Abstract: A device for reducing the cross-sectional area of a capillary tube to effect its closure in a preselected region thereof. The device has a pair of means movable with respect to each other for crimping and severing the tube. First means is provided for moving the crimping and severing means pair along first and second generally orthogonal paths so as to effect alignment of the crimping and severing means pair with the capillary tube disposed therebetween, and second means is provided for moving the crimping and severing means pair along third and forth generally orthogonal paths to effect the reduction of the cross-sectional area of the tube and the severence thereof, respectively.

Abstract: A sealed, rechargeable electrochemical cell in which a hermetically sealed glass casing completely surrounds an electrode assembly comprised of anode and cathode electrodes containing electrochemically active material, and a porous electrolyte absorbent separator between and in contact with each of the electrodes, the electrolyte absorbed in the separator being present in an amount not exceeding the separator capacity, the seal being effected at terminal conductors extending through the casing wall from the electrodes at the interior of the cell.

Abstract: The specification discloses a compact, dense, economical, metal pellet for charging melting furnaces to recycle the metal and a method for making the pellet especially from scrap cans and pieces of scrap metal including borings, turnings, punchings, chips, shavings, and chunks. The pellet includes a container having compressed, permanently deformed sides and a quantity of compressed metal pieces therein which overlap and engage one another. The container sides include a plurality of folds, wrinkles and corrugations which tightly and firmly engage and clamp the metal pieces to retain them within the compressed container. The pellet may have open or closed ends since the clamping engagement of the metal pieces by the compressed container sides retains the pieces in either case.

Abstract: Method of automatically filling jacket tubes for fuel rods of nuclear reactors with nuclear fuel pellets in combination with subsequent closure of the jacket tubes by automated welding of end caps thereon, which includes introducing the nuclear fuel pellets row-wise into a receiving tube of a collecting magazine therefor, passing the magazine containing the nuclear fuel pellets through a drying furnace to remove traces of moisture therefrom, subsequently delivering the magazine containing the moistureless nuclear fuel pellets to a filling station to which, respectively, an empty jacket tube has been fed from a tube magazine, weighing the empty jacket tube, then filling the empty jacket tube with fuel pellets in a column from the receiving tubes of the collecting magazine by mechanically displaced pushrods until a given extent of fullness thereof depending upon the length and weight of the pellet column has been attained, delivering the filled jacket tube to a further processing station for introducing insulat

Abstract: The invention is concerned with a retainer for holding a sheet of insulation against a metal plate and with the method of seating a sheet of insulation against a metallic plate. The retainer comprises a linearly extending member made of a hard but deformable material and having a flange extending outwardly adjacent a first end thereof to sit against a first side of a metal plate with the remainder of the member extending through a hole in the plate and a bore extending longitudinally in the member from the first end thereof towards a second end thereof, the bore terminating at a chamber of larger orthogonal dimension than the bore itself, the chamber terminating short of the second end of the member. Also part of the retainer is a rod fitting within and extending outwardly from the bore and having at a first end thereof a head of larger orthogonal dimension than the bore, the head fitting within the chamber. Generally the rod includes a weak portion which is easily breakable.

Abstract: The method of forming a pressure accumulator which comprises the steps of molding the mouth of the deformable separator or bladder of the pressure accumulator to one end of the cylindrical portion of an annular supporting member, inserting the annular supporting member and bladder into the open end of a cylindrical casing with the cylindrical portion of the supporting member in juxtaposition with the inner surface of said casing, said casing having the other end thereof deformed inwardly and having an axial port, fusing the other end of the cylindrical portion to the inner surface of the casing and then deforming inwardly the open end of the casing to close the latter and forming an axial port in such closed end to receive a gas charging valve.

Abstract: A method for cold lidding open-top containers with roll-stock elastomeric film by holding a web of the film in air-tight relation across the bottom of a lidding chamber and about its periphery, evacuating the lidding chamber to stretch the web thereinto, inserting the top of the container into the lidding chamber, and releasing the stretched web over the top of the container whereby the inherent restorative characteristic of the web causes it to quickly contract, i.e. "snap" onto the periphery of the container to form a dynamic seal. The removal of the lidded container from the apparatus causes the container to be moved against a tripper plate to ready the apparatus for lidding the next container. The minimum recovery factor of the stretched film web sould be about 85%.

Abstract: A vessel for receiving material from an area of total containment, such as a glove box, provided with an integral filling tube through which the material is transferred, the filling tube being capable of passing through a sphincter valve and of being constricted to the point of severance to obtain simultaneous sealing at both ends of the disjunction.

Abstract: A mercury capsule comprises a mercury-filled metal tube, of measured capacity, having closed ends, each of which includes end portions which are cold welded and resistance welded to form an hermetic seal and intermediate portions, which are crimped closed. The length of the intermediate crimped portions of each capsule is designed to permit the mercury within the capsule to expand and stress the lightly crimped portions, during processing operations of a device in which a capsule is mounted, without opening the hermetically sealed end portions of each capsule.The method of the invention comprises filling a metal tube with mercury, closing the open end, and forming light crimps in the tube at spaced locations to form individual capsules, each of which is filled with a measured quantity of mercury.