Abstract: The “no tools” pump removal system comprises a bearing housing attached to the drive housing. The bearing housing has a hinged door that when opened allows removal of the pump pin and then the pump. The bearing housing is provided with a latch assembly and a handle. A safety latch retains the handle in place during operation and until it is desired to remove the pump.

Abstract: The spool impeller is a fully automatic cutting head for whirling filament vegetation trimmers, simpler, less expensive, and more reliable than the predecessors. Unlike the predecessors, the spool impeller does not waste filament. It consists of a single part, a small diameter spool attached to the drive shaft. The free end of filament coiled on the spool extends tangentially so that the tip traces a circle about the axis of rotation. In use, the coiled filament gradually unwinds to compensate for filament wear, maintaining a cutting swath of precisely constant size. There is no need for the operator to monitor the filament. Feeding new filament is controlled by the aerodynamic drag and centrifugal force acting directly on the extended filament. If the length of the extended filament is correct, drag and centrifugal force balance, and no unwinding or rewinding occurs. Too long, drag dominates over centrifugal force, rewinding the extended filament onto the spool just enough to restore the proper length.

Abstract: A rotary device for automatically dispensing and retracting a line, such as cutting filament for a vegetation trimmer, has a spool around which is wound a small coil of the line. The line has a cutting segment that extends radially from the spool. The cutting segment has a precise length that is automatically maintained by a balance of centrifugal force and aerodynamic drag. The rotary device also has additional storage capacity for the line. An additional supply of line for the rotary device beyond the small coil may be stored in many different forms while remaining ready for immediate deployment and use. Examples include extended storage loops of the line protruding from the spool, a second coil or reservoir of line located remotely from the spool, or a magazine of the line mounted to the spool.

Abstract: A cutting head for a rotary flail retains a coil portion of a cutting line on a spool, and feeds a portion of an excess of the cutting line to the spool to adjust the coil portion and thereby restore a length of the distal portion of the cutting line to maintain a cutting circle of desired size. The distal portion of the cutting line is extended by locating the coil portion such that a centrifugal force arising from rotation of the distal portion overcomes a drag force on the coil portion to unwind a precise amount of the coil portion from the spool. A magazine stores the excess of the cutting line, disposed in a helical path defining a helix having an axis which generally coincides with the axis of the spool. The cutting head has no moving parts, high storage capacity and multiple independent automatic line capability.

Abstract: The spool impeller is a fully automatic cutting head for whirling filament vegetation trimmers, simpler, less expensive, and more reliable than the predecessors. Unlike the predecessors, the spool impeller does not waste filament. It consists of a single part, a small diameter spool attached to the drive shaft. The free end of filament coiled on the spool extends tangentially so that the tip traces a circle about the axis of rotation. In use, the coiled filament gradually unwinds to compensate for filament wear, maintaining a cutting swath of precisely constant size. There is no need for the operator to monitor the filament. Feeding new filament is controlled by the aerodynamic drag and centrifugal force acting directly on the extended filament. If the length of the extended filament is correct, drag and centrifugal force balance, and no unwinding or rewinding occurs. Too long, drag dominates over centrifugal force, rewinding the extended filament onto the spool just enough to restore the proper length.

Abstract: The spool impeller is a fully automatic cutting head for whirling filament vegetation trimmers, simpler, less expensive, and more reliable than the predecessors. Unlike the predecessors, the spool impeller does not waste filament. It consists of a single part, a small diameter spool attached to the drive shaft. The free end of filament coiled on the spool extends tangentially so that the tip traces a circle about the axis of rotation. In use, the coiled filament gradually unwinds to compensate for filament wear, maintaining a cutting swath of precisely constant size. There is no need for the operator to monitor the filament. Feeding new filament is controlled by the aerodynamic drag and centrifugal force acting directly on the extended filament. If the length of the extended filament is correct, drag and centrifugal force balance, and no unwinding or rewinding occurs. Too long, drag dominates over centrifugal force, rewinding the extended filament onto the spool just enough to restore the proper length.

Abstract: A cutting head for a rotary flail retains a coil portion of a cutting line on a spool, and feeds a portion of an excess of the cutting line to the spool to adjust the coil portion and thereby restore a length of the distal portion of the cutting line to maintain a cutting circle of desired size. The distal portion of the cutting line is extended by locating the coil portion such that a centrifugal force arising from rotation of the distal portion overcomes a drag force on the coil portion to unwind a precise amount of the coil portion from the spool. A magazine stores the excess of the cutting line, disposed in a helical path defining a helix having an axis which generally coincides with the axis of the spool. The cutting head has no moving parts, high storage capacity and multiple independent automatic line capability.

Abstract: A railgun operates at high pressure (up to 350 MPa) without structural damage and is readily disassembled for inspection, maintenance and component testing. A rail assembly is pressed into a hoop-wound epoxy fiberglass containment tube and clamped within a steel compression frame. The geometry of the rail assembly permits rail movement without insulator intrusion and achieves bore sealing during rail movement at maximum pressure. The rail assembly also has replaceable insulator inserts which are isolated from rail re-bound shock. Fused quartz insulator inserts provide the best results. A flash tube is provided at the gun muzzle to suppress precursor discharge and commutate precursor current back to the armature. To realize increased velocity without sacrificing in-bore projectile stability, a cut-corner projectile is used having a L/D ratio as small as 0.65 which reduces the mass by about 11%.

Abstract: A method of and apparatus for accelerating a filament wherein an impelling force is applied to a length of filament a torque arm distance from an axis of rotation to rotate the length of filament about the axis of rotation thereby developing a tip speed that is of sufficient velocity for using the tip portion to cut a workpiece and, alternatively, to sequentially release the moving tip portion to discharge a series of particles for performing welding, drilling, coating, cutting and like operations. The length of filament, preferably, is the end section of a coil of filament and is simultaneously advanced along the longitudinal axis of the length of filament toward the tip portion during the application of said impelling forces. The advancement of the filament is controlled. The enclosure of the filament in an evacuated space increases the speed range.