Abstract: Method and apparatus are provided for simultaneously producing various forms of alcohol, including ethanol, which can likewise be withdrawn from the apparatus simultaneously. To this end, successive columns in the individual processing stages, each of which includes distillation, rectification, purification and dehydration, are connected in parallel for product flow but in series for energy flow and conservation.

Abstract: An electrically heated melting furnace, preferably a direct current electric arc furnace, having a floor provided with a lining of refractory material and with an electrode comprised of a plurality of electrically conductive paths formed of an electrically conductive material which extends through the lining of refractory material from the inner floor surface toward the exterior, wherein the service life of the lining is improved in that the electrically conductive paths are composed of layers of at least one high melting point nonmetallic material which are connected with the refractory material, and which have a thickness of at most 5 mm.

Abstract: So that the boom does not have to be oriented horizontally to change the crane configuration, a remotely controlled double locking device is mounted at the front end of each intermediate telescoping member slidably mounted between the boom base and the inner telescoping member. Each intermediate telescoping member can thus be locked according to choice with the inner telescoping member or another intermediate telescoping member, or with both that telescoping member and a top piece of an extendable rod of an extending device which increases the boom length. This double locking mechanism comprises two double piston mechanisms positioned opposite each other each with an exterior lock bolt operable by an exterior spring-loaded or hydraulic adjusting cylinder and mounted inside this exterior lock bolt an interior lock bolt operable by an interior spring-loaded or hydraulic adjusting cylinder.

Abstract: A sintered tungsten carbide material and method for manufacturing same in which the method includes the steps of combining metal particles composed of from 75 to 95 percent by weight of a composition containing at least 70 percent by weight of tungsten carbide and from 5 to 25 percent by weight of a binder metal composition, the binder metal composition consisting essentially of from 5 to 15 percent by weight of chromium and from 85 to 95 percent by weight of nickel; pressing the metal particles into a pressed body; sintering the pressed body in a sintering chamber for a period ranging from 20 to 200 minutes, at a temperature ranging from 1400.degree. to 1500.degree. C., and in a protective atmosphere which is one of a vacuum, a noble gas, a mixture of noble gases, and hydrogen gas to form a sintered body; and treating the sintered body for a period ranging from 20 to 200 minutes, at a temperature ranging from 1300.degree. to 1400.degree. C.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for regulating an arc discharge furnace having a lining, a plurality of electrodes disposed above a bath of conductive material, an adjustable transformer for applying to each electrode a voltage which causes an arc current proportional to the applied transformer voltage to flow between the electrode and the bath, a device for varying the voltage applied by the transformer to each electrode, and a device for varying the vertical spacing between each electrode and the bath. Desired values for a maximum of two of the following parameters are selected: the voltage of the arc current produced by one electrode; the arc current produced by the one electrode; the power of the arc produced by the one electrode; a parameter which is proportional to the wear caused to the furnace lining by the arc produced by the one electrode; and a correcting variable for the voltage applied to the one electrode by the transformer.

Abstract: A feeding and positioning apparatus for a tire heating press includes a tire blank stand which is provided with a base disk movable in horizontal direction with respect to a platform. Connected to the base disk are a plurality of supports which carry the tire blank along its lateral edge. Extending within the exterior of the tire blank is an upright sleeve extending concentrically to the platform. The sleeve is movable in vertical direction and cooperates with a plurality of clamping jaws which thus are moved against the bead of the tire blank to center the latter.

Abstract: A rollable temporary roadway is composed of individual supporting elements (2) which are articulately connected by hinge-like joints (7), each of which is formed by a bead (5) and the associated recess of a claw (6). The joints (7) are looped by at least one cable (10), with the cable being guided below the joints. A reeling device (20) for rolling up an installed temporary roadway (1) includes a pipe (21), hub members (22) which can be mounted on the pipe, and a cable arrangement (32, 33, 34).

Abstract: A twin-belt continuous casting mold has a guide assembly for the casting belts; the guide assembly includes a plurality of support rollers arranged serially parallel to the casting direction and engaging each casting belt along the mold chamber, and additional ribbed supports transversely engaging each casting belt in a zone upstream of the first support roller as viewed in the casting direction. There is provided a first resilient holding arrangement for positioning each additional support and resiliently urging it into engagement with a respective casting belt. The support rollers form a first and a second group; the first group is situated in a zone of the mold entrance adjacent the respective additional ribbed support downstream thereof. The guide assembly further has a second resilient holding arrangement for positioning each support roller of the first group for resiliently urging each such support roller into engagement with a respective casting belt.

Abstract: An instrument for measuring the cohesion force between two interconnected components, such as inner and outer dental cone crowns, comprises a housing adapted to be manually grasped; a scale mechanism including a linearly extending helical spring accommodated in the housing and an indicator for displaying the extent of compression or expansion of the spring; and a divider-like gripper attached to one end of the spring and arranged for displacement relative to the housing. The gripper clamps one of the interconnected components, whereby upon pulling apart the two components, the indicator shows the extent of expansion of the helical spring for determining the pulling force exerted on the components at the moment of separation thereof.

Abstract: A crusher with rotary crusher plates and a vertical main axis has plates (1,2) disposed one above the other and spaced apart to form between the plates an annular slot (4) having radial, outwardly converging crushing surfaces (1', 2'). Said plates are rotatable about axes (A,B) which are non-parallel; the lower plate (2) is driven and the upper plate (1) is provided with a central feed opening (3) with a feed funnel (5) projecting downwardly into the opening. During operation, the lower plate (2) is arranged to execute a simultaneous gyrating movement in an opposite direction in relation to its direction of rotation, the number of revolutions per minute of the gyrating movement being substantially higher than the number of revolutions per minute of the lower plate (2) about its axis of rotation (B). The crushing surface (2') of the lower plate (2) has a central, cone-shaped section (2") which projects upwardly into the central feed opening (3) of the upper plate (1).

Abstract: Apparatus is provided for simultaneously producing various forms of alcohol, including ethanol, which can likewise be withdrawn from the apparatus simultaneously. To this end, successive columns in the individual processing stages, each of which includes distillation, rectification, purification and dehydration are connected in parallel for product flow but in series for energy flow and conservation.

Abstract: In a tiltable metallurgical furnace vessel having a completely closed lateral protrusion with a closable discharge opening on its underside, simplified furnace structure is achieved by configuring the protrusion as a removable, heatable fore-hearth that is constructed in the form of a casting spout. A particularly simple structure results due to the fact that the fore-hearth is flanged to the main furnace vessel and essentially has a box shape. The invention is particularly useful for electric arc furnaces.

Abstract: A process is disclosed for recovering fats and oils from oil fruits and oil seeds, wherein the oil fruits and oil seeds are cleaned, immediately thereafter pressed cold in a screw press without prior mechanical conditioning, and then extracted. In this process, the extraction is effected immediately after pressing by treating the oil fruits and oil seeds with countercurrently flowing carbon dioxide, ethane, ethene and/or propane at a temperature of from 40.degree. to 110.degree. C. and at a pressure of from 250 to 750 bar, for a time period of from 0.5 to 2.5 hours, with the solvent ratio lying between 5 and 30 kg solvent per 1 kg pressed cake. The separation of the extracted fats and oils from the separated solvent phase is effected by pressure reduction and/or temperature change. The invention also includes an apparatus for implementing the process.

Abstract: A distillation or absorption column tray whose characteristic frequency is a specific function of the radius of circular apertures in its bottom wall, of the surface tension of the body of liquid therein at the operating temperature of the column and of the density of such liquid. This reduces the amplitude of vibrations of the tray under the action of ascending vapors and/or gases and hence increases the useful life of the tray.

Abstract: A shear head in which an extruded vulcanizable composition meets preheated reinforcing strands has a compartment adjacent a mouth of the head which is evacuated to reduce the danger of gases affecting adhesion of the strands to the composition.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for distilling a liquid mixture to separate a volatile vapor fraction therefrom. The liquid is forced to flow along a meander-like path through a plurality of concentrically arranged chambers of a rotating drum. In the radially outermost chamber, a heating unit is provided which brings the liquid to a boiling temperature to allow formation of vapor. The liquid thus freed of volatile constituents is then discharged from the outermost chamber in which the liquid is subjected to a maximum centrifugal acceleration while the vapor moves radially inwardly under the action of the centripetal force to the innermost chamber from where the vapor containing volatile constituents is discharged.

Abstract: In a device for automatically tracking a moving object, which device includes: an optical measuring head rotatable about vertical and horizontal axes, the measuring head having first and second light transmitters for producing and emitting, respectively, a horizontally and a vertically sharply collimated light beam along respective beam axes, the transmitters being operative to cyclically sweep the beam axes horizontally and vertically, respectively, over given ranges about zero positions, and an optical receiver mounted to receive light echoes generated by reflections of the transmitted beams and having an optical axis oriented parallel to the beam axes when at the zero positions.

Abstract: A twin-belt continuous casting mold has a mold chamber which is formed of parallel length portions of cooled upper and lower casting belts as well as parallel length portions of endless side dams which bound the mold chamber laterally. In the zone of the mold chamber the side dams are backed by adjustable guide rails. The continuous caster further has upper and lower caster frames which respectively support the end drums for the upper and lower casting belts as well as a series of support rollers for backing up the casting belts. There are further provided seals which are in engagement with the casting belts and which serve for sealing off the mold chamber from the environment. Opposite longitudinal edges of each casting belt are approximately flush with the outer wall faces of the respective side dams and the casting belt support rollers are shorter than the distance between the outer wall faces of the two side dams. The seals are situated laterally adjacent the support rollers and are resiliently supported.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for electrically balancing the phases of a three phase arc furnace, the furnace having a vessel containing a molten bath, three electrodes above the bath, and a transformer arrangement composed of three phases, each phase including a winding, the transformer arrangement being connected to the electrode so that each electrode conducts an arc current proportional to the voltage across the winding of a respective phase, by the steps of: matching the voltages between the electrodes and the bath to one another by adjusting the spacing between at least one electrode and the bath; and establishing symmetry among the arc currents by: varying the voltage across at least one phase winding by a selected increment; measuring the arc current amplitude in the electrode associated with the at least one phase winding after each variation step; and repeating the steps of varying and measuring until the differences between the arc current amplitudes of the three electrodes are less than a given value.

Abstract: A process for producing hydrocarbons from biological sludge, wherein the sludge is treated at a temperature of from 300.degree. to 600.degree. C. and at a pressure of from 100 to 500 bar to cause cracking of the organic compounds present in the sludge, the sludge is simultaneously or immediately thereafter hydrogenated with hydrogen under the same pressure and temperature conditions in the presence of a catalyst, and thereafter the resulting gas phase is separated into its components by stepwise reduction of pressure and/or temperature; thereby disposing of the biological sludge without environmental damage and with the simultaneous recovery of hydrocarbons.