Abstract: A method for precipitating ferrite at room temperature which involves dissolving metal salts in deaerated water, using a base solution to precipitate metal hydroxides, adding an oxidizing agent that has a standard reduction potential greater than 1.229 V versus standard hydrogen electrode. The oxidizing agent further preferably has a standard reduction potential less than 1.8 V versus standard hydrogen electrode. The oxidizing agent is preferably one of hydrogen peroxide, ammonium peroxydisulfate, ozone, nitrous acid, NO, and N.sub.2 O. The base is preferably ammonium hydroxide.

Abstract: An assembly for protecting a conduit having a core and an axial length, which length is susceptible to being pinched by a structure is disclosed. The conduit includes an insulating coating in surrounding relationship about the core, with the assembly including a semiconductive layer in surrounding relationship about the insulating coating, and a switching layer in surrounding relationship about the semiconductive layer. The semiconductive layer being formed from partially vulcanized ethylene propylene rubber including particles of a conductive element in the form of carbon black, silver, nickel, aluminum or the like. The switching layer is non-conductive in its unstressed state and conductive when pinched such that the switching layer completes a current flow path between the semiconductive layer and either a grounded structure or another conductive layer, which condition may then be detected.