Abstract: A pneumatic sweep generator for use as an audio source in tests near vocal frequency ranges. A horn, whose volume may be controlled by air pressure and whose tone may be controlled by air velocity, is connected to an air supply in a dual-circuit arrangement. Mechanical control devices, such as manual and pressure release valves, are located within the circuit to provide for tone and volume control. A reciprocating air cylinder continuously varies the air velocity within the horn to sweep the frequencies in an adjustable manner. Electromagnetic interference is totally eliminated by a complete absence of electrical devices in either the device or in necessary controls.

Abstract: A flag assembly has a pedestal frame which contains a miniature phonograph recorder that is battery operated and which has two contacts that are connectable together to activate the recorder. One contact is connected to the conductive base of a flag staff and the other contact is connected to a flexible flap which can be bent into engagement with the base to activate the recorder. A shuttle having a sleeve and a flange is slidable along the staff. In its lower position the flange presses the flexible flap against the base to activate the recorder. A flag is engaged around the sleeve. A rope has one end connected to the sleeve at an opposite end engaged around a pulley at the top of the staff and extending downwardly into the pedestal frame. A spring-loaded spool in the pedestal frame is connected to the opposite ends of the rope for winding and unwinding the rope.

Abstract: Disclosed are a method and a system for measuring the sea floor temperature gradient several meters into the formation at each of an array of measurement sites, and using these gradients to explore for and characterize hydrocarbon deposits. The measurements can be taken with a special lance driven into the otherwise undisturbed sea floor.

Abstract: Apparatus for indicating a preselected condition of material in a vessel which includes a laid wire cable vertically suspended within the vessel so as to contact and be surrounded by material contained therein. The laid wire cable is suspended by a roller-type thrust bearing which permits free rotation of the cable and thus prevents torsional sheer stresses on the suspended cable end due to tension in the cable and consequent unraveling and reraveling of the cable lays. In a preferred embodiment of the invention wherein the upper end of the cable is selectively slackened and material level is determined as a function of weight of the slackened cable end unsupported by material, a spherical head is affixed to the cable to seat against and cooperate with a side-thrust washer slidably carried on the foot of a load cell for isolating the load cell from lateral cable forces due to material or component tolerance variations.

Abstract: A traffic control drum is disclosed as an upright member having upper and lower ends, a support base adapted to rest on a support surface and an operator releasable mechanism for attaching the lower end of the member to the support base, so that the member is oriented in an upright relation to the support surface. The support base has an element exposed to be stepped on by the operator to hold the support base still on the support surface. The member has a mechanism disposed to be manually grasped by the operator, whereby the operator may urge the member away from the support base, while the operator holds the support base still with respect to the support surface to thereby effect release of the upright member from the support base.

Abstract: A correct answer displaying device for an arithmetic practicing device or the like. Plural chambers are arranged in matrix form with partition boards, and a colored transparent plate is placed over the chambers on which numerical problems to be solved are indicated and through which the configurations of the correct answer numbers cannot ordinarily be observed. Answer levers are operated to cause white plates to come near the lower surface of the colored transparent plate to display the correct answers. The white plates are pivotally mounted about one side thereof in which an engaging step is formed. Each answer lever, which has an engaging protrusion engaged with a respective engaging step, is accommodated in a guide frame in such a manner that the answer lever can pass in and out of the corresponding chamber.

Abstract: A microwave moisture sensor operates on the principle that an emitted microwave is attenuated in rotary resonance with water molecules. The microwave moisture sensor includes measurement and reference signal systems sharing a microwave oscillator, a detector and other components, means for calculating the ratio of the signals from the respective systems, and an AGC circuit means for keeping the reference signal from the reference signal system at a predetermined level, so that drifts of the microwave oscillator, detector and other components will be cancelled and thus increased measuring accuracy will result. Furthermore, the microwave moisture sensor measure the basis weight and temperature of a material being measured, and processes the measured values according to predetermined moisture percentages free from adverse influences of the basis weight and temperature and thus increase the degree of measurement accuracy.

Abstract: There is disclosed an apparatus of the bubble type for accurately measuring the quantity of liquid in a tank. The apparatus functions by supplying an accurately measured quantity of purge gas at an accurately controlled predetermined pressure and flow rate through a selector valve to a tube extending to the bottom of any one of a number of liquid-containing tanks to be monitored. When the apparatus is actuated, purge gas first clears the tube of substantially all liquid originally disposed therein and then stabilizes at a pressure which accurately reflects the liquid depth in the tank. A method of making such measurements is also disclosed.

Abstract: A temperature-monitoring and -witnessing device has an at least partially transparent container forming a pair of adjacent chambers at least one of which is substantially closed and formed with a passage between the chambers, a valve including a metallic shape-memory element that deforms from one shape to another shape when cooled to a predetermined transition temperature for blocking the passage when the element is of the one shape and for unblocking the passage when the element is of the other shape, a body of liquid in the one closed chamber and confined therein when the shape-memory element is of the one shape, and a dye or the like in the other chamber capable of coloring the liquid. Thus the liquid will only be colored when the element has deformed to the other shape and the device is below the transition temperature. Normally the liquid has a freezing point generally at the transition temperature.

Abstract: Deck access box connected to a deck of a ship and to reach rods to operate valves below decks. The deck access box is fixed to the ship's deck. The deck access box includes a spindle connected to the reach rod by a suitable coupling. The top end of the spindle includes a recess used to turn the spindle which in turn operates the valve. The spindle has indicator apparatus coupled to it to show the travel position of the valve. The indicator apparatus includes indicators and a new and improved transmission for regulating the movement of the indicators to provide a uniform, non-intermittent, and continuous position indicator of the valve open-close status. The indicators are adjustable, rotate and travel a circular distance proportionally equal to the travel of the gate or other closing device of the valve, such as a door, gate, plug valve or other device.

Abstract: A device for measuring density and moisture of a material includes a hollow roller rotatably mounted on a shaft for rolling movement on the surface of the material. A radioactive source and density and moisture detectors are supported below the shaft and adjacent to the inner surface of the roller at substantially a fixed distance from the surface of the material being measured as the roller is rolled. The detectors are coupled to a conventional counter and microprocessor circuitry which provide an output reading related to the density or moisture content of the material. The shaft may be mounted for tilting movement so that the roller may pitch in conformity to contours in the material surface.

Abstract: A siren comprises a compressed air supply which is deflected by stationary deflectors to exit radially through stator ports. A rotor with spaced ports rotates between the stator and deflector thereby opening and closing the stator ports. Stationary vanes are disposed at circumferentially spaced locations, and constitute together with the deflector plate and stator and rotor housing, plenums. There are fewer rotor ports than stator ports, which generates an out-of-phase acoustical pattern which creates an acoustic combination from the stator ports of an acoustic output at a distance from the siren which is more uniform spatially. The thermoplastic seal between the stator and the rotor has minimal clearance under operating conditions having been run-in and plastically deformed at a temperature higher than for normal operation.

Abstract: A probe generally rocket-like in shape includes a forward leading nose section containing a radio transmitter with an antenna permanently attached thereto which is fixed to a central housing section possessing a generally cross-sectionally square bore followed by a trailing finned section continuing the bore. A motor assembly including an electric motor having opposed shafting (one end of the shaft defines a cutting tool and the opposite end of the shaft defines a plurality of threads) is slideably disposed in a watertight chamber. The motor assembly, retained in a first position by the engagement of the threaded shaft with the body, is biased toward a second position by a compression spring. A sensing array of position sensing switches senses deviations in the descent of the probe in the water. The motor rotates the shaft to disengage the shaft from body in response to the sensed deviations.

Abstract: An abnormal noise detector for use in evaluating the quality of automotive gear units or the like is disclosed. The present invention employs a microphone which picks up the noise produced by a gear unit being tested and an adjustable bandpass filter connected to the microphone which passes only those signals from the microphone having a desired frequency, the desired frequency being a function of the rate of rotation of the gear unit. The bandpass filter is controlled by a proportional amplifier responsive to the rate of rotation of the gear unit which at any rate of rotation of the gear unit causes the bandpass filter to pass only the desired frequency. The filtered output from the bandpass filter is applied to an X-Y recorder which automatically plots the sound pressure of the noise having the desired frequency as a function of the rate of rotation of the gear unit or as a function of the desired frequency.

Abstract: A wind indicator for a sailboat has a wind vane on a vertical shaft which is mechanically coupled with a horizontal shaft turning a pointer. The wind angle relative to the boat is indicated by the pointer on a circular dial. Two windward pointing indicators are mounted from the mast. A reaching wind indicator is mounted at the stern.

Abstract: A visual enhancement marking arrangement for a receiver aircraft having a body portion and a fuel receiving receptacle on the body portion for receiving the outer end of a refueling boom of a tanker aircraft, the marking arrangement increasing visual and depth perception of an observer in a tanker aircraft and including inner converging runway lines converging toward the fuel receiving receptacle, outer converging runway lines substantially parallel to the inner converging runway lines, substantially parallel comparator lines between the inner converging runway lines spaced apart about the width of the fuel receiving receptacle and in alignment therewith, milestone marker lines perpendicular to the comparator lines and extending between the inner runway lines, gradient density contour lines located on opposite sides of the fuel receiving receptacle, fuel receptacle outline markings, stabilizer vane markings, and danger marking lines delineating critical "do not contact" areas including windscreen outline mark

Abstract: A valve spring testing and replacement tool device having a multiple of attachment members to facilitate and accommodate working on a number of different types of internal combustion engines. The valve spring tool, generally speaking, comprises a base member, one or more anchor members, one or more spring compressor members and a torque wrench means.

Abstract: A tack measuring device and method wherein two specimens are brought into abutting contact under a predetermined load, after which the contact is maintained momentarily. The specimens are then separated within a second time interval. A load cell measures the force as a function of time and the tack is measured in terms of velocity times the force integrated over the second time interval.

Abstract: A tornado warning device which emits a warning sound when air escapes the said device at a pre-determined rate, with said rate being that of the loss of air pressure in the path of a tornado.

Abstract: An Air Deployed Oceanographic Mooring when assembled for deployment has a multitude of components suitable for separation by explosive bolts upon deployment of the system. A parachute system is connected to a surface buoy. The components that separate from each other upon deployment comprise a parachute system, a surface float, a subsurface buoy, an anchor shell and a bottom finder. All components except for the parachute system have interconnecting flexible lines upon deployment. A novel locking mechanism for limiting the paying out of the line between the anchor shell and subsurface buoy is triggered by the slackening of the line between the bottom finder and anchor shell when the bottom finder hits the bottom of the ocean.