Abstract: As in the parent application, a freshly mixed quick-setting sand mix is blown from a blow box into a mold while a plunger moves through the blow box to chase all of the fluidized sand into the mold. Here, the blow box sand cavity is formed by a tube extending downward but leaving an annular gap above the blow plate. The fluidizing air tends to move bottom sand directly through the center exit in the blow plate. With quick setting sand, any residue is blown into a purge pan while the plunger is advanced. With sand that is not quick setting, and without the plunger, nearly all residual sand settles and tends to be the first blown into the mold during the succeeding blow.

Abstract: The gap between the bowl cone and the gyrating cone of a cone crusher, though adjustable by hydraulically lifting the bowl, is safely fixed during crushing by shims for vertical firmness and by a ring of wedge segments binding the side of the bowl. Both are held firm by spring washers, with no need to maintain a hydraulic pressure. For adjustment hydraulic jacks of one set release both shims and wedge, with the correct sequencing for removal of shims. A floater ring is normally pressed by one set of spring washers for clamping the shims. When it is pressed down hydraulically it first releases the shims, but further movement under influence of a small pump presses down the wedge segments, overcoming the spring washers which normally press the wedge segments for wedging. The shims are double shim plates some of which have slots that prevent removal of the right hand end until the left end has been swung free, and the others of which are just the opposite.

Abstract: In foundry core-blowing, a blow box snugly fits a plunger which moves through it during the blowing step. In effect, the plunger pushes all of the fluidized sand mix out of the blow box and into the core box. This solves problems which have long impeded the use of quick setting sand mixes in blowing of cores and the like. With more conventional sand mixes better and more uniform packing of the sand in the mold is believed to be achieved. Two measuring feeders are provided supplying two different sand mixes which are non curing when separate but fast setting when mixed. They are mixed in a rapid mixer, dumped into a charging tube which quickly dumps the mix into a blow box. The plunger moves through the charging tube and then through the blow box, cleaning both and aiding in the blowing of all of the sand mix into the mold or the blow tube leading to it. The tip of the blow tube has an internal lip which breaks off any residue or plug retained within this tube.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for clamping a bar to be sheared, shearing the bar, and transmitting the shearing forces is disclosed. An infeed clamping assembly and moving shear blade assembly are retained within a housing formed from a plurality of retainer plates which are disposed between and connected to a pair of bolsters with keys inserted and interfitted into aligned key cavities in the retainer plates and bolsters. An infeed clamp assembly is provided with an infeed clamp adapted to be pivoted on a support block as the support block and clamp are moved against a bar to accommodate variation in bar cross section along the length of the bar. A rectangular cage having an interior guideway is provided to receive the portion of the bar to be sheared off. A backing clamp is carried by, and slidably movable within, the cage. The backing clamp is wedged against one side of the bar portion to be sheared off until the other side of the bar is engaged by a part of the cage.

Abstract: For progressively breaking-in-place concrete of roadways or the like, a vertically extending diesel power driver, of a type used as a pile driver, but with a concrete-breaking shoe forming its lower end, is advanced by a towed chassis. Guide angles at the upper portion of the power driver, cooperating with a guide bar vertically disposed, guide the power driver in its conventional rythmic bobbing, with sufficient looseness to permit the power driver to have a pendulum like swinging action. This swinging action results from relatively intermittent movement of the bottom portion of the power driver while the top portion is advanced more steadily by the chassis. Shoe-towing means extend forwardly from the shoe to a hanging link which is resiliently biased forwardly to tow the shoe. The biasing is provided by long-throw cushions. The forwardly extending shoe-towing means is flexible, to prevent damage when the shoe is driven deeply.

Abstract: A tower of contact media, having thereon bio-slimes kept wet and active by a recirculating nutrient liquid, and through which gases, such as foul air of a sewage treatment plant, pass for odor removal by biochemical action aided by liquid trickling downward through the media, and which may be conventional in many respects, is provided with:(a) A gas recirculation system, i.e., means for drawing off gas which has passed once upwardly through the media and reintroducing it for passage through the media with raw incoming gases so that on the average the gases have more than one passage through the media,(b) Means for distributing on a layer of the media higher than the usual recirculation of liquid a solution such as hypochlorite for removal of residual odors left or caused by the recirculating liquid, and(c) Successive sections of media of differing coarseness.

Abstract: The use of a lift fork for a boom swinging vertically over 240.degree. is made feasible by hanging the lift fork with freedom to pivot as gravity dictates when the angularity of the boom is changed, with a brake by which the angularity between boom and lift fork can be locked. The brake enables the boom to exert a strong forward thrust on the bottom of the lift fork when this is necessary for thrusting its tines under a load, and has other advantages. Proper positioning of the load on the forks will cause the forks to hang with the tines of the forks nearly level, or slightly tilted back if preferred. Prefably the fork-lift device also hangs conveniently close to this position when empty. Material handling programs which heretofore needed not only a crane operator but a crew for attaching the hoist line to the load and removing it, can be performed by the operator alone if the swinging but lockable lift fork is used with a three-part "reach anywhere" articulated boom on a swinging crane.

Abstract: The drum of a winch suitable for cranes is driven by gearing compactly arranged within the drum, leaving room also for a free fall dog clutch when desired. The gearing is of the compound planetary type which can provide very high ratios with low friction. The low friction yields greater efficiency, and permits retaining the gearing in operation idly during free fall, ready for fail-safe braking using it. A separate brake is provided for stopping free fall, when free fall is provided. The winch motor is preferably of the two unit type, with valving for two speeds. Operation of either manual valve (normal operation or free fall) from its neutral position neutralizes the other. Numerous automatic valves are included in a valving block, providing simplicity of piping.

Abstract: Leading edges of rotor-plates which carry the swing hammers of hammermills are protected from wear by removable caps, each secured by paired pin assemblies, each of which may be shifted axially to permit removal of the cap it normally secures. Each pin assembly includes a pair of tubular pins or pin portions which may be axially abutting one another, each assembly including at least one portion which is short enough to be removed (or moved axially to a position which permits removal of the cap). In the original form of the parent application, each assembly was totally countersunk within the cap, having heads at each end that were countersunk and having in each head the countersunk head or nut of a tie-bolt. In the form preferred at the time of filing this continuation-in-part application, the pair of tubular pivots forming each assembly is held in place by reliable friction resulting from the expanding force of split-spring-tubes forcefully squeezed substantially closed during insertion.

Abstract: The invention relates to cranes or the like in which two hoist lines control a clamshell bucket. If the winch for one line is operated to draw in this line, it closes the clamshell bucket and hoists it. During this hoisting, the winch for the other line must also be operated to pull in the slack. If this other line is reeled in excessively, it will dump the bucket. A system is provided for automatic control of the winch being used for slack-takeup, thus avoiding the need for great care and delicate finesse by an experienced hand on a second control lever. The system puts the slack-takeup winch in hydraulic series or tandem with the discharge from the hoisting winch, but limits the hydraulic pressure supplied to the slack-takeup winch so that it is barely enough to accomplish the takeup of its line, and cannot cause dumping.

Abstract: During passage of an I-beam through a punching press for punching holes vertically through its web, holes are also punched through its flanges by horizontally acting punches of the present invention. Four C-shaped punching heads are provided for the flanges. To permit punching closely adjacent holes, two punches are powered by a single hydraulic cylinder, unless one is deactivated. A joint gauge screw precisely adjusts gauge (the spacing between the two punches), and may be raised or lowered for centering as to web. Before each flange punching operation, the web is pressed firmly against a fixed block level with the web die. The piston of the hydraulic cylinder is of such large diameter that the varying positions of the punches will lie within the projected periphery of the piston rod.

Abstract: Pre-cast concrete beams for supporting a filterbed have deep downwardly extending flanges for providing an underchannel lengthwise of the beam. The beams generally extend across a flume. For backwashing with an air-water mixture, air should be supplied at substantially the same rate to all of the channels. Cross passages between the channels are an aid to this even distribution. Heretofore, special molding procedures for providing the passages or limbers through the beam flanges have increased manufacturing costs. According to the present invention, such passages are provided without extra molding steps and without extra cost by following a delightfully simple concept of merely omitting the end portions of the flanges where beam strength is not required. The end portion projecting beyond the flanges may have a leg across its end to ensure support and aid sealing.

Abstract: A powdered skimmilk additive for improving the flavor, texture and eye appeal of fluid milk products is prepared by a process involving non-dilutive heating skimmilk to about 185.degree. to 190.degree. F, then heating by direct steam injection to about 200.degree. F to 212.degree. F, condensing the heated skimmilk to about 39 to 45% solids, heating the condensed skimmilk by non-dilutive heating to about 175.degree. F, then heating by direct steam injection to at least about 185.degree. F, and spray drying to produce the powdered skimmilk additive.

Abstract: A tank for oil or other hydraulic fluid is kept under a few pounds of air pressure during operation to keep air from being drawn into the fluid and to aid its flow to the pump. The pressure is provided dependably and quickly by a small air pump driven whenever the hydraulic pump is driven. A bleed-off discharge causes prompt dissipation of the pressure on shutdown so as not to cause oil leakage while the associated hydraulic pump is idle. The hydraulic level is below the pump shaft level so there will be no leakage by gravity.