Abstract: The present invention relates to compositions and methods for providing an improved means of modifying asphalt with a polymer. More particularly, this invention provides a solvent system that permits addition of the polymer as a liquid that is preferred over solids addition and handling. The solvent system includes a polymerizable monomer solvent and a rubber or elastomeric polymer.

Abstract: An x-ray tube window cooling assembly (11) for an x-ray tube (18) includes an electron collector body (110). The electron collector body (110) is thermally coupled to an x-ray tube window (102). The electron collector body (110) may include a coolant circuit (112) with a coolant inlet (114) and a coolant outlet (122). One or more thermal exchange devices may be coupled to the x-ray tube window (102) or to the coolant circuit (112) and reduce temperature of the x-ray tube window (102).

Abstract: An annular air baffle disposed in a cavity of a rotatable gas turbine engine part includes an annular split ring supporting a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart fins. The cavity is closed at a radially outer diameter and open at a radially inner diameter of the part. The ring and the fins may be integrally formed in one piece. The fins may have common surfaces with the ring and the common surfaces may be circular cross-sectional surfaces of the ring and radially outer rounded corners of the fins. The fins may have triangular cross-sectional shapes with first, second, and third sides, rounded first radially inner corners between the first and second sides, rounded second radially inner corners between the second and third sides, and the radially outer rounded corners between the first and third sides. The fins may extend radially inwardly from the annular split ring.

Abstract: A gas turbine engine turbine blade includes a hollow airfoil extending radially from a blade root to a radially outer airfoil tip. The airfoil includes an airfoil outer wall having transversely spaced apart pressure and suction side walls meeting along chordally spaced apart leading and trailing edges of the airfoil. A radially extending cooling air supply channel within the airfoil includes a bank of pins integral with and extending transversely between the pressure and suction side walls. The bank of the pins is tuned such that a natural frequency of the blade associated with an engine forced driving mode of the blade is sufficiently away from a steady state engine operating frequency to substantially avoid natural frequency resonance of the blade during steady state engine operation. The bank of the pins is tuned by locations of the pins within the cooling air supply channel.

Abstract: A micro fuel cell sensor having laminated gas permeable membrane. The sensor comprises a housing, first and second gas diffusing electrodes spaced from one another, a fuel-cell spacer having an acidic electrolyte disposed between said first and second electrodes, and two gas permeable membranes. The first gas permeable membrane comprises a polymer laminated on a metal substrate, wherein the substrate comprises pores that have dimensions at least less than one-half the thickness of the polymer film.

Abstract: A method of maintaining an initial bias of an x-ray detector (12) includes setting the initial bias of the x-ray detector. Operating state of a readout circuit (30) is altered. A photodiode common contact voltage potential is adjusted by a data line drift amount to approximately maintain the initial bias. An x-ray imaging system (10) includes a detector (12) that has multiple pixels, multiple data lines (50), and a common contact (62) that is at a common contact voltage potential. The readout circuit (30) is electrically coupled to the data lines (50) and has a multiple power states. A controller (36) is electrically coupled to the readout circuit (30), detects a change in operating state of the readout circuit (30), and adjusts voltage potential of the common contact (62) in response to the change in operating state.

Abstract: A water-cooled stator bar clip for electrical generators and a method for applying a corrosion-resistant protective coating, preferably Sc, Ti, Cr, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf, Ta, W, Ni, and Al, and their alloys or oxides to existing stator bar end fittings in order to significantly reduce the possibility of leaks through the brazed connections of the copper stator bar end connections. The coatings can be applied locally using various known physical vapor deposition (“PVD”), chemical vapor deposition (“CVD”) or other direct coating techniques known in the art. For example, the coatings can be applied using ion plasma deposition, sputtering or wire arc techniques (all PVD processes) or by using electroplating, high velocity oxygen free (“HVOF”) deposition, DC arc or electroless plating. Preferably, the coatings are applied either to new stator bar clips or to existing clips in the field using a known pencil coater technique.

Abstract: A humidity sensor element for a humidity sensing device includes a rigid, p doped silicon substrate, a non-porous terminal on one side of the substrate, a porous terminal on a second side of the substrate, and a layer of polyphenylsulfone between the porous terminal and the substrate. The sensor elements displays improved linear response with humidity changes and very low hysteresis.

Abstract: A method for inspecting a component. The method includes coupling the component to a fixture such that the component is fixedly secured in position during machining of the component, and inspecting the component using an inspection tool while the component is coupled to the fixture.

Abstract: A bumper system for an automobile vehicle includes a beam configured to attached to vehicle rails and an energy absorber coupled to the beam. The energy absorber is tunable for meeting predetermined criteria for both low speed and pedestrian impacts, and includes a flanged frame for attachment to the beam, a body that includes a plurality of lobes extending from the flanged frame and spaced apart from each other. Each lobe includes first and second side walls, having a concave shape.

Abstract: The invention provides a heat sink assembly, and a method of making and using a heat sink assembly, for cooling a device using circulating fluid. The heat sink assembly comprises a housing including at least one housing inlet passage and at least one housing outlet passage. A first cavity is disposed in the housing and a plurality of first cavity column members are disposed in the first cavity. The first cavity column members are arranged in a plurality of rows such that first cavity column members in a row are staggered with respect to first cavity column members in an adjacent row. The heat sink assembly further includes a second cavity disposed in the housing and a plurality of second cavity column members disposed in the second cavity. The second cavity column members are arranged in a plurality of rows, which are also staggered.

Abstract: Use of a specific combination of catalysts for the first and second steps of the process for the conversion of CHP to BPA provides high yields of BPA and ow impurity yields, without a requirement for the intermediate purification steps. In the first step, CHP is cleaved in the presence of a sulfated metal oxide catalyst such as sulfated Zirconia to produce phenol and acetone. In the second step, the phenol and acetone produced is reacted, preferably without intermediate purification, in the presence of a cation exchange resin catalyst that includes a cation exchange resin and a mercaptan or mercaptoalkanoic acid promoter to produce BPA.

Abstract: Use of a specific combination of catalysts for the first and second steps of the process for the conversion of CHP to BPA provides high yields of BPA and low impurity yields, without a requirement for the intermediate purification steps. In the first step, CHP is cleaved in the presence of an acid treated clay such as acid treated Montmorillonite clay to produce phenol and acetone. In the second step, the phenol and acetone produced is reacted, preferably without intermediate purification, in the presence of a cation exchange resin catalyst that includes a cation exchange resin and a mercaptan or mercaptoalkanoic acid promoter to produce BPA.

Abstract: A new cost effective and thermally efficient process for converting nearly valueless resources, such as “static,” lower quality sour natural gas containing hydrogen sulfide, to useable fuels and chemicals, such as hydrogen, methanol and high cetane diesel fuel. The preferred method and apparatus can be used to treat conventional sour gas, i.e., gas having a ratio of H2S to CH4 of at least 0.1 moles and preferably of at least 0.33 moles/mole, using a reforming catalyst and a sulfur capture agent. The process nominally can be carried out using two reactors that repeatedly cycle reactants between two basic process steps—reforming, and air regeneration.

Abstract: A cutting tool assembly for machining a turbine component includes a substantially solid toolblock body, a blade sub-assembly, a cutting insert, and a lead screw. The toolblock body includes a centerline axis. The blade sub-assembly is slidably retained adjacent said toolblock body and a cutting insert is attached to the blade sub-assembly. The lead screw coupled adjacent to the toolblock body such that the lead screw is substantially perpendicular to the centerline axis. The lead screw is rotatably coupled to the blade sub-assembly such that rotation of the lead screw extends the blade sub-assembly from the toolblock body.

Abstract: A bearing assembly for a gas turbine engine rotor includes a paired race, a bearing, a mounting joint, and a plurality of mechanical fuses. The paired race includes an outer race and an inner race. The bearing is between the inner and outer races, and is configured to support the rotor on a support frame. The mounting joint includes a joint inner race and a joint outer race. At least one of the joint inner race and the joint outer race includes a spherical surface. The mounting joint is configured to reduce dynamic loads to the gas turbine engine structure and static bending to the rotor. The plurality of mechanical fuses extend through at least one of the joint inner race and the joint outer race.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method for changing the color of colored natural diamonds. The method includes placing a discolored natural diamond in a pressure-transmitting medium which is consolidated into a pill. Next, the pill is placed into a high pressure/high temperature (HP/HT) press at elevated pressure and elevated temperature for a time sufficient to improve the color of the diamond. The diamond may be exposed at elevated-pressure and elevated-temperature conditions within the graphite-stable region of the carbon-phase diagram—without significant graphitization of the diamond, or above the diamond-graphite equilibrium and within the diamond-stable region of the carbon-phase diagram. Finally, the diamond is recovered from said press. Colorless Type Ia and Type II diamonds may be made by this method.

Abstract: A gas turbine engine turbine assembly includes a high pressure spool having a high pressure turbine drivingly connected to a high pressure compressor by a high pressure shaft which is rotatable about an engine centerline. A low pressure turbine has counter rotatable low pressure inner and outer shaft turbines with a row of low pressure variable vanes disposed therebetween and drivingly connected to coaxial low pressure inner and outer shafts respectively which are located radially inwardly of the high pressure spool. The low pressure inner and outer shaft turbines are drivingly connected to a forward and aft fan blade rows by the low pressure inner and outer shafts. A single direction of rotation booster is drivenly connected to the low pressure outer shaft and axially located aft and downstream of the aft fan blade row.

Abstract: An apparatus for repairing a liquid cooled compressor stator bar bottle clip having a groove extending around an outer surface of the bottle clip is provided. In an exemplary embodiment, the repair apparatus includes a first body portion that includes a plurality of threaded fastener openings in a first end section and a second end section of the first body portion, a second body portion that includes a plurality of threaded fastener openings in a first end section and a second end section of the second body portion, and a plurality of threaded fasteners extending through corresponding fastener openings in the first and second body portions. The fasteners connect the first and second body portions such that an elliptical opening is defined between the first and second body portions. The elliptical opening extends through the repair apparatus.

Abstract: A compiler and compiling method providing modification of a value of a variable at run-time of a computer program wherein additional space in memory is allocated for variable modification parameters, assembly or object code is added upon compilation of the computer program, the added code being dependent on the variable modification parameters, and the value of the variable is modified at run time based on the added code and at least one of the variable modification parameters such that the value of the variable at run time is set to be equivalent to at least one of a fault value, a value multiplied by a predetermined gain and a value offset from the value of the variable or remains unchanged (unscaled) if so desired. The application of the compiler functionality or method is preferably controllable by a software switch for individual and/or all variables.