Abstract: A highwall mining system of the type wherein multiple conveyor cars are connected together to form a conveyor train which extends into a seam being mined by a mechanical miner located at the inner end of the conveyor train is capable of effective operation in steep dip seams, e.g. up to about 30°, and is constructed so that it can be quickly disassembled, moved, and reassembled and put into operation with minimal downtime.

Abstract: Smooth interior walls for steel boxcars are provided by an improved fabrication technique. The boxcar side wall is constructed using a horizontal offset seam joined by welding. There are no vertical butt welds in the side assembly, which butt welds and the reinforcements associated with such welds have traditionally caused damage to sensitive cargo like newsprint rolls.

Abstract: The Texas gate includes a base frame adapted to be set into a roadway and a deck assembly secured to said base frame. The deck assembly includes a series of spaced parallel elongated deck members arranged in groups. First and second groups of said deck members are fixed to said base frame in spaced apart flanking relation to a central region of the gate assembly. At least one further group of deck members is pivotally mounted for movement from a lowered position overlying said central region and supported on said base frame in co-planar relation to said first and second groups of deck members to a raised position providing access to an area beneath said central region of the gate assembly to facilitate removal of debris and/or to provide a barrier to road traffic.

Abstract: There is provided a wire line core drilling apparatus including an elongated assembly which is hydraulically propelled along the interior of a drill string to a desired location adjacent the bit end of the drill string under the influence of a moving pressurized liquid within the drill string, characterized in that said elongated assembly is provided with an annular cup seal having a flexible annular lip thereon which expands radially outwardly under the influence of liquid pressure thereon to substantially prevent by-pass of the pressurized liquid between the elongated assembly and the interior wall of the drill string and which annular lip is capable of expanding and contracting as said assembly moves along the drill string interior to accommodate reasonable fluctuations in drill string interior diameter which may be encountered.

Abstract: Selected objects such as scallops, are automatically secured in spaced apart bottom-to-bottom relation to elongated strips for subsequent suspension in sea water for a final grow-out period. Linear arrays of these objects, to which adhesive has been applied, are brought into bottom-to-bottom contact with the strip and held there until bonds have formed, following which the strip with attached objects is released from the machine and the procedure is thereafter automatically repeated.

Abstract: This invention relates to flow pulsing methods and apparatus for various applications including downhole drilling equipment and in particular to an improved flow pulsing method and apparatus of this type to be connected in a drill string above a drill bit with a view to securing improvements in the drilling process.

Abstract: A process and apparatus by means of which the premier vapor cycle, known as the Carnot cycle, can be approximated in practice, involve the application of novel energy-efficient, mixed phase, high volume-ratio fluid-handling machinery to a single-component working fluid that exists during certain processes as a mixture of fine droplets of saturated liquid in saturated vapor. This combination of fluid-handling machinery and the saturated mixed-phase working fluid enables the approximation of isentropic saturated liquid/vapor expansion and compression. These process approximations, in addition to isothermal heat addition and rejection, enable Carnot heat engine, refrigeration and heat pump cycles to be approximated.

Abstract: This invention relates to flow pulsing methods and apparatus for various applications including downhole drilling equipment and in particular to an improved flow pulsing method and apparatus of this type to be connected in a drill string above a drill bit with a view to securing improvements in the drilling process.

Abstract: Flow pulsing apparatus is adapted to be connected in a drill string above a drill bit. The apparatus includes a housing providing a passage for a flow of drilling fluid toward the bit. A valve which oscillates in the axial direction of the drill string periodically restricts the flow through the passage to create pulsations in the flow and a cyclical water hammer effect thereby to vibrate the housing and the drill bit during use. Drill bit induced longitudinal vibrations in the drill string can be used to generate the oscillation of the valve along the axis of the drill string to effect the periodic restriction of the flow or, in another form of the invention, a special valve and spring arrangement is used to help produce the desired oscillating action and the desired flow pulsing action.

Abstract: An accelerometer-based direction finding and ranging transducer such as a hydrophone uses piezoelectric ceramic as the active material. Orthogonally arranged accelerometers share an inertial mass and resonance control system and the accelerometers together with a pressure hydrophone and electronics are all housed within one pressure vessel.

Abstract: A valve maintenance process is described that allows for the inspection and testing of valve stem packing and back-seat leakage. The process uses the characteristics of incompressible fluid flow to check the integrity of the valve back-seat, to allow the controlled removal of the complete packing set and to confirm the newly installed packing set is not leaking. The process is designed to reduced down-time and to improve the engineering quality of valve repair.