Abstract: A ceramic electronic element having improved the continuity of inner electrode layers while suppressing the decrease in adhesion between its dielectric layers and inner electrode layers and the deterioration in functions of the inner electrode layers, and a method of making the same are provided. In the method of making a ceramic capacitor (10) in accordance with the present invention, an electrode paste (22) is applied to a surface (20a) of a green sheet (20) and fired, so as to form a dielectric layer (12) laminated with an electrode layer (14). Since the electrode paste (22) is doped with a BaTiO3 powder, the adhesion between the dielectric layer (22) and inner electrode layer (14) after firing is significantly restrained from lowering, and the sintering start temperature of the electrode paste (22) is close to that of the green sheet (20).

Abstract: Tobaccos are cured in a manner so as to provide tobaccos having extremely low tobacco specific nitrosamine (TSNA) contents. Harvested Virginia tobacco is subjected to flue-curing so as to provide flue-cured tobacco. During the curing processing steps, contact of the tobacco with nitric oxide gases, such as those produced as combustion products of propane burning heating units, is avoided. Tobacco in curing barns is not subjected to direct-fire curing techniques, but rather, heat for tobacco curing can be provided by heat exchange or electrical heating methods.

Abstract: A powdery mixture of fine SiC powder with one or more oxide sintering additives of Al2O3, Y2O3, SiO2 and CaO is blended and uniformly dispersed in a polymeric SiC precursor to prepare a matrix-forming polymeric slurry. A preform of SiC fiber, which has quasi-stoichiometric composition with high crystallinity, is impregnated with the polymeric slurry and then hot-pressed at a temperature of 1600° C. or higher in presence of a liquid phase. Since the heat-resistant SiC fiber is used as strengthening fiber, the prepreg is sintered to a dense SiC composite excellent in mechanical properties by one-step hot-pressing.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing spherical ceramic powder is provided. The method includes essentially a spray drying step and a sintering step. In the spray drying step, a spray nozzle is used to spray slurry containing powdered raw material consisting essentially of ceramic ingredients to form liquid droplets, and liquid contents in the liquid droplets are heated and removed to obtain ceramic granular powder. In the sintering step, the ceramic granular powder is sintered to form spherical ceramic powder. The method provides ceramic powder having a mean particle size of about 1-50 ?m and a sphericity of about 0.8 or higher, which is suited for mixing with resin material to form a compound. The ceramic powder has high dispersant and filling properties against the resin material.

Abstract: A heated and softened glass sheet is put on a bending surface of a frame unit to be preliminarily bent by gravity before the glass sheet is pressed by an upper mold and the frame unit. There are steps for using a certain means for controlling an amount of preliminary bending to control deformation of the glass sheet caused by the preliminary bending; and pressing the preliminarily bent glass sheet by the upper mold and the frame unit.

Abstract: Use of gradient layers and stress modifiers in superhard constructs.

Abstract: An apparatus for bending and tempering glass panels includes a number of ring moulds for supporting and conveying glass panels; a number of preheating sections for heating glass panels to a bending temperature; at least one prebending section for sagging a glass panel gravitationally; a bending section provided with a hoistable and descendable press mould; and a quenching section for tempering a bent glass panel. The bending section is provided with a hoistable and descendable mould supporting frame for supporting the mould from below during a press-bending operation. The supporting frame is mounted on a mobile cassette wagon which constitutes a replaceable floor for the bending section.

Abstract: A glass sheet is heated to a forming temperature in a heating furnace, the heated glass sheet is conveyed along a conveying plane defined by a plurality of rollers of a roller conveyer, and is moved up and down on the rollers according to a position of the glass sheet to curve a part of the conveying plane with respect to a glass sheet conveying direction to bend the glass sheet to have a desired curvature by its own weight. The rollers are curved rollers.

Abstract: A method of forming one or more ceramic layers on the substrate in which one layer containing ceramic particles is laminated onto the surface of the substrate that is completely formed. The layer that is applied to the substrate contains voids between the ceramic particles. The particles are sintered into a coherent mass, thereby to form the ceramic layer or layers by heating the layer while simultaneously applying pressure to the layer in a direction normal to the surface of the substrate until the sintering is complete. The layer is heated to a temperature that is below the pressureless sintering temperature of the particles and the temperature is sufficient to allow the movement of the particles upon application of the pressure to force the particles into physical contact with one another and such that the voids are substantially removed.

Abstract: The invention relates to a continuous method for pressure-conditioning material for food and/or semi-luxury consumables, wherein said material (12) is introduced through an entrance (4) into a hyperbarically pressurized conditioning chamber (2), where it is treated with a conditioning agent, and extracted again from said conditioning chamber (2) at an exit (8), wherein the material (12) is conveyed continuously from said entrance (4) to said exit (8) in a conditioning chamber (2) inclined obliquely upwards, by means of a mixing conveyor, in particular a conveying screw (3).

Abstract: Methods for producing solid, substantially round, spherical and sintered particles from a slurry of a calcined, uncalcined or partially calcined raw material having an alumina content of greater than about 40 weight percent. The slurry is processed with spray drying methods into solid, substantially round, spherical and sintered particles having an average particle size greater than about 200 microns, a bulk density of greater than about 1.40 g/cc, and an apparent specific gravity of greater than about 2.60.

Abstract: Processes for mechanically fabricating two and three-dimensional fibrous monolith composites include preparing a fibrous monolith filament from a core composition of a first powder material and a boundary material of a second powder material. The filament includes a first portion of the core composition surrounded by a second portion of the boundary composition. One or more filaments are extruded through a mechanically-controlled deposition nozzle onto a working surface to create a fibrous monolith composite object. The objects may be formed directly from computer models and have complex geometries.

Abstract: An infrared optical element, and methods for its manufacture. The optical element is made by cold working an ingot of a soft crystalline ionic solid such as silver halide or a thallium halide inside a sacrificial split die. The solid preferably includes at most one part per million of metallic impurities and at most ten parts per million total impurities. Preferably, the Knoop hardness of the ionic solid is at most about 20, and the elongation ratio of the ionic solid is at least 10% at a temperature of 120-180° C. The optical element maybe a bulk element or a surface element. The optical element may be a refractive element, a diffractive element or a hybrid element. One such element is a flat sensor for attenuated total reflection spectroscopy. In one embodiment of the sensor, a thin layer of silver halide or thallium halide is formed by diffusion or deposition on the surface of a substrate having a lower index of refraction than the layer.

Abstract: An apparatus for scanning and sorting tobacco leaves includes a conveyor to convey a flow of tobacco leaves. The flow of tobacco leaves includes acceptable and unacceptable leaves and undesirable particles. An air flow source lifts and accelerates the flow of leaves and particles to a speed at which the leaves and particles are separated. A duct contains the lifted and accelerated flow. A scanning device scans the flow in the duct and generates a signal upon detection of an unacceptable leaf and/or undesirable particle. A rejection device responds to the signal and forces the unacceptable leaf and/or undesirable particle from the duct.

Abstract: A molding die for an optical element, comprises a die base body formed by shaping an amorphous alloy having a super-cooled liquid phase, and a die face formed by applying a die face forming process onto a part of the die base body and used to form an optical surface of the optical element or a dimensional reference surface.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for manufacturing spun-bonded nonwoven fabrics that can reduce the diameter of a filament without decreasing productivity and can stably produce nonwoven fabrics, which comprises quenching a multiple number of continuous melt-spun filaments through spinning nozzles with quench air fed to a quenching chamber, drawing the filaments with drawing air, and depositing the filaments on a moving collector surface, characterized in that the quench air fed to the quenching chamber is divided into at least 2 streams in vertical direction, wherein an air velocity of the quench air in the lowermost stream is set higher than that of the quench air in the uppermost stream.

Abstract: A method of flavoring a filter plug wrap of a smoking article, such as a cigarette, is disclosed. Furthermore, a method of incorporating flavoring into the plug wrap and using the plug wrap to wrap the filter of the smoking article is disclosed. A smoking article and a filter having a flavored filter plug wrap are also disclosed.

Abstract: The invention relates to a continuous method for pressure-conditioning material for food and/or semi-luxury consumables, wherein said material (12) is introduced through an entrance (4) into a hyperbarically pressurized conditioning chamber (2), where it is treated with a conditioning agent, and extracted again from said conditioning chamber (2) at an exit (8), wherein the material (12) is conveyed continuously from said entrance (4) to said exit (8) in a conditioning chamber (2) inclined obliquely upwards, by means of a mixing conveyor, in particular a conveying screw (3).

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for producing a glass body with at least one inner tube which is closed off on one side and one outer tube which is closed off at least on one side, with the inner tube being connected not coaxially with the floor of the outer tube and the inner tube comprising an opening, with the inner tube being fixed in the outer tube in such a way that the outer tube comprises a projecting portion, a floor is formed by the projecting portion on the outer tube, an opening is formed by the removal of the glass on the inner tube, and the outer tube is evacuated at the end and molten off.

Abstract: A facility and method steps for air curing tobacco in an enclosure include hanging the tobacco in the enclosure-having at least one vertically arranged air duct positioned in a central portion of the enclosure, at least one in-line fan positioned in a vertical portion of the at least one vertically arranged air duct, at least one ventilating fan located in an upper portion of the enclosure and at least one openable and closeable opening in at least one side wall of the enclosure. The humidity within the enclosure is lowered by opening the openable and closeable openings in at least one side wall of the enclosure and forcing warm air from the top of the enclosure down through the tobacco within the enclosure by operating the ventilation fans located in a top portion of the enclosure.