In order to correct non-linearities inherently existing in the relation between the value of a hydraulic fluid parameter controlled by a proportional valve and an operating signal controlling the valve, in an arrangement in which the setting of the valve is controlled by effecting a comparison between the operating signal and a feedback signal representing the valve movement, a memory is provided ...

Gas is produced in a ferrous bath reactor 20 containing an iron melt 21 by feeding solid or liquid carbonaceous fuel (e.g. coal) 24 into the reactor 20, and blowing an oxygen-containing gas from nozzles 26,27 onto the surface 22 of the melt to gasify the fuel. The gas is collected in a space 30 through which the gas from the nozzles 26,27 is blown. In traversing the gas space 30, the gas from the ...

An extruded plastics foam compositions comprising 2 to 7 weight percent rubber, 0.3 to 10 weight percent nucleator, 0.1 to 1.5 weight percent lubricant, 10 to 19 weight percent blowing agent, and the remainder being at least one thermoplastic resin, which is a crystalline or amorphous polymer.

Improved apparatus of the type comprising inside a fixed enclosure, a rotary assembly constituted by a treatment rotor with apertured discs angularly offset one with respect to the other, upstream by a rotary distributor and downstream by a fan with optional interposition of a rotary rectifier. According to the invention, the apparatus comprises between the discs and the fixed part of the enclosur...

A telephone has a card reader with a slot (2) into which a credit card (1) for operating the telephone can be inserted. The slot has a "lead-in" pocket (8) of roughly hemispherical shape to facilitate card insertion. The slot (2) can be closed by a slide (3) with a stud or knob (14) for manual operation, but once the card has been put in for a call the slide is locked by a stud (18) controlled by ...

An iodine dispenser for water disinfection and/or treatment purposes includes a squeezable plastic container containing elemental iodine therein. The iodine is dispensed by placing water within the container to dissolve at least a portion of the iodine and then dispensing the iodine solution from the container.

A data communication system comprises a plurality of terminal units 111, 112, 113 having different addresses individually and a main control assembly 100 connected to the terminal units by transmission lines for controlling the terminal units. The terminal units include a number of specific terminal units and the other terminal units. The main control assembly controls the specific terminal units ...

In the manufacture of flexible polyurethane foam from a polyol having at least two reactive hydrogen atoms as determined by the Zerewitinoff method, a polyfunctional isocyanate and a blowing agent using a polymerization or gel catalyst and a blowing catalyst the blowing agent comprises water and from 10 to 90% of methylene chloride, the polymerization or gel catalyst is chosen from organic and ino...

The invention relates to a process for the manufacture of reinforced polyurethane foams based on the reaction of organic polyisocyanates and polyols in the presence of filler dispersions. These dispersions are prepared by in situ crushing of the filler in the polyisocyanate or polyol to a particle size of less than 7 microns.

A process for forming a film of a hydrolysed ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer containing 25-55 mole % ethylene comprises coating a substrate with a solution of the copolymer in a mixed solvent of (a) water; (b) at least one member selected from propyl alcohol, butyl alcohol and benzyl alcohol; and (c) at least one member selected from formic acid, an alkyl formate, acetic acid, an alkyl acetate, d...

An optical data retrieval system features probe beams of different wavelengths directed onto an optically reflective recording medium 11 having different spectral responses to the probe beams. A first probe beam 19 is directed onto the reflective medium 11 in a manner such that the amount of light reflected from the medium 11 may be detected while a second probe beam 29 is directed through the med...

A method of preparing a silicone elastomer coated cloth having a surface coating of silicone resin is described. The coated cloth is elastic and pliable with a surface which has superior dirt resistance. The cloth is first coated with an addition-reaction-curing silicone elastomer composition which uses a platinum system catalyst or with an organic peroxide-curing silicone elastomer composition. T...

The specification describes water vapor-permeability sheet materials, particularly useful in the footwear industry. The production of sheet materials which are water permeable, highly resistant to wear, water resistant and mechanically stressable occurs by mechanically foaming a polymeric dispersion, the mechanical foaming being carried out in the presence of a surfactant, the density of the film ...

A process for removing copper ions from an aqueous solution particularly an industrial effluent where the copper is in complexed form, requires the solution to be adjusted to a pH value of less than 6, preferably 2 to 4, before it is contacted with steel wool. Apparatus comprises a solution reservoir to which acid is controllably supplied to maintain the desired pH value, and one or more replaceab...

In a motor vehicle gearbox backlash between two meshed gear wheels (16A, 16B) is damped by two bosses (22, 23) of elastomeric material which contact each other. The diameter of each boss (22, 23) is slightly greater than the pitch circle diameter of the respective gear wheel.

An unmanned vehicle capable of being automatously guided towards a predetermined destination by the geometrical computation of light signals received by at least two on-board detectors which relate the direction of each signal received to the axis of the vehicle. Useful in restricted areas such as automatic warehouses and loading bays.

A control plate for a gas discharge display device has a mechanically stable carrier plate of an electrically insulating material which has metallized column conductor tracks on one side and metallized row conductor tracks on an opposite side which in combination form a matrix of perpendicular rows and columns. The carrier plate has perforations extending through plate at points of intersection of...

This invention provides cross-linked, flame retarded poly(p-methylstyrene) foam insulation. It also provides a method for preparing it, that comprises incorporating a flame retarding amount of flame retardant material into poly(p-methylstyrene), foaming the resultant composition, and cross-linking.