Abstract: An applicator, for holding an object such as a slab or tile, having a coating of adhesive on one face and applying the object to a vertical surface, comprises a tray mounted on one end of a shaft which has a handle at the other end. The tray is pivoted to the shaft about an axis transverse to the shaft, and is spring-loaded to a tilted position in which the tray faces partly towards the handle end of the shaft. Along the edge of the tray remote from the handle is a lip to retain the object on the tray. The applicator is held with the tray end downwards. The object rests on the lip, adhesive side outwards, and leans back against the tray while being carried to the surface to which it is to be applied. At the surface the bottom edge of the slab can be positioned accurately and then pressure applied through the shaft to the tray so that the tray is tilted against the spring force to bring the adhesive-coating into full contact with the surface.

Abstract: This invention relates to the treatment of droplet dispersions employing a novel device which is a coalescer element consisting of a body of porous material having communicating porosity and two opposite faces, the pore size increasing progressively from a region at or adjacent one face of the body to the opposite face. In the treatment according to the invention the dispersion is passed through the coalescer element in a direction of increasing pore size and the disperse phase is coalesced by the element. The progressive increase in porosity of the novel coalescer is advantageous in that it provides a large target area at the inlet and hence a high collection efficiency for droplets of disperse phase below 100.mu.m in diameter, without the disadvantage of the high resistance to liquid flow normally associated with devices having a high target area.

Abstract: The noise from gas and oil burners can be reduced by using a burner quarl comprising a ceramic tube which is permeable or which has at least one permeable zone along its length, and which is surrounded along the permeable part by parts of the length of the tube by at least one sound absorbing chamber.

Abstract: A ceramic material comprising a cellular ceramic body having ceramic fibers bonded to its internal surfaces. The cellular ceramic body may be a reticular foam-structured ceramic, and the structure may be used as a supported catalyst.

Abstract: The invention provides a porous refractory ceramic material having a high surface area per unit volume, a high resistance to sudden temperature variations and a low resistance to fluid flow. The material is a ceramic replica of a body of reticulated organic foam in which the ceramic consists essentially of fibrous material. Any non-fibrous particulate matter present is in an amount which makes no significant contribution to the strength of the body. The material is made by impregnating a body of reticulated organic foam with a slurry of finely-divided inorganic fibres, and drying and firing the thus -impregnated body. The material is of value as a catalyst support and as a facing element of burner assemblies.