Abstract: A metal flow system, for use in casting aluminium alloy using a pressure casting machine, is provided by a component of a die or mould assembly, for the machine, which defines a die cavity. The component defines at least part of an alloy flow path for the flow of aluminium alloy from a pressurized source of substantially molten aluminium alloy of the machine to the die cavity. The flow path includes at least one runner and a controlled expansion port, referred to also as a CEP, which has an inlet through which the CEP is able to receive aluminium alloy from the runner and an outlet through which aluminium alloy is able to flow from the CEP for filling the die cavity.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for applying liquid coating to pellets in a flowing feed stream are provided. An incoming bulk material feed is conditioned to produce a ribbon-like agglomerated flow pattern, and the bulk material is passed through a first spray section which coats an exposed surface of the pellets flowing therethrough. The flow direction is reversed in a second spray station, which operates to expose an opposite surface of the pellets, such that the second spray section coats substantially the remainder of the outer surface of the pellets.

Abstract: An installation system for mounting outdoor lighting wherein there is provided a foundation member in the form of a mildly compressible pipe member which is mounted in the ground, and an adapter which may form an electrical connection box. A light standard can be mounted on the adapter which has a lower portion, at least a portion of the outer surface of the lower section being in the form of a section of a sphere for close reception in an open upper end of the pipe member. The adapter within the pipe member provides adjustment movement in a ball and socket fashion so that regardless of whether the pipe member is not accurately installed in the ground, the adapter can be moved to achieve vertical orientation of the light standard prior to clamping of the pipe member to prevent further relative movement between the standard and its foundation member.

Abstract: A modular backplane having a low-profile bridge module for industrial computers is disclosed. The modular backplane generally comprises a plurality of modular backplane segments and a plurality of bridge modules for connecting the modular backplane segments. Each modular backplane segment includes a front side and a back side, in which the front side has a plurality of slots and the back side has a primary dedicated connector and a secondary dedicated connector. Each bridge module includes a circuit board, a bridging integrated circuit, and a pair of connectors. One of the bridge connectors is engaged with the primary dedicated connector in one of the backplane segments and the other connector is engaged with the secondary dedicated connector in its neighboring segments, and vice versa, such that all the modular backplane segments are communicatively connected with another. The modular bridge is of a low-profile, and the dedicated connectors are provided in an area where no slot is formed.

Abstract: Blending of thermoplastic polyester with fiber-forming polyamide in the production of melt-colored melt-spun fibers results in improved color strength and aesthetics, and dimensional stability.

Abstract: A gas injection lance and an apparatus employing the lance for producing ferrous metal are provided. The lance has an elongated flow duct made of inner and outer concentric carbon steel tubes, a cooling water supply and return, and exterior surface which is designed to hold a frozen layer of slag on the duct, a gas inlet at a rear end of the duct, a tip joining the concentric tubes at the forward end of the duct, a non-metallic or refractory lining for the duct, and swirl-imparting member or members located in the duct for imparting swirl in the gas flow through the forward end of the duct.

Abstract: The invention relates to a cored wire for introducing additives into a molten metal bath comprising a metallic sheath (5) containing an additive (6), which metallic sheath is covered by a wrapping (7) which, being combustible without leaving harmful residues, momentarily retards the propagation of heat to the core of the cored wire, this cored wire being characterized in that on top of this combustible wrapping, a protective metallic casing encloses the assembly thus constituted by the additive, the metallic sheath and the combustible wrapping.

Abstract: A method of providing a paint coat of an organic polymeric paint composition on a surface of a moving substrate is provided, which includes establishing a quantity of the paint composition, in a high solids form at a temperature such that it is spreadable, in a hip defined by the substrate surface and a smoothing roll to enable paint from the established quantity to pass through the nip as a paint layer on the substrate surface, wherein the smoothing roll has a surface roughness coefficient (Ra) of no more than 1.5, and wherein the maximum surface speed of the smoothing roll expressed as a percentage of the substrate speed bears a linear relationship to the substrate speed such that the surface speed of the smoothing roll is no more than 1.2 percent of the substrate speed at an exemplary low substrate speed of 15 meters per minute and no more than 12 percent of the substrate speed at an exemplary substrate speed of 150 meters per minute.

Abstract: The invention provides an electrical connection arrangement comprising an electrical conductor track element having at least one connection portion electrically connected to a connection zone of an electrical component, wherein a wall is provided in a vicinity of said connection portion and said connection zone, such that a basin is formed and a molding mass is distributed in said basin. Thereby, the connection portion and the connection zone are protected from external influences such as humidity and temperature.

Abstract: A process for combining singles yarns, of different colors or dyeabilities, to form an apparent twist yarn. The process includes the sequential steps of individually and simultaneously drawing and texturing a plurality of singles yarns; converging the drawn and textured singles yarns through an air jet entangler that simultaneously entangles and tensions the yarn bundle; twisting the singles yarns in the yarn bundle about each other in alternate, or otherwise patterned, S and Z directions.

Abstract: A method of producing a metal-coated steel strip includes the steps of forming a metal coating on a steel strip and conditioning the surface of the metal-coated steel strip by smoothing the surface of the strip. The method is characterised in that the conditioning step produces residual stress of no more than 100 MPa in the strip.

Abstract: New techniques for generating entries in a content addressable memory (CAM) capable of comparison operations such as “greater than” and “less than” decisions are described. The techniques can be used with binary or ternary CAMs. The number of CAM entries needed to implement such decisions is drastically reduced for both binary and ternary CAMs. In the case of binary CAMs, one or multiple searches are needed to perform the comparisons, while in the case of ternary CAMs a tradeoff between the number of CAM entries and the number of searches can be found. As an example, a method of classifying data networking packets is implemented using the new techniques. A packet classifier based on subfields of a packet header is also described.

Abstract: An injection lance (26) for injecting hot gas into a vessel includes an elongate gas flow duct (31) which receives hot gas from a gas inlet structure (32) and an elongate central tubular structure (33) which extends within gas flow duct (31) from its rear end to its forward end. Adjacent the forward end of duct (31), central structure (33) carries a series of flow directing vanes (34) for imparting swirl to the hot gas flow exiting the duct. The wall of duct (31) downstream from gas inlet (32) is internally water cooled by flow of water through annular passages (43,44). The cooling water also flows through the interior of a duct tip (36) at the forward end of duct (31). The front end of central structure (33) which carries the swirl vanes (34) is internally water cooled by cooling water supplied forwardly through a central water flow passage (52) from a water inlet (53) at the rear of the lance through to a nose (35) of the central structure.

Abstract: A method of reducing a metal oxide in a solid state, in an electrolytic cell, is provided, as is an electrolytic cell suitable for performing the method. The cathode of the electrolytic cell is formed at least in part from the metal oxide to be reduced, and the electrolyte includes cations of a metal that is capable of chemically reducing the cathode metal oxide. The method includes operating the cell at a potential that is above the potential at which cations of the reducing metal will deposit as metal on the cathode.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for applying liquid coating to pellets in a flowing feed stream are provided. An incoming bulk material feed is conditioned to produce a ribbon-like agglomerated flow pattern, and the bulk material is passed through a first spray section which coats an exposed surface of the pellets flowing therethrough. The flow direction is reversed in a second spray station, which operates to expose an opposite surface of the pellets, such that the second spray section coats substantially the remainder of the outer surface of the pellets.

Abstract: A tank system and a method for accommodating aquatic life and particularly fish. The tank system comprises a holding tank for holding fluid to sustain aquatic life disposed therein and a filtering means in the form of a biofilter for receiving extraneous fluid from the top of the holding tank at one side thereof separated from the biofilter by a partition. A tank discharge means comprising a longitudinally extending lip surmounts the partition to permit the discharge and passage of extraneous fluid from the top of the holding tank via a prefilter to a filtering area in which the biofilter is disposed. Recirculating means including a network of pipes is provided for recirculating the extraneous fluid passed through biofilter by gravity, from the bottom of the filtering area back to the holding tank via one or pumps and a pair of water inlet lines.

Abstract: A process for combining single color feed yarns, either dyed or melt pigmented, without twisting or heat-setting, to form an apparent space-dyed yarn product. The process includes the sequential steps of individually and simultaneously drawing two or more pre-spun, pre-colored singles yarns, at least one of which is differentially colored with respect to the other yarns; individually and simultaneously texturing the two or more yarns; individually and simultaneously entangling the two or more textured yarns in a first air-jet entangling process to form respective two or more entangle-sequenced yarns each having sequences of entangled and unentangled fibers; together air-jet entangling the two or more sequences of entangled and unentangled fiber yarns in a second air-jet entangling process to form a final apparent space-dyed yarn; and winding up the final apparent space-dyed yarn.

Abstract: Steel strapping and a method of manufacturing steel strapping are disclosed. The steel strapping has the following composition in wt % and a microstructure including a matrix of recovery-annealed cold worked ferrite containing martensite and carbides dispersed through the matrix. C: up to 0.2 Mn: up to 2.0 Si: 0.2-0.4 Ti: 0.025-0.045 V: 0.05-0.07 Cr: up to 0.25 Ni: up to 0.30 Mo: up to 0.10 N: up to 0.005 Cu: up to 0.20 Al: up to 0.08 Nb: up to 0.005 P: up to 0.035 S: up to 0.020 Balance  iron and incidental impurities.

Abstract: A precision drill sharpener and grinding wheel assembly is provided, as is a corresponding drill chuck for use with the drill sharpener, in which the drill sharpener includes a lever and spring clip alignment subassembly for properly positioning a drill in the drill chuck, and sharpening ports for sharpening the drill and splitting the drill tip, the sharpening ports being positioned such that a single grinding wheel assembly is used to both sharpen the drill and split the tip. The drill sharpener uses a small diameter grinding wheel operated at high speed to provide cutting rates comparable to large industrial sharpeners. The drill chuck is of short length, relative to most of the drills to be sharpened, and is open at the back end, enabling the manipulation of the drill by its shank relative to the drill chuck when disposed in the alignment subassembly.

Abstract: A meteorological information system useable by aircraft pilots and others. A receiver-calculator unit receives raw meteorological data and site-specific physical data from a ground-based weather station having a signal transmitter for broadcasting signals conveying data about weather conditions at the station. The transmitted raw data signals are received by the receiver-calculator unit in the aircraft. The receiver-calculator unit may feature an input with which the operator inputs information about the physical character, such as the heading, of the runway of interest. The receiver-calculator unit processes both received raw weather data and received site-specific physical data, and/or operator-input data, to derive additional meteorological information. The raw and derived weather conditions information is displayed by the unit to be available to the aircraft pilot during landing or take-off maneuvers.