Abstract: A number of blocks are reciprocably supported in a polishing apparatus in accordance with this invention, entirely independent of each other so that lifting motion of one block is not transferred to an adjacent block, thus providing flexibility to follow the global curvature of the wafer. The polishing apparatus uses a block of a very hard design to ensure minimal deflection of the block into the microstructure of the wafer. Each block removes a portion of the wafer using relative motion between the block and the wafer. Each block is supported by at least three regions of the wafer during the relative motion, wherein each of the regions has the slowest rate of material removal in a die enclosing that region. In one embodiment, the smallest dimension of a block is approximately three times the size of the side of a die.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for decontaminating structures which utilizes abrasive blasting in conjunction with a reverse air flow to remove contaminants from a structure. The apparatus comprises an abrasive blasting device for projecting abrasive material through a nozzle onto a structure at a high velocity. An enclosure is connected to the blasting device which surrounds the nozzle and forms a vacuum envelope around the nozzle and a portion of the structure being decontaminated. A vacuum apparatus is connected to the enclosure for providing a reverse air flow from the enclosure to a collection chamber in the vacuum. A high pressure pump/motor assembly delivers abrasion material at high pressure from a hopper to the blasting device. As contaminants are abraded from the structure, the reverse air flow provided to the enclosure causes the abrasive material and the material abraded from the structure to be collected in the collection chamber.

Abstract: A rail grinding machine for grinding rails of a track includes a machine frame with rollers for support on both rails of the track and a swivel drive for swingably mounting a carrier frame to the machine frame for rotation about a pivot axis which extends longitudinally in direction of the track. A grinder is adjustably secured to the carrier frame in an area of one rail, with a drive motor for supplying energy to the swivel drive and the grinder being secured to the machine frame at an area distant to the carrier frame. The distance of the carrier frame and its pivot axis from a support roller located opposite to the grinder is reducible by a length compensation unit which includes a pressure-exerting element for applying in opposition to the distance reduction a force by which the grinder is pressed against a rail head inner flank of the rail being ground.

Abstract: A concrete cutting saw is provided for the cutting of grooves in the surface of wet concrete. The concrete saw generally comprises a motor driven rotating cutting blade mounted on a support structure. The concrete saw is supported during cutting by wheels, and has a skid plate with a slot through which the rotating cutting blade passes to cut the concrete. The cutting blade is mounted with a sound deadening blade housing and a number of shields and guards located about the skid plate. The skid plate is movably attached to the concrete saw and resiliently urged against the concrete during cutting so that it remains in contact with the surface of the concrete surrounding the cutting blade during cutting. The skid plate is constrained into a bowed configuration so that it is substantially flat during cutting. A variable speed transmission is drivingly connected to the wheels to propel the saw across the concrete during cutting.

Abstract: A mobile rail grinding machine comprises a machine frame extending in a longitudinal direction, and undercarriages supporting the machine frame on the track rails for movement in an operating direction. A mounting frame is supported on the track rails by flanged wheels, and a drive vertically adjustably connects the mounting frame to the machine frame. At least one rail head grinding unit is arranged on the mounting frame and comprises an abrasive belt having opposite ends, a storage spool holding one of the belt ends and a collecting spool holding the opposite belt end whereby the abrasive belt may be reeled off the storage spool and onto the collecting spool, and a pressure element arranged to press the abrasive belt against the surface area of the rail head off which the irregularities are to be ground.

Abstract: Sharpening the cutting edge of a chipper knife having a chip-breaking shoulder in its underside remote from the cutting edge apex which is integral with the chipper knife is effected by removing a layer of material of uniform thickness from the underside of the cutting edge and thereby removing the bluntness of a dulled cutting edge and forming a resharpened cutting edge having the same wedge angle as the cutting edge prior to resharpening.

Abstract: In a grinding method wherein a rotating workpiece and a rotating grinding wheel are relatively moved toward and away from each other and wherein at least three of rough, fine and finish grinding step are performed successively at high, medium and low infeed rates respectively for grinding the workpiece, the grinding wheel is retracted to a back-off position at the end of the rough grinding step.

Abstract: In performing micro-cleaning and micro-blasting, a dry micro-cleaning abrasive powder is sprayed having a very small grain size. This enables high cleaning speeds to be reconciled with exceptionally fine blasting in order to remove dirty stains and encrusted deposits from valuable, delicate, or fragile medium as is the case when having to blast off pollutants and pollution that become stuck to the surfaces of monuments and buildings. Jets of compressed air charged with fine abrasive particles having grain sizes of less than 200 micrometers can also be sprayed towards the surface. The jets are emitted from nozzles at high speeds so that they sweep the surface with at least ten jets, each of which has a cross section lying in the range of 400 micrometers to 4 millimeters, so that very low kinetic energy is imparted to the surface.

Abstract: A stem and a valve face of an engine valve are ground by first and second grinding wheels respectively. A motor for driving the second grinding wheel is mounted on a first plate movable by a servomotor in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the wheel, and under the first plate, a second plate is disposed to be movable in a direction parallel with the axis of the wheel. The valve face is ground obliquely by the second grinding wheel by moving the two plates. The first grinding wheel is trued by a first dresser movable in directions parallel with and perpendicular to the axis of the first grinding wheel. The second grinding wheel is trued by a second dresser provided at the end of a support strut.

Abstract: A chemical mechanical planarization tool and method are presented employing a non-linear motion of the carrier arm relative to the polishing pad. The non-linear motion of the carrier arm relative to the polishing pad can be accomplished in a variety of ways, for example, employing a mechanical template having an irregular opening or programming the carrier displacement mechanism to move the carrier in an irregular, non-rotational X-Y path over the polishing pad.

Abstract: A machine for grinding longitudinal troughs in the edges of grooves of a power steering valve input-shaft (4), the input-shaft being supported for rotation on supports (14, 15), a grinding wheel (30) having a contoured periphery corresponding in cross-section to the cross-section of the trough (5), the grinding wheel being relatively movable towards the input-shaft to some predetermined depth of engagement therewith and to be retracted therefrom and being movable axially relative to the input-shaft to form a longitudinal trough (5) to produce oblique terminations of the trough.

Abstract: Blade-sharpening apparatus includes a blade holder that is axially and pivotably movable on an upright post, to enable controlled manual movement of a clamped blade in contact with a sharpening stone supported on an underlying base. The means by which the clamping head is mounted permits adjustment of declination, for producing the desired blade-edge angle, and it permits pivoting of the head for maintaining optimal contact between the blade and the surface of the stone.

Abstract: A media control valve used to meter and dispense an amount of abrasive media from a supply pot to a compressed airline for blast cleaning comprises; a media passage communicating with the supply pot and an airflow tube, a bore disposed in the valve and communicating with the media passage, a media control sleeve placed within the bore disposed between the media passage and the airflow tube and containing a plurality of spaced restricting orifices, a valve stem slidable within the media control sleeve and capable of opening and closing the orifices, the valve stem being secured to an activating means to move the valve stem in a manner such that the valve stem will self-align itself within the interior of the media control sleeve. The self-alignment feature is provided by dividing the valve stem into a lower valve stem portion and an upper valve stem portion which is secured to the activating means.

Abstract: A nozzle for a sand blaster for dust-free blasting of plain surfaces comprises a tubular housing (1) with a revolving nozzle head (3) which is connectable to a blast hose (2). The nozzle head (3) is covered with an end plate (4) provided with inclined orifices (7) so that the nozzle head (3) will be revolved by the throw of the sand blasting material. For a better adaptability to different demands for cleaning, each orifice (7) is provided with a slewable blast pipe (9) which is mounted slewable with a socket joint (10) at the end plate (4).

Abstract: A horizontal full automatic centrifugal fluidizing barrel processing apparatus which does not damage working environment and offers superior working efficiency. When two disk members are rotated together with a revolutionary shaft, a planetary moving mechanism provided in one of the disk members revolves rotary shafts around the revolutionary shaft and rotates the rotary shafts on their axes. Rotary pinching mechanisms installed in the rotary shafts (a part of a barrel pinching mechanism) pinch and rotate airtight cylindrical barrels. Hydraulic cylinders (the remainder of the barrel pinching mechanism) actuate the rotary pinching mechanisms on the side of one of the disk members to release the pinch of the barrels. A barrel handling mechanism 10 carries a released barrel out of the apparatus and set an untreated barrel.

Abstract: A miniature motorized hand held dental saw wherein, like with a coping saw, the axis of rotation of the handle of the dental saw is tangent with the outer diameter of the blade. This important characteristic, combined with the use of a flexible blade, enables the operator to change, as needed, the direction of the cut without any snagging or binding effects. The dental saw is composed of a main steel body on which are attached three flanged Teflon.TM. coated bearings that support and guide a 0.004 thick annular diamond coated blade. The rotation of the blade, on these flanged bearings, is created by a drive assembly consisting of two opposite wheels, a drive wheel and a follower wheel, each wheel composed of a hub on which is fitted a neoprene o-ring. The opposite o-rings create an equal pressure on both faces of the blade which they make rotate. The power is transmitted to the assembly by means of a drive cable that is connected to a motor situated in a remote stationary work station.

Abstract: This is a method of removing contaminants from an engine pulley by removably attaching an abrasive strip to a belt which is positioned in a pulley groove, for example. The abrasive of the strip faces the pulley. Running the engine causing the abrasive strip to abrade away any dirt, rust or other contaminant on the pulley.

Abstract: Device is described that reduces the forces needed to release a wafer from a wet polishing surface after polishing. Device comprises attachment adapted to be mounted to a polishing apparatus to permit attachment surface, configured to mate with two regions of the wafer, to tilt relative to the polishing surface. Means for defining adhesive force between attachment surface and one of the two wafer regions, and means for defining adhesive force between attachment surface and other of the two wafer regions which is different than that defined between attachment surface and the one wafer region so as to cause a non-parallel relationship between the one wafer face and polishing surface, are provided. Unbalanced force causes a non-parallel relationship between wafer and polishing pad and facilitates separation and lifting of wafer from polishing surface.

Abstract: A method of resharpening the knives in a chipping machine while they are installed in the knives' rotor is disclosed. For this purpose all knives are moved forward one after another to their functional position by an amount that corresponds to the wear of the edges. As part of this, the radial grinding feed which is required in order to achieve the desired protrusion of the edges above the relevant area of the knives' rotor is pre-programmed based on the detected state of wear. A device to implement this method is also disclosed. The device comprises a rotational disk for the knife rotor placed on top of a machine frame and where an equipment table is provided that supports a cross-wise translatory moveable grinding unit, as well as a radially moveable adjustment device which has a sensor to determine the state of wear of the relevant area of the knife rotor 8 and a stop face to limit the knife feed.

Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for linearly displacing a rotatable spindle relative to an object. The apparatus includes a support that is connectable to the spindle such that translation of the spindle relative to the support in a first direction is restrained, a rotatable shaft which is connected to the support such that translation of the shaft relative to the support in the first direction is restrained, and a rotational drive system rotatably connected to the shaft and rotatably connectable to the spindle, to transmit rotational drive from the spindle to the shaft. The apparatus also includes a contact piece eccentrically mounted to the shaft, wherein the contact piece has a contact surface thereon for contact with the object. Rotation of the shaft varies a distance, measured in the first direction, between the support and a portion of the contact surface contacting the object, such that the spindle is linearly displaceable relative to the object.