Abstract: A removable L-shaped lift pad for a trailer or cargo container has its legs interconnected by a rub rail. One leg has fastener means to facilitate attachment to traverse beams on a container. The pad provides a flush bottom on a container without welding.

Abstract: A frameless cargo-carrying container or trailer body construction, in which at least the side walls of the container or trailer body and one or both end walls each consists essentially of a unitary aluminum alloy plate having a thickness of at least about 5/32", and preferably having a tensile yield point of at least about 25,000 p.s.i. In a preferred form of the invention at least a majority of the major structural elements of the container or trailer body are formed of suitable aluminum alloys, and in one embodiment thereof, the container or trailer body includes forged aluminum alloy corner fittings, said alloy having an average percentage elongation of at least about 15%. The overall design of containers or trailer bodies of this invention is preferably such that the inner face of each side is substantially coplanar with the plate forming that side.

Abstract: A highway semitrailer body converts for transporting either discrete or loose bulk cargo by either maintaining hinged slope sheets in the ends of the body latched up near the roof or inclining them down to form a continuation of the hoppers in the floor. A grating over the hoppers supports the discrete cargo or permits loose bulk cargo to pass through its openings. The slope sheets are raised and lowered by flexible belt hoists actuated from outside the body through chain and sprocket transmissions mounted under covers between pairs of vertical ribs. The slope sheets are released from their upwardly latched positions by pull rod linkages also mounted between the pairs of vertical ribs. The bottom ends of the slope sheets are firmly clamped against the floor grating by locking pawls which hold down hooks on the bottom ends of the slope sheets, which pass through spaces in the grating.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for separating selectively ionized particles from a plasma of moving particles by application of a magnetic field gradient in a direction to which the ionized particles are to be accelerated for collection. By creating conditions of adiabatic particle motion for charged particles in the magnetic field, the selectively ionized particles will be induced to follow the magnetic field lines in the direction of weaker field strength. The direction of this gradient is made different from the general direction of particle motion to permit extraction of the ions from the plasma. The extracted ions deposit on a collection surface in enriched proportions.