Abstract: Flexible, lightweight, compound body armor has multiple protective layers designed to defeat incoming projectiles. The first protective layer has a flexible base layer of penetration-resistant material having, fastened to its surface, facing the exterior, a first matrix of individual hard non-planar elements, the front surface of which is non-planar and shaped such that upon impact on the surface of these individual hard non-planar elements, projectiles would be turned or rotated to change the orientation of said projectiles with respect to the surface of said protective layers in such a manner that instead of the point, the side of a projectile would now be directed toward the subsequent protective layers, thus presenting a much larger area to said subsequent protective layers and therefore distributing the impact energy over a larger area and slowing down further penetration of said projectiles.

Abstract: An anti-windage device is provided for use on the couplings formed by mating flanges of rotors for turbomachines, such as steam turbines and the like. The anti-windage device is comprised of upper and lower anti-windage ring segments. The anti-windage ring segments have holes for each of the nuts that are threaded onto the bolts that join the mating flanges into a rotor coupling. The holes enclose the nuts and the anti-windage ring segments fill the circumferential spaces between adjacent nuts. The ring segments are secured to the rotor flange by causing the nuts to bear against an annular lip formed in each hole. The depth of the holes and the axial thickness of the anti-windage ring is such that the end faces of the anti-windage ring, nuts and bolts are flush, thereby forming a smooth surface that minimizes windage.

Abstract: An exhaust system for an axial flow turbomachine is provided having a diffuser that directs the flow of working fluid from a turbine exit to an exhaust housing having a bottom opening, thereby turning the flow 90.degree. from the axial to radial direction. In the exhaust housing, the flow exiting at the top of the diffuser turns 180.degree. from the vertically upward direction to the downward direction. The strength of the vortex formed in the exhaust housing as a result of this turning is minimized by orienting the outlet of an outer exhaust flow guide portion of the diffuser so that it lies in a plane that makes an angle with a plane perpendicular to the turbine axis. As a result, the minimum axial length of the outer flow guide occurs at a location remote from the exhaust housing outlet and the maximum axial length occurs at a location proximate the opening, thereby crowding the vortex against a radially extending baffle in the exhaust housing.

Abstract: Integral cast inlet ring sections for low pressure steam turbines are disclosed. Preferably, semicircular inlet ring sections from opposing sides of the steam inlet are joined together by integral staybars to form an inlet ring subassembly. After fabrication into a turbine inner cylinder, the two inlet ring subassemblies are preferably joined by a horizontal joint, such as a bolted connection, to form a circular inlet ring. The present invention eliminates welds and other connections typically associated with staybars and thereby eliminates a source of stress concentration and fatigue failures in steam turbines. The present invention also permits the inlet ring to be welded to a flange in a manner which eliminates potential delamination of the flange by fusing the sites of potential delamination.