Abstract: Kits and methods of play for creating decorative objects are disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, a kit comprises a plurality of rubber sticks, each stick with a continuous internal pattern that extends down the entire length of a longitudinal axis of the stick; a coring device, wherein the coring device includes a core cutter that is designed to cut holes through the plurality of rubber sticks; a cutting device designed to cut segments from the plurality of rubber sticks; and, a plurality of retainers designed to couple a plurality of segments together.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes lug clusters for composite tubes and methods for making such lug clusters. Lug clusters of the present disclosure may include a first side, a second side, and a saddle. The saddle may be placed in adjacent contact with a tube and a filament may be wound around the lug cluster and tube. The wound lug cluster and tube may be resin transfer molded. Machining may follow to remove material and finalize the shape of the lug cluster and/or tube. Thus, a lug cluster may be attached to a composite tube.

Abstract: A method and an article of manufacture are disclosed for reinforcing various structures with only partially accessible circumference, such as columns closely adjacent to or protruding out of a wall or beams holding a ceiling. Some of these structures may be partly or completely submerged in water, such as retaining walls on the sides of rivers and water-ways. In some embodiments a prefabricated shell will fully or partly cover the exposed and reachable part of the structure and will be secured in place by various means. The shell may hug the structure tightly or loosely and the space between the shell and the structure may be filled with such curable materials as glue, epoxy, grout, concrete and the like. In various embodiments additional reinforcement such as rebar may be placed in the space between the shell and the structure.

Abstract: A combination cutting and burnishing orbital drilling tool may include an elongate tool body including a cutting end and extending along a longitudinal axis. The tool body may include a burnishing portion spaced from the cutting end and configured to induce residual stress in a side wall of a hole without removing material. The tool body may further include a cutting portion interposed between the cutting end and the burnishing portion. The cutting portion may be configured to remove material from a workpiece, thereby creating the hole, during an orbital drilling process.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method of removing a bearing compartment from a gas turbine engine comprising inserting a tool between an aft portion of a low pressure turbine and a forward portion of a turbine exhaust case, the tool comprising one of a single wedge-shaped ring or a plurality of wedge-shaped segments, removing a plurality of fasteners coupling a flange of a bearing compartment housing to the turbine exhaust case, the bearing compartment housing containing the bearing compartment, and removing the bearing compartment housing from an aft portion of the gas turbine engine.

Abstract: A handheld device is disclosed for inserting a tongue into an insertion groove in a panel. The device includes a first part including a power unit which is configured for driving a puncher. The handheld device includes a second part, which is connected to the first part. The second part includes the displaceable puncher and a guiding device which is configured to guide the displaceable puncher and the tongue. An outer edge of the second part includes a first positioning element and a second positioning element. The first positioning element and the second positioning element are configured to be positioned at least partly in the insertion groove during an insertion of the tongue into the insertion groove. The displaceable puncher is configured to displace the tongue from the handheld device to an inserted position in the insertion groove.

Abstract: A rack may include a toothed portion having a toothing, and a shaft portion having a threaded portion with a coaxial thread that has a thread length in an axial direction of a longitudinal axis. Separate segments comprising at least one in each case bar-shaped toothed segment and one shaft segment are provided, are aligned on the longitudinal axis, and are connected to one another at a joint. A method for producing the rack may involve providing a shaft raw material piece having a piece length that is a multiple of a shaft segment length, generating a thread that is continuous in a longitudinal direction on the shaft raw material piece across a multiple of the thread length to produce a threaded semi-finished product, cutting to length a threaded segment from the threaded semi-finished product, providing a toothed segment, and joining the threaded segment to the toothed segment.

Abstract: An object to be cooled is quickly brought to a suitable temperature. An object to be cooled is quickly brought to a suitable temperature. A thermal energy storage pack 1 according to the present invention is a thermal energy storage pack that performs temperature management of food and/or beverage, and includes a first deep-drawn container filled with a first thermal energy storage material that exhibits phase change at a predetermined temperature, a second deep-drawn container that is overlaid by the first accommodation portion and that is filled with a second thermal energy storage material that maintains a liquid phase state at the phase change temperature of the first thermal energy storage material, and a cover material that closes off the first deep-drawn container. The second deep-drawn container comes into contact with a wine bottle.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to in situ methods for maintaining turbine assemblies. One such method includes: disposing a maintenance apparatus on the rotor; positioning the maintenance apparatus proximate to the damaged region by rotating the rotor; and repairing the damaged region by operating a repair tool disposed on the apparatus. Another method includes: disposing a maintenance apparatus on the stator; positioning the damaged region proximate to the maintenance apparatus by rotating the rotor; and repairing the damaged region by operating a repair tool disposed on the apparatus.

Abstract: A method of making an electronics enclosure that is light-weight, structurally sound and EMI resistant is provided. Preferably the electronics enclosure is made by covering the walls of a mold for the chassis and the lid with a metallic mesh. At least two plies of carbon prepreg are applied over the metallic mesh. The carbon prepreg and metallic mesh are then cured together at high temperature, typically in an autoclave. The wire mesh becomes integrated into the composite material during the curing process when the carbon material shrinks to the mold and the epoxy bonds with the wire mesh. The molds may then be removed leaving an electronics enclosure with superior properties.

Abstract: A mold surface repairing process, the process flow of which is as follows: first sand blasting—defect identification—repairing welding—coarse grinding—semi-finishing grinding—finishing grinding—secondary sand blasting—mold heating—spray paint. The disclosure provides a combination of automatic equipment, special grinding tools and finishing grinding process, which ensures the quality and efficiency of the mold repair and reduces the labor force.

Abstract: A method of forming a vacuum insulated structure includes providing a structural envelope an insulating cavity defined within the structural envelope. An expanding device is attached to opposing outer walls of the structural envelope and the interior cavity is expanded by pulling the opposing outer walls away from one another to define an expanded state. An insulating material is disposed within the insulating cavity to occupy substantially all of the insulating cavity in the expanded state. Gas is expressed from the insulating cavity to collapse the structural envelope to a final state and a final interior volume that is less than the expanded interior volume. The final state of the structural envelope defines a densified state of the insulating material within the insulating cavity. The vacuum port is then closed to hermetically seal the insulating cavity.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing an insulator is provided. The insulator includes a lower member and an upper member. The lower member is placed as a second flange of the lower member is fixed in position. The upper member is then disposed on the lower member as the second flange of the upper member is fixed in position. Accordingly, the first flange of the upper member and the first flange of the lower member abut each other, and the second flange of the upper member and the second flange of the lower member abut each other. Then, the first flange of the upper member and the first flange of the lower member are swaged, and then the second flange of the upper member and the second flange of the lower member are swaged.

Abstract: A system for image guided assembly of a structure, the structure defining an interior area accessible through at least one access opening, the interior area including at least one fastener hole. The system including a first fastening tool including an arm with first and second ends; and a support plate on the first end, the support plate including at least one connection member to securely retain a fastener therein, the at least one connection member configured to facilitate alignment of the fastener with the at least one fastener hole; an image capturing device disposed on the arm first end configured to generate a captured image of the interior area; a light source associated with the arm first end, the light source configured to generate light at the first end of the arm; and a display device located outside the interior area for displaying the captured image of the interior area.

Abstract: Apparatuses and methods to physically couple a transponder to a surgical object are provided. One example apparatus includes a first clamp comprising a first fastener and a first channel member that has a first base and a first pair of side portions that extend from the first base to form a first channel therebetween. The first fastener adjustably engages with the first channel member to securingly clamp a surgical object in the first channel of the first channel member. The apparatus further includes a housing that has at least a first cavity that receives at least a portion of the first pair of side portions of the first channel member, a first passageway that receives the first fastener and permits the first fastener to extend at least in part into the first cavity, and a second passageway to receive at least one transponder that wirelessly receives and returns signals.

Abstract: A workpiece referencing system and method, the system having a workpiece support assembly for supporting a plurality of workpieces, wherein the support assembly includes a support platform and a plurality of support members which are disposed to the support platform, each support member being configured to support an individual workpiece; and a workpiece referencing assembly for referencing the workpieces, as supported by the support assembly, to predetermined positions; wherein the support members each includes a body which includes a support surface which supports a workpiece and a resilient coupling which resiliently couples at least an upper part of the body relative to the support platform, such that the at least part of the body is displaceable relative to the support platform from a first, unbiased position to a second, biased reference position by operation of the referencing assembly, and, when released, the at least part of the body returns to the first, unbiased position.

Abstract: A drain-back valve is provided for draining a submersible pump system in a water well. The drain-back valve includes, for example, a body, an end cap and a plunger assembly. The end cap is inserted into one end of the body includes at least one port that is in fluid communication with an interior passageway of the body. The plunger assembly engages the opposing end of the body. When closed, the plunger assembly prevents water from flowing into the interior passageway of the body. The drain-back valve is activated or opened by dropping a weight into a riser or drop pipe. The weight strikes the plunger assembly and opens the drain-back valve to allow water to flow through the body and out the end cap. This allows well water in the drop or riser pipe to drain back into the water well. With this water drained from the drop or riser pipe, a pump service personnel on the ground surface is able to pull up the pump without the water weight that was in the drop or riser pipe.

Abstract: A tube-to-header sealing system for a heat exchanger comprises a pair of mating header plates, each header plate having a wall with a plurality of openings therein and including a continuous depression along the circumference of each header plate opening which forms one-half of an O-ring groove. Each of a plurality of O-rings is positioned in each O-ring groove and the header plates are secured together such that the header plate plurality of openings are aligned and trap each of the plurality of O-rings in O-ring grooves. A plurality of spaced-apart tubes each having a tube end secured in an opening in the wall of the header to form a tube-to-header joint are expanded outwardly to provide sufficient O-ring deformation to obtain a seal. In service, the resiliency of the O-ring seal allows for expansion and contraction of the tubes without the build-up of high stresses at the tube-to-header joint.

Abstract: In a method for documented tightening or retightening of a screw connection that includes a threaded bolt and a nut screwed onto the bolt and is supported on a flange surface, an exchangeable socket of a tensioning cylinder supported against the flange surface is screwed onto the free threaded end of the threaded bolt. The exchangeable socket is hydraulically tightened with longitudinal expansion of the threaded bolt while the nut is co-rotated by rotation of a rotary sleeve connected to the nut for conjoint rotation. Switching elements, in a first operating mode, allow only the exchangeable socket to be electrically driven and, in a second operating mode, allow only the rotary sleeve to be electrically driven. A process control unit provided with a documentation module is used to control the method.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a turbine shroud (24) for a turbomachine, the method comprising manufacturing at least one turbine shroud sector (28), positioning the turbine shroud sector (26) in a bottom mold so that an outer surface of the turbine shroud sector is in contact at least in part with the bottom mold, and depositing a powder layer on an inner surface (28) of the turbine shroud sector (26). Thereafter, a top mold is positioned on the powder layer and an abradable layer (32) is made by subjecting the powder layer to a method of SPS sintering, the abradable layer (32) being for being disposed facing a turbine wheel.