Abstract: A lead-free multilayer material for plain bearings and a process for the production of corresponding bearing shells for improved emergency running and mechanical load-carrying capacity characteristics. The multilayer bearing material comprises a lead-free copper alloy having a copper content ranging from 50 to 95 wt. %, and an overlay formed of a lead-free tin and copper having a tin content ranging from 70 to 97 wt. % and a copper content ranging from 3 to 20 wt. %.

Abstract: A convertible hand truck is fitted with a beverage carrier tray when its in four-wheeled condition to support a plurality of bulk water containers. The tray may be detachable from the hand truck to facilitate usage of the hand truck for other purposes when not transporting the containers. The hand truck and/or tray is preferably fitted with upright end supports to provide stability to the stack of containers at the opposite ends of the stack. The end supports may be folded generally flush with the tray when not in use for compact storage.

Abstract: A workpiece transfer apparatus with a shuttle underlying workpieces received on workstations which is raised and lowered by a lifting mechanism disposed above the workpieces. The shuttle has a support rail and an indexing rail operably connected to a drive for advancing and retracting the indexing rail relative to the workstations. To transfer one or more workpieces from their current workstations to respective subsequent workstations, the shuttle is raised by the overhead lifting mechanism to engage the workpieces from underneath and raise the workpieces from their current workstations. The indexing rail is advanced to position the workpieces above respective subsequent workstations and the shuttle is lowered to place the workpieces on these subsequent workstations. Subsequently, the indexing rail is retracted to its starting position so that the apparatus is ready for the next transfer cycle.

Abstract: A series of transport carts are positioned in side by side relation in fore and aft extending spaced apart rows disposed along a delivery van to leave an aisle between them. The carts have wheel supported upright frames with bottom supports for the products disposed at a level above the floor of the van and open fronts with front decks movable from a stowed retracted position to a generally horizontal operative position adjacent the bottom supports. The decks are movable into generally abutting relation to form a raised false floor between the rows of carts on which hand trucks can travel.

Abstract: An electro-hydraulic power steering system comprising an elongated vehicle steering linkage rack with a rotatable steering gear in mesh with rack teeth and extending within an elongated power assist cylinder of a rack housing. A rack piston separates the power assist cylinder into first and second power assist working chambers filled with hydraulic fluid. An electric/hydrostatic steering assist module includes a hydraulic actuator cylinder with a linear drive screw extending lengthwise therein and journalled for bi-directional rotation and against axial displacement. An actuator piston is reciprocable but non-rotatable within the actuator cylinder and separates it into first and second hydraulic fluid filled actuating chambers. The drive screw is threadedly engaged with the actuator piston to produce bi-directional linear movement thereof as rotationally bi-directionally driven by a servo motor carried on the module.

Abstract: An air cooled internal combustion engine has the usual intake radiator housing in front of its suction fan. A generally frustoconical body is mounted for rotation in front of the radiator. The body is made up of radially extending deflector fins extending outwardly in convergent relationship and spaced uniformly peripherally apart to provide elongate air entrance slits between them. Mechanism drives the body in rotation at a speed to deflect particles seeking to enter the slits without materially decreasing the rate of air flow created by the suction fan.

Abstract: A stem valve stopper that has a shell (1) intended to be mounted to a faucet (K). An operating stem (8) is mounted for rotation but is axially fixed in the stopper shell (1) and has a lower end that acts as a valve seat surface (12). The stem 8 has an interior section (7) that is threadably engaged with a mobile fitting (6) that is mounted in the shell so that it can be moved axially but cannot be turned or rotated inside the stopper shell. The mobile fitting (6) has an annular lower end surrounding a valve seat (12). A valve sealing member (17) made from elastomeric material is mounted in the lower end of stopper shell (1) and is spring biased downstream toward the valve seat (12). The mobile fitting (6) can be operated to push the sealing member (17) upstream away from valve seat surface (12) and provide flow about the valve seat (12).

Abstract: An inductive ignition circuit (10) especially adapted for use with micro-turbine and other small-sized turbine engines such as are used in electric generators. The inductive ignition circuit (10) includes a flyback transformer (14), a drive circuit (16) for energizing the primary (22) of the transformer (14), and a control circuit (18) that temporarily disables the drive circuit (16) once the transformer primary (22) has been sufficiently energized. The drive circuit includes a switching transistor (20) which is biased on to draw current through the primary (22). The control circuit (18) includes two feedback circuits (42,44), one of which initiates disabling of the transistor (20) to cause the transformer flyback and the second of which sets the spark rate. The first feedback circuit (42) monitors the primary current and disables the transistor (20) once the current exceeds a pre-selected level.

Abstract: An inductively driven gas discharge lamp assembly (40) includes an electrodeless lamp (42), an inductive drive coil (44) disposed about the lamp, and a shield (10) disposed over an end portion (50) of the lamp. The shield (10) has a number of turns (12) of electrically conductive material, such as wire, with each of the turns being disposed generally coaxially about the central, longitudinal axis (20) of the drive coil (44). The turns (12) together form a continuous spiral helix and are shorted together via a number of electrical conductors (14) that are angularly disposed about the axis (20). These electrical conductors (14) extend generally perpendicularly to the turns (12) and are connected to the ground node (26) of a d.c. to a.c. inverter circuit 46 that is used to drive coil 44. This arrangement provides good r.f.

Abstract: A container for bulk material such as siding panels has a plurality of upright posts mounted in stanchions along opposite sides of a base. Tubular cells extend lengthwise of the base between the posts. Cross rods are supported by the posts. The cells are suspended from the cross rods by hanger straps. The posts are pivoted to the stanchions so that the posts may be collapsed to horizontal positions. The cells when empty are also collapsible.

Abstract: For a hydraulically actuated device a hydraulic power cylinder with an actuator slidably received for reciprocation within the cylinder and a piston slidably received for reciprocation within a sleeve of the actuator and defining a gas chamber on one side of the piston and a hydraulic fluid chamber on the other side of the piston so that the maximum pressure in the hydraulic fluid chamber is limited as a function of the force of compressed gas in the gas chamber acting on the piston. In this way, the maximum system pressure is a function of and substantially corresponds to the pressure of the compressed gas within the gas chamber and acting on the piston. Desirably, the pressure of the compressed gas in the gas chamber can be readily changed to change the maximum hydraulic fluid pressure.

Abstract: A carburetor for an internal combustion engine with an accelerator fuel pump in the carburetor having a piston actuated by a cam on a throttle valve shaft and a ball between them. The axis of a pump chamber in which the piston is slidably received is offset from and eccentric to the axis of rotation of the throttle shaft so that little fuel is supplied to the operating engine by the accelerator pump as the shaft is rotated to move the throttle valve from its idle position to an intermediate position and most of the fuel supplied by the accelerator pump to the engine is delivered as the shaft is rotated to move the throttle valve from the intermediate position to its wide open throttle position.

Abstract: A burner fed with a flow of an air-fuel mixture, has a venturi tube arranged at the inside of a tubular burner body provided with through apertures through which said flow passes. The venturi tube is supported and centered in the body at one of its ends. Additional support and centering means of said venturi tube are provided at the inside of said tubular body. The additional support and centering means are provided with control means controlling the distribution of said flow of said air-fuel mixture.

Abstract: A magnetic fanner for providing a gap between stacked, magnetically permeable sheets has a housing formed of non-magnetically permeable material defining a sealed chamber within which a piston is reciprocable between a first position in which magnets carried by the piston are adjacent the stacked sheets to another position in which the magnets are remote from the stacked sheets. The piston is movable in response to the presence of unequal fluid pressures in the housing on opposite sides of the piston and pressurized fluid may be delivered to a selected side of the piston in controlled relation to the exhaust of pressure fluid from the opposite side of the piston. Pressure fluid delivery and exhaust is obtained via passages in rods which span the housing chamber and guide the piston during its movements.

Abstract: A workpiece holder for a press tool has a mounting ring which carries a circular retainer ring for frictionally engaging the inside of the workpiece and has a non-planar or curved end face engaged with a complimentary shaped end face of a body of the pressing tool to permit relative angular movement between the mounting ring and pressing tool body. This permits the axis of the mounting ring and hence, the axis of the workpiece carried by the mounting ring, to be angularly inclined relative to the axis of the pressing tool body to permit substantially coaxial insertion of the workpiece into a bore of a body even when the axis of the pressing tool body is angularly offset or skewed relative to the axis of the bore.

Abstract: A method for producing flanged bearings is described in which the blank (10) is punched out, forming at least two extension and holding portions (9, 9′), by means of which the blank (10) remains connected with the strip or the neighbouring blank during shaping. The flanged bearing is separated from the extension and holding portions (9, 9′) once shaping is complete. A device for shaping blanks is also described, which comprises a die and a die barrel, as well as on each side a slide displaceable for the purpose of forming the flange.

Abstract: A bearing bush that can be installed without any auxiliary components and ensures a secure fit has a backing which comprises at least one layer, an overlay (4), on its inner surface and at least one flange (6, 6a, 6b) in the form of a circumferential closed bead provided at a distance from the bush ends. The bearing bush is suitable, inter alia, for flexible joints and pedal bearing systems. The method of producing such a bush takes as its starting point a prefabricated bearing bush (1), the inner surface of the backing (3) of which is exposed in at least one area (5, 5a, 5b) spaced from the bush ends. An internal mandrel is inserted into the bearing bush (1) and the bearing bush is held around its outer surface, at least one gap (23) being left opposite to the exposed area (5, 5a, 5b). The bearing bush is then compressed in the axial direction, the material is thereby displaced into the gap (23, 23′) to form the flange (6).