Abstract: An adjustable ergonomic back for a seat is disclosed. The back has a plurality of back cushions, each cushion having at least one adjustment area. It further comprises a structural shell having a plurality of voids therein. A plurality of thin flexible elements are located between the back cushions and the structural shell, each flexible element being attached to the structural shell. Each of the flexible elements has a front surface and a back surface, the front surface being in contact with a respective adjustment area of one of the plurality of back cushions. The back further has a plurality of actuators located between the flexible elements and the structural shell, each of the actuators being in contact with one of the respective back surfaces of the flexible elements and exerting a pressure on the back surface.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a compact base for a seat with a suspension for a vehicle driver, for use in buses, heavy vehicles or special use vehicles, including excavation vehicles or foresting equipment, in which the operator or driver is subject to vibrations. The present invention provides total independence of the suspension properties, including stiffness, damping and range of travel, with height adjustment. In order to accomplish this, the compact base for the seat is divided into parts including a suspension and a seat height adjustment mechanism. These parts have no common component including balloons, dampers or guiding systems. In this manner, the suspension properties of the seat are not affected by the seat height adjustment. Moreover, the invention provides a compact seat base through the use of structures and balloons that fit one within the other.

Abstract: A turbomachine comprising: an annular combustion chamber (40) with injection orifices (44); a centrifugal compressor (10) having a centrifugal downstream stage; and an annular diffuser (20) comprising: a radially-oriented upstream portion (21) with diffusion passages (22) connected to the outlet of the compressor; an elbow-shaped intermediate portion (24); and a downstream portion (25) comprising a series of flow-straightening vanes (26) and inclined relative to the axis (A) of the turbomachine. In the section plane containing the axis (A) of the turbomachine and passing via the center (C) of one of said injection orifices (44), the curvilinear abscissa distance along a flow line (L) between the middle (O) of the flow path at the trailing edges of the flow-straightening vanes (26) and said center (C) is greater than or equal to three times the height (h) of said flow path.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a gas turbine engine diffuser (30) defined between an external casing (32) and an internal casing (34) of said engine and supplied with air via an upstream annular diffuser duct (36), comprising a combustion chamber (10) of the convergent type, forming an external annular duct (28) with the external casing (32) and an internal annular duct with the internal casing (34), which diffuser comprises a cowling partially closing off the external annular duct. More specifically, the cowling is positioned toward the closed end of the combustion chamber.

Abstract: A fuel injector system for injecting fuel into a turbomachine combustion chamber, the system comprising first and second fuel injectors wherein the first injector (22) is positioned in the center of the injector system (20) so as to inject a first fuel spray (42), and wherein the second injector (28) surrounds the first injector in such a manner as to inject a second fuel spray (48) of generally annular shape around the first fuel spray. The injector system further comprises an air admission duct (22) with outlet orifices (62) opening out between the first and second injectors so as to create a separator air film (f1) between the respective combustion zones of the first and second fuel sprays.

Abstract: The invention relates to the field of turbomachines and concerns a device (20a, 20b) for injecting a mixture of air and fuel into a combustion chamber (4) of a turbomachine (1). It relates more specifically to an injection device (20b) provided with a novel sliding bushing (30b) and with a novel annular cup (50b) for retaining the sliding bushing, making it possible to improve the air feed of the injection device.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a compact base for a seat with a suspension for a vehicle driver, for use in buses, heavy vehicles or special use vehicles, including excavation vehicles or foresting equipment, in which the operator or driver is subject to vibrations. The present invention provides total independence of the suspension properties, including stiffness, damping and range of travel, with height adjustment. In order to accomplish this, the compact base for the seat is divided into parts including a suspension and a seat height adjustment mechanism. These parts have no common component including balloons, dampers or guiding systems. In this manner, the suspension properties of the seat are not affected by the seat height adjustment. Moreover, the invention provides a compact seat base through the use of structures and balloons that fit one within the other.

Abstract: An active suspension for a driver seat of a bus or a heavy vehicle which comprises an electric actuator allowing the exertion of the force between the floor of the vehicle and the bottom of the seat. The adjustment of the height of the seat is accomplished by an electric actuator or by an independent mechanical system. A controller generates a control force calculated from measurements obtained by sensors located at different locations on the suspension. Forces exerted by the electric actuator can be relieved by passive element placed in parallel which cannot assume by themselves the role of a suspension for a given application.

Abstract: An adjustable ergonomic back for a seat is disclosed. The back has a plurality of back cushions, each cushion having at least one adjustment area. It further comprises a structural shell having a plurality of voids therein. A plurality of thin flexible elements are located between the back cushions and the structural shell, each flexible element being attached to the structural shell. Each of the flexible elements has a front surface and a back surface, the front surface being in contact with a respective adjustment area of one of the plurality of back cushions. The back further has a plurality of actuators located between the flexible elements and the structural shell, each of the actuators being in contact with one of the respective back surfaces of the flexible elements and exerting a pressure on the back surface.

Abstract: A carbureted flameholder (30) with optial cooling is provided for a bypass turbojet-engine. The flameholder (30) comprises a body (34) which extends radially into the primary flow. The body (34) is formed by a V-dihedral having two outer plates (35, 36) which intersect at a common ridge apex (37). An air tube (38) is mounted between the two outer plates (35, 36) and at least one fuel conduit (44, 45) is disposed to the rear of the air tube (38). The overall cross-section of the air tube (38) is approximately triangular and the air tube (38) includes a transverse downstream wall that is curved to define a trough (42) in which the fuel conduit (44, 45) is located. The air tube (38) includes orifices (41, 46) directed against the dihedral plates (35, 36) and the fuel conduit (44, 45) to cool them. The fuel conduit includes a nozzle injector (46) directed downstream towards the afterburner chamber (23).

Abstract: The invention relates to a combustion chamber containing a number of aerohanical injectors mounted in the end of the chamber that connects the upstream end of two annular walls and which are supplied with fuel permanently during operation. The injectors are arranged in two concentric rows around the axis of symmetry and in pairs in longitudinal planes passing through the axis of symmetry. The injectors of the two rows are more or less equidistant from the outlet of the chamber and have axes directed toward the outlet. A carefully considered distribution of the primary holes, dilution holes and the air flow allows the emissions of oxides of nitrogen to be reduced.

Abstract: A fuel injection system is disclosed for a gas turbine engine having a fuel injector issuing a primary fuel flow during all operating modes of the gas turbine engine and a secondary fuel flow when operating parameters of the gas turbine engine exceed predetermined values. The fuel injection system includes a first air swirler, a second air swirler located rearwardly of the first air swirler and a venturi having a wall with a converging-diverging inner wall surface forming a venturi throat, the venturi being located such that the wall separates first and second air flows issuing from the first and second air swirlers and such that the primary fuel flow emanating from the fuel injector in a conical configuration does not impact against the inner wall surface of the venturi.

Abstract: An annular combustion chamber is disclosed for use in a gas turbine engine, the combustion chamber having an axis of symmetry, an inner annular wall, an outer annular wall, and a forward end extending between the inner and outer wall to form boundaries for the combustion chamber. The forward end of the combustion chamber has an inner ring member extending about the axis of symmetry and an outer ring member extending about the axis of symmetry and radially spaced from the inner ring member, the inner and outer ring members forming inner and outer boundaries of an annular chamber that diverges in a rearward direction. The inner and outer ring members are interconnected by a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart spacers so as to form a plurality of arcuate openings between adjacent spacers.

Abstract: An apparatus for orienting the forces exerted by a helical coil spring on relatively movable elements is disclosed in which a movable element is movably mounted within a casing so as to move along a movement axis, in which a helical coil spring is interposed between the casing and the movable element so as to exert opposite forces on the casing and the movable element. The lateral forces and the torque forces on the movable element are eliminated by using a swivel joint interposed between the piston and one end of the helical coil spring. The use of the swivel element insures that the force exerted on the movable element by the helical coil spring is coincident with the movement axis of the movable element. A second swivel joint may be utilized between the second end of the helical coil spring and the casing, if desired.

Abstract: A differential pressure detector for providing an output pressure modulated as a function of the pressure drop between the pressures upstream and downstream of a fuel metering device, comprising first and second input chambers for connection to said upstream and downstream pressures respectively, a modulated pressure output chamber, a sleeve which is linearly movable in response to changes in the difference between the pressures in the first and second input chambers, and a fixed slide valve which is partly received in the sleeve and which has a bore opening into the output chamber and at least one side port for communicating the first input chamber with the output chamber via the slide valve bore, the aperture of the side port being varied by linear movement of the sleeve to control the communication between the first input chamber and the output chamber. The detector has reduced reaction forces and is particularly suitable for use in a fuel flow regulating system.

Abstract: A device for actively controlling combustion instabilities and for decoking uel injectors comprises at least one detector for measuring pressure fluctuations in a combustion or afterburner chamber, means for processing the signal output by the detector and providing, in turn, a control voltage, and at least one piezoelectric device which is disposed in a hydraulic line including a fuel injector for the supply of fuel to the combustion or afterburner chamber and which is responsive to the control voltage to generate pulses in the flow of fuel from the outlet of the fuel injector.

Abstract: A combustion chamber, particularly for a turbomachine, has at least one generally axially extending wall provided with a plurality of through holes defining a multi-hole cooling system for the wall. The wall also has a plurality of dilution holes which affect locally the flow of burnt gases in the chamber, and the cooling through holes are oriented according to the local flow of burnt gases in the chamber. In particular the wall is subdivided into first zones, downstream of the dilution holes, in which the through holes are oriented substantially in countercurrent to the overall flow direction of the burnt gases in the chamber, second zones and third zones which are disposed on opposite sides of the first zones and in which the orientation of the through holes is inclined both axially and circumferentially, and a fourth zone covering the remainder of the wall and in which the through holes are inclined axially in the overall flow direction of the burnt gases.

Abstract: A method of preventing instabilities due to combustion in a multi-flow turbojet engine including an afterburner into which an air-fuel mixture is injected in proportions measured in richness terms, which includes the steps of detecting experimentally, when tuning the turbojet engine, the zones of vibrations due to afterburn as a function of the operating conditions of the engine and as a function of the afterburn operating region, and selecting operating points for regulating the fuel richness of each flow to enable the detected vibration zones to be avoided.

Abstract: A tamper-proof device is provided for lockingly attaching a piece of equipment such as a TV set or a microwave oven to a support base. It has a pair of rigid plates that are respectively connected to the piece of equipment and the support base. One of the plates is surrounded by a flange which defines a closed area in which wedges are located to hook both plates together. The two plates are rigidly connected to each other by a screwable bolt that can be reached with a screw driver through a coaxial opening provided in the flange. A sleeve extends in between the head of the bolt and the opening. This sleeve can be closed by key-operated lock in order to prevent access to the bolt. The lock is free to rotate within the sleeve even when its latch is locked in outward position. Such prevents a theft from breaking the latch by forcing the lock into rotation in a cantilever fashion.

Abstract: A chair assembly for use in a vehicle such as a locomotive, having a height adjustable base which is free of any wobble and shaking motion, whether being raised, lowered or in use by a driver. The chair also has lateral movement capacity as well as fore-aft or side-aft movement relative to the base. A footrest adjustable by the feet of the driver is further provided.