Abstract: Both a process and plant are provided for electrolytically coating with a metal layer the casting surface of a roll for twin-roll or single-roll continuous casting of thin metal strip. The casting surface is at least partially immersed in an electrolyte solution containing a salt of the metal to be deposited, so as to face at least one anode. The surface is placed at a cathode and a relative movement is created between the casting surface and the electrolyte solution. Insulating masks are interposed between the anode or anodes and the arrises of the casting surface, the insulating masks preventing a concentration of the lines of current on the arrises and in their vicinity.

Abstract: A method for accurately and economically shaping a zirconia workpiece with a relatively inexpensive silicon carbide grinding wheel is provided. The grinding wheel used in the method preferably utilizes 220 mesh silicon carbide particles bound in a low porosity vitreous matrix. The grinding wheel is then rotated at a sufficient speed to implement a grinding operation, and is engaged against the zirconia workpiece at a diametral feed rate of at least 0.04 mm/sec. The method advantageously removes material from the zirconia workpiece at a high rate of speed with minimal wheel wear, and results in accurate cuts and smooth surface finishes, and also eliminates the need for dressing the wheel prior to the grinding operation.

Abstract: A pulley with a built-in one-way clutch, the type of which has sprags tilting in a direction to wedge between inner and outer rings while being guided on respective riding lands of a cage by pressing of respective leaf springs, is mounted on an alternator shaft of an alternator to which torque of a crank shaft of a vehicle engine rotating together with slight variations in angular velocity is transmitted through a power transmission belt. In the mounting, a tilting force acting on a contact point at which each sprag contacts the corresponding riding land to tilt the sprag in the wedging direction is set larger than a frictional force between the sprag and the riding land acting on the contact point. According to this setting, the sprag can be tilted in the wedging direction regardless of the frictional force between the sprag and the riding land, thereby eliminating a locking failure within the high engine speed range.

Abstract: A coating layer for sheet metal is provided that is comprised of an aluminum-silicon alloy having low emissivity. The coated sheet metal may be used as heat shield material, particularly for heat sources having temperatures greater than 500° C., which sources may be, e.g., the hotter parts of the conduits of automotive exhaust systems. The sheet metal may be sheet steel coated on at least one of its principal surfaces with a layer of a coating comprised of an alloy of silicon in the amount of 7-11 wt. % and aluminum in the amount of 87-93 wt. %. The coated surface of the sheet has a monochromatic emissivity less than 0.15 for all wavelengths in the range of 1.5-15 microns.

Abstract: A vehicle mirror device is provided in which work for wiring a cord, which is used to supply electric power to an internal mechanism within a mirror visor, and workability can be improved. At a mirror stay of the vehicle mirror device, a through hole is formed in a supporting portion and an insertion hole is formed in a mounting portion. The insertion hole is open at an end portion of the mounting portion. A cover which closes the opening portion of the insertion hole is provided. With the stay cover removed, the cord which is used to supply electric power to the internal mechanism within the mirror visor is inserted through the through hole and into the insertion hole from the opening portion thereof. Then, the stay cover is mounted to close the opening portion of the insertion hole. As a result, the cord can be wired from the internal mechanism to an interior of a vehicle while being held by the insertion hole and the through hole.

Abstract: Before mounting to an anchor plate, a holding block is connected by a plurality of connecting portions to a button so as to be formed integrally with the button. A pair of connecting portions among the plurality of connecting portions is comprised of a button-side connecting portion and a holding block-side connecting portion, and the button-side connecting portion and the holding block-side connecting portions are joined together by a minimum sectional area portion which intersects, at an angle of inclination of 45 degrees, a direction in which the button slides. The minimum sectional area portion is made substantially perpendicular to the direction of tensile stress acting during assembly, and therefore, a crack is formed in the minimum sectional area portion along the shortest possible length of the minimum sectional area portion when the above-described pair of connecting portions is broken.

Abstract: A probe is provided for measuring the wear of a wall in a metallurgical vessel. The probe includes at least two electrically conducting elements which extend generally mutually parallel, and a tubular sheath wherein the electrically conducting elements extend interiorly of said sheath, and are mutually insulated via a refractory insulator. The probe is adapted to be implanted in the transverse direction in the wall of a metallurgical vessel with the distal end of each of the two electrically conducting elements being disposed at the interior surface of said wall. A measurement system is connected to the opposite proximal ends of the electrically conducting elements for measuring an electrical characteristic of the circuit formed by said elements that depends on the length of the elements. The probe has a diameter less than 1 mm achieved by stretching after the components have been assembled into an intermediate assembly having a larger cross sectional area than the final cross section.

Abstract: A light-shielding blade material is provided that contributes to increased focal plane shutter speeds. A focal plane shutter has a front blade group and a rear blade group, each being composed of a plurality of light-shielding blades. At least one of these light-shielding blades is made of a Be-Al alloy material containing 40% by weight or more of Be, and has a thickness of 40 to 150 microns. This light-shielding blade is light in weight and high in stiffness, thereby significantly contributing the increased focal plane shutter speeds.

Abstract: A shift lever device enables liquid such as drinking water or the like to be smoothly drained to the outside when liquid is accidently spilled on the device. The shift lever device has a housing that includes a side wall where a drain is formed. In one embodiment, the upper surface of the housing includes a projecting portion in the form of a rib for guiding liquid spilled on the housing to the drain of the side wall. Alternatively, the device includes a liquid guard roof overhanging from an upper edge of an aperture of the side wall of the housing for guiding spilled liquid into the drain. The shift lever device may also include a liquid escaping gap being provided at a bearing potion of the housing by which a slide cover is slidably supported; a liquid receiving gutter for receiving the liquid drained from the liquid escaping portion; and a drainage hole in the side wall of the housing, whereby the drained liquid is guided to a place outside of the interior of the housing.

Abstract: Both a method and apparatus for regulating the position of a camera in a thermographic control and monitoring arrangement is provided for a system for welding together at least two metal plates along a joint plane. The apparatus includes a welding head that generates a high energy-density welding beam, a camera for thermographically monitoring the welding carried out by the welding beam, a movable frame member for supporting the welding head and camera, a fixed light source disposed in a zone that is accessible by the welding beam generated by the welding head, and an adjustment assembly for regulating the position of the camera with respect to the welding head. In the method, the welding beam is moved into a reference position with respect to a point source of light. Next, the frame member is displaced by a specific distance d corresponding to the distance desired between an impact point I of the welding beam and the field of view of the camera on the plate is being welded.

Abstract: An air bag device is structured in such a manner that an air bag can expand entirely and uniformly in a three-dimensional manner from the center thereof in the radial directions and in the forward direction of the air bag device all through the process in which the air bag inflates to unfold. The flat, unfolded air bag is folded from both ends thereof to form an elongated folding body, and the elongated folding body is folded from both longitudinal-directional ends thereof toward the side opposite to that where gas ejecting holes of the inflator are formed in such a manner as to wrap these ends inside, and a pair of roll-shaped folding bodies are thereby formed. Further, a preceding expanding and first folding portion provided to expand first is formed in a space between the pair of roll-shaped folding bodies.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a tail structure of a shield driving machine, and in particular relates to an improvement technique of the tail sealing portion of this type of shield driving machine, in order to eliminate wearing of the tail seal. The tail structure has a first tail seal 12 and a second tail seal 14. The first tail seal 12 is provided with a tail ring 12a, a seal tube 12b and packing 12c, and the tail ring 12a is secured movably in the axial direction of a skin plate 10. The packing 12c is pressure-fitted to segments 11 in line with enlargement of the seal tube 12b and is spaced from the segments 11 in line with reduction of the seal tube 12b. The second tail seal 14 is provided with a seal tube 14a and packing 14b, wherein the packing 14b is pressure-fitted to the segments 11 in line with enlargement of the seal tube 14a and is spaced from the segments 11 in line with reduction of the seal tube 14b.

Abstract: The invention relates to a protective coating for a refractory material member of an ingot mold for continuous casting of metals, especially of steel, which consists of a dispersion of particles in a solvent, said particles including essentially boron nitride and at least one of the following metal oxides: zircon, zirconia, alumina and silica, the boron nitride representing between 20 and 50% by weight of said particles.

Abstract: In a support construction of securing member for securing an occupant restraining webbing applied to a vehicle and adapted for supporting the securing member to a vehicle body through an extension member, an intermediate portion of the extension member is connected to the securing member through connecting means, therewith a forward end portion of the extension member formed in a portal shape is received in a support hole formed on the securing member, and the back portion of the portal shape portion is caused to abut on a peripheral portion of the support hole and a pair of receiving portions are formed on both sides of the portal shape portion.Accordingly, the receiving portions are latched to a peripheral portion of the support hole and a large tension load acting between the securing member and the extension member can surely be sustained in an emergency situation of the vehicle.

Abstract: In a buckle device in which a tongue plate is inserted into a buckle body secured to a vehicle body and is latched to a lock lever disposed in the buckle body, an opening portion of the tongue plate and a pawl of the lock lever are caused to contact with each other at two points spaced in a predetermined distance and a clearance is formed between the opening portion and the pawl in respect of the two points.In an ordinary situation of the vehicle the clearance is kept smooth, and, when a large load acts upon the tongue plate in an emergency situation of the vehicle, the contact portions of the opening portion and the pawl at the two points are deformed, whereby portions of the opening portions and the pawl existing between both the points are caused to contact with each other.Accordingly, the lock lever is capable of being operated with a small force and the tongue plate can be pulled out of the buckle device smoothly.

Abstract: In a webbing tension device adapted for use in a webbing retractor wherein clutch means is provided for putting a webbing takeup shaft and an operation wheel biased by resilient means in a connected situation in an emergency situation of an vehicle and for putting them in a disconnected situation in an ordinary running situation of the vehicle, the clutch means is provided with lever means opposed to a gear wheel fixed to the takeup shaft and the lever means is caused to abut on the operation wheel when the lever means is latched to the gear wheel in the emergency situation of the vehicle, whereby a compression force acting upon the lever means in the emergency situation is supplementally sustained.Accordingly, the lever means is reinforced without using large-sized clutch means.

Abstract: The invention generally relates to an improved flotation apparatus and process for purifying a stream of effluent by forming a separable, buoyant floc out of waste matter suspended in the effluent. The improved process and apparatus utilizes a tank for containing an effluent, a skimming means for skimming the buoyant floc out of the tank, and a floc barrier and current diverting means including an inclined, buoyant top wall which is pivotally mounted on the sides of the flotation tank, and a bottom wall having a top edge which is adjacent to the bottom edge of the top wall. The upper portion of the buoyant top wall prevents floc from straying from the floc accumulation region of the tank over to the outlet region of the tank, while the lower portion of the top wall, working in conjunction with the bottom wall, diverts fluid currents which tend to float floc over to the outlet region of the tank.

Abstract: An apparatus and process for cooling and muffling one or more pieces of exhaust emitting industrial equipment, such as a pair of vacuum pumps, is herein disclosed. The apparatus comprises a water cooling tank, an automatic water level control means for automatically maintaining the water in the tank to between a predetermined maximum and minimum level, and a thermostatically controlled refrigeration coil concentrically disposed within the tank for maintaining the temperature of the tank water to between a pre-selected range. The tank includes one or more muffling units substantially submerged in the water within the tank and pneumatically connected to the exhaust ports of the industrial equipment for muffling the exhaust noise of the equipment.

Abstract: A fishing rod support and warning device comprises an elongated housing, a contact rod resiliently mounted for axial movement within said housing at one end thereof, the outer end of said rod extending from said housing and having support means associated therewith to support a fishing rod. The inner end of the contact rod being adapted, directly or indirectly, to electrically contact a power source upon axial pressure being exerted on the contact rod by the fishing rod to effect closure of an electric circuit comprising said power source and a warning means. Means are associated with said contact rod for altering the degree of resilience of the rod mounting.

Abstract: The invention relates to a tab top can having a self contained drinking straw. The straw includes a resilient bellows structure on its bottom which serves to bias the top end of the straw against the underside of the tab top. A straw guide secured on the interior of the can aligns the top end of the straw with the underside of the tab top. The bellows structure forces the top end of the straw through the drinking slot formed when the tab top is removed from the can.