Abstract: An apparatus for electrically heating an electrically conductive workpiece by passage of electric current therethrough includes a pair of hinged levers, each having a handle end and a jaw end. The jaw end of each lever is provided with a refractory metal ribbon heater selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, Nichrome, chromel, tungsten, and molydenum. The ribbon has an elongate cross-section and is bent to form a V-shaped contactor for achieving good thermal contact with a workpiece of relatively high conductivity, such as copper, aluminum or brass pipes and fittings. A copper conductor assures good electrical contact between the ends of the metal ribbon heater and the jaw and serves as a positioning block. A bolt and wing nut detachably secure the metal ribbon heater to the jaw.

Abstract: Apparatus either for a specimen that is to be held in a jaw assembly of, for example, a dynamic thermal-mechanical testing system or for the jaw assembly itself wherein the specimen or jaw assembly, respectively, exhibits both self-resistive and self-inductive heating whenever a sufficiently large alternating (AC) electrical current is passed serially therethrough. In one embodiment, the specimen (200, 300) is fabricated from a material which undergoes self-resistive heating and in which suitable levels of eddy currents can be induced by and also includes an appropriately shaped heating section (205, 206; 305, 306) situated near each of two opposing ends thereof. In another embodiment, a metallic conductor (403, 403'; 503) is fabricated from a material which undergoes self-resistive heating, in which suitable levels of induced eddy currents can occur and which contains appropriately shaped and sized heating sections (406, 407; 406', 407'; 512, 512').

Abstract: An electrically conductive work-piece is rapidly heated by establishing a current flow in the work-piece that is the highest it can be without damaging circuit components. Such components include at least a transformer having a high-voltage, low-current primary winding and a low-voltage, high-current secondary winding and insulated cables connected to the secondary winding and terminated in one or more clamps that attach to the workpiece. The cables may be jumper-type cables and the clamps may be alligator-type clamps. Other types of clamps suitable for use with the present invention include a sliding clamp, a hinged clamp, and a wrap-around strap-type clamp. To limit current in the circuit to acceptable levels, it may be necessary to employ one or more resistive electrodes, or heater blocks, placed in the jaws of one or more of the clamps. Intimate thermal contact is established between the heater blocks and the work-piece such that heat generated in the heater blocks is conducted to the work-piece.

Abstract: Induction heating is used to heat a moving strip (4) of non-ferrous material by causing it to form a short-circuited loop acting as the secondary winding of a transformer (1), the loop passing over pulleys (6, 9, 5 or 16). In one arrangement, one of the pulleys (16) has a double groove and the strip (4) passes over one groove (18), around another of the pulleys (19) and back to the other groove (20) of the double grooved pulley (16). This enables the strip to enter or leave the inside of the loop without colliding with the other side of the loop. In an alternative arrangement, the strip enters or leaves the inside of the loop at an angle to the plane of the loop and is prevented from contacting the other side of the loop by an insulating spacer (7).

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus for continuous-direct-resistance heating of long-length articles wherein the travelling long-length article is made to contact with roll electrodes disposed in a specified spacing, then made to pass through an annular transformer disposed between the roll electrodes.Conductive members with sufficiently less electrical resistance than that of the long-length article located between the both electrodes are disposed on the periphery of the transformer with the both ends thereof connected to the roll electrode through a slider, thereby a current being induced in the long-length article with the conductive member as the retrace, which heats the long-length article having a higher resistance very efficiently, but does not result in an external voltage nor any electrical hazards along the production line in which the apparatus is installed.

Abstract: This invention is related to the process and apparatus for applying stressed skin sheet coverings to large passenger vehicles. The apparatus for the process, provided by this invention includes a single phase transformer, conductors, electric contactors and a guiding apparatus. The present invention uses a specialized transformer, capable of producing a strong electric current of low voltage as an energy source, utilizing the steel skin sheet as a resistor element in the output circuit, welding the steel sheet onto the frame while the steel sheet is heated by the electric current passing through the sheet, thereby elongating the sheet at a set value due to the rise in temperature, cutting off the electricity and welding the upper and lower sides quickly onto the frame, thus finishing the process of skin covering and resulting in residual stresses within the steel skin sheet.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus for continuous-direct-resistance heating of long-length articles wherein the travelling long-length article is made to contact with roll electrodes disposed in a specified spacing, then made to pass through an annular transformer disposed between the roll electrodes.Conductive members with sufficiently less electrical resistance than that of the long-length article located between the both electrodes are disposed on the periphery of the transformer with the both ends thereof connected to the roll electrode through a slider, thereby a current being induced in the long-length article with the conductive member as the retrace, which heats the long-length article having a higher resistance very efficiently, neither resulting in an external voltage, nor causing electrically any obstacle to the production line in which the apparatus is installed.

Abstract: Apparatus for setting and resetting a portion of a shape-memory alloy part, the apparatus including an enclosing chamber having openings for the portion, a body of solid particles in the chamber, a pressure member connected to the chamber to immobilize the particles and the portion and a mechanism for heating the portion to a resetting temperature while immobilized, is disclosed.

Abstract: An apparatus for heat treating coiled springs comprises two electrodes (19,20), an electric current supply unit (10) for feeding a series of electric current pulses through a spring (21) placed between said electrodes (19,20), each of said pulses having the general shape of a portion of a sine half wave, an evaluation unit (11) for evaluating the amplitude of the sine half wave corresponding to each current pulse, and a control unit (12) for controlling the total energy supplied to the spring (21) from said current supply unit (10) in dependence upon said amplitude evaluation. In order to keep the total treatment time equal for all springs within a single series, the control unit (12) is arranged to bring the current supply unit (10) to feed a predetermined constant number of current pulses having low initial values through the spring (21) and to control the length of each current pulse in dependence upon the amplitude evaluation effected by the evaluation unit (11).

Abstract: Temperature monitoring of electrically conductive wire during heating in which the current in the wire in the heating zone is measured and the voltage at the downstream end portion of the zone is measured, signals corresponding to the measured values then being combined to produce a resultant signal corresponding to the resistance of the wire at the downstream end portion of the heating zone. The resistance value corresponds to the temperature of the heated wire. Apparatus includes current and voltage measuring means located in the appropriate positions to enable temperature monitoring, and means to combine voltage signals which correspond to the measured values and to produce a combined signal representative of wire resistance after heating.

Abstract: Heat-treating apparatus for prolonging the life of a pressure vessel formed of thermally resistant material subject to time-dependent structural changes due to neutron flux includes a heating device positionable within a pressure vessel adjacent to a wall portion thereof which is to be heat-treated; and a mounting support for the heating device including a hollow substantially cylindrical mounting member. Also included is a support for the mounting member by which the latter is insertable into and removable from the pressure vessel through an opening in the pressure vessel. The apparatus additionally includes a device for flooding the interior of the pressure vessel with protective liquid preparatory to inserting and removing the mounting member and the heating device from the pressure vessel, and a device for draining the protective liquid from the interior of the pressure vessel prior to actuation of the heating device for heating the adjacent wall portion.

Abstract: A thermostatically controlled heater for heating metal work pieces to within a selected temperature range prior to and during a welding process is disclosed. The heater comprises an electric heating element thermally connected to a heat conductive shoe and electrically connected to a source of electric power via a thermostat assembly. The thermostat assembly includes a heat conductive housing mounted on the heat conductive shoe in intimate thermal contact. The housing contains a thermostat having a thermal sensing area in thermal contact with an area of the heat conductive housing for regulating the amount of electricity conducted to the electric heating element. Accurate control of the temperature of the workpiece is accomplished by constructing the heat conductive housing so that the temperature gradient between the shoe and the thermostat matches the temperature gradient between the shoe and the workpiece itself.

Abstract: A means for producing extremely high pressures especially adaptable for use in the art of diamond making, such means employing the expansion characteristics of materials and includes a member expandable in response to heat for applying pressure to diamond producing material.

Abstract: The present ion source called "Vaporized-Metal Cluster Ion Source" is adapted to produce ionized vapor aggregate (ionized cluster) instead of atomic or molecular ions in conventional ion sources. Clusters consisting of 10.sup.2 -10.sup.3 atoms are formed by the adiabatic expansion due to the ejection into a high vacuum region through a nozzle of a heated crucible and ionized by electron bombardment. By "Ionized-Cluster Beam Deposition" using the ion source, fine-quality deposited films of many kinds of materials can be obtained on metal, semiconductor and insulator substrate with strong adhesion and with a fairly high deposition rate.

Abstract: A method for the consecutive resistance heating of sequentially advanced wire pins by means of electrodes positioned on end faces of the pins includes the following steps:A. connecting in series at least two wire pins to a current source through the electrodes;B. passing heating current through each wire pin for a number of consecutive heating periods which equal the number of the serially-connected wire pins; andC. between each heating period removing that wire pin which has been exposed to all consecutive heating periods and, in its stead, introducing a new wire pin.

Abstract: A device for use in installing wax foundations in bee frames having side members fabricated from substantially dielectric materials and characterized by a plurality of electrically conductive foundation wires extended in substantial parallelism between the opposite side members. The device includes a table having a planar surface for supporting a bee frame. A pair of elongated electrical contacts of substantially inverted U-shaped configuration are mounted in spaced parallelism on the table for engagement of the mid-portions of the contacts with the opposite ends of the foundation wires whereby a DC voltage can be applied to the wires to heat the wires prior to the wires being embedded in a foundation sheet. The mid-portions of each contact is resilient and compression springs are arranged on the planar surface in supporting relationship with the mid-portions of the contacts to prevent sagging of the mid-portions thereby assuring proper electrical contact between the mid-portions and the foundation wires.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for installing endless steel belts or steel bands of improved characteristics on machines of the type having a large roll and an endless steel belt extending around the roll and held under tension against the roll surface as the roll is turned. This type of equipment is used for producing a continuous sheet of a product by feeding a layer of the feed products in between the belt and the roll to thereby compress the products while subjecting them to a heat treatment. The belts must be replaced from time to time and must be repaired upon occasion, and the present invention permits such replacement and repair with belts having very high tensile strength.

Abstract: The tubular stainless steel structure of a nuclear reactor fuel rod thermal simulator is heated to nuclear fuel rod operating temperatures by means of a gaseous glow discharge established within the tubular structure. In a preferred embodiment a length of the simulated fuel rod is internally clad with tungsten, or Mo or alloys thereof, hermetically sealed at both ends and filled with a glow discharge sustaining gas such as hydrogen or helium. A center electrode structure, as of tungsten, or Mo or alloys, is centrally disposed within the gas filled tubular envelope. Power is applied between the center electrode and the outer tubular envelope for initiating and sustaining the glow discharge for heating the outer tubular envelope to nuclear fuel rod simulating temperature.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming piston rings are disclosed. A split piston ring made by conventional processes is locally heated along its inside surface for a short distance either side of the split. This causes a short length of the ring on either side of the split to curl into a slight inward protrosion due to internal yielding of the restrained heated area and subsequent tensioning during cooling. The inwardly curved configuration prevents catching of the ring's ends on gas ports of ported cylinder engines.

Abstract: One side of a source of electrical energy is connected to a dented metal sheet and a hammer electrode connected to the other side of the source is successively brought into instantaneous contact with a multiplicity of locations spaced apart over the dent. The sheet is electrically heated at the location so that stresses in the sheet are relieved, thereby relaxing the sheet and flattening the dent. The electrode is generally L-shaped and has a pointed copper tip surrounded by a safety sleeve with only the point of the tip projecting from the sleeve.

Abstract: Apparatus comprising a rotary supporting table for moving circumaxial series of work holders in a predetermined circular path. Each work holder comprises an upright pin adapted to receive on and about itself a coil spring and a base member. The base member takes the form of an electrically conductive electrode part. At a loading station, springs are deposited successively on the pins and the table is indexed to move the pins and springs to a stress relieving station. Prior to the stress relieving station, a rotary brush engages the springs and indexes them about their pins to bring an end surface of an end coil into engagement with a small vertical abutment on the base member. The base members have inclined seating surfaces for the side surfaces of the end coils of the springs.