Abstract: A drawing mold has a contoured mold surface receiving a metal sheet thereon. A tensile drawing machine applies a drawing tension to the sheet edges to deform the sheet onto the mold. Heated pressurized air supplied through air holes in the mold surface forms an air cushion between the sheet and the mold, to heat and support the sheet without friction. A forming method includes: a pre-stressing phase of pre-stressing and pre-bending the sheet at room temperature and atmospheric pressure; a heating phase of heating the sheet with the pressurized air at an elevated temperature and intermediate elevated pressure; a forming phase of maintaining the temperature and increasing the pressure to support the sheet on the air cushion, and drawing the sheet with the tensile drawing machine; and a cooling phase of cooling the sheet without further deformation, with the air at the intermediate pressure and cooled to room temperature.

Abstract: A cable transport apparatus (1) has a first rotational axis (20a, 20c) and a second rotational axis (20b, 20d) that are not in parallel but cross each other with a predetermined angle therebetween. In this way, a V-shaped space is formed between transport belts (40a, 40b). The cable transport apparatus (1) can thus transport a thin cable (100) being in contact with the lower part of the V-shaped space and transport a thick cable (200) being in contact with the upper part thereof. Even if cables to be transported have respective successively increasing diameters, such cables can be transported using the same apparatus. Further, the cables never escape from the cable transport apparatus and can be transported without lowering the transport speed of the cables.

Abstract: A method for rollover detection for automotive vehicles with safety-related devices, such as roll bars, (side) airbags and seat-belt tensioners involves the following steps and features. An angular rate of rotation (&ohgr;x) around the vehicle longitudinal axis is provided by the signal of a gyrosensor, and an initial position angle (&agr;0) identifying the initial position of the vehicle transverse axis is determined from at least one sensor signal. An integral of the angular rate is added to the initial position angle. The absolute value of the resulting sum, which is proportional to the momentary inclination angle relative to the horizontal plane, is then compared to a trigger threshold that is a function of the angular rate and vehicle-specific parameters. A safety-related device is triggered if the absolute value of the resulting sum exceeds the trigger threshold.

Abstract: A circular spreader for spreading tubular textile goods includes a spreader arrangement with an inlet mandrel and an outlet mandrel at opposite ends thereof inside the tubular goods, an inlet support structure arranged around the inlet mandrel outside of the tubular goods with an inlet guide gap therebetween, and an outlet support structure arranged around the outlet mandrel outside of the tubular goods with an outlet guide gap therebetween. The mandrels and the support structures are magnetic, to magnetically repel each other across the guide gaps. The components may be permanent magnets or electromagnets, or have separate discrete magnets provided thereon. The spreader arrangement is supported by magnetic levitation relative to the support structures, without direct contact therebetween. The tubular goods pass through the guide gaps with low friction, no pressing force exerted thereon, and no impairment of the structure or quality thereof.

Abstract: A cutting edge of a cutting tool is made of a polycrystalline hard sintered material containing at lest 20 vol % of CBN. A radius of curvature in cross section of a ridge of the cutting edge is between 5 &mgr;m and 30 &mgr;m. A flank and a rake face or negative land of the cutting tool are smoothly continued from the radius of curvature in cross section. The surface roughness of the ridge of the cutting edge is from 0.1 &mgr;m to 1.0 &mgr;m as an average roughness (Rz) of a ten point system.

Abstract: A spreading roll for spreading out a chip fleece for producing wood chip material or similar panels, includes two disk-shaped end pieces (3, 7), plural thin spokes (6), rods, pipes or cords arranged extending between the end pieces, and pipe-shaped loose sheaths (9, 10, 11, 12, 13) arranged on the spokes or the like for preventing the adhesion of fibrous materials or contaminants on the spokes or the like.

Abstract: An aircraft floor heating panel is constructed for mechanical strength and to meet special heating requirements next to a door in an aircraft. The panel has a lightweight core. Each surface of the core is first covered with at least one carbon-fiber reinforced composite layer for protection against deterioration. Each carbon fiber layer in turn is covered by a glass fiber reinforced composite layer for mechanical strength. A foil heater is arranged inside the composite panel coextensive with at least a portion of the panel area. A heat distributing metal plate covers the panel as an upper step-on surface. A heat insulating layer is bonded to the panel opposite the heat distributing metal plate. A triple heat control is provided for an increased safety against fire hazards.

Abstract: A reclinable seat includes a seat bottom with a seat frame, and a backrest with a backrest frame pivotably connected to the seat bottom to be adjustable to an upright seating configuration and a reclined lying configuration. The seat bottom includes a support arrangement having an adjustable firmness. A firmer support is provided in the upright seating configuration, and a softer support is provided in the reclined lying configuration. In the support arrangement, seat support rods extend across the seat bottom and are pivotably supported on the seat frame. A shaft is connected to the backrest frame. Straps are connected to the shaft and to each of the seat support rods while weaving over and under the rods. When the recline angle of the backrest is adjusted, the shaft rotates and either pulls or slackens the straps to pivot the support rods between a firmer orientation and a softer orientation.

Abstract: A method and apparatus continuously monitor the functional condition of the successive bearings of the tenter clips or claws of a tenter chain as the bearings roll along a contact surface of the endless guide rail of a tentering machine. A sensing arrangement is integrated into the guide rail in the area of the contact surface thereof. The sensing arrangement senses a physical value indicative of the presence and condition of the respective bearing passing by the sensing arrangement. The sensing arrangement may include a pressurized air outlet and an adjacent pressure measuring channel connected to a pressure sensor to sense the back pressure created by a passing bearing. The sensing arrangement may alternatively include an electromagnetic eddy current sensor, or an optoelectronic light beam sensor.

Abstract: An actuating mechanism for effecting the ejection of an electronics card from an electrical connector has a reduced cost, reduced component wear, simple assembly, and compact space-saving structure. The actuating mechanism includes a rotary shaft that engages with or disengages from an ejection mechanism for loading and unloading a card, and exerts an ejection force to the ejection mechanism when the rotary shaft engages with the ejection mechanism. Switching between engagement and disengagement is effected by rotation of this rotary shaft, and the rotation is effected by the interaction of wave-shaped cams provided on the rotary shaft and on an axially slidable pushrod.

Abstract: A person can safely descend from a burning high-rise building or the like using an inflatable flying body that has a hollow conical form in an inflated deployed condition, but is deflated and folded into a backpack form in a stowed condition. The flying body includes an upper stabilizing ring, a lower nose structure with a pneumatic damping body, spoke struts extending conically therebetween, a cover skin covering the abovementioned inflatable components to form the conical outer surface and provide aerodynamic braking drag, and gas generators to inflate the inflatable components. A person straps on the apparatus in the stowed backpack form and pulls a handle to actuate the gas generators for inflating the apparatus, whereby the expanding apparatus ejects the person from the building and then orients itself in a nose-down attitude during the descent. The pneumatic damping body damps and dissipates the landing impact energy.

Abstract: A system for suppressing fire in an enclosed space, e.g. an aircraft cabin or freight compartment, includes nitrogen tanks and/or generators to rapidly supply a limited quantity of nitrogen with-a high flow rate, and a membrane system to supply an essentially unlimited quantity of nitrogen at a lower supply rate for a long duration. The membrane system includes a selectively permeable membrane that separates nitrogen gas from ambient environmental air that is supplied into the membrane system. Once a fire is detected, nitrogen is supplied from the nitrogen gas tanks and/or generators at a high rate to rapidly increase the nitrogen concentration and establish a reduced oxygen concentration (e.g. 12 vol. %) in the enclosed space. Then, nitrogen is supplied from the membrane system at a reduced rate for a long duration to maintain the reduced oxygen concentration in the enclosed space until the fire is extinguished by oxygen starvation.

Abstract: An aircraft passenger cabin window construction is formed by a casing of modular elements that are easily assembled and permit using substantially larger inner window panes compared to the area size of outer window panes thereby avoiding forming a funnel configuration or effect. For this purpose a window sill (8) is provided with lateral upward extensions (8B) and (8C) to provide a U-configuration that is held in place by casing elements (6) and (7). The casing elements (6, 7) may simultaneously form inner cabin wall panels and also reach upwardly with extensions (6A) and (7A) to form a further U-configuration cooperating with the first mentioned U-configuration of the sill (8). The upper open end of the two U-configurations is closed by a casing element (10). An inner window pane is supported or covered by the window sill. A central casing element (9) extending vertically may divide the U-shaped configurations into at least two sections.

Abstract: A passenger chair or a group of passenger chairs, particularly in an aircraft cabin, is equipped with a convenience device that includes an open storage bail which can hold only flat articles but not waste material, and a waste container for holding waste material but not flat articles. The storage bail and waste container form either a mounting unit or retrofit kit or are separate components. In both instances the mounting unit and the separate components are secured to a back facing area of a chair or group of chairs. The separate components are preferably so constructed that individual retrofit kits are provided.

Abstract: When stiffening members, such as stringers and frame members, are welded onto a skin sheet to form an aircraft fuselage shell, a crack originating in the skin sheet tends to propagate through the weld joints into the stiffening members. In order to prevent crack propagation into a stiffening member, the stiffening member is reinforced with a web doubler plate or a tension band made of high strength steel or titanium alloys or fiber-reinforced composites. The doubler plate is riveted or adhesively bonded onto a stiffening member web, or the tension band is crimped into the stiffening member web. The resulting fuselage shell structure has crack stopping properties and thus an increased residual strength, so it can be used with welded joints at all areas of the fuselage shell, including the top and sides as well as the bottom of the fuselage.

Abstract: A method of processing a leadframe involves steps of transporting a leadframe to load it into a lead processing unit including plural sets of processing presses; adjusting a press pitch of the processing presses according to a work pitch of workpieces on the leadframe by rotating a nut member that is coupled to at least one of the processing presses and engaged on a non-rotating screw shaft extending in the transport direction of the leadframe, so that the nut member moves along the screw shaft and the respective processing press coupled thereto moves with the nut member; and performing a predetermined lead processing on the leadframe using the processing presses after the step of adjusting the press pitch.

Abstract: A waterproof connector includes a housing in which a terminal is to be held, having an opening on its terminal insertion side, a sealing member inserted in the opening of the housing, having a sealing part, which is provided on the outer circumference of the sealing member and airtightly contacts the inner surface of the opening, and having a plurality of through holes, each of which allows a terminal to pass through and each of which has a respective inner surface that is able to airtightly contact an electric wire, and covers provided for the respective through holes, a circumferential part of each of the covers being integrally connected over the entire circumference to the circumferential wall of the through hole, and the circumferential part being formed into a thickness that can be broken by human force.

Abstract: A process for reducing the decay and build-up transient times of an intermittently operating oscillating circuit increases the data transmission rate of a transmission unit using such an oscillating circuit. In this process, the current and/or the voltage are held at their maximum values when the excitation voltage for the oscillating circuit is interrupted. This eliminates the decay of the oscillating circuit amplitudes. When the excitation voltage is switched on again, the oscillating circuit continues oscillating at its maximum amplitude without delay. The data transmission rate is increased because the decay or starting times are eliminated.

Abstract: Flat stacked articles 2, such as envelopes or packaging bags, and packaging blanks 5 are supplied to a packaging station 6, toward one another in offset parallel directions 4 and 15. Then, the stack 3 is moved into the packaging station 6 in an intake direction 17 transverse to the original transporting direction 4 of the articles 2 and, in the packaging station 6, is set down in the packaging blank 5. The stack 3 is then packaged in the packaging blank 5 in two processing positions 7, 8 of the packaging station 6, whereupon the packaged stack is discharged from the packaging station 6 in a discharge direction 11 parallel to the intake direction 17 and transverse to the original transporting direction 4 of the articles 2. The next respective packaging blank 5 is fed to the first processing position 7 in the direction 15 over the packaged stack 10 in the second processing position 8.

Abstract: A window for an aircraft door includes an outer pane, an inner pane, and a Fresnel lens element provided in the interspace formed between the inner and outer panes. The Fresnel lens element may be a self-supporting lens element pane positioned intermediately within the interspace between the inner and outer panes, or a lens film adhesively bonded onto the surface of the inner pane facing the interspace, or a Fresnel lens configuration provided directly on the surface of the inner pane facing the interspace. The Fresnel lens element provides an expanded field of view, especially in a downward direction, when looking out through the window, to comply with safety regulations that require visual inspection of the area outside of the aircraft door and especially below the door, before opening the door.