Abstract: A sintering apparatus heat-treats a porous glass preform for an optical fiber at a high temperature. The sintering apparatus includes: a glass preform elevating/lowering mechanism; a furnace core tube having an upper part having an opening part into which the glass preform is inserted by the elevating/lowering mechanism, and made of quartz glass; a heating furnace disposed on an outer circumference of the furnace core tube; an upper lid for closing the opening part of the furnace core tube; and a sealing member holding mechanism included in the upper lid and configured to hold a sealing member interposed between the opening part and the upper lid.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus for sintering a glass preform for an optical fiber, wherein the glass preform for the optical fiber is received in a muffle tube and is heated in an atmospheric gas while being suspended on a shaft and supported thereon, the apparatus comprising: a first gas seal that is provided at an upper end of the muffle tube, the shaft being inserted therethrough; a buffering chamber that is provided above the first gas seal and that covers the shaft; a second gas seal that is provided at an upper end of the buffering chamber, the shaft being inserted therethrough; and a unit that introduces the atmospheric gas exhausted from the muffle tube into the buffering chamber.

Abstract: A sintering apparatus comprising a furnace core tube having an opening in a top end through which the soot deposition body is inserted, and having atmospheric gas introduced therein from below and expelled upward; a shaft from which the soot deposition body hangs; a lid that has the shaft inserted therethrough and can cover the opening; a heating furnace that heats the soot deposition body; an internal lid in a top portion of the furnace core tube that divides the top portion of the furnace core tube into an upper region and a lower region; and a gas flow path that connects the two regions to each other and has the atmospheric gas flow therethrough. Total cross-sectional area, relative to movement direction of the atmospheric gas, of the gas flow path is less than cross-sectional area, relative to movement direction of the atmospheric gas, of the furnace core tube.

Abstract: An organic thin film forming apparatus that can easily remove an organic thin film adhered to a surface of a deposition preventive plate. The apparatus forms an organic thin film on a substrate disposed on a surface of a substrate stage from an organic gas. An electroless nickel film containing fluorine resin is formed on the surface of a deposition preventive plate. The electroless nickel film containing fluorine resin has mold release characteristics for an organic thin film. Even if the organic thin film adheres, the organic thin film can be easily removed by a method (such as, high pressure cleaning).

Abstract: A dual pipe exhaust manifold includes an inner pipe, an outer pipe and a plurality of spacers. The inner pipe includes a plurality of branch pipes and a plurality of collector pipes. The collector pipes are slidably connected to each other. One end of each of the branch pipe is fixed to a flange section configured and arranged to be attached to a cylinder head of an engine, and the other end of each of the branch pipe is slidably connected to a corresponding one of the collector pipes so that each of the collector pipes is connected to a plural number of the branch pipes. The outer pipe covers a circumference of the inner pipe. The spacers are disposed between the outer pipe and the inner pipe to form a gap therebetween.

Abstract: An exhaust manifold includes a head flange member, a plurality of branch pipe parts and a collector pipe part. The head flange member has a flange main body portion and a cylinder head mounting surface configured and arranged to be attached to a cylinder head of an engine. Each of the branch pipe parts has an upstream end portion with respect to an exhaust gas flow fixed to one side of the head flange member that is opposite from the cylinder head mounting surface. The collector pipe part is connected to a downstream end portion with respect to the exhaust gas flow of each of the branch pipe parts. An area of the cylinder head mounting surface is smaller than a cross sectional area of the head flange main body portion taken along a plane substantially parallel to the cylinder head mounting surface.

Abstract: A method for flattening a surface of a substrate in which a film formation surface has a recess and a convex and a method for forming a protective film by using a photo-curable organic thin film material are provided. A gas of an organic thin film material having photocurability is liquefied on the surface of a substrate having the recess and the convex and a liquid organic layer is grown on the surface of the substrate (first liquid layer growing step T1); and the growth is terminated when a liquid organic layer having a flat surface is formed (first growth termination step T2).

Abstract: A plasma display panel 1 of the present invention has a protective film 14 over a sustaining electrode 15 and a scanning electrode 16, with the main components of the protective film being CaO and SrO, and the concentration of the CaO in the protective film 14 is 20 mol % or more and 90 mol % or less. This protective film 14 has a smaller work function than a conventional MgO film so light can be emitted at a lower discharge voltage than in the past. If the discharge voltage is lower, the protective film 14 will be sputtered more slowly so that the service life of the plasma display panel 1 will be longer. Also, since the plasma-gas contains xenon gas, the plasma display panel of the present invention has higher brightness.

Abstract: An exhaust emission control device includes an adsorbent trapper having an adsorbent for adsorbing and desorbing hydrocarbon in exhaust gas, a catalytic converter, a main exhaust gas passage with a first valve, a bypass exhaust gas passage with a second valve and a control unit. The bypass exhaust gas passage bypassing the first valve is connected with the adsorbent. The control unit controls the first and second valves to desorb the hydrocarbon from the adsorbent when a condition is satisfied. The condition is that the catalyst converter is in active, an oxygen adsorption amount of the catalyst converter is not less than a first predetermined amount and an exhaust gas amount is not more than a second predetermined amount. The first valve is opened and the second valve is closed when the condition is not satisfied during desorption of the hydrocarbon from the adsorbent.

Abstract: In an exhaust manifold, a plurality of branch pipes is bent downward from a head flange to form like an L-letter shape, where exhaust-gas upstream side end portions of the pipes are connected with an engine through the head flange and exhaust-gas downstream side end portions thereof are connected with a pipe collecting part which is provided with a sensor for detecting a state of exhaust gas. The pipe collecting part has a reduced diameter portion where a length of the pipe collecting part in a longitudinal direction of the head flange is set shorter than that of the pipe collecting part in a thickness direction of the head flange. The sensor is provided on the reduced diameter portion.

Abstract: A plasma display panel 1 of the present invention has a protective film 14 over a sustaining electrode 15 and a scanning electrode 16, with the main components of the protective film being CaO and SrO, and the concentration of the CaO in the protective film 14 is 20 mol % or more and 90 mol % or less. This protective film 14 has a smaller work function than a conventional MgO film so light can be emitted at a lower discharge voltage than in the past. If the discharge voltage is lower, the protective film 14 will be sputtered more slowly so that the service life of the plasma display panel 1 will be longer. Also, since the plasma gas contains xenon gas, the plasma display panel of the present invention has higher brightness.

Abstract: A plasma display panel 1 of the present invention has a protective film 14 over a sustaining electrode 15 and a scanning electrode 16, with the main components of the protective film being CaO and SrO, and the concentration of the CaO in the protective film 14 is 20 mol % or more and 90 mol % or less. This protective film 14 has a smaller work function than a conventional MgO film so light can be emitted at a lower discharge voltage than in the past. If the discharge voltage is lower, the protective film 14 will be sputtered more slowly so that the service life of the plasma display panel 1 will be longer. Also, since the plasma-gas contains xenon gas, the plasma display panel of the present invention has higher brightness.

Abstract: Disclosed is a photocatalytic filter which can fully secure a space of gaps to constitute a flow path for flowing a fluid to be disposed of and which has gaps structured for easily trapping an organic substance in the fluid when the fluid is brought into contact with a photocatalyst layer.

Abstract: Disclosed is a photocatalytic filter which can fully secure a space of gaps to constitute a flow path for flowing a fluid to be disposed of and which has gaps structured for easily trapping an organic substance in the fluid when the fluid is brought into contact with a photocatalyst layer.

Abstract: A lubricating method and apparatus for a circular knitting machine which involves inputting operating conditions for the circular knitting machine from an operating conditions input device 30, after which a pump squirt quantity per squirt is computed by a squirt quantity computing device 33 and set in a squirt quantity setting device 21, a pump squirt velocity is computed by a squirt velocity computing device 34 and set in a squirt velocity setting device 22, and an intermittent pump operating period is computed by an intermittent period computing device 35 and set in an intermittent period setting device 24. Subsequently, a start signal is sent from a start signal sending device 25 after each set intermittent period, and a pump drive device 23 drives the pump 12. As a result, an appropriate quantity of lubricating oil is squirted from a nozzle 13 towards a cam groove 4 of a cam 5 for a duration of at least one revolution of a row of needles 1 of the circular knitting machine.