Abstract: An irrigating nozzle has a tubular body having a bore closed at one end and open at its other end for coupling to a source of irrigating fluid. The body has at least one slit in its side wall and such side wall is formed of elastically deformable material which, in response to the presence of a predetermined pressure within the body, deforms and opens the slit to form a passage through which fluid may flow from the nozzle to the area to be irrigated. Upon reduction of the pressure to a value less than the predetermined value the side wall recovers and the passage is sealed automatically.

Abstract: A piston assembly includes a piston head having an open bottom cooling gallery and a pair of pin bosses depending from the head and supporting a wrist pin of a connecting rod. A skirt is coupled to the pin bosses for reciprocation with the piston head. A stationary oil spray nozzle extends into the piston skirt from below and cooperates with an oil splash deflector which, at a lowered position of the piston head, directs the flow of oil onto the pin bosses for direct cooling, and at raised position of the piston head, moves out of the way to allow the cooling oil to enter the cooling gallery and cool the piston head.

Abstract: In an energy guiding chain (1) for guiding cables, hoses and the like between two connection points, with several chain straps which are connected to one another via upper and lower cross-members in detachable fashion and assembled in two parallel strands, and which overlap one another and can be angled, there are alternating chain storage (2) designed as inner straps (3) with inner overlap areas (5) and as outer straps (4) with outer overlap areas (5) in each chain strand. The angling of the chain straps (2) relative to one another is restricted by stops (8, 9, 12, 13) located in the overlap areas (5). The curvature of the chain (1) is defined by the position of the stops (8, 9, 12, 13).

Abstract: A clutch that adjusts the amount of torque transmitted to a transportation roller in a friction roll line shaft conveyor. The clutch includes a driver bevel gear that rotatably mounts on a line shaft of the conveyor and intermeshes with and drives a driven bevel gear that is fixed to a roller shaft of the conveyor. The driver bevel gear and the driven bevel gear couple drive power from the line shaft to the roller shaft. A compression spring is positioned between the driver bevel gear and a first stop collar. A second stop collar is positioned next to the driver bevel gear and opposite the spring. An annular hub supports the driver bevel gear, the spring and the stop collars and is supportable on and rigidly connectable to the conveyor line shaft.

Abstract: A process for making articles from perlite material includes grinding raw perlite to a particle size <200 &mgr;m. The ground perlite is mixed with ground silicon carbide powder and moisture added in an amount to achieve a homogeneous mixture having the property of being thixotropic. The mixture is introduced to a mold and agitated to assume the shape of the mold. The agitation is then halted and the material permitted to stiffen to a solidified green molded structure. The molded structure is then removed from the mold and heated at a temperature and time to react the silicon carbide reacts forming carbon dioxide, which induces a foamed structure to the material, and amorphous silicon oxide which fuses with the perlite. The structure is then cooled to yield a resultant fused, foamed perlite article, which may take the form of a building brick, block or panel structure.

Abstract: A rotary welding apparatus for joining two metallic workpieces together by forming a semi-circular weld at a semi-circular interface formed at mating surfaces of the workpieces. A turntable is rotated by a turntable drive. The turntable supports and indexes three lower tools around a circular path between a load station and a weld station. Each lower tool supports two workpieces to be welded together. A workpiece rotary drive connects to whichever of the lower tools is at the weld station then rotates that lower tool about a workpiece axis. A laser emitter supported adjacent the weld station directs a laser beam at a circular or semi-circular interface between respective mating surfaces of the two workpieces and welds the workpieces together as the workpiece rotary drive rotates them. The laser emitter is supported on a laser emitter mount near the weld station in a position directing a laser beam at the interface of the workpiece mating surfaces.

Abstract: A seal assembly is undersized in relation to the bore in which it is installed to permit radial floating of the seal assembly within the bore to enable precise coaxial alignment between the seal assembly and shaft, despite misalignment between the axis of the shaft and the axis of the bore. A retaining ring urges a face seal of the seal assembly into static sealing engagement with the stepped face of the bore to prevent leakage of the fluid around the seal assembly.

Abstract: An air outlet system of a sphere and socket type. The air outlet system includes a housing, a hollow sphere rotatably mounted therein, and a bearing therebetween; and pluralities of openings in respective predetermined shapes formed in oppositely disposed portions of the hollow sphere for dispersing air supplied thereto from a remote source in respective diffused or straight paths, depending upon the rotational position of the hollow sphere in the housing. An intermediate position of the sphere between the oppositely disposed openings serves to block the flow of air.

Abstract: Apparatus for selectively applying tension to a parking brake cable that includes a pulley for coupling to the cable and having a cable groove that is non-circular about an axis of the pulley. A lever is coupled to the pulley for rotating the pulley in one direction about its axis, and thereby winding the cable into the groove to apply tension to the cable. A clutch is coupled to the pulley to prevent reverse rotation of the pulley, and a release mechanism is coupled to the clutch for releasing the clutch and thereby releasing tension in the cable. The non-circular groove has a maximum radius where the cable is wound into the groove upon initial operation of the lever, and a decreasing radius thereafter. In this way, force is applied to the parking brake cable at maximum rate of change upon initial actuation of the lever, increasing at a lower rate as the lever is further depressed.

Abstract: A method of preparing parbaked food products, such as pizza crust shells, apparatus and dough formulation used therein, and the product produced by the process. The process comprises the steps of providing a dough including flour, sugar and water, and preferably also a leavening agent such as instant yeast. The dough is rounded, first proofed, panned, pressed and second proofed. The prepared dough piece is then steam hydrated under conditions sufficient to cause moisture absorption and a resultant increase in moisture content throughout the dough. Then the hydrated dough piece is immediately sequentially parbaked until gelatinization of the starch is complete. At least one parbaking condition is adjusted selected from the group consisting of initial dough temperature, oven temperature, parbaking time, dough absorption and dough thickness and coordinated with the moisture content condition of the dough upon completion of the steam hydration for thereby delaying external browning of the dough.

Abstract: An automotive framing apparatus with a support frame having a frame roof supported above a generally horizontal support surface. At least four gate assemblies are carried by a carrousel supported on the frame roof for rotational movement around a common vertical axis and form two gate assembly pairs of diametrically-opposed gate assemblies. The gate assemblies of each gate assembly pair are supported for pivotal movement between generally horizontal stowed and generally vertical working positions. A rotary drive selectively positions one gate assembly pair at a time in a framing position from which the two gate assemblies of the selected gate assembly pair can be pivoted by a drive downward to respective diametrically opposed working positions on opposed sides of a vehicle body to be welded.

Abstract: A connector for adjustably mounting a limb of a compound archery bow to a riser of the bow has a connector, a first washer with a sliding surface and a guide surface complementary to and received against the sliding surface and permitting the first washer to pivot in substantially any direction relative to the connector. In assembly, a threaded shank of the connector is received in a threaded blind bore in the riser and a head of the connector traps the first washer against the limb. The connector may be loosened or backed out of the riser to permit adjustment of the orientation of the limb relative to t he riser to thereby adjust the draw weight of the bow. As the orientation of the limb is changed, the orientation of the first washer relative to the connector is likewise changed without changing the orientation of the connector to limit the bending or lateral forces applied to the connector and prevent it from being sheared or otherwise failing.

Abstract: A system for defogging/defrosting an automobile side window, which extends upwardly from an interior panel, in which a window strip extends along an upper edge of the interior panel between the panel and the window. The window strip includes a length of hollow tubing having a flange integrally extending upwardly adjacent to the interior window surface, a plurality of longitudinally spaced openings along an upper surface of the tubing on a side of the flange remote from the window, a fitting at one end of the tubing for connection to a vehicle HVAC system and a cap at the opposing end of the tubing. In the preferred embodiment, the flange tapers narrowingly to an edge in abutment with the window. Air from a vehicle HVAC system fed into the tubing is directed through the openings upwardly along the interior surface of the window for defogging/defrosting the window. The flange in engagement with the window interior surface prevents moisture from flowing downwardly past the window strip.

Abstract: A flash removing apparatus is provided which has a pair of blades driven by an actuator through a linkage assembly, simultaneously and in opposite directions, between a bottle receiving position and a closed position to aid in removing flash from a plastic product disposed on the blades. Preferably, the blades can also be moved to a fully open position to permit a bottle to pass between the blades and increase manufacturing flexibility and efficiency of the apparatus. The linkage assembly has a center link rotatable about a fixed pivot and at least one link arm connected to the center link and operably connected to the actuator to unfold and fold the linkage assembly in response to movement of the actuator between its advanced and retracted positions. The folding and unfolding of the linkage assembly moves the blades between their open and closed positions in cycles to remove flash from consecutive plastic products.

Abstract: A planar carbon segment commutator assembly made by forming an annular conductor substrate with an annular front projection extending integrally and axially from a front surface of the substrate. An annular carbon disk is formed on the conductor substrate by overmolding a carbon compound onto the front surface of the conductor substrate and around the annular front projection. The conductor substrate is mounted on an insulating hub. Electrically isolated, circumferentially-spaced commutator segments and corresponding mechanically interlocked conductor sections are formed by making radial cuts through the annular carbon disk and the metal substrate, respectively. According to one embodiment, each of the front projections has a greater cross-sectional area at a distal end than at a base end to mechanically lock the commutator segments onto the conductor sections.

Abstract: The piston sleeve has a radial positioning surface adjacent to the top surface and an axial positioning surface separated from radially positioning surface by a coolant contact surface. A piston bore extending the length of the piston sleeve is machined to form a non-cylindrical bore. The sleeve is compressed by applying force to the top surface and to the axial positioning surface. The piston sleeve is also heated to a normal working temperature. The compression force and the force due to thermal expansion deforms the piston sleeve and changes the non-cylindrical bore into a substantially cylindrical bore.

Abstract: A metal gasket for use in sealing between a cylinder head and a block of an engine includes at least one layer formed with at least one opening therethrough and a deformation feature in the form of a sealing bead, stopper, or both surrounding the opening. The gasket layer is fabricated of austemper-hardenable steel formed when in an annealed state and thereafter austempered to harden the layer and relieve residual forming stresses. During austempering, the layer is supported in a porous fixture that retains the layer against movement out of its plane while permitting it to move within its plane. The fixture has coarse expanded metal exoskeleton liner with wire mesh panels. The mesh liners maintain molten salt against the layers which acts as a thermal cushion to discourage warpage.

Abstract: A cover element and clamping ring are mountable on and sealable to close a tubular portion surrounding an access opening in a wall portion of a container of a fuel tank assembly for a motor vehicle. The tubular portion is contiguous with and projects outward from the wall portion, defines the opening in the wall portion, and has a contoured bead which projects radially outward from the projected end of the tubular portion. The cover element is demountably situated on the projected end of the tubular portion and is thereby removably situated over the opening in the container. A sealing ring is removably disposed between the cover element and the tubular portion of the container. The clamping ring is removably snapped onto the contoured bead of the tubular portion of the container.

Abstract: A method for the manufacture of a cylinder liner for combustion engines and a cylinder liner which can be manufactured by the method according to the invention are disclosed. The method comprises a thermal spray-deposition, such as by an arc spray-deposition process, of a wearing layer on a supporting body and a spray-deposition of a protective or connecting layer on the wearing layer. The wearing layer comprises a hypereutectic aluminum-silicon alloy and the protective or connecting layer comprises a hypoeutectic aluminum-silicon alloy. A melt retarder of iron, for example, may be interposed between these two layers. The melt retarder comprises a higher melting temperature than the two aluminum-silicon alloys, thereby preventing the wearing layer from partially melting when the cylinder liner is cast into a cylinder bore.