Abstract: A rotary vane air motor comprises a rotor, stator and vanes. The rotor has slots for the vanes, and the vanes may move between a retracted position and a contact position in which the vanes contact the cylinder. Each vane may have a longitudinal portion whose shape conforms generally to the slot, and a transverse portion that is radially outside of the slot and extends at least in part in a direction that is transverse to the longitudinal portion and that may be tangential to the perimeter of the rotor at the slot. The shape of the perimeter may be a polygon with rounded corners. The vanes may also include a magnetic portion or a rotating portion.

Abstract: A rotary vane air motor comprises a rotor, stator and vanes. The rotor has slots for the vanes, and the vanes may move between a retracted position and a contact position in which the vanes contact the cylinder. Each vane may have a longitudinal portion whose shape conforms generally to the slot, and a transverse portion that is radially outside of the slot and extends at least in part in a direction that is transverse to the longitudinal portion and that may be tangential to the perimeter of the rotor at the slot. The shape of the perimeter may be a polygon with rounded corners. The vanes may also include a magnetic portion or a rotating portion.

Abstract: A plasma-vortex engine (20) provided. The engine (20) consists of a plasmatic fluid (22) circulating in a closed loop (44) encompassing a fluid heater (26), an expansion chamber (30), and a condenser (42). The expansion chamber (30) is fabricated of magnetic material, and encompasses a rotor (72), fabricated of non-magnetic material, to which T-form vanes (114), also fabricated of non-magnetic material, are coupled. A shaft (36) is coupled to the rotor (72). During operation, the plasmatic fluid (22) is heated to produce a plasma (86) within the expansion chamber (30). The plasma (86) is expanded and a vortex (100) generated therein to exert a plasmatic force (93) against the vanes (114). The rotor (72) and shaft (36) rotate in response to the plasmatic force (93). A plurality of magnets (115,119) are embedded in the vanes (114) and rotor (72) to provide attractive and repulsive forces (97,99,101) and better seal the vane (114) to the expansion chamber (30).

Abstract: A dry pump comprises a stator housing a rotor assembly comprising intermeshing rotor components defining a running clearance with a surface of the stator, means for applying a transient magnetic force to at least one magnetic member of the rotor assembly to move the rotor components away from the stator surface and increase the size of the running clearance to reduce a frictional force applied to the rotor components by particulates accumulated within the running clearance, and means for moving the rotor components back towards the stator surface upon reduction of the magnetic force.

Abstract: A progressing cavity stator and a method for fabricating such a stator are disclosed. The progressing cavity stator includes first and second elastomer layers fabricated from corresponding first and second elastomer materials. The first and second elastomer materials are selected to have at least one distinct material property. Exemplary embodiments of this invention may reduce tradeoffs associated with elastomer material selection and may further address the heat build up and subsequent elastomer breakdown in the lobes of prior art stators.

Abstract: A screw machine (10) has a rotor housing (12) defining overlapping bores (12-1, 12-2). Female rotor (14) is located in bore (12-1) and male rotor (16) is located in bore (12-2). A wear resistant coating is deposited on the tips (14-1, 16-1) of the rotors. A conformable coating is deposited on the valleys (14-2, 16-2) of the rotors. A conformable coating is depsoited on the surface of the bores coacting with the rotors.

Abstract: The present invention provides a unitary sliding-vane type compressor-expander comprising a housing with a compressor inlet and outlet, and an expander inlet and outlet. A single rotor is disposed therein defining in cooperation with the housing a compression chamber on one side and an expansion chamber on the opposite side. The rotor includes a plurality of regularly spaced vanes slidingly disposed in slots about the periphery of the rotor. The bottoms of the vane slots may be vented through a passage in the housing to the inlet air, or alternatively through a groove between the vane and vane slot to the compression or exhaust chambers. Permanent magnets are used in the vanes and housing to increase or decrease the contact force between the vane tip and housing. An integral condenser-humidifier is provided in the path of the expanded gas exhausting from the turbine outlet for condensing water out of the expanded gas and returning the condensed water to the compressor-expander.

Abstract: A two-stage rotating vane device comprising an outer stator defining a plurality of ports and an elliptically or cylindrically shaped interior cavity surface, with an inner stator defining a plurality of ports, the inner stator either being elliptically shaped or configured in a predetermined shape and located in the elliptically or cylindrically shaped interior cavity. A rotor is disposed in the elliptically or cylindrically shaped interior cavity between the interior cavity surface of the outer stator and the inner stator, the rotor defining a plurality of slots. A plurality of slidable vanes are situated in the plurality of slots for spanning between the interior cavity surface of the outer stator and the inner stator, and wherein a first stage is defined between the inner stator and the rotor, and a second stage is defined between the interior cavity surface of the outer stator and the rotor, the first and second stages communicating with each other.

Abstract: A volumetric meter for liquids and/or gases, in the radial cavities of the rotor of which there are housed rolling rollers which, by undergoing mutual repulsion by the action of magnets embedded in them, are urged radially into a sealed state against the inner surface of the cylindrical chamber, which is provided in positions straddling said opposite maximum and minimum clearance zones with two portions having constant curvatures with their centre on the rotor axis and extending through an angle equal to the angular pitch between two successive rollers, i.e. to 360.degree. divided by the number of rollers used. Further inlet and outlet ports cooperating with the rear space in the housing cavities are also provided, as are fine adjustment means.

Abstract: A hydraulically driven bicycle frame with two axle members coupled to the bicycle frame and front and rear wheels mounted on such axles for rotation about the axis of the respective axle and a pair of pedals mounted on a pedal drive shaft coupled to the bicycle frame for rotation for applying manual power for operating the hydraulic system of the bicycle. The hydraulically driven bicycle has a hydraulic pump mechanism and a hydraulic drive mechanism. The hydraulic pump mechanism is operated by rotational movement of the pedal drive shaft. The hydraulic pump mechanism includes a pump housing having two sectional pump housing members that form a pump chamber between them. The two sectional pump housing members are capable of relative movement with respect to each other so that the pump chamber is capable of being varied in size for varying the flow of fluid through the pump mechanism.

Abstract: In a vane compressor wherein at least two spaces are defined between a pump housing and a rotor disposed within the pump housing, for defining pump working chambers in cooperation with vanes carried in slits in the rotor, each of the vanes has an axial end edge provided with engaging means. Arresting means is disposed for engagement and disengagement with the engaging means of the vanes. When the arresting means is in a position engaging with the engaging means, it arrests each of the vanes in a retracted position in the vane slit in the rotor, while the vane is circumferentially moving in at least one of the pump working chamber-defining spaces from a pump inlet opening in the same space to a pump outlet opening in the same space.

Abstract: The invention relates to a rotary electrohydraulic device of the volumetrical pump type having stator and rotor as well as vanes axially slidable in said rotor. According to the invention, the intermediary space between the rotor and the stator has an axial longitudinal circulary variable interval partly defined by a continuous stator bottom surface of a constant width, said slidable vanes coming to bear constantly and totally on said continuous bottom surface, which is single for a considered set of said vanes. The device according to the invention is mainly applicable as a brake or slackening means but can also work as a motor and a pump.

Abstract: A variable-displacement vane compressor has a pump housing and a cylindrical rotor supported on a drive shaft and rotatably disposed in the pump housing. The rotor has a plurality of vanes movably fitted in respective slits formed in the rotor and having radially outward ends slidable against an inner peripheral camming surface of the pump housing. Certain ones of the vanes are made of a ferromagnetic material and can be retracted back into the slits in response to energization of an electromagnetic coil to thereby reduce the volume of a fluid discharged from pump working chambers in the pump housing. When the electromagnetic coil is de-energized, all of the vanes are slidably held against the inner peripheral camming surface to discharge the compressed fluid in an increased volume.

Abstract: An electrohydraulic rotary brake comprises an inner core, at least one energizing winding, a cylindrical amagnetic insert and an annular part outside the core and the insert. A cylindrical bore is excentric with respect to the cylindrical peripheral surface of the insert, recesses being provided with magnetizable sliding vanes and a brake fluid. On a rotary shaft, are mounted lateral flanges in fluid-tight manner, the inner core being fast to the rotary shaft and to the insert, all three being arranged so as to constitute a rotor for the brake. The annular part outside the core and the insert constitutes an annular stator to which the lateral flanges are fixed and with the bore excentric with respect to the peripheral surface of the insert constituting the outer part of the rotor.

Abstract: A rotary sliding vane compressor is provided with magnetic vane retractor means to control the pumping capacity of the compressor without the use of an on/off clutch in the drive system.

Abstract: A rotary vane pump incorporating radially displaceable sliding vanes. The sliding vanes can be electromagnetically actuated in order to permit use of the rotary vane pump as a hydraulic brake.