exhaust purifying catalyst unit 19 disposed in an exhaust passage 7 of an engine 1, an emission of at least one specific component contained in exhaust gas flowing out of the exhaust purifying catalyst unit. The air-fuel ratio control apparatus performs the estimation by use of a model, and controls the air-fuel ratio in such a manner that the estimation value reaches a target state. The model is previously determined in consideration of the mass balance of the specific component.