Abstract: An ultra strong, hollow sintered, impervious, metallic shell for use in structural applications including proppants for hydraulic fracturing. The shell is made of a maraging steel, low alloy steel, or stainless steel with a crush strength of about 3,000 psi or greater and a density of about 0.6 g/cm3 to about 2.5 g/cm3.

Abstract: Hollow metal and/or metal alloy articles are fabricated by the reduction of metal containing compounds, particularly non-metallic metal compounds.

Abstract: A high intensity and high efficiency radiant gas burner (10) has a housing (8), a gas inlet (11) for receiving a combustible gas, a gas injection plate (13) for distributing the gas, a gas distribution chamber (16) for permitting the gas to expand, a porous ceramic layer (17) for receiving the gas from the gas distribution chamber (16), and a plurality of elongated flame support rods (23) situated over and spaced from a burner surface (17b) of the porous ceramic layer (17). When the gas is ignited, the flame transfers energy via convective heat transfer to the rods (23). When the rods (23) heat up, they radiate energy back towards the burner surface (17b) and also outwardly away from the burner surface (17b) so that radiation intensity and efficiency are optimized. A rod adjustment mechanism (84) may be disposed on the burner (10) for moving the rods (23) to thereby optimize radiation intensity and efficiency.

Abstract: Fiber reinforced hollow microspheres made from dispersed particle film forming compositions including fibers, dispersed particles, a binder, a film stabilizing agent, a dispersing agent and a continuous liquid phase. Porous and non-porous fiber reinforced hollow microspheres can be made. The fiber reinforced hollow microspheres have walls with voids which are interconnected to each other and to the inner and outer wall surfaces, and the fiber reinforced hollow microspheres can be used as membrane substrates in selective separation processes and in biotech processes. The fiber reinforced hollow microspheres can be used as supports for catalysts and as enclosures for catalysts, adsorbents and absorbents. The fiber reinforced hollow microspheres can also be used as filler materials and as proppants for increasing gas recovery from gas wells.

Abstract: Fiber reinforced hollow film forming material microspheres 17 made from a fiber and film forming material composition are described. The fiber reinforced hollow microspheres 17 are used to make shaped and molded articles and to make insulation materials. The fibers can be made from ceramic materials, glass, metal, metal glass and plastic. The reinforcing fibers can be one-half to five microns in diameter and five to one hundred microns in length.

Abstract: A method of making a low voltage field device utilizing a preferentially etched unidirectionally solidified composite as the substrate. In the process, the composite is etched so that the electrically conducting rod-like or fiber phase protrudes above the matrix phase. The tip of the exposed fiber phase may be processed further to provide a rounded or needle-like geometry. Next, a layer of insulating material is deposited in a direction approximately parallel to the axes of the fibers to cause the formation of cone-like deposits of insulating material on the fiber tips which shadow the deposit on the matrix around the fibers and produce conical holes in the layer of insulating material about the fibers. Then, an electrically conductive film is deposited in approximately the same direction to produce on the insulating layer a cellular grid having openings corresponding in number and distribution to the fiber sites. Lastly, the cones of insulating material are removed from the fibers.