Abstract: Apparatus and methods are disclosed for the selective dissolution of a predetermined metal from, for example, a metal-metal combination. The metal or the metal-metal combination is made the working electrode of an electrolytic cell whose other electrode is electrolytically inert in the cell in use. The working electrode is held at a substantially constant electrical potential relative to a standard calomel electrode, and this potential and the pH of the electrolyte are selected such that the electrical energy passing through the cell during a selected time period is dependent on the amount of the predetermined metal electrolytically dissolved and substantially independent of any other metal which may be present.

Abstract: A combustion system for combusting materials containing radioactive nuclides to permit recovery of the radioactive nuclides. The system comprises a primary combustion zone in which the sample material is initially combusted and from which the combustion products are continuously exhausted. The exhaust products from this primary combustion zone are passed through a secondary combustion zone in which uncombusted materials in the exhaust products are combusted. In the secondary combustion zone, the exhaust products from the primary zone are directed in a helical path so that centrifugal forces drive the gases and any particulate matter entrained therein toward the walls of the secondary zone while intimately mixing the materials with each other to achieve rapid and complete combustion. The secondary combustion zone preferably comprises a helical tube which is heated by passing an electric current through the walls thereof. The helical path preferably has a radius of curvature of less than about 1.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for numerical control to produce contouring by simultaneous coordinated motions along two or more axes, characterized by the creation of desired velocity signals supplied as the primary inputs to velocity servos coupled to drive a member relatively along the respective axes. Although capable of practice by and susceptible of embodiment in other apparatus, a digital computer is physically organized and conditioned by a master program, and associated with an adjustable interrupt clock which measures off successive time periods .DELTA.T, so as to supply a changeable velocity command number signal to each servo proportional to the distance per .DELTA.T through which motion along the associated axis is to occur. This velocity command number is algebraically added to a theoretical position number to signal dynamically during each period .DELTA.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for numerical control to produce contouring by simultaneous coordinated motions along two or more axes, characterized by the creation of desired velocity signals supplied as the primary inputs to velocity servos coupled to drive a member relatively along the respective axes. A digital computer associated with an adjustable interrupt clock which measures off successive time periods .DELTA.T, supplies a changeable velocity command number signal to each servo proportional to the distance per .DELTA.T through which motion along the associated axis is to occur. This velocity command number is algebraically added to a theoretical position number to signal dynamically during each period .DELTA.T the axis position at which the member should reside; and the latter number is used with a dynamically signaled actual position number to re-compute and signal during each period the position error.

Abstract: An alarm system for reporting the status of a plurality of remote alarm points to a central monitoring station. An alarm status transmitter is located in the vicinity of the alarm points, and includes a selection matrix having sensing inputs coupled to the alarm points for receiving status signals. The transmitter further includes a clock for causing the sequential scanning of the inputs, and adapted to produce a pulse duration modulated (PDM) output signal in response to the scanned status signals. The monitoring station includes means for receiving and demodulating the PDM signal, and a status display for continually displaying the condition of each of the alarm points. The transmitter and receiver are each provided with simplified interfacing means, allowing the system to be applied using various transmission techniques.

Abstract: The punch is surrounded by a tubular housing carrying a stripper plate and having a hinged door which is latched closed unless the punch is retracted to a tool change position. In addition, means sense the position of the door and prevent automatic cycling of the punch if the door is not closed. To adjust the stripper plate vertically, provision is made of compactly nested threaded rings and, to orient the punch angularly, provision is made of an adjusting mechanism which acts on a rod projecting from the upper end of a hydraulic cylinder and connected to a downwardly projecting ram for reciprocating the punch.

Abstract: The invention provides shaving equipment having a guard surface which bears against the skin of the user during shaving, wherein a part at least of said surface is roughened.

Abstract: A method of producing continuous lengths of coilable corrugated wave guide of rectangular cross-section which comprises forming a smooth-wall metal tube with a uniform wall thickness along the entire length and around the entire periphery, and transversely corrugating the walls of the tube along crest and root lines that form a substantially constant perimeter length around any cross-section of the corrugated tube taken perpendicular to the axis of the tube at any point along the length of the tube. In one embodiment, the corrugations of intersecting walls are offset at their intersection so that the crests of the corrugations of each wall meet the roots of the corrugations of the adjacent wall at each corner, with zigzag crests along the corners providing rigidity.

Abstract: A mounting for supporting a cutter tooth in a boring bar for fine adjustment outwardly to compensate for tooth wear, the mounting including a cartridge insertable into a hole through the boring bar to support the tip of the cutter tooth in a cutting position with respect to the bar. The cartridge comprises a slidable holder connected by means of a differential screw to a nut so that, as the screw is turned, the length of the cartridge is increased to provide fine adjustment in the position of the cutter tooth. Coarse adjustment in the position of the cutter tooth is provided as an incident to assembling the parts of the cartridge by threading the screw into the nut until the lower end of the screw is flush with the lower end of the nut and by then mounting the holder on the upper end of the screw.

Abstract: A charging circuit adapted to harvest excess energy from a resonating power circuit and use that energy for charging a battery. Energy is inductively transferred from the power circuit to the charging circuit allowing such circuits to remain electrically isolated. The charging circuit utilizes gate controlled thyristors for coupling the harvested energy to the battery and includes means for gating the thyristors at the proper time with respect to the resonant cycle in the power circuit.

Abstract: An apparatus for brushing encased sausages to remove encrusted materials therefrom including an enclosed base housing having a closed chamber therein with an elongated opening on the upper surface of the housing leading to the chamber. An upright support disposed above the housing carries a vertically movable transverse member that suspends a plurality of encased sausages above the housing opening. A pair of elongated brushes are disposed within the housing chamber and beneath the opening with the axes of the brushes being generally parallel and skewed with respect to one another and the brushes are counter-rotated at predetermined speeds and directions so that when the encased sausages are moved downward through the housing opening into the area between the brushes, the sausages are brushed longitudinally and are rotated about their own axis during the brushing action.

Abstract: A timer operative by means of a clock mechanism and having a variable operation period, wherein a main cam plate and a subsidiary cam plate are mounted coaxially on a common shaft so that they are rotatable relative to each other, each of said main and subsidiary cam plates having recessed peripheral portions and protruded peripheral portions. A single operation lever pressingly bears against the peripheral portions of said main and subsidiary cam plates so that, when the recessed peripheral portions of said main and subsidiary cam plates are brought into alignment with each other, the operation lever can drop into said aligned recessed peripheral portions.

Abstract: A terminal at a data acquisition site and a terminal adapter at a computer site for efficiently acquiring, formatting, and communicating data to a computer for processing, for controlling the computer, and for receiving and responding to processed or responsive data from the computer. The terminal includes a plurality of input channels for receiving data (both acquired data and control signals), and a plurality of output channels for responding to processed data, each of such channels being assigned a unique digital address. Communication between the terminal and the terminal adapter is accomplished in a serial fashion, utilizing compound digital words including both data and address. Means are provided at both the terminal and terminal adapter for routing data within a received compound word to its addressed location.

Abstract: A matrix-addressed liquid crystal display device including a matrix-addressed display section is provided. The display section comprises a pair of optically transparent plates each of which having on one surface a plurality of parallel strip electrodes optically transparent and deposited through an optically transparent spacer, said pair of plates being parallelly arranged so that the electrodes will be inside and mutually intersect at right angles so as to form row and column electrode groups of a matrix, and a cholesteric phase liquid crystal filled between the respective plates, which liquid crystal being such that when a voltage applied to the electrodes is above a threshold level the molecular axes of the liquid crystal are aligned in the direction of electric field due to the voltage applied.

Abstract: Apparatus for transporting a tape cassette into engagement with the drive means of a recording and/or playback device. The transporting apparatus includes a movable housing which slidably receives a tape cassette and which is locked against attempts to engage the cassette with the tape drive mechanism unless the tape is properly oriented when inserted. The movable housing is capable of movement in two respectively transverse directions so as to first vertically align the cassette with the drive mechanism and thereafter to move the cassette into engagement with the drive mechanism.

Abstract: An elevating type scraper for earth moving purposes having an open-fronted bowl with a scraper blade along the leading edge and with a rearwardly inclined elevator for sweeping the loosened soil from the blade into the bowl. The back of the bowl and the base of the blade are fixed to provide bowl reinforcement. The bottom of the bowl is enclosed by a horizontally slidable floor member for movement from an enclosing position forwardly into an out-of-the-way position nested under the blade base. In the preferred embodiment, the floor consists of two sections, a front floor member and a "mid" floor member which are arranged substantially edge-to-edge but which are simultaneously moved to a stacked position under the blade base. Rearwardly of the mid floor member is a full-width pivoted strike-off member which is hinged under the back of the bowl, having a horizontal enclosing position and a vertical striking position.

Abstract: A system for forming wheel rim blanks in which a coiling station, an end conditioning press, a welding station, and a weld seam finishing station are all arranged to form a continuous path in the direction of the axis of the rim blank so that blanks can be readily transferred from one station to the next, with each station being simultaneously loaded and unloaded. In the coiling station a blank of strip material is coiled into the form of a cylinder with the longitudinal edges of the coiled blank defining a preloaded longitudinal gap. The coiled blank is then axially transferred to an end conditioning press while moving the longitudinal edges of the blank to predetermined circumferential positions so that the gap has a preselected width and circumferential location as it enters the press. Each time a coil blank is axially transferred from the coiling station to the end conditioning press, an end conditioned blank is simultaneously axially transferred from the press to the welding station.

Abstract: An idler construction for an elevator used for earth moving purposes at the front of a scraper bowl, the elevator having a frame which extends upwardly and rearwardly from the region of the scraper blade supporting a pair of endless chains with transversely arranged flights. The chains are driven at the upper end of the frame and trained about rollers at the lower end so that the flights sweep the loosened soil backwardly into the bowl. Idler wheels are mounted upon brackets intermediate the ends of the frame members for supporting the return runs of the respective chains in a shallow apex spaced from the elevator frame, the idlers being coaxial and alined with the chains and having cylindrically surfaced rims of durable resilient material.

Abstract: An improved over the road transport vehicle and method of unloading its cargo container. The transport vehicle includes a chassis having a wheeled tandem support and a flatbed that is selectively positionable relative to the tandem and may be tilted on the tandem to permit a container support thereon to be moved longitudinally off the flatbed to either ground level or to an elevated loading platform.

Abstract: A dielectric lens for a flared microwave horn, the lens correcting the phase error introduced in microwaves passing through the horn. The lens comprises a plurality of parallel dielectric discs disposed concentrically with the horn in the path of microwaves passing through the horn. The disc have different diameters so that different portions of the microwaves pass through different numbers of the discs to compensate for the phase error introduced by the flared horn. The impedance discontinuities of the discs are matched out by appropriate spacing of the discs. The discs are preferably flat sheets of dielectric material so that they are easy to fabricate, and they are preferably supported by a central axial support means to minimize interference with microwaves passing through the discs. The number, thickness and diameters of the discs may be selected to produce substantially zero phase error in any given flared horn.