Abstract: An apparatus for air-pulverizing high-temperature molten slag by blowing air at high speed through a nozzle into a flow of molten slag that is falling from an inclined container by the intermediary of a turndish. A heat detector is provided for detecting the quantity of heat in the flow of molten slag after being air-pulverized by the high speed air flow, and a feedback control device which is responsive to a detection signal issued from the detector is provided for calculating a desirable inclination angle of the container or the turndish and transmitting a control signal obtained as a result of the calculation to a controller for controlling the inclination of the container or turndish thereby stabilizing the air-pulverizing of the high-temperature molten slag.

Abstract: In an externally pressurized gas bearing used as a thrust or a journal bearing, the shape of a gap formed therein is selected so that the gas flowing velocity reaches the sound velocity in a predetermined position within the gap and a supersonic gas flow is maintained at the outer edge of the bearing, whereby an increase in supply gas pressure gives rise to a corresponding increase in load capacity and rigidity.

Abstract: A method for producing instantly cookable dried beans which restore their boiled edible condition quickly after being immersed in a hot water. This method comprises a preliminary boiling step to boil raw beans in water, a preliminary immersion step to immerse those boiled beans in water, an enzymatic treatment step to treat the resulting beans in an aqueous solution containing either cellulase or a mixture of cellulase and pectinase, a secondary boiling step to boil these processed beans in an acidic solution, and a drying step to dry the resulting beans in a super-heated steam. The beans before the drying step may be coated with sucrose or lactose. The product dry beans have good appearance with practically no cracks and fractures, and retain their flavor as beans, and can be preserved for an extended period of time, in addition to the feature that the product dried beans are quickly rendered to soft edible state by immersing them in hot water.