Abstract: A heating assembly for use in an electric furnace includes a helical heating element encircled by thermal insulation, and rows of spacers for keeping turns of the heating element spaced apart by predetermined distances. Each spacer includes circumferential side portions facing generally in a circumferential direction of the heating element and converging toward a center region of the spacer to form a radial undercut against which the insulation abuts. The spacers of each row have through holes extending parallel to a longitudinal axis of the heating element. A guide rod extends through the through holes of each row of spacers.

Abstract: A cooking vessel used with microwave ovens, which produces steam through a microwave heating method and cooks food using the steam. The cooking vessel includes a lower body containing water therein and made of a microwave permeable material. A food supporting plate is seated, at its edge, on an upper edge of the lower body in such a way as to be spaced apart from a bottom of the lower body, and is made of a microwave blocking material. A plurality of perforations are formed on the food supporting plate to allow steam to pass. A lid covers the lower body, and is made of a microwave blocking material. A steam discharging hole is formed on the lid. The lid is seated at its lower edge on the upper edge of the lower body in such a way that the lower edge of the lid is spaced apart from the edge of the food supporting plate by a predetermined interval, thus allowing a predetermined amount of microwaves to penetrate into the lid.

Abstract: An arc electrode structure, for producing carbon nanostructures, which includes a first electrode and two or more second electrodes disposed within a chamber is provided. The electrodes are connected to a voltage potential to produce an arc-plasma region. The first electrode has a sloped surface with a plurality of holes therein for holding catalyst. The first electrode's sloped surface, and the positioning of the plurality of second electrodes allows control of the direction and region of arc-plasma. Further, the first electrode has a central bore which may be either a blind bore, or a through bore. The blind bore collects unwanted deposits that slide off of the sloped surface of the first electrode. The throughbore either allows soot and carbon nanostructures to be removed from the chamber, or allows organic vapor to be introduced into the chamber.

Abstract: A plasma arc torch system, a circuit, and a method for controlling a pilot arc is disclosed. A rate of change sensor, such as a dv/dt sensor, monitors an output current signal or an output voltage signal to determine whether to close a switch to re-attach a pilot arc before a transferred arc becomes extinguished. The switch selectively connects a tip into a circuit path with an electrode and a power supply to allow the pilot arc to form between the tip and the electrode. A power supply preferably regulates the output current or voltage to a first level when a pilot arc is present, and to a second mode when a transferred arc is present.

Abstract: A generic, self-tuning control system deployable in a wide variety of systems is achieved from a digital system effectuating a matrix chain. Each matrix in the chain yields an output based upon two or more inputs. The outputs of the various matrices making up the chain are used as inputs to other matrices in the chain. Measured inputs are state variables of the system under control. Some inputs that are generated by other matrices are state variables. Consequently, the set of values generated by the matrices results from the state variables describing the system at a given point in time. Initially, the matrices exhibit a quality referred to as symmetry. This quality serves to cause the system under control to transition to desired state. In addition to the controlling force exerted by virtue of the symmetry of the matrices, a learning algorithm may be introduced to the matrix chain.

Abstract: Three adjustable electrodes (33a-33c) within a chamber (40) form a thermal plasma generating system (30). The electrodes (33a-33c) are positioned with a narrow gap at one portion and a wide gap at another portion to form a cone shape. The gap between the electrodes is adjusted to accommodate for wear on the electrodes (33a-33c). An electric arc is initiated at the narrowest point between two electrodes which moves over the length of the electrodes because of a magnetic field created by the arc and the forward motion of the injected stream. At the end of the electrodes, the arc is extinguished and another arc is initiated. The continuous are moving along the electrodes ionizes a working stream that is tangentially injected from three pneumatic rings (35a-35c) which provide improved mixing of the working stream for high quality thermal plasma. The thermal plasma exits through a narrow orifice (42).

Abstract: A method of removing photoresist from a wafer or other substrate consists of ashing the photoresist only once the wafer is spaced a predetermined distance above a wafer stage in a process chamber, so that the photoresist is removed at once from all of the surfaces of the wafer. The wafer is heated to a temperature of 210° C. to 230° C. after it is positioned on the upper surface of the wafer stage. The heated wafer is then raised a distance of 9 mm to 11 mm above the upper surface of the wafer stage. At this time, process gas is introduced into the process chamber, and the process gas is converted into plasma. Thus, the plasma efficiently removes the photoresist all at once from the surfaces of the wafer.

Abstract: A wall-mounted microwave oven having an enhanced blowing capability. The wall-mounted microwave oven includes a cabinet which defines an external appearance of the microwave oven and an exhaust fan unit. An internal duct is provided in the cabinet. An external duct is installed at a predetermined position outside the cabinet so as to communicate with the internal duct. The exhaust fan unit is installed in the external duct and generates a blowing force which discharges contaminated indoor air to the outside of the microwave oven through the internal and external ducts. The wall-mounted microwave oven having such a construction allows a large-capacity exhaust fan and a large-capacity fan motor to be used without increasing the size of the cabinet. Additionally, a capacity of a cooking chamber can be increased without increasing the size of the cabinet.

Abstract: A process for consolidating a composite material comprises the steps of forming a workpiece including a matrix interspersed with fibers, supporting the workpiece by an electrically conductive support, inductively heating the support and thereby conductively heating the workpiece, and applying pressure to the heated workpiece. We apply the pressure by passing the support and workpiece through spaced rolls. To keep the workpiece from sticking to the support (i.e., the mandrel), we use boron nitride as a release agent.

Abstract: For economy of operation, as much as possible of the total length of a steel strip being rolled by a Steckel mill should be maintained at an acceptably high temperature. To this end, the trailing edge of the strip is drawn into the coiler furnace to the extent possible without losing driving control of the strip. This is enabled by providing within or in close proximity with the entrance/exit port of the coiler furnace a pair of preferably heated pinch rolls that drive the trailing edge of the strip (that has just completed a pass through the Steckel mill) into the coiler furnace as far as possible, leaving only a very short protruding portion of that trailing edge outside the coiler furnace. The strip may be left idle within the coiler furnace for as long a time as is required to bring the temperature of the wound strip up to a target operating temperature. Then the same pair of pinch rolls in or near the entrance/exit port of the coiler furnace drive the strip out of the furnace toward the Steckel mill.

Abstract: A data bus for a fault tolerant avionics digital autonomous terminal access communications system is provided with a terminating resistor for absorbing or sufficiently attenuating signals incident on it so that they are not reflected back into the transmission line at amplitudes where they would cause distortion of the data signal. The data bus and terminating resistors are designed to continue providing full operational capability even if the electrical resistance of the terminating resistor increases by about 5%. The terminating resistor has at least about twenty resistive elements connected in parallel across two conductors in the data bus at one end thereof. Each resistive element includes a non-conductive substrate having a face surface on which is deposited a conductive film to produce a primary resistor.

Abstract: An air pollution control process and apparatus for glass furnaces for use in the furnace's waste gas outlet including passing the waste gases through a spray type neutralization tower to remove sulphates in the waste gases by spraying an absorbent (NaOH) to reduce the opacity of exhaust gas, and employing a pneumatic powder feeding device to feed flyash or calcium hydroxide periodically in a path between the spray type neutralization tower and a bag house to maintain normal functioning of the filter bag in the bag house.

Abstract: A fixed coil induction heater produces quality thermoplastic fusion welds in prefabricated resin composite parts. A susceptor along a bondline between parts aligns with the induction coil segments of a solenoid induction coil along the centerline of the coil. Energizing the coil heats the susceptor to form the weld at the bondline. For this operation, our induction heating workcell uses complementary dies that define a central cavity with an oval pattern of induction coil segments roughly conforming to the shape of the cavity and surrounding all faces of the cavity where we position the preform composite parts and susceptor.

Abstract: A laser beam having a circular cross section is irradiated obliquely with respect to a line vertical to a irradiating surface of material including a metal or by shaping the laser beam through an optical system of an irradiation unit, and then the laser beam having an elliptical shape is irradiated on the irradiating surface to thereby suppress weld defects such as weld cracks in weld joints of a difficult-to-weld material such as aluminum alloy.

Abstract: A heat treating apparatus for mounting objects to be treated on an object-to-be-treated boat (wafer boat) provided on a heat insulating cylinder, and loading the object-to-be-treated boat into a processing vessel for a heat treatment, a temperature detecting sensor is provided in a film depositing area of a relatively large heat capacity, which is a lower part of a gap defined between an inner tube of the processing vessel and an outer tube thereof so as to detect temperatures of those of the objects to be treated located there and control temperatures of the heating unit. Thus heat response is improved, and temperatures of the objects to be treated can be accurately detected.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for controlling electrode gap in a vacuum arc remelting furnace, particularly at low melting currents. Spectrographic analysis is performed of the metal vapor plasma, from which estimates of electrode gap are derived.

Abstract: A non-linear resistor having a high impulse withstanding ability is obtained by directly applying a crystallized glass to the side surface of a sintered body of a ZnO element, and then bake-attaching the crystallized glass to the side surface of the ZnO element by heat treatment. Since the impulse withstanding ability is improved by applying the crystallized glass as the side surface high-resistivity layer of the voltage non-linear resistor, the performance and reliability of an arrester including the resistor is improved.

Abstract: The electrical resistance element (10) includes a resistance body (3), which is arranged between two plane-parallel, pressurized electrodes (1, 2), has PTC behavior and comprises a polymer matrix and two filler components of electrically conducting particles embedded into the polymer matrix (4).When a short-circuit current occurs, the resistivity of the resistance body (3) changes abruptly above a temperature limit value in a surface layer resting on the electrodes and containing at least a first of the two filler components. A second of the two filler components is selected such that a composite material containing at least the polymer matrix and the second filler component has PTC behavior, with an abruptly changing behavior greater by at least one order of magnitude in comparison with the surface layer. At the same time, this composite material has a resistivity which is lower by at least one order of magnitude than a composite material formed by the polymer matrix and the first filler component.

Abstract: An electrode assembly for glass tank furnaces comprises a rod electrode inserted in a cylindrical electrode holder, through which it can be advanced. Along at least part of its length the said electrode holder is fitted with a device for forced cooling and is installed in an electrode block in the furnace. In order to dispense with and in order to operate the electrode holder at a constant temperature the holder is inserted with the bottom face below a filling level determined by the design of the furnace, and provided with a seal between it and the electrode above the filling level. Preferably the electrode holder has an outer tube and an inner tube, which create an annular gap between them for a cooling medium, whereby the inner tube protrudes out of the upper end of the outer tube and a sealing unit is provided between the inner tube and the electrode.

Abstract: There is disclosed a high power induction heating coil for use in thermoplastic welding where a metallic susceptor is embedded in a composite assembly and is heated by eddy currents generated by the coil. The coil is comprised of several windings of Litz wire composed of multiple individually insulated strands of copper wire. The coil is wound on a circular E core having a coolant conduit through the center of the core. Coolant is introduced through the central core and returned by circulating through the loosely wound coil to the coolant source.