Abstract: Liquid filter systems, flow spreaders and filter elements for improving flow are provided. A liquid filter system can comprise: a chamber having an inlet at its upper end and an outlet at its lower end; a filter element having a hollow interior volume, the filter element arranged in the chamber to filter the liquid flow by passage into the low interior volume to the chamber outlet; and a flow spreader having an inclined surface forming an apex, the flow spreader arranged at the upper end of the filter element to receive a columnar liquid flow from the inlet of the chamber at the apex of the inclined surface and to provide an annular liquid flow past the upper end of the filter element into an annular gap between the filter wall of the filter element and the lateral wall of the chamber.

Abstract: An aspect of the disclosure provides a coalescing filter element configured for installation into a filter system for filtering a multiphasic fluid, wherein the multiphasic fluid comprises a first phase entrained in a second phase, wherein the coalescing filter element comprises: a filter medium configured to: coalesce particles of the first phase to provide coalesced particles comprising the first phase to enable separation of the coalesced particles from the second phase; a collar connected to the filter medium, wherein the collar is configured to: hold the filter medium in a predefined shape; and, engage with an annular holder of a mounting assembly of the filter system to permit installation of the coalescing filter element into the filter system; wherein the collar comprises: a collar anti-rotation element configured to engage the annular holder thereby to prevent or reduce at least one of: (a) rotation of the collar relative to the holder; and, (b) vibration of the collar relative to the holder.

Abstract: A method of roughening metal surfaces of a workpiece such as a cylinder bore of an internal combustion engine to improve the adhesion of layers thermally sprayed thereon. Uniform grooves are formed in the surface and ridges are arranged between the grooves. The grooves may be formed by a process such as turning, drilling, milling or rolling. The ridges are plastically deformed in order to form undercuts in the grooves, with the degree of plastic deformation of the ridges varying regularly in the longitudinal direction of the grooves. Local deformations are produced in the ridge, and these bring about regular undercuts in the groove. This makes it possible to produce the undercuts in identical dimensions with little effort. Furthermore, since the groove is now not completely constricted by undercuts, it can be filled more effectively with spraying material.

Abstract: A method of roughening metal surfaces of a workpiece such as a cylinder bore of an internal combustion engine to improve the adhesion of layers thermally sprayed thereon. Uniform grooves are formed in the surface and ridges are arranged between the grooves. The grooves may be formed by a process such as turning, drilling, milling or rolling. The ridges are plastically deformed in order to form undercuts in the grooves, with the degree of plastic deformation of the ridges varying regularly in the longitudinal direction of the grooves. Local deformations are produced in the ridge, and these bring about regular undercuts in the groove. This makes it possible to produce the undercuts in identical dimensions with little effort. Furthermore, since the groove is now not completely constricted by undercuts, it can be filled more effectively with spraying material.

Abstract: The systems and methods of the invention utilize time-resolved techniques to deconvolve a measured response to characterize the nature of particles. The measured response is deconvolved into a scatter component and a fluorescence component. The fluorescence component is further characterized into biological and non-biological components. Probability techniques are utilized to predict whether the particles are biological or non-biological.

Abstract: A motor vehicle body has an underbody and a wheelhouse at an outboard edge of the underbody, and a longitudinal member beneath the underbody and adjacent to the wheelhouse, the wheelhouse having an inboard surface spaced outboard from the longitudinal member, and a reinforcement extending between and secured to the inboard surface and the longitudinal member. The reinforcement increases the torsional stiffness of the body in the vicinity of the wheelhouse without intruding into the interior of the vehicle.

Abstract: A motor vehicle body has an underbody and a wheelhouse at an outboard edge of the underbody, and a longitudinal member beneath the underbody and adjacent to the wheelhouse, the wheelhouse having an inboard surface spaced outboard from the longitudinal member, and a reinforcement extending between and secured to the inboard surface and the longitudinal member. The reinforcement increases the torsional stiffness of the body in the vicinity of the wheelhouse without intruding into the interior of the vehicle.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a curved glass/plastic laminate sheet for lightweight automotive glazing is disclosed. A flat laminate is build up with two thin glass layers, one inner and one outer, and a thick middle layer of thermoplastic. The flat laminate is heated to a plasticity temperature of the thermoplastic and it may be fit into a mould so that bending occurs mainly due to plastic transverse shear deformation of the plastic layer. Glass bending is limited to elastic bending of the single glass layers. Residual bending stresses in the glass layers are avoided by preferably incorporating pre-bending stresses in the flat glass layers. Strengthening of the final glass layers is achieved by incorporating compression stresses on the bent pane through heat treatment and having different thermal expansion coefficients of glass and plastic.