Abstract: A spark plug for an internal combustion engine wherein a ring shaped ground electrode has a uniform annular hole with an internal diameter about 0.80 to 1.25 the outer diameter of the center electrode. The ground electrode is vertically spaced below the center electrode and is concentric therewith. The ground electrode is connected to one or more mounting posts attached to a spark plug metal housing. The spark from the center electrode to the ground electrode has multiple paths and results in a spark plug which improves fuel combustion, increases gasoline mileage and engine horsepower and significantly reduces the smolder or ignition delay time and environmental pollutants such as oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons.

Abstract: An improvement in cam operated clamps for clamping heater elements to the nozzles of injection molding equipment. The clamp is adjusted by the rotation of a cam shaft parallel to the nozzle axis. The clamp housing consists of a circular cylinder with a longitudinal slit. Journals for the cam shaft are mounted on one side of the slit and the cam follower is mounted on the opposite side of the slit. Adjustment of the cam shaft increases or decreases the width of the slit providing the clamping action. Attached to the clamp housing is a tab which stops the cam pin rotation at an optimum position just beyond the position of maximum clamping effect. This position provides substantially the maximum clamping effect available from the clamp and effects a torque on the cam pin which holds the cam follower against the stop tab locking the clamp in place.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of determining the energy content of a hydrocarbon gas mixture having a diluent gas. The dielectric constant of the hydrocarbon gas mixture and diluent gas is measured, the gas mixture is then directed through a separation column which extracts a mixture containing the diluent gas. The dielectric constant of the extracted mixture is then measured, and the energy content of the hydrocarbon gas mixture and dilute gas is calculated from the dielectric measurements. After use, the separator column and dielectric measuring cell are purged of the residual gases.

Abstract: A flotation device for supporting a person in water comprises an elongate tubular frame including at least one body-support member, and front and rear float assemblies mounted on the frame. The rear float assembly comprises two float elements spaced apart transversely of the elongate frame, and the float elements are so disposed that, when the device is floating in the water, the body-support member is below water level, so that a person using the device is partly in the water.

Abstract: This invention relates generally to burn-in apparatus and methods for stressing the physical and electrical limits of electronic components under controlled environmental and load conditions and more particularly to a system for temporarily packaging a plurality of semiconductors such that they can be connected to a common electrical input while under controlled environmental conditions including extremes of temperature. The invention has special utility in the handling of integrated circuit devices of the dual-in-line packaging type.

Abstract: A propulsion system for use primarily in V/STOL aircraft is provided with a variable cycle, double bypass gas turbofan engine and a remote augmenter to produce auxiliary lift. The fan is oversized in air-pumping capability with respect to the cruise flight requirements of the remainder of the engine and a variable area, low pressure turbine is capable of supplying varying amounts of rotational energy to the oversized fan, thereby modulating its speed and pumping capability. During powered lift flight, the variable cycle engine is operated in the single bypass mode with the oversized fan at its maximum pumping capability. In this mode, substantially all of the bypass flow is routed as an auxiliary airstream to the remote augmenter where it is mixed with fuel, burned and exhausted through a vectorable nozzle to produce thrust for lifting.

Abstract: A cryogenic food product freezing tunnel comprising a stationary structure including an entrance end housing section, a tunnel housing cover, and an exit end housing section, a conveyor to transport food products through the tunnel housing, a spray header to spray a liquid cryogen onto the food products near the exit end of the tunnel, and an exhaust plenum to exhaust cryogen gas from the entrance end. The base of the tunnel housing is a series of U-shaped modular units arranged end-to-end and suspended from the stationary structure by individual hydraulic elevators, movable between a lowered, open service position and a raised position sealed against the housing cover and the end housing sections. Each end base unit is lowered outwardly and downwardly to its service position and is raised along the same path; the base units are lowered in predetermined sequence, end units before center units, and are raised in the reverse sequence.

Abstract: A turbofan engine is provided with a core engine, a first fan and a second fan. First and second fan ducts are provided for bypassing a portion of the air flow leaving the fans around the core engine. One of these fan ducts has its inlet disposed downstream of the second fan, while the second duct has its inlet disposed between the first and second fan. Means are provided for varying the proportion of the flow of air among the fan ducts and core engine. Integrated, or separate coaxial nozzles are provided for receiving the flows from the individual fan ducts and core engine and exhausting these flows into the atmosphere.

Abstract: Level winding is accomplished by rotating a reel with sufficient torque to wind material on the reel while traversing the reel a predetermined precise fractional part of the width of the material wound for each increment of revolution of the reel so that the reel is traversed precisely the width of the material wound plus a precise space between adjacent turns, if desired, during each revolution of the reel. Pulses indicative of the extent of rotation of the reel are transformed, by dividing, into pulses indicative of both the extent of rotation of the reel and the desired distance between centers of adjacent turns of the material wound onto the reel. The pulses rotate a first synchrotransducer electrically connected to a second synchrotransducer which is driven in response to traverse of the reel. An error signal resulting from any non-synchronism of the synchrotransducers is used to operate a servo-valve which changes the rate of traverse in a direction to reduce the error signal.