Abstract: An improvement in heat transfer and a reduction in fouling by liquid flowing inside of heat exchanger tubes is achieved by the apparatus and method of the present invention wherein the heat exchanger includes internally ridged or corrugated metal tubes rather than conventional plain tubes. Despite the formation of a normal appearing fouling layer on the downstream portion of a ridge, the ridged tubes remain relatively clear on the upstream portion of the ridge. Periodically, as the downstream portions of the tubing ridge surfaces build up a fouling coating, the flow direction of the tube side fluid is reversed to remove at least a substantial portion of the previously deposited coating.

Abstract: Well screen having a base made of formed channels provides the strength of a pipe base screen but weighs less, costs less, and provides greater vertical flow area. The channels are perforated and are in continuous contact around the screen with the contiguous legs of adjacent channels being welded at their ends to each other and to the wrap wire. The screen is particularly useful in oil and gas wells where great torsional strength is needed.

Abstract: Elongated, small diameter muffler assembly especially adapted for use on motorcycles has perforated tube and bulkhead portions at its entrance end for damping and diffusing the entering exhaust gas pulses to reduce their energy and to protect a ceramic catalytic element mounted within the muffler housing. Perforated tube and bulkhead portions at the exit end provide sound abatement and are sized to accomodate the increased volume of gases resulting from the heating provided by the catalyst element. The catalyst element is supported at each end in a manner which permits a sliding longitudinal movement relative to the housing by means of perforated tubes which are rigidly attached to the muffler housing at their outer ends only, while being free to thermally expand axially inwardly toward the catalytic element at a rate independent of the thermal growth of the muffler housing.

Abstract: Combination muffler and catalytic converter utilizes an axial flow monolithic catalytic element to treat exhaust gases from an internal combustion engine and partially reduce their sound. The device incorporates a venturi in the exhaust gas inlet path to add secondary air. The efficiency of the venturi is quite high since backpressures introduced downstream of the venturi are kept low by providing an extremely long outlet cone for the venturi which reverses the flow direction while preventing wall separation and turbulence. Sound attenuation is provided upstream of the venturi where the backpressures produced have minimum effect in reducing venturi efficiency.

Abstract: Submerged oil cooler for automotive vehicles requires only two pricipal parts but can provide more heat transfer at a lower pressure drop than conventional oil coolers which utilize three principal parts. In a preferred embodiment, an outer tube having a helically corrugated surface is hand press fit over an inner tube having an outer surface which is helically finned and has rows of longitudinal grooves formed in the fins. The tubes are sealed at their ends so as to define an extended annular flow channel for oil between the tubes, while permitting engine coolant in which the cooler is submerged to flow through the inner tube. In a modified arrangement, longitudinally milled slots are substituted for the formed grooves.

Abstract: Suspension system for wide seats having a rigid occupant supporting member has a pair of parallel, rotatable drums mounted to a rigid portion of a vehicle at a fixed horizontal distance from each other. A plurality of flexible web or cable support members attached to each of said pair of drums are attached to vertically spaced attachment points on the adjacent rigid occupant supporting member portion of the suspended seat and insure that the seat moves up or down as the drums rotate. Those flexible support members which are attached to upper attachment points on said rigid supporting member are in contact with lower peripheral surfaces of the adjacent drum when the seat is in its mid-ride position while the remaining flexible support members which are attached to lower attachment points on said rigid supporting member are in contact with upper peripheral surfaces of the adjacent drum when the seat is in its mid-ride position.

Abstract: A vehicle seat has a seat cushion frame supported on a seat frame by height adjustment mechanisms located at the front and rear of the seat. The rear height adjustment mechanism comprises a hinge plate pivoted at opposite ends to the seat frame and to the rear edge of the seat cushion frame, a rack pivoted to the seat frame and formed with vertically spaced slots, and a locking pin carried by the hinge plate and engageable in any selected one of the slots. The rack is movable by a handle out of engagement with the locking pin to release the seat cushion frame for upward movement under the force of a biasing spring or for down movement under the load of the seat occupant. Release of the handle engages the locking pin with the slot of the rack lying nearest opposite it to lock the adjustment mechanism.

Abstract: An improved fluid power motor construction provides for an encompassing guard tube or cylinder to be spaced around the entire cylindrical body section which accommodates the reciprocating piston member in order to preclude any harmful denting to such body section. The guard cylinder in the present improved constructions is also typically used to serve multiple structural functions, as for example, in one embodiment, it can be used to hold the end portions of the body section tightly to the end cap sections. In a tie rod type of fluid motor constructions, the guard tube will serve as a longitudinal spacer between the end portions of the unit, while with respect to a special repairable form of motor unit the outer guard tube will serve as the tying compression-tension member between the end sections.

Abstract: Discharge electrodes in electrostatic precipitators are protected from erosion caused by power arcs in the area along their length which is closest to the ground electrode plates by a shroud of high temperature insulating plastic such as Teflon. The shroud is formed in two longitudinally slidable interlocking sections which completely surround and insulate the electrode wire but can be assembled to the wire without disturbing its ends.

Abstract: In order to reduce the electrical resistance of entrained fine particles of fly ash resulting from the burning of low sulfur coal and to enhance the efficiency of their collection by an electrical precipitator means, there is a conditioning of the particles carried in the flue gas stream by having a very fine mist of H.sub.2 SO.sub.4 condensed and adsorbed on the particles themselves. Sulfuric acid is mixed with air in an acoustic nozzle to form a mist having a mean particle size of less than 10 microns which is injected uniformly into the flue gas stream at a zone ahead of the precipitator unit so that the acid can condense on the particles. The acid is preferably transported through the apparatus at ambient temperature and then heated just prior to injection to a temperature less than its vaporization temperature.

Abstract: Improved plastic well screen is stronger and more economical to produce than prior art screens. An extruded inner core member has a generally corrugated or fluted configuration with the radial walls each including stepped right angled portions for increasing the rigidity of the core. An enwrapment wire is welded to the core to define the screen slots. Channels in the core permit flow even when a pumping means occludes the I.D. of the core.

Abstract: Track fitting for anchoring seats or cargo to a slotted floor track in an aircraft includes a plurality of spaced lobe portions which are adapted to be positioned so as to underlie retaining portions of the track to restrict upward movement of the fitting. Forward movement is restricted by shear pin means positioned so as to engage the track immediately adjacent one of the lobe portions. In a preferred embodiment, the shear pin is slidably movable vertically into and out of engagement with the floor track. An angled slot in the shear pin body is engaged by a pin which is movable fore and aft by rotation of a threaded member to cause the shear pin to be completely removed from the floor track or forced against it so as to pre-load the fitting and prevent it from rattling.

Abstract: Machine for salvaging rolls of paper such as printed business forms having pin feed registration holes along at least one edge includes guide rollers for positioning the paper web over a normally retracted splicing board. The free ends of the paper which are to be spliced are separately and selectively engaged by spaced vacuum tables. A pair of pin bars, each containing at least four spaced perforation engaging pins, are mounted on a splicing bar with a dovetail arrangement that permits rapid and accurate alignment with the paper. A hand actuated lever permits the pin bars to be moved vertically into or out of the web path so that a tape splice can be made very quickly.

Abstract: Combination muffler and catalytic converter utilizes an axial flow monolithic catalytic element to treat exhaust gases from an internal combustion engine and partially reduce their sound. A perforated chamber around the catalytic element, a downstream perforated tube, and an upstream flow reversal chamber further reduce the sound. The device incorporates a venturi in the exhaust gas inlet path to add secondary air. Gas swirling and gas flow reversal structure is also provided to thoroughly mix the secondary air with the exhaust gases before the mixture is passed through a flow distribution plate and into contact with the catalytic element.

Abstract: Apparatus for taking liquid samples in a well at any desired level under the surface includes a bullet-nosed tubular body with a weighted lower end and an elongated sampling chamber. The chamber has a circular inlet opening at its upper end which is sealed at its upper surface by a ball-shaped valve member to keep liquid out of the chamber as the body is lowered in the well. The valve member is attached at its upper end to a rod member guided in the body and suspended by a cable. A sharp jerk on the cable when the body is at the desired depth releases a detent holding means between the rod and body and lifts the valve member off its seat so that liquid can enter the chamber. A floating ball in the chamber engages the bottom of the circular opening when the chamber is filled with liquid to seal in the sample and prevent its contamination by liquid at higher levels as the body is raised to the surface.

Abstract: Track fitting for anchoring seats or cargo to a slotted floor track in an aircraft includes a plurality of spaced lobe portions which are adapted to be positioned so as to underlie retaining portions of the track to restrict upward movement of the fitting. Forward movement is restricted by shear pin means positioned so as to engage the track intermediate a pair of lobe portions. In a preferred embodiment, the fitting has four sets of lobes and two shear pins. The lobes are located in alternate pairs on first and second pivoted support plate means which are sandwiched together inside a housing and pivotally mounted fore and aft of the load attachment aperture in the housing so that the lobes and support plates can pivot under load to uniformly distribute the loading over an extended track length.

Abstract: Glass sampling tube for collecting and storing gas samples has tapered ground glass joints at either end of a tubular storage chamber for permitting selective communication between axially extending inlet tube portions on the ends of the device and the storage chamber. The joints are protected against breakage by being entirely within the tubular storage chamber but include manually actuable external handle portions which are positioned integrally with and intermediate the inlet tube portions and the joints.

Abstract: An improved nucleate boiling surface can be obtained on a finned metal heat transfer tube by providing very narrow transverse gaps in its fins. The narrow gaps can be attained by knurling or otherwise deforming a smooth surfaced tube member to notch and partially work harden its surface and then subjecting the knurled portion to a finning operation. The resulting tube has fissure like gaps having a tapered width in the range of 0-0.006 inches in the tip area of the fins which become nucleation sites for boiling enhancement. In a metal working apparatus, by mounting the knurling rolls on the same arbors as the finning disks, a tube can be progressively knurled and then finned in a single pass through the apparatus. If desired, the tube can also be internally ridged as it is being externally finned.

Abstract: Oxygen sensor incorporating a thin film electrolyte such as yttria stabilized zirconia sputtered onto a substrate produces an electrical signal in response to differences in oxygen partial pressures. The electrical signal changes rapidly enough for useful operation at temperatures which are substantially lower than those required by conventional oxygen sensors having a rigid, self-supporting thimble, tubular, or disc type electrolyte. For example, rapidly responding signals have been generated at temperatures below 200.degree. C whereas state of the art devices such as those used for sensing exhaust gases in automotive vehicles require temperatures higher than about 400.degree. C.

Abstract: Oxygen sensor for automotive use incorporates a disc of solid electrolyte material which is mounted in the end of a short ceramic tube so as to be positioned near the end of a metal body member in which the tube is mounted and adjacent to the wall of an exhaust pipe into which the body member is mounted. For improved stability against vibration damage, the ceramic tube has an unsupported length which is less than about 150% of its diameter. Precious metal stripes on the ceramic tube carry the electrical signal generated between the electrodes on the hot electrolyte to relatively cool portions of the body member where they are conducted to external terminals through spring biased contacts. A tubular metal shield, which may enclose a porous ceramic filter, protects the electrolyte from exhaust particles and directs heat from the center of the exhaust pipe to the electrolyte disc.