Abstract: A food delivery apparatus includes a domed shell that defines an interior space. A thermal storage device is secured to the shell so as to direct heat downward to food within the interior space.

Abstract: A thermal storage device includes a fabric base and a phase-change material provided on the base for storing and releasing heat applied to the thermal storage device.

Abstract: A flow control valve and method for controlling fluid flow includes a valve housing defining a valve chamber. A port member mounted within the valve chamber receives a reciprocally movable piston/spool assembly. The assembly is engageable with a valve seat for blocking fluid flow through the chamber. The assembly includes a piston body defining an annular recess for receiving an annular seal and a compression bonnet received by the piston body which is operatively engageable with the annular seal. When the assembly is not engaging its associated valve seat, the seal is relaxed and thus reciprocal movement between the assembly and the port member is not substantially hindered or resisted.

Abstract: A fastener includes a housing, a piston movable within the housing, and a compression member positioned between the housing and the piston. The compression member is movable entirely into the housing to compress the compression member.

Abstract: A pressure seal assembly for sealing a bonnet assembly that is removably received by an access port defined by a body portion of a high pressure control device. The seal assembly inhibits leakage between the body portion and the bonnet assembly and includes an annular graphite gasket having a tapered portion defining an angled surface engageable with a complementally-formed surface on the bonnet assembly. A first anti-extrusion ring is urged into sealing engagement with a surface defined by the access port. A pair of inner and outer anti-extrusion rings are urged into sealing contact with an access port surface and bonnet surface. The bonnet assembly includes a reduced diameter section which defines a seal assembly receiving cavity. The anti-extrusion rings include overlapped ends, which allow expansion and contraction while maintaining overlapping contact. Camming surfaces may include retaining segments which maintain the inner and outer extrusion rings in an assembled relation.

Abstract: A seal has a core ring that is corrugated and a resilient material is attached to one or both of the top side surface and the bottom side surface. There is at least one corrugation on the top side (a convex corrugation) and at least one corrugation on the bottom side (a concave corrugation). The corrugations have sharp peaks and are shifted out of phase. A grommet around the inner diameter deters extrusion of the resilient material into the sealed system, and a folded over portion on the outer diameter helps deters extrusion into the environment.

Abstract: A seal for sealing a movable member from a chamber containing a fluid includes a tube having various shapes. The seal is configured to seat in a gland around a movable member. In beneficial embodiments the seal has a tapered shape so that the top portion does not fill the entire gland. The seal can be made of compressed graphite ribbon that has a greater density at the top than then bottom. A die for making the seal in the tapered shape and with a decreasing density gradient is described. A method for making the seal with a die is also described.

Abstract: A method for decreasing the thickness of a flexible expanded graphite sheet is provided that includes the steps of providing a a flexible expanded graphite sheet having a surface adhered to a substrate, pulling apart the sheet and the substrate with a force sufficient to separate the adhered flexible expanded graphite sheet into a removed layer and a remainder layer adhered to the substrate; and optionally repeating the foregoing steps until the remainder layer has a desired thickness.

Abstract: An ultra-thin flexible expanded graphite heating high resistance element is produced by a method including the steps of providing a flexible expanded graphite sheet having a surface adhered to a substrate; pulling apart the sheet and the substrate with a force sufficient to separate the adhered flexible expanded graphite sheet into a removed layer and a remainder layer adhered to the substrate; and optionally repeating the foregoing steps until the remainder layer has a thickness of about 0.01 mils to about 2 mils. A resistance heater for high voltage applications is also provided.

Abstract: An ultra-thin flexible expanded graphite heating high resistance element is produced by a method including the steps of providing a flexible expanded graphite sheet having a surface adhered to a substrate; pulling apart the sheet and the substrate with a force sufficient to separate the adhered flexible expanded graphite sheet into a removed layer and a remainder layer adhered to the substrate; and optionally repeating the foregoing steps until the remainder layer has a thickness of about 0.01 mils to about 2 mils. A resistance heater for high voltage applications is also provided.

Abstract: An ultra-thin flexible expanded graphite heating high resistance element is produced by a method including the steps of providing a flexible expanded graphite sheet having a surface adhered to a substrate; pulling apart the sheet and the substrate with a force sufficient to separate the adhered flexible expanded graphite sheet into a removed layer and a remainder layer adhered to the substrate; and optionally repeating the foregoing steps until the remainder layer has a thickness of about 0.01 mils to about 2 mils. A resistance heater for high voltage applications is also provided.

Abstract: A method for decreasing the thickness of a flexible expanded graphite sheet is provided that includes the steps of providing a a flexible expanded graphite sheet having a surface adhered to a substrate, pulling apart the sheet and the substrate with a force sufficient to separate the adhered flexible expanded graphite sheet into a removed layer and a remainder layer adhered to the substrate; and optionally repeating the foregoing steps until the remainder layer has a desired thickness.

Abstract: An electrothermal zoned de-icing system for an aircraft employs a heat-conducting tape bonded to the leading edge of an aircraft structure. The heat-conducting tape has a spanwise parting strip area, and first and second ice accumulation and shedding zones. The tape comprises a non-metallic electrical and heat conducting layer consisting of flexible expanded graphite foil laminated to an outer heat-conducting layer, in which the thickness of the flexible expanded graphite foil layer in the parting strip area is always greater than the thickness of the foil layer in either of the ice accumulation and shedding zones. Therefore, the parting strip area has a decreased electrical resistance, a greater flow of current, and becomes hotter than the zones in which the foil layer is thinner.

Abstract: An electrothermal zoned de-icing system for an aircraft employs a heat-conducting tape bonded to the leading edge of an aircraft structure. The heat-conducting tape has a spanwise parting strip area, and first and second ice accumulation and shedding zones. The tape comprises a non-metallic electrical and heat conducting layer consisting of flexible expanded graphite foil laminated to an outer heat-conducting layer, in which the thickness of the flexible expanded graphite foil layer in the parting strip area is always greater than the thickness of the foil layer in either of the ice accumulation and shedding zones. Therefore, the parting strip area has a decreased electrical resistance, a greater flow of current, and becomes hotter than the zones in which the foil layer is thinner.

Abstract: An electrothermal zoned de-icing system for an aircraft employs a heat-conducting tape bonded to the leading edge of an aircraft structure subject to an impinging airstream during flight. The heat-conducting tape has a spanwise parting strip area, and first and second ice accumulation and shedding zones. The tape comprises a non-metallic electrical and heat-conducting layer consisting of flexible expanded graphite foil laminated to an outer heat-conducting layer, in which the thickness of the flexible expanded graphite foil layer in the parting strip area is always greater than the thickness of the foil layer in either of the ice accumulation and shedding zones. Therefore, the parting strip area has a decreased electrical resistance, a greater flow of current, and becomes hotter than the zones in which the foil layer is thinner.

Abstract: An extreme-temperature annular sealing element and a sealing device using such a sealing element is provided herein. The annular sealing element (10) is composed of a flexible expanded graphite body (14) with a protective metallic sheath (12) over a portion of the outer surface of said flexible expanded graphite body. One end surface (24) of the flexible expanded graphite body is exposed so that the annular sealing element can resiliently respond under repetitive loading and unloading pressures. The metallic sheath is thick enough to be durable yet thin enough to permit the flexible graphite body to resiliently yield and conform to a rotatable opposed member, such as a ball valve.