Abstract: An apparatus for heating a ceramic by microwave power. The apparatus has a cavity resonator in which the ceramic is placed. The resonator is provided with a variable iris. The apparatus detects the temperature of the ceramic or other state of the ceramic, and adjusts the area of the opening in the iris in the resonator and the resonant frequency of the resonator according to the signal produced by the detection, in order to bring the resonator substantially into resonance and the degree of coupling to exactly or nearly unity. Alternatively, the apparatus adjusts its microwave power for these purposes. The apparatus can heat the ceramic efficiently at a desired heating rate.

Abstract: The present invention provides a rotation detection apparatus of a rotational axis connected to an output axis system of a reduction gear to count the rotation of a rotational axis driven rotationally, including a reduction gear, with an integer reduction ratio, whose rotational axis of a driving source is connected to an input axis. The apparatus provides a position signal once every rotation of the output axis, and a rotation angle signal in response to the rotation angle of said input axis is output to correlate said output position signal with one of said rotation angle signals to count the rotation of the rotational axis by these position and rotation angle signals. An accurate rotation can be detected even at one-way high-speed rotation.

Abstract: A metal body having a very large surface area and high porosity, useful as a gasoline vaporizer, a heat exchanger for automobiles, a catalyst or catalyst carrier, a filter, or the like, and composed of a plurality of metal fibers which are entangled with one another to form a bed or stratum, the metal fibers being coated with a metal in such manner that the stratum provides rough and complex surfaces with cracks and irregularities. The invention also includes a process for making said metal body including the steps of entangling metal fibers to form a bed, placing the bed of fibers in contact with a coating metal, heating the fiber bed and coating metal so as to wet the fibers with molten coating metal, and cooling.