Abstract: A system for use with a fuel-burning water heater and a ventilation conduit is disclosed. The fuel-burning water heater is configured to burn fuel and generate gaseous exhaust and condensate from the burning of the fuel. The ventilation conduit is configured to remove the gaseous exhaust from the fuel-burning water heater. The system includes an input port configured to receive the gaseous exhaust and the condensate, a neutralizing material holder configured to house a condensate neutralizing material therein and to receive the condensate from the input port, a gas output port configured to provide the gaseous exhaust to the ventilation conduit, and a liquid output port configured to output condensate from the neutralizing material holder. The neutralizing material holder is disposed between the input port and the liquid output port.

Abstract: A liquid, eye-instillable preparation comprises a viscosity-enhancing agent comprised of one or both of sodium hyaluronate and chondroitin sulphate, a preservative comprised of polyhexanide, and one or more carriers in which the agent and the preservative are dispersed.

Abstract: A process is described for producing an aluminum alloy sheet having excellent bendability for use in forming panels for automobiles. An aluminum alloy containing 0.50 to 0.75 by weight Mg, 0.7 to 0.85% by weight Si, 0.1 to 0.3% by weight Fe, 0.15 to 0.35% by weight Mn, and the balance Al and incidental impurities, is used and is semi-continuously cast into ingot. The cast alloy ingot is subjected to hot rolling and cold rolling, followed by solution heat treatment of the formed sheet. The heat treated sheet is quenched to a temperature of about 60–120° C. and the sheet is then coiled. This coil is then pre-aged by slowly cooling the coil from an initial temperature of about 60–120° C. to room temperature at a cooling rate of less than 10° C./hr.

Abstract: A process is described for producing an aluminum alloy sheet having excellent bendability for use in forming panels for automobiles. An aluminum alloy containing 0.50 to 0.75 by weight Mg, 0.7 to 0.85% by weight Si, 0.1 to 0.3% by weight Fe, 0.15 to 0.35% by weight Mn, and the balance Al and incidental impurities, is used and is semi-continuously cast into ingot. The cast alloy ingot is subjected to hot rolling and cold rolling, followed by solution heat treatment of the formed sheet. The heat treated sheet is quenched to a temperature of about 60-120° C. and the sheet is then coiled. This coil is then pre-aged by slowly cooling the coil from an initial temperature of about 60-120° C. to room temperature at a cooling rate of less than 10° C./hr.

Abstract: A process is described for producing an aluminum alloy sheet having excellent bendability for use in forming panels for automobiles. An aluminum alloy containing 0.50 to 0.75 by weight Mg, 0.7 to 0.85% by weight Si, 0.1 to 0.3% by weight Fe, 0.15 to 0.35% by weight Mn, and the balance Al and incidental impurities, is used and is semi-continuously cast into ingot. The cast alloy ingot is subjected to hot rolling and cold rolling, followed by solution heat treatment of the formed sheet. The heat treated sheet is quenched to a temperature of about 60-120° C. and the sheet is then coiled. This coil is then pre-aged by slowly cooling the coil from an initial temperature of about 60-120° C. to room temperature at a cooling rate of less than 10° C./hr.

Abstract: A process is described for producing an aluminum alloy sheet having excellent bendability for use in forming panels for automobiles. An aluminum alloy containing 0.50 to 0.75 by weight Mg, 0.7 to 0.85% by weight Si, 0.1 to 0.3% by weight Fe, 0.15 to 0.35% by weight Mn, and the balance Al and incidental impurities, is used and is semi-continuously cast into ingot. The cast alloy ingot is subjected to hot rolling and cold rolling, followed by solution heat treatment of the formed sheet. The heat treated sheet is quenched to a temperature of about 60-120° C. and the sheet is then coiled. This coil is then pre-aged by slowly cooling the coil from an initial temperature of about 60-120° C. to room temperature at a cooling rate of less than 10° C./hr.

Abstract: A process is described for producing an aluminum alloy sheet having excellent bendability for use in forming panels for automobiles. An aluminum alloy is used containing 0.5-0.75% by weight Mg, 0.7-0.85% by weight Si, 0.15-0.35% by weight Mn and 0.1-0.3% by weight Fe and the remainder Al and incidental impurities. The alloy is formed into ingot by semi-continuous casting and the cast alloy ingot is subjected to hot rolling and cold rolling, followed by solution heat treatment of the formed sheet. The sheet material is pre-aged by rapidly cooling from an initial pre-aging temperature of at least 80° C. to room temperature at a cooling rate of more than 5° C./hour.

Abstract: A process of producing a shaped article suitable for use as an automotive body panel intended for finishing by painting and, if necessary, baking. The process comprises obtaining a sheet article made of an aluminum alloy of the 2000 or 6000 series in a T4 or T4P temper and that exhibits an increase in hardness after painting and optionally baking, shaping the sheet article by forming to produce an intermediate shaped article, and subjecting the intermediate shaped article to a thermal spiking treatment prior to painting and optionally baking. The thermal spiking treatment involves heating the intermediate shaped article from ambient temperature to a temperature in a range of 150 to 300° C. with or without holding at that temperature for a period of time to enhance the increase in hardness. The process may also include the painting and optionally baking step. The invention includes the shaped articles, either prior to or after painting and optionally baking, produced by the process.

Abstract: A process of producing a shaped article suitable for use as an automotive body panel intended for finishing by painting and, if necessary, baking. The process comprises obtaining a sheet article made of an aluminum alloy of the 2000 or 6000 series in a T4 or T4P temper and that exhibits an increase in hardness after painting and optionally baking, shaping the sheet article by forming to produce an intermediate shaped article, and subjecting the intermediate shaped article to a thermal spiking treatment prior to painting and optionally baking. The thermal spiking treatment involves heating the intermediate shaped article from ambient temperature to a temperature in a range of 150 to 300° C. with or without holding at that temperature for a period of time to enhance the increase in hardness. The process may also include the painting and optionally baking step. The invention includes the shaped articles, either prior to or after painting and optionally baking, produced by the process.

Abstract: An aluminum alloy sheet for automotive use is provided which comprises a starting aluminum alloy sheet which has an alloy composition containing from 2 to 6% by weight of Mg, 0.15 to 1.0% by weight of Fe and from 0.03 to 2.0% by weight Mn, and a surface layer disposed over one surface of the starting alloy sheet to be pressed against electrodes for use in welding, the surface layer containing a particulate intermetallic compound has a particle diameter of 0.5 &mgr;m or more and a density of 4,000 pieces of particles per one mm2 or more. The product alloy sheet ensure least deformation of an electrode and stable weldability by means of continuous resistance spot welding.

Abstract: A continuously cast and rolled sheet of an aluminum alloy having Mg in a content of 3 to 6% by weight is annealed, followed by strain correction, heat and hold treatment at a given temperature between 240° C. and 340° C. for one hour or more, and slowly cooling treatment, to thereby provide an aluminum alloy sheet having enhanced resistance to stress corrosion cracking and improved shape fixability. The slowly cooling treatment is carried out at a cooling rate chosen from a preset cooling zone corresponding to a present temperature zone S defined in obliquely lined surround form in the accompanying drawing.

Abstract: A process of producing an aluminum alloy sheet product suitable for forming into automotive parts and exhibiting reduced roping effects. The process involves producing an aluminum alloy sheet product by direct chill casting an aluminum alloy to form a cast ingot, homogenizing the ingot, hot rolling the ingot to form and intermediate gauge product, cold rolling the intermediate gauge product to form a product of final gauge, and subjecting the final gauge product to a solutionizing treatment by heating the product to a solutionizing temperature, followed by a pre-aging step involving cooling the product to a coiling temperature above 50.degree. C., coiling the cooled product at the coiling temperature, and cooling the coiled final gauge product from the coiling temperature above 50.degree. C. to ambient temperature at a rate less than about 10.degree. C. per hour to improve T8X temper characteristics of the product.

Abstract: A metal-matrix composite material includes a matrix having magnesium in an amount of more than about 0.3 weight percent but no more than about 2.5 weight percent, an alloying element of about 0.8 to about 2.5 weight percent iron or from about 1.0 to about 2.5 weight percent manganese, and the balance aluminum and impurities. Dispersed throughout the matrix is a plurality of metal oxide particles present in an amount of more than about 5 volume percent but no more than about 25 volume percent of the total volume of the matrix and the particles. This material may be cast into casting molds. After casting is complete and during solidification of the matrix alloy, a high volume fraction of intermetallic particles is crystallized in the matrix alloy. The total of the volume fractions of the metal oxide particles and the intermetallic particles is from about 10 to about 40 volume percent, preferably from about 25 to about 40 volume percent.