Abstract: A system for treating oilseeds prior to solvent extraction in which the oilseeds are treated in a microwave dryer to raise their temperature to 140.degree. F., passed hot through two-high rolls to crack the hulls and beans, the hulls are removed in an air sorter while at 140.degree. F., and while still heated, the beans are sent to a flaking roll. The stream from the process to the solvent extractor has less than 5% fines.

Abstract: A hitch assembly for coupling a trailer to a tow vehicle includes a mounting member positioned firmly at the rear of the tow vehicle, another mounting member connected to the tongue of the trailer such that it will not turn relative to the trailer about a vertical axis, and a pair of short connecting links which extend between the two mounting members and are pivotally connected to each. The connecting links are of equal length and converge forwardly. This has the effect of placing the effective pivot point for the trailer ahead of the actual hitch assembly, which in turn enhances the stability of the combination tow vehicle and trailer, rendering it less susceptible to swaying or fishtailing in the presence of side winds.

Abstract: A rotary shredding apparatus having in combination counterrotating cutter supporting shafts operated by a reversible fluid pressure driven motor, and a fluid flow circuit connected to the reversible motor and including a pump supplied source of fluid at a predetermined nominal operating flow rate, a fluid pressure responsive relief valve operative for fluid flow exceeding said predetermined nominal operating flow rate to return fluid to the source, and a fluid flow directing valve connected in fluid flow relation between said relief valve and said fluid driven motor, and control connected to said fluid flow directing valve means; a fluid flow rate detecting sensor disposed in said hydraulic fluid flow circuit between said fluid flow directing valve and said pressure responsive relief valve, whereby upon the fluid flow rate detecting sensing fluid flow reduction at from about 5% to 10% of said predetermined nominal operating flow rate in said fluid flow circuit said fluid flow detecting sensor energizes said c

Abstract: A powder metal composite made up of first and second powder metal bodies assembled in a mold cavity with the bodies separated by a divider ring and with the bodies being in concentric relationship such that the assembled bodies and divider ring can be simultaneously compacted and subsequently simultaneously sintered to form the desired composite metal article. In practicing the method of forming a composite metal article one of the bodies may be selected from a base powder metal and the other body may be selected from a high performance alloy powder metal, and the divider ring may be selected from a low melting point metal such as copper that will dissolve itself into the powders during sintering and enhance mechanical properties of the sintered compact article.

Abstract: A shredding machine has a housing provided with an upwardly presented inlet, and in addition a rotor which revolves within the housing over an arcuate grate which is also in the housing. The rotor includes hammers, the tips of which describe a hammer circle that passes close to the arcuate grate. The hammers generate considerable windage as the rotor revolves, and to prevent this windage from being directed upwardly out of the inlet and thereby interfering with the flow of lightweight feed materials into and through the inlet, a deflector is mounted in the housing over the hammer circle, generally along that portion of the hammer circle that leads up to the top of the circle. The deflector directs the windage generally laterally across the inlet instead of upwardly out of it, and indeed causes much of the air to be drawn around and to a large measure discharged through the grate. As a result even light weight feed materials fall easily into the hammers.

Abstract: A cushion is composed of strips formed from resilient foam material, and these strips provide a displaceable surface which, when deformed, exerts a restoring force that is generally constant irrespective of the extent of the deformation. Thus, the cushion will apply a generally uniform supporting pressure against an irregularly contoured body that is supported on it. Each strip is composed of a succession of arch-like segments. Moreover, the strips are arranged side-by-side with the arch-like segments of any strip being offset from the arch-like segments of the strips adjacent to it.

Abstract: A concrete slab which has settled is stabilized and may even be lifted by forcing a pier through the slab and into the underlying soil and then attaching the pier at its upper end to the slab. To this end a vertical hole is drilled through the slab as is a smaller oblique hole, with the latter intersecting and passing through the former. Then a jacking unit is attached to the upper surface of the slab around the vertical hole. The jacking unit forces a succession pier sections through the vertical hole and into the underlying soil, with these sections being fitted together end-to-end to form a pier. In time significant resistance is encountered, and at this point, while the jacking unit exerts a downwardly directed force on the pier and an upwardly directed counterforce on the slab, a hole is drilled through the portion of the pier that is within the slab, this being done by using the oblique hole in the slab as a guide for the drill bit.

Abstract: A foundation is stabilized with a pier that extends downwardly from the foundation into the underlying surface material and at its lower end preferably bears against bedrock. At its upper end the pier is attached to the foundation through a bracket having a sleeve and a rod directed generally radially from the sleeve. To drive the pier, a hole is first drilled into the foundation wall, and the rod of the bracket is inserted into the hole, so that the sleeve lies along the wall. A jacking apparatus is fitted to the bracket, and it includes a lift member that actually engages the sleeve and a hydraulic cylinder that is located above the lift member and sleeve. The pier comprises sections which are fitted individually into the sleeve and are driven downwardly with the cylinder, with all but the first section being coupled to the section immediately below it.

Abstract: A cushion has a base and a plurality of flexible hollow cells attached to the base and projected outwardly from it. The cells may be arranged in zones, with the interiors of the cells for each zone being in communication, yet isolated from the interiors of the cells for the other zones. The cells are inflated slightly to support a load applied to the cushion, and when the cushion is so loaded, the cells of each zone are at the same pressure, so that the supporting force exerted by each cell of a particular zone against the load is essentially the same. The cells may be of varying length to contour the surface formed by the ends of the cells, giving that surface, for example, a wedge-shaped configuration or a cradle-like configuration. Some of the cells may be separated more than others to provide the cushion with a cavity where no support is provided, and the cavity may extend through the base.

Abstract: A dip mold for forming a part from plastisol which part has an integral internal member. The dip mold has an internal cavity in its free end to form said internal member and the cavity is vented by a lateral passage to the outside face of the mold to allow air in the cavity to escape and the internal molded part to be formed.

Abstract: A precision tunnel pasteurization process in which the spray density is at least 6 gal./min./ft..sup.2 of processing area and the spray is uniformly distributed over the processing area of the pasteurizer is disclosed, whereby the spray water heats the beer to 140.degree. F.-143.degree. F. and then cools the beer to 70.degree. F.-85.degree. F. The spray nozzles are positioned on staggered centers having 9-12" longitudinal spacing and 6" transverse spacing with 3" spacing from side walls and the nozzle bore is 3/8". The nozzle pressure is about 5 psig to 6 psig and the spray nozzles are the type which are the least likely to become clogged.

Abstract: The present disclosure involves the filling of beer into containers with a minimum of air/oxygen pickup by forming a layer of displacement gas (normally CO.sub.2) in the bottom of the container, discharging beer into the displacement gas adjacent to the bottom and maintaining the layer of displacement gas above the beer as the beer level rises in the container to push the air out of the top of the container through a vent valve or vent restriction and closing the container with little or no foaming of the beer to drive the air out of the headspace above the beer.

Abstract: A ventricular assist device to be inserted through the pericardial sac for receiving a human heart in aligned position relative to the anterior interventricular line of the anterior descending coronary artery between the right and left ventricular surfaces, the device has a shell of a flexible and substantially inelastic form forming the visible surface of the device, an inner elastic membrane presenting to the ventricular heart surfaces a flexible surface for actuating the ventricular surfaces in a normal cardiac cycle, an opening in the shell to permit placement of the device around the heart with the inner elastic membrane presented to the ventricular surfaces, and provision for securing the shell to the pericardial sac in a desired position.

Abstract: Segments of a clad pressure vessel are welded together along seams at which the cladding is removed to expose a steel backing, so that initially a groove opens out of the cladding toward the interior of the vessel at each seam. Batten strips cover the grooves, and each of those strips has a depressed center portion which fits into the groove for that strip to center the strip along its groove. The batten strip also has flanges which extend outwardly from the depressed portion to overlie the cladding, to which they are welded along their edges. Cover plates are welded over the ends of batten strips. Thus, the cladding, the batten strips and the cover plates totally isolate the steel backing of the pressure vessel from the interior of the vessel, so that the contents of the vessel will not corrode the backing.

Abstract: A head restraint for use on the backrest of a seat for an automotive vehicle has a post that fits into the backrest and a bracket attached firmly to the upper end of the post. The bracket at its ends carries trunnions, each of which is encircled by a split bushing having radially directed lugs that are separated at the split in the bushing. The bushings, which are otherwise generally cylindrical, fit into arcuate seats on end members, and the end members are in turn attached to and rigidify a metal can or core that forms part of a cushion that is located behind the head of the occupant of the seat. The cushion pivots forwardly and rearwardly on the trunnions between a generally upright position, where is serves merely as a head restraint, and a forwardly inclined position, where it may be used as a head rest. Each end member also has a clamp provided with clamping elements which bear against the sides of the lugs for the bushing in that end member.

Abstract: A roller for supporting the rotating drum of a clothes drier or similar appliance includes a hub which is molded from a suitable polymer and a rubber tire which fits around and is interlocked with the hub. The tire is of uniform cross-sectional configuration and is stressed so that it remains in intimate contact with the hub rim, even after substantial use. To manufacture the roller, the tire, which is molded in a separate operation, is placed in a mold cavity that is configured to seal against the side walls of the tire and yet permit the tire to expand radially, maintaining the seals along the tire side walls throughout the expansion. Once the mold is closed, a polymer in a plastic state is injected into the region of the cavity surrounded by the tire, there being enough polymer forced into the mold to expand the tire radially against an outer surface of the cavity.

Abstract: A box knife has a handle and a blade that is carried in the handle such that a segment of the blade projects beyond one end of the handle. In addition, the handle has two guards which are hinged to it remote from the cutting edge of the blade, and these guards are capable of moving between an extended position and retracted positions, yet are spring biased to the extended position so they assume that position when the knife is not in use. When in the extended position, the guards lie to the sides of the blade to shield it and the cutting edge on it, but when the guards are in their retracted position the blade is exposed. Moreover, the guards have curved leading and lower edges so that when the knife is brought against sheet material that is to be slit, the guards merely roll along that surface of that material and allow the blade to penetrate the material.

Abstract: A rotary disc screen composed of a bed of rotary discs in spaced relation and formed in the periphery with undulating surfaces for constantly agitating the waste material to be screened, and having a controllable drive system for the rotary discs subject to control sensor which is sensitive to the distribution of the waste material along the length of the rotary screen for adjusting the speed of the discs making up the rotary screen to control the residence time of waste material and maximizing the screening efficiency so that certain classes of components in the waste material are given an opportunity to fall through the spaces between the discs for collection and transport to a separate area from the remainder of the waste material that is moved through the full length of the rotary disc screen.

Abstract: A dual stage dynamic rock stabilizing fixture for insertion in a bore hole in a geologic structure, the fixture combining a dynamic compressible plastic formable material and an activatable bonding material in various cooperating arrangements which upon insertion of an anchor rod will perform an initial stabilization of the rock structure through the compression of the formable material by the anchor rod in advance of a subsequent stabilization effect upon setting up of the activatable bonding material through mixing action of a suitable surface configuration on the anchor rod. The fixtures hereof are designed to carry out the steps of a method of inserting the combined formable material and the bonding material into a bore hole, and using an anchor rod to establish a rapid first stage of rock stabilization through the formable material which creates a dynamic support and a second stage of rock stabilization from the activatable bonding material which creates a high modulus stiff anchor.

Abstract: A machine for arranging signatures in bundles includes a receiving conveyor onto which the signatures are initially directed, and this conveyor moves the signatures in a shingled condition between deflecting surfaces which cause the signatures to simultaneously bow forwardly and rise at their leading edges so as to assume an edge-standing condition. The edge-standing signatures move onto a consolidating conveyor which advances them at a lesser velocity so that they move closer together, and here the signatures are also jogged into marginal registration. At the end of the consolidating conveyor the signatures pass onto an accumulating conveyor which normally advances the signatures at a slightly lesser velocity than the consolidating conveyor, so that the signatures pack together.