Abstract: A cooking retort for soup or the like in which the individual cans are stored in storage rack clusters arranged around a generally horizontal axis. The retort employs a power cylinder to tilt the retort and thus the storage racks to enable inclination of the racks to facilitate the loading and tilting of the racks to facilitate unloading. In addition, a hexagonal pattern of can rack clusters is provided to enhance cooking capacity of cans.

Abstract: The speed of loaded and unloaded driverless vehicles traveling along an inclined path is controlled by a hydraulic retarder mechanism which dissipates the kinetic energy of the vehicle. The retarder mechanism is velocity sensitive and projects into the path of part of the vehicle. The retarder mechanism slows down fast moving vehicles but has little or no effect on slow moving vehicles.

Abstract: In an apparatus in which cylindrical articles violently collide with one another as they roll down on the inclined skid rails, from the inlet to the outlet thereof, a control rail covered thick with a soft and elastic foamed substance is located. The control rail is positioned side by side in parallel to the skid rails, and frequently reciprocated vertically to brake the articles as they move downwards over the skid rails so that the maximum rolling speed is sufficiently reduced for restricting the noise of collision below an allowable level.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for manufacturing nuclear fuel rods by introducing elongated fuel pellets into cladding tubes. The pellets are arranged in end-to-end relationship on a support and are pushed axially from the support over a well defined break point and onto a downwardly inclined guide. The guide is disposed at a sufficient angle to cause the pellets to slide therealong under the influence of gravity. The cladding tube is disposed at the lower end of the guide in alignment therewith and in a position for receiving the sliding pellets.

Abstract: In a gravity-feed shelf having an endless flexible conveyor belt supporting a plurality of articles arranged in a column and automatically feeding the articles in said column forward in a columnwise direction when the foremost article in the column is removed, one or more frictional pads are located at a position underneath said conveyor belt and are responsive to the presence of an article on said belt and above said position, for stopping the movement of said belt.

Abstract: In a gravity-feed shelf having an endless flexible conveyor belt supporting a plurality of articles arranged in a column and automatically feeding the articles in said column forward in a columnwise direction when the foremost article in the column is removed, brake means are located at a position underneath said conveyor belt and responsive to the presence of an article on said belt and above said position, for stopping the movement of said belt.

Abstract: Automatic braking apparatus for controlling the speed of a vehicle travelling downwardly on an inclined slope. The apparatus comprises a wheel housing, a pair of specially designed wheels mounted in the housing for combined rotary and axial motion, and a rail engageable between the wheels and moveable longitudinally relative thereto. The wheels have tapered camming surfaces which confront one another and annular braking surfaces facing outwardly in juxtaposition with respect to pads of friction material carried by the housing. A load applied between the rail and the wheels forces the wheels axially outward into engagement with the friction pads to retard rotation of the wheels and thereby to limit the relative velocity between the rail and the wheel housing. In one embodiment, the wheel housing is carried by a pallet and the rail is mounted stationary. Wedge means is provided at the lower end of the rail for engaging between the wheels relatively close to their rotational axis to arrest motion of the pallet.

Abstract: An anti-runout device adapted to be mounted below the running surface or pass line of an inclined lane, gravity feed package conveyor and upstream from a package release mechanism at the discharge end of the conveyor is described. The device acts as a brake means to slow or stop the packages and includes a brake shoe mounted on a lifter means. The lifter means is moveably supported in a guide means for linear movement of the brake shoe and the lifter means. The shoe and the lifter means are mounted such that the shoe can move well above the running surface of the inclined lane to reach and to lift a package which can be moving rapidly enough to be substantially above and thus out of contact with the running surface of the conveyor.

Abstract: A transporting apparatus for transporting cylindrical steel articles such as steel pipes by using inclined skid rails is arranged to have a magnetic braking device including electromagnetic coils for controlling the rolling speeds of the articles to be transported, wherein the electromagnetic coils are so disposed as to minimize a magnetic path for the magnetic fluxes developed by the electromagnetic coils and are also arranged in the shell type manner to prevent the electromagnetic coils from being externally damaged.

Abstract: Apparatus for selectively by-passing, stopping, and releasing loads traveling on a conveyer having a case equipped with a stop arm and a stop lever on a pivotal stop shaft. The stop arm is swung to a stopping position above the conveyer to stop a load by pivotal movement of the stop shaft and stop lever in one direction and is swung to a non-stopping position not above the conveyer by pivotal movement of the stop shaft and stop lever in the other direction. A blocker leg is pivotally mounted at one end on the case and has an outer end engageable with the stop lever. When the stop arm, stop shaft, and stop lever are in their stopping position for the purpose of stopping a load, a spring or power means swings the blocker leg to abut its outer end against the stop lever so that when the load encounters the stop arm, the inertia and momentum forces of stopping the load is borne by the blocker leg and not borne by the spring or power means.

Abstract: The track of the loading chute 105 of FIGS. 6 and 7 in U.S. Pat. No. 3,958,685 is provided with a stop mounted on a leaf spring so that the stop moves aside readily if a workpiece (thermoplastic preform 2B) is misaligned during feeding by the lifter assembly 106, thus reducing malfunctions.

Abstract: In an apparatus for transporting cylindrical steel articles by rolling down on inclined skid rails, a plurality of electromagnets are provided along extension of the skid rails so as to reduce the speed of rolling down of the articles repeatedly during transportation on the skid rails by applying forward and reverse excitations to each of the electromagnets at a predetermined timing thereby to transport the articles in a pitch transfer mode.

Abstract: A device for arresting a falling electronic component at a preselected retention site has a pendulum that acts in cooperation with a stop, a guide rail and a stirrup to bring the component to a bounce-free landing on a foot of the stirrup. The falling component strikes an upwardly facing surface of the pendulum causing it to rotate rapidly away from the component. The stop intercepts the backswing of the pendulum and returns it to clamp the component against the guide rail. A side edge of the pendulum provides a jamming action that restrains the component against bouncing up from the foot.

Abstract: A device for feeding pieces of lumber, one by one, from one location to another location and comprising a plurality of carrier members secured in substantially parallel relation along the length of a frame which bridges between an input location and a delivery location. Each of the carrier members are formed to define a downwardy inclined slope having a stop at the lower end thereof. The upper end of the slope is adapted to receive lumber from the input. An elongate shaft is journaled through the carrier members. A clinch member is rotatably journaled on said shaft and located adjacent each of the carrier members. A stopping arm is provided disposed between each carrier member and adjacent clinch. A pivot pin is attached to each carrier member and a guide pin is carried by each clinch, the stopping arm is rotatably journaled on the pivot pin, one end of the stopping arm being movably engaged with the guide pin and the other end carrying a stop formation.

Abstract: This invention provides apparatus for slowing down the forward speed of severed head pieces or sample pieces issuing from a rolling mill at rolling mill speed, so that the severed pieces may be removed from the main processing line. This is achieved by providing a separate channel or track which may be switched into and out of the main processing line to receive the severed pieces, with the switching channel being in the form of a loop. Because of this shape, the forward speed of the pieces is reduced rapidly in a switching channel requiring very little space, not only because of its shape, but also because the curved course of the channel increases frictional engagement with the severed pieces, as opposed to a straight switching channel.

Abstract: An improved chute is disclosed for feeding articles such as closure caps from a supply device with a positive cap operated stop or feed control action. A cap stop is positioned on the feed end of the chute which includes a latching means for positively holding the next to the last cap in a fixed position in the chute while the end cap is held in position by a spring mounted detent. A latch releasing trigger is mounted at the chute end in position to be activated as the end cap is removed from the chute by a moving container. This momentarily opens the cap latch permitting the second cap in line to move to the pick-up position under the trigger which resets the stop latches.

Abstract: An improved braking system comprising inlets imbedded flush with an air track surface with the elongated portions thereof parallel to the direction of wafer travel. The inlets are connected to a controlled vacuum source preferably by means of pressure regulating passageways communicating with both ends of each inlet. When vacuum is applied to the inlets, a traveling wafer passing over and substantially covering the elongated inlets is pulled uniformly and evenly down by vacuum action, so that substantially the entire bottom surface of the wafer contacts the track simultaneously. Thus, the wafer comes to rest at a single position within the braking station, irrespective of the original direction of wafer travel.

Abstract: Disclosed is an air conveyor comprised of a deck having multiple openings and an underlying plenum containing air under pressure. The air from the plenum issues through the openings as jets to lift articles and advance them along a predetermined path spaced above the deck. To stop the articles, a second plenum is disposed within the first mentioned plenum and in communication with the openings through the conveyor deck at a location at which the article is to be stopped. A normally open valve provides communication between the first and second plenums whereby air under pressure in the first plenum passes into the second plenum and out through the openings in the conveyor deck for lifting and advancing the articles on the conveyor similarly as accomplished by the air issuing through the other openings in direct communication with the first plenum. A normally closed second valve commmunicates between a vacuum pressure source and the second plenum.

Abstract: A heavy shielded nuclear fuel cask is lowered into and removed from a water filled spent fuel pool by providing a vertical guide tube in the pool, affixing to the bottom of the cask a base plate that approximates the transverse dimension of the guide tube, and lowering and elevating the cask and base plate assembly into and out of the pool by causing it to traverse within the guide tube. The guide tube and base plate coact to function as a dashpot, thereby cushioning and controlling the fall of the cask in the pool should it break loose while being lowered into or raised out of the pool. A specified approach path to the guide tube insures that the cask assembly will not fall into the pool, should it break loose on its approach to the guide tube.