Abstract: A cutting apparatus having an annular-shaped cutting head and an impeller assembly coaxially mounted for rotation within the cutting head to deliver food products radially outward toward the cutting head. The cutting head has at least one knife extending radially inward toward the impeller assembly. The impeller assembly is equipped with paddles, each having a radially outer extremity adjacent the impeller assembly, a radially inner extremity, and a face therebetween facing the rotational direction of the impeller assembly. According to preferred aspects of the invention, removable posts radially extend from the radially outer extremity of each paddle, and/or the face of each paddle has grooves transverse to a radial of the impeller assembly.

Abstract: A cutting apparatus having an annular-shaped cutting head and an impeller assembly coaxially mounted for rotation within the cutting head to deliver food products radially outward toward the cutting head. The cutting head has at least one knife extending radially inward toward the impeller assembly. The knife has a cutting edge at a radially innermost extremity and a radially outer face that defines a trajectory plane for slices removed from the products by the cutting edge. The knife is clamped to the cutting head with a clamping feature that provides clearance for slices when traveling the trajectory plane of the knife.

Abstract: In a vehicle having a turbocharger (12) for supplying pressurized air to a combustion chamber in an engine (10) and a storage reservoir (34) for supplying pressurized air as a power source for a brake system (35), a polymeric fiber membrane (46) for separating pressurized air from a compressor (18) into moist oxygen enriched air and dry nitrogen enriched air. The moist oxygen enriched air is added to inlet air of the turbocharger (12) to enhance combustion of fuel in the combustion chamber while the dry nitrogen enriched air is communicated to the storage reservoir (34) to operate the brake system (35) and reduce the possibility of oxidization of components therein.