Abstract: A high-speed bar feeding system for automatically feeding long non-cylindrical (concrete) reinforcing bars wherein the bars are removed from a bundle, placed in a single row on an inclined feed ramp having a multiplicity of support rolls and overhead retaining means adjacent the upper surfaces of the bars, the bars are transferred several at a time from the ramp to a conveyor adjacent the ramp having driven cylindrical rolls and a series of spaced fanning magnets located between the conveyor rolls which position the bars with a predetermined spacing, and the bars are advanced to magnetic drive rolls having several V-grooves to receive the bars and guide them through a cut-off machine to a retractable length gauge. Unique escapement means are employed to lift the bars comprising a series of arms which swing from an inclined retracted position below the conveyor rolls to an inclined raised position wherein the several bars move laterally off the feed ramp by gravity to a position above the conveyor rolls.

Abstract: A coin vault for securing coins, tokens, etc, deposited in a receiving device, such as a fare box. The vault is removable positioned in the fare box and preferably locked therein with a key lock. A spring-loaded inwardly opening door on the top of the vault is unlatched to open when the vault is positioned in the fare box and automatically latched when the vault is removed. A locking lever carrying a latch cooperable with a catch on the door is mounted within the vault and is pivotable between a latching position to lock the door closed, a primary unlatching position, and an intermediate unlatching position. The lever is urged by a spring to its latching position and is held in its primary unlatching position by one detent and in its intermediate unlatching position by a second detent.

Abstract: Apparatus is disclosed for scurbbing contaminants from a gas steam. The apparatus includes a vertically extending cylinrical vessel having an upper gas steam inlet and a lower gas steam outlet. Means are provided for forming an annular venturi gas flow passage fixed within the vessel, and a central opening. A vertically movable plug is supported within the central opening. The plug has a variable cross section and is movable between a position in which the plug closes the central opening and other positions in which portions of the gas stream flow around the plug and through a secondary annular gas flow passage formed within the central opening. A scrubbing liquid supply means is provided above the plug at the center line of the cylindrical vessel. The scrubbing apparatus combines the high efficiency of a fixed-throat venturi scrubber with the compactness, simple construction and low-cost of a plug-type scrubber.

Abstract: There is disclosed an azeotropic distillation process for separating toluene from methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) in a spent liquor mixture. A toluene azeotrope former, preferably methanol, is added to the liquor in an amount sufficient to form an azeotrope with all of the toluene present in the mixture. The methanol is added in an amount of at least about 2.62, typically an excess amount of about 3.4 to about 6.3 parts by weight of methanol per 1.0 part by weight of toluene. The resulting azeotrope of methanol and toluene is then separated by distillation from the MIBK. The methanol may be subsequently recovered from the toluene by extraction with water. Other toluene azeotrope formers may be utilized.

Abstract: A unique scintillation detector unit is disclosed which employs a special light transfer and reflector means that encases and protects the scintillator crystal against high g forces. The light transfer means commprises a flexible silicone rubber optical material bonded between the crystal and the optical window and having an axial thickness sufficient to allow the scintillator to move axially inside the container under high g forces without destroying the bonds. The reflector means comprises a soft elastic silicone rubber sleeve having a multiplicity of closely arranged tapered protrusions radiating toward and engaging the periphery of the scintillator crystal to cushion shocks effectively and having a reflective material, such as aluminum oxide powder, in the spaces between the protrusions. The reflector means provides improved shock absorption because of the uniform support and cushioning action of the protrusions and also provides the detector with high efficiency.

Abstract: Relatively simple modifications of an existing three-deck vulcanizing press make it possible to greatly improve press productivity with a small investment in new equipment. The press is modified by providing a manually or automatically controlled wedge lock assembly including separate power locking means located adjacent the upper and lower platens, respectively, and having releasable wedge means for locking each pair of mold halves together.In a typical cycle for manufacture of rubber articles, each vulcanizing mold is held open for a period of time, such as 30 to 60 seconds, to permit unloading of the vulcanized rubber pieces, cleaning and/or coating of the mold surfaces, and reloading of the mold cavities as required while the other mold is locked in a closed position and heated to continue the curing of the rubber.

Abstract: A stress relief device for a flexible shaft used to connect a rotary drive to a rotary load, wherein the shaft flexes in response to loads that produce bending stresses during shaft rotation. The shaft has a radial flange, or hub, on at least one end for connecting the respective end to another radial flange on either the rotary drive or the rotary load. In order to relieve the joint between the shaft and the hub from the stress concentration that occurs due to flexure of the shaft while being supported in built-in fashion as a cantilever beam, an annular stress relief member is mounted on the shaft inwardly of and tightly secured to the radial flange, or hub.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and apparatus for producing synthetic gas by using a blast furnace as a gasifier. The furnace is charged in a conventional manner with particles of solid carbonaceous material such as normal, low grade or undersized coke together with slag-producing material, such as limestone, silica and/or basic oxygen furnace and/or open hearth furnace slag. Fluent fuel such as pulverized coal mixed with oxygen-containing gas and with lime if desired is injected into pre-ignition chambers near the hearth line of the furnace. The fluent fuel is ignited and partially gasified in the pre-ignition chambers, creating a hot reducing gas that enters the furnace raceway and passes upwardly into and through the body of charge material in the furnace stack. At the resulting high temperatures ash from the fluent fuel liguifies within the system to provide a liquid slag. Under a controlled high temperature reducing atmosphere, the liquid lime removes essentially all sulfur from the product gas.

Abstract: Systems, apparatus and methods are disclosed for disposing of radioactive waste materials by placing them into a container such as a steel drum, together with cement or other solidifying agent and water or other suitable liquid in amount sufficient to provide eventually a solidified mixture of predetermined amounts of cement or other solidifying agent and radioactive material, closing the drum, agitating the mixture in the drum for mixing the contents, and then storing the drum for at least a period of time sufficient to permit partial decay of radioactive materials or to await available time for shipment. Also disclosed are remotely controlled apparatus for handling both empty and filled drums, for placing the drums in and removing drums from enclosed drumming equipment where they have been filled and agitated, for accurately placing the drums containing radioactive material in storage, and for removing the drums from storage and loading them on a vehicle for transportation.

Abstract: Disclosed are checker tiles for regenerative heating stoves, each tile having the general shape of a parallelepiped, the preferred tile being square in plan, having apertures extending through the tiles and having complementary ribs and grooves extending on the ends of the tile between adjacent apertures to interlock the tiles with contiguous end-abutting tiles and prevent substantial lateral movement thereof when the tiles are arranged in stacked overlapping relation.Also disclosed is supporting means for checker tiles providing for low friction and preferential sliding of horizontal contacting surfaces to permit lateral relative movement between the lowermost course of tiles and supporting means that avoids damage to tiles on dimensional changes of the tiles or supporting means due to temperature changes in operation of the stove.

Abstract: A non-cellular polyurethane polishing and finishing wheel is disclosed having a molded annular matrix reinforced at the inner circumference by a circumferential reinforcing means. The radially outer portion of the matrix is free to deform during use and is formed of a flexible elastomeric polyurethane having a no-grain Shore A durometer hardness from about 30 to about 55 and a high tensile strength. Proper distribution of the abrasive refractory grains is achieved by employing a polyurethane prepolymer having a high viscosity of 2000 to 6000 centipoises at the curing temperature, and the curing agent is selected to provide the required flexibility and tensile strength and also to effect curing rapidly so that the abrasive grains remain in position during curing. The polyurethane composition preferably contains up to 100 parts of finely divided abrasive material, 3 to 20 parts of mica, and up to 10 parts of molybdenum disulfide per 100 parts by weight of the polyurethane prepolymer.

Abstract: A reversing-ratchet wrench for use, for example, with various interchangeable socket heads. One end of the wrench serves as a handle and the fulcrum end has an opening that defines internal ratchet teeth and that receives a pawl carrier rotatable about the axis of turn of the wrench. The ratchet teeth are engaged by a double pawl pivotally mounted in a lateral slot cut in the side of the pawl carrier, the pawl being urged to either a forward drive or reverse drive position of engagement with the ratchet teeth by a selector mechanism. The selector mechanism includes a hub received in a central bore in the pawl carrier and a pivotal selector button on the upper end of the hub. The lower end of the hub has a lateral opening that receives a spring-loaded pawl-operating plunger. The plunger has a length greater than the depth of the lateral opening and extends into the slot in the pawl carrier to resiliently engage the double pawl and also to secure the selector mechanism in the pawl carrier.

Abstract: A radiator for dissipating heat transferred from a liquid cooling medium contained therein and that circulates by convection around and absorbs heat energy from an internal heat source. The radiator has a housing that contains the liquid cooling medium and that has two upright end walls and four finned rectangular side walls that define a prism of advantageous aerodynamic form supported with its axis horizontal. The four side walls of the prism intersect in a horizontal plane and a vertical plane, both of which form diagonal planes of the prism. The finned side walls are adapted to transfer heat energy to the surrounding atmosphere and to establish convective flow in paths with minimum flow resistance, that extend upwardly from the intersection of the two lower side walls (i.e., at the nose of the aerodynamic form) at the bottom of the housing and across the entire surface area of the finned side walls to absorb heat energy transmitted to the finned walls by the liquid medium.

Abstract: A radial motor powered by pressurized gas is disclosed as used for starting the internal combustion engine of a portable implement such as a powered chain saw or lawn mower. The motor is designed for economical manufacture and assembly, durability, and economy of gas used. It includes pistons formed of stiff resilient material that in assembly are snapped onto the outer ends of connecting rods and held in place during operation of the motor without the use of retaining rings, pivot pins or screws. The inner ends of these connecting rods are held in sockets in connecting rod mounting means either by the shapes of the sockets or by the resilience of either or both of the connecting rod and mounting means. The motor includes a rotatable valve driven by a free end of the crankshaft to feed gas to the cylinders.

Abstract: A process is disclosed for greatly improving the productivity of three-deck injection and compression and/or transfer molding presses used for making vulcanized rubber articles in which pressures are applied to both the upper and lower sets of vulcanizing molds for only short periods of time and one set of molds is locked together and continues to vulcanize the rubber parts while the other set is held open to permit unloading and reloading.During each cycle each vulcanizing mold is held open for a period of time, such as 30 to 60 seconds, to permit unloading of the vulcanized rubber pieces, cleaning and/or coating of the mold surfaces, and reloading of the mold cavities as required while the other mold is locked in a closed position and heated to continue the curing of the rubber.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of cooling hot agglomerates containing metallic iron resulting from prereduction of iron oxide, by moving ambient atmospheric air rapidly over the agglomerates so that little if any reoxidation of the metallic iron results.Also disclosed is apparatus comprising a gas permeable support movable in a generally horizontal generally circular path and having a feeding station at which hot particulate material is deposited on the support in a bed of substantially uniform thickness in which the particles are at rest relative to each other, discharge means at another station angularly spaced along the path of travel of said support for lifting the particulate material from the support, means for passing cooling gas through the bed of material on the support as the support travels from the feeding to the discharge station, and means for receiving the discharged cooled material.

Abstract: A progressing cavity, positive displacement rotary pump for liquid or semiliquid material, having a specially designed flexible coupling shaft for connecting a drive shaft to an orbital rotor. The pump components include a tubular stator with an interior helical surface and a hollow tubular orbital rotor within the stator operably connected to the shaft and having an exterior helical surface. The rotor and stator define therebetween sealed pumping cavities that advance axially as the rotor rotates and orbits within the stator. The rotor has a tapered socket with a polygonal transverse cross-section (e.g., pyramid-shaped) at its outer end. The rotor is coupled to the rotor drive shaft by the flexible coupling shaft that extends through the hollow rotor and that has an enlarged tapered head formed to fit tightly in the socket and be retained therein by a threaded fastener. The opposite end of the coupling shaft is connected to the drive shaft outside of the rotor.

Abstract: Disclosed are apparatus and method according to which a bell in a charging apparatus comprising a bell and surrounding hopper portion may be removed laterally out of the enclosure in which the bell and hopper are located, by removing a closure from an opening in the side of the enclosure that is aligned with bell and hopper portion, temporarily supporting said bell, disconnecting the bell from its bell rod and the hopper portion from its supporting means, and moving the bell and surrounding hopper portion laterally out of the enclosure. A bell and a mating hopper portion may thereafter be moved laterally into the enclosure into positions in which the bell can be connected to its bell rod and the hopper portion to its supporting means, the temporary supporting means is removed and the enclosure is closed.

Abstract: A tool is disclosed for attaching slotted weights to a fishing line. The tool has a base having a channel and an opening for insertion of the fishing line traversing the channel. An abutment across the channel is located adjacent to the opening. A transfer block is slidably mounted within the channel in the body. The transfer block urges a slotted weight against the abutment to close the slot and attach the weight to the line. Means are provided for moving the transfer block within the channel in the base. The tool also includes a reservoir for storage of a plurality of slotted weights and discharging individual weights into the channel. The reservoir is preferably tubular with a single flat surface for maintaining the weights in proper orientation with a flat orienting surface opposite the slot. The tool also includes a weight removal device attached to be moved with the transfer block, which device opens the slot in the weight and removes the weight from the line.

Abstract: An inflater sealer machine is disclosed which clamps the open upper portions of a flexible container, fills the package with a quantity of gas, and subsequently seals the upper container portions closed. The clamping means of the machine comprises a pair of clamping members capable of moving together to hold the upper portions of the container together. The inflating means includes a tube which extends through the clamping members into the open upper container portions. The sealing means comprises a pair of sealing members adjacent to the clamping members and capable of moving together to seal together the upper portions of the container while the container is inflated. A pneumatic control system, including a "piggy-back" pneumatic cylinder, is also disclosed for controlling the sequential actions of the clamping, inflating, and sealing means.