Abstract: A family of copper-nickel-zinc-palladium alloys for sliding and static electrical contact applications comprises, on a weight percent basis, about 15-65 percent copper, up to about 30 percent nickel, about 5-30 percent zinc, about 5-45 percent palladium, and up to about 35 percent silver. One embodiment of the family of alloys is age hardenable and provides alloys with hardness values in excess of 300 Knoop (100g load) and significant improvement in high-temperature properties, formability, tensile strength and ductility. A second embodiment provides an alloy with increased strength and hardness in the wrought condition, relative to the prior art Cu—Ni—Zn alloys.

Abstract: A silver/palladium alloy for electrical contact applications comprises, on a weight percent basis, 20-50 silver, 20-50 palladium, 20-40 copper, less than 1.0 nickel, 0.1-5 zinc, 0.01-0.3 boron, and up to 1 percent by weight of modifying elements selected from the group consisting of rhenium, ruthenium, gold, and platinum. The combination of zinc and boron provides an alloy of high strength and hardness and permits the use of lower amounts of both copper and palladium.

Abstract: A silver/palladium alloy for electronic applications comprises, on a percent by weight basis, 35-60 silver, 20-44 palladium, 5-20 copper, 1-7 nickel, 0.1-5 zinc, to 0.18 boron, up to 0.05 rhenium and up to 1 percent by weight of modifying elements selected from the group consisting of ruthenium, zirconium and platinum. This alloy exhibits high oxidation and tarnish resistance and is formed into wrought electronic components such as contacts and brushes to provide low noise.

Abstract: A precious metal alloy for dental restorations which develops a light oxide upon firing, on a percentage weight basis at makeup, consists of 60-95 precious metal(s) selected from the group consisting of 60-855 palladium, 0-10 gold, 0-10 platinum, 0-12 silver, and mixtures thereof; 1-15 tin; 2-7 zinc; 0.005-0.2 boron; 0-2 gallium; 0-2 cobalt; 0-15 indium; 0-0.2 of a deoxidant selected from the group consisting of silicon, germanium, magnesium, aluminum, lithium, tantalum and mixtures thereof; and 0-1.0 of a grain refiner selected from the group consisting of ruthenium, iridium, rhenium, and mixtures thereof. The alloy has a liquidus temperature of not more than 1400.degree. C., and the alloy has a tensile yield strength of at least 250 Mpa and an elongation of at least 2 percent. Restorations having a porcelain coating fired on castings of the alloy evidence a light oxide color.

Abstract: A noble metal dental casting alloy for use in making dental restorations comprises 35-70 percent by weight palladium, 25-50 percent by weight silver, 0.5-10 percent by weight manganese, and 1-30 percent of at least one modifier element selected from (i) the group of gold, platinum, copper, tin, gallium, zinc, indium and cobalt in amounts of up to 15 percent by weight each, and (ii) the group of ruthenium, rhenium, aluminum, germanium, lithium, silicon, iridium, boron, tantalum and niobium in amounts of up to 5 percent by weight each. The alloy has a solidus temperature of at least 1100.degree. C., a liquidus temperature of not more than 1400.degree. C., tensile elongation of at least 2 percent, thermal expansion coefficient of at least 14.0.times.10.sup.-6 per .degree.C., Vickers hardness of at least 150, and offset yield strength at 0.2 percent of at least 250 MPa.

Abstract: A test socket for integrated circuit packages has a body member carrying a plurality of pairs of opposed contacts on either side of a circuit package receiving cavity which seats a depressible spring loaded platform. When a circuit package is inserted, the contacts make electrical contact with the circuit package terminals and are deflected outwardly as the package is pressed downwardly. The force exerted by the deflected contacts and the terminals is sufficient to provide good electrical contact and to overcome the biasing force on the platform to retain the circuit package in the socket. The circuit package is released by a tool which has a cavity to receive the body member and cam elements to deflect the contacts and permit the spring-loaded platform to move upwardly and release the circuit package.

Abstract: Apparatus for and a method of precisely positioning an object to be subjected to localized heating at precise temperatures at the second focal point of an elliptical reflector which has an infra-red source at its first focal point. The apparatus includes a platform to support the workpiece for vertical movement relative to the reflector and infra-red source, and a movable probe which has a free end positionable in the axis of the reflector and in the plane of its second focal point to guide movement of the platform and workpiece to the second focal point.

Abstract: A flowmeter has a vertical flow tube with a float member therein and an electrically illuminatable display to provide a vertically graduated scale. The numeric scale indicia are preferably provided by a multiplicity of cell clusters, each comprised of one or more electrically illuminatable cells and the cell clusters are illuminated to show selected numerical scales that are chosen as a function of the specific gravity of a fluid and the pressure of the fluid being measured. The flowmeter includes a memory device containing stored information as to numeric values corresponding to various specific gravities and pressures to generate the appropriate scales and electrical signals corresponding thereto to illuminate the display.

Abstract: A dental restoration includes a casting of a palladium/silver alloy which comprises 45-60 percent palladium, 25-45 percent silver, 3-15 percent tin and/or indium, 0.3-9.0 percent zinc, 0.1-1.0 percent silicon, up to 0.25 percent rhenium and/or iridium, and up to 5 percent in total of one or more of copper, magnesium, gallium and ruthenium. The dental restorations obtained by firing porcelain against castings of this alloy exhibit freedom from discoloration, and excellent bond strength is are obtained between the porcelain coating and the underlying alloy casting.

Abstract: A high speed turbine handpiece includes a housing with a turbine wheel chamber and a flow passage for air terminating in a nozzle opening on the periphery of the turbine wheel chamber as well as a discharge passage from the chamber to the exterior of the housing. An integrally formed turbine wheel in the chamber has a hub with two axially spaced sets of vanes extending about its circumference with the blades of one set circumferentially offset from the blades of the other set. The nozzle is aligned with the axial spacing or channel between the sets of vanes and is dimensioned to overlap the adjacent edge portions of the vanes so that air entering through the nozzle impinges on both sets of vanes.

Abstract: A palladium alloy for use in making porcelain coated dental restorations comprises 50-85 percent palladium, 5-40 percent copper and/or cobalt, 1-15 percent gallium, up to 5 percent of a modifier selected from nickel, gold, indium, ruthenium and tin, up to 0.5 percent rhenium and/or iridium, and up to 1 percent boron. The dental restorations obtained by firing porcelain against castings of this alloy exhibit freedom from discoloration, and excellent bond strength is obtained between the porcelain coating and the underlying alloy casting.

Abstract: A palladium/silver alloy for use in making porcelain coated dental restorations comprises 45-60 percent palladium, 25-45 percent silver, 3-15 percent tin and/or indium, 0.3-9.0 percent zinc, 0.1-1.0 percent silicon, up to 0.25 percent rhenium and/or iridium, and up to 5 percent in total of one or more of copper, magnesium, gallium and ruthenium. The dental restorations obtained by firing porcelain against castings of this alloy exhibit freedom from discoloration, and excellent bond strength is are obtained between the porcelain coating and the underlying alloy casting.

Abstract: A centrifugal-casting machine includes a rotatable subassembly that has a generally planar support plate extending perpendicularly to the axis of rotation and a generally cylindrical shield portion extending from the periphery of the support plate. The shield rotates with the rotatable subassembly. A handle means slides in a track on the support plate and has a handle portion and a catch portion. In one position of the handle means, the catch portion engages a stop portion of the base in which the rotatable subassembly is journaled, and in the other position the catch portion does not engage the stop portion, so the rotatable subassembly can rotate freely. Winding, locking, and release can thereby all be effected by manipulation of the handle portion of the handle means.

Abstract: A tarnish-resistant gold color alloy comprises 30-50 percent by weight gold; 20-50 percent copper; 5-15 percent silver; 2-20 percent zinc; 1.5-15 percent palladium; up to 4.0 percent by weight platinum; and up to 1.0 percent by weight rhenium. The atomic ratio of copper to silver, copper to zinc and copper to palladium are respectively, 6-8:1; 2-12:1; and 5-30:1 and the weight ratios are respectively, 3.5-4.7:1; 3.0-18:1; and 1.95-11.66:1. Dental restorations comprising castings of the alloy have color values on the Hunter scale of L=80-90; a=2.5-3.5; and b=14-18. The dental restorations exhibit tarnish-resistant values of DE.sub.1 less than 13 and DE.sub.10 less than 20.

Abstract: A noble metal alloy having a solidus temperature above 1100.degree. C., a Vickers hardness of at least 150 and a coefficient of thermal expansion at 600.degree. C. of at least 0.8 percent consists essentially of 45-60 percent gold, 30-50 percent palladium and 2-7 percent tin. The alloy includes 3 to 10 percent of zinc, and mixtures thereof with indium, and up to 2 percent of rhenium, nickel, platinum and mixtures thereof. The tin to palladium ratio is 5-15:100 and the gold, palladium and platinum content must not exceed 95 percent of the composition. This alloy provides a desirable casting upon which may be fired a porcelain coating to provide a desirable dental restoration from the standpoints of hardness, inertness and aesthetics.

Abstract: A centrifugal casting machine of the broken arm type has a rotatable casting arm on which a swing arm, which supports a crucible and a casting ring, is pivotably mounted. The crucible is tiltable so that upon initial rotation of the casting arm the crucible tilts to a pouring position to pour molten metal into the casting ring. A cam follower on the swing arm engages a cam on the base of the machine to hold the swing arm, during a start up period of rotation, in an orientation in which the flow path of molten metal lies in a plane approximately tangential to a circle concentric with the axis of rotation of the casting arm. This orientation and the tilting action eliminates splashing or other metal losses.After the initial period of rotation during which the metal enters the casting ring, the cam releases the swing arm for alignment with the casting arm so that the action of centrifugal force in filling the mold cavity is maximized.

Abstract: A ceramic raw material essentially contains a pre-formed leucite filler which is obtained by reacting alumina, silica and potassium carbonate and/or oxide at a temperature of at least 1149.degree. C, and nepheline syenite. A leucite-nepheline syenite ceramic raw material which is useful as a dental porcelain powder contains 14 percent by weight of sodium-, potassium-, and lithium carbonates and 86 percent by weight of a 5 percent leucite/95 percent nepheline syenite mixture.Upon fusing of the ceramic raw material of the invention, ceramic bodies are formed which have a crystalline leucite phase dispersed in a matrix of a glassy nepheline phase and any other constituents of the ceramic. The leucite provides the ceramic bodies with desirable properties of controlled thermal expansion and high strength.

Abstract: A synthetic sprue forming assembly comprises a base or preform adapted for engagement with a crucible former, a plurality of sprue formers, and one or more conduit forming shafts extending between the base and sprue formers. Each sprue former consists of a first portion connected to a shaft, a gate portion, and an enlarged reservoir portion therebetween. In one embodiment, there are a pluality of integral sprue pins seated in recesses in the base and each comprising a shaft portion and a sprue former portion extending at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the shaft. In another embodiment, there is one large shaft integral with the base, and the reservoir and gate portions are integrally formed and rotatably and detachably mounted to a conduit portion on the large shaft. In the method of making an investment mold, the base and sprue formers are assembled on a crucible former in an investment mold container.

Abstract: A fiberoptic fluid level sensing mechanism is provided which is operable for performing fluid level sensing as applied particularly to a mixing and dispensing device. The mechanism embodies light projecting means supported in the device so as to be positionable in juxtaposed relation to an external light source and operable to project the light rays received from the light source towards the exposed end of the fiberoptic rod. Photoelectric means is supported in juxtaposed relation to the opposite end of the shaft, and more particularly the other end of the fiberoptic bundle. In accord with the mode of operation of the mechanism, light rays from the external light source are projected through the light projecting means into the interior of the mixing chamber wherein they are operable to light the latter. As the opaque material in the chamber is dispensed, the level thereof decreases until the exposed end of the fiberoptic bundle is rendered visible.