Abstract: An airfoil includes a base, a tip, a suction side face, and a pressure side face. The pressure side face includes an outer surface, an inner surface located between the outer surface and the suction side face, and a transition surface that extends between and interconnects the outer surface and the inner surface so as to form a pocket in the airfoil.

Abstract: An airfoil includes a base, a tip, a suction side face, and a pressure side face. The pressure side face includes an outer surface, an inner surface located between the outer surface and the suction side face, and a transition surface that extends between and interconnects the outer surface and the inner surface so as to form a pocket in the airfoil.

Abstract: A shaft balancing assembly comprising a nose cone and a plurality of balance weights. The nose cone is mounted to a rotatable shaft of a turbine machine via a plurality of elongated fasteners such that a central axis of the nose cone is alighted with the rotatable shaft. The nose cone comprises a flange extending axially from a leading tip to a trailing edge and a plurality of apertures each adapted to receive a balancing weight and an elongated fastener. The nose cone flange is formed from a filament wound composite material and has a uniform thickness.

Abstract: A shaft balancing assembly comprising a nose cone and a plurality of balance weights. The nose cone is mounted to a rotatable shaft of a turbine machine via a plurality of elongated fasteners such that a central axis of the nose cone is alighted with the rotatable shaft. The nose cone comprises a flange extending axially from a leading tip to a trailing edge and a plurality of apertures each adapted to receive a balancing weight and an elongated fastener. The nose cone flange is formed from a filament wound composite material and has a uniform thickness.

Abstract: A system includes a control module that determines a current gear of a vehicle. An active fuel management (AFM) and shift module determines an upshift vehicle speed threshold and a downshift vehicle speed threshold based in part on the current gear, selectively provides an indication to a driver to perform a vehicle upshift or an indication to the driver to perform a vehicle downshift based on a comparison between a vehicle speed and each of the upshift vehicle speed threshold and a downshift vehicle speed threshold, and selectively provides the indication to the driver to perform the vehicle downshift based on a determination that AFM is not enabled in the current gear and that AFM would be enabled in response to the vehicle downshift.

Abstract: A rotary hearth furnace for treating metal oxide materials comprises a hearth mounted for rotary movement within an enclosure. One or more fuel burners are positioned above the hearth. The burners are operably fired to heat the furnace so that heat radiates toward the hearth. One or more oxygen nozzles are positioned between the hearth and the burners in a manner that avoids substantial contact between the oxygen and the briquettes, thereby creating a quiescent zone immediately above the briquettes, with the quiescent zone being sufficient to minimize reoxidation of the reduced briquettes, and minimize entrainment of particulate matter from the briquettes.

Abstract: A rotary hearth furnace for treating metal oxide materials comprises a hearth mounted for rotary movement within an enclosure. One or more fuel burners are positioned above the hearth. The burners are operably fired to heat the furnace so that heat radiates toward the hearth. One or more oxygen nozzles are positioned between the hearth and the burners in a manner that avoids substantial contact between the oxygen and the briquettes, thereby creating a quiescent zone immediately above the briquettes, with the quiescent zone being sufficient to minimize reoxidation of the reduced briquettes, and minimize entrainment of particulate matter from the briquettes.

Abstract: A touch panel is integrated into a flat panel display device having a visual display surface with a front polarizer layer, particularly a liquid crystal display device. The touch panel comprises a flexible transparent membrane containing the front polarizer layer and having a first transparent conductive layer on a lower surface of the flexible transparent membrane and a rigid base comprising the flat panel display device and having a second transparent conductive layer on an upper surface of the rigid base. At least one spacer separates the flexible transparent membrane from the rigid base, keeping the first and second transparent conductive layers in spaced-apart facing relationship. A bus bar and tail communicate a signal from the touch panel to the flat panel display device.

Abstract: An apparatus for charging feed material through an opening into a furnace has a fixed structure and a moveable door. The moveable door together with the fixed structure defines the opening. The moveable door is mounted for movement toward and away from the fixed structure to widen and narrow the opening. The moveable door is biased toward the fixed structure. The moveable door and the fixed structure create a V-shaped downwardly pointing channel to direct the feed material being fed through the opening by gravity.

Abstract: A screw having a field replaceable flight. The screw includes a barrel and a helical flighting that is removably attached to the barrel by a plurality of brackets. The helical flighting includes a plurality of segments, each segment includes first and second opposing faces having an opening extending there though and side edges. The segments are positioned side by side to generally cooperatively form the flighting of the screw. At least one face of each segment includes raised bosses. The raised bosses project perpendicularly outwardly from the face of the segment to form a pocket within which the bracket is received. The segments are removably attached to the barrel by inserting a segment forming part of the flighting within the pocket and then removably fastening the segment within the pocket.

Abstract: A discharge assembly for removing material from a hearth in a rotary hearth furnace including a discharge auger and a coolant spray. The discharge auger is positioned above the hearth of the rotary hearth furnace and includes a central shaft having at least one helical flight affixed to the exterior of the central shaft and the hood is disposed above the discharge auger. The coolant spray cools the discharge auger.

Abstract: An apparatus for charging a feed material onto a rotating hearth of a rotary hearth furnace, the rotary hearth furnace including refractory lined inner and outer walls and having a refractory roof supported thereon, the apparatus comprising a table mounted above the rotating hearth and capable of receiving feed material from outside of the rotary hearth furnace, the table extends transversely across the rotating hearth and having a first end including a distribution member, a second end including a plurality of discharge slots, and an intermediate leveling plow; wherein feed material free falls over said distribution member and is distributed across the width of the table and then adjusted to a uniform depth such that as the rotating hearth passes under the stationary table a curtain of feed material is loaded onto the hearth.