Abstract:
The vacuum pump (10) includes two pairs of piston and cylinder assemblies (21, 22, 23, 24) mounted on opposite sides of a crankshaft (13) in a common plane with the gas inlets for the first and second cylinders of a first pair of piston and cylinder assemblies (21, 22) being connected to the device to be evacuated and the gas outlets thereof being connected to a common outlet (17) having a spring biased one-way valve controlling the outlet and to a passage connected to the inlet of a third cylinder in said second pair of piston and cylinder assemblies (23, 24). The gas outlet of the third cylinder (23) is connected to the inlet of the fourth cylinder (24) and the gas outlet of the fourth cylinder is connected to the common outlet through spring biased one-way valves. Each cylinder is provided with a cylinder head having a pair of one-way valves controlling inlet and outlet ports wherein the one-way valve controlling the gas inlet port acts as a torque reduction valve to reduce the amount of torque necessary to move the piston away from the cylinder head on the initial stroke of the piston. Each cylinder is provided with a liner in the form of a sleeve having an hard wear resistant oxide coating thereon and each piston is provided with a coating of filled polytetrafluorethylene for the purpose of reducing friction.
Abstract:
A marker for remote localisation in a medium, the marker including a magnetic field sensor configured to measure three different magnetic fields at three different respective times in three dimensions at a marker location in the medium, wherein the marker is configured to generate measurement data representing the measured magnetic fields for determining the marker location.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to a method for the manufacture of composites consisting of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and/or carbon fibres (CFs) and crystalline diamond. The CNTs/CFs (2) or a structure formed of CNTs/CFs is coated with a barrier layer (4) that consists of a material that protects the CNTs/CFs (2) against reactive gases required or favorable for diamond formation. The barrier layer (4) is providing nucleation sites due to a seeding-treatment with a suspension of nanocrystalline diamond powder (5), and crystalline diamond (6) is subsequently deposited on the barrier layer (4) of the CNTs/CFs (2) using a CVD deposition process that involves a reactive gas atmosphere that promotes the formation of sp3 -bonded carbon. The method allows the formation of high quality diamond on CNTs/CFs without damage to the CNT/CF or their surface.
Abstract:
A marker for remote localisation in a medium, the marker including a magnetic field sensor configured to measure three different magnetic fields at three different respective times in three dimensions at a marker location in the medium, wherein the marker is configured to generate measurement data representing the measured magnetic fields for determining the marker location.
Abstract:
Methods and microscopes for measuring the difference(s) between at least two energy path lengths are disclosed. According to one embodiment a confocal interference microscope (100) may be employed to build up an interferogram of surface (123) of object (124) as follows. A portion of the light beam from coherent laser diode (101) is coherently guided to exit (115) and focussed into a diffraction limited spot (125) intersecting surface (123) by high quality lens (122). A portion of the scattered signal light resulting from spot (125) is collected by lens (122) and confocally injected back into exit (115) to be guided back to coupler (108). A second portion of the light beam from diode (101) is coherently guided to end (121) from whence it emerges collimated. This collimated beam termed the reference beam is partially reflected by mirror (126) through end (121) and is guided back to coupler (102) where it interferes with the signal beam. The result of the interference is detected by detector (127) and fed to computer (128). A portion of the signal light injected into fibre exit (115) is guided to detector (145) which detects the intensity level. This intensity level is fed to computer (128) and used to control scanner (130) so as to maintain the focus of spot (125) on surface (123). A portion of the reference beam reflected by mirror (126) is injected into single mode fibre (135) and guided coherently to coupler (138) where it interferes with illuminating light guided coherently from laser diode (101) and hence detected by detector (142). The resulting signal is fed to computer (128). While scanner (130) is moving the exits computer (128) keeps track of their position by monitoring the interference signal from detector (142).
Abstract:
A real-time signal processing circuit (2, 70, 80, 150) which includes means (12, 14, 16, 18, 20) for receiving input signals generated by a scanning device and means (10) for obtaining a synchronising signal and a first blanking signal from the receiving means (12, 14, 16, 18, 20). The circuit has an input stage (4) and a processing stage (6) which selectively generates colour output signals from the input signals, each colour output signal being derived from one or a combination of the input signals. The circuit also has an output stage (8) for including a blanking output signal in the colour output signals in response to the first blanking signal and outputting the colour signals and the synchronising signal.
Abstract:
A process for increasing the particle size of fines of a titaniferous mineral containing more than 45 % by weight of titanium. The process comprises mixing the fines with a binding agent and water to produce an agglomerate. The agglomerate is then dried and sintered.
Abstract:
A diffraction limited confocal microscope (30) includes an energy source (31) to provide focussable illuminating energy and a single mode energy guide (34) comprising a core, an energy receiver (33) and an energy exit (35). The energy guide is operatively associated with the energy source so that illuminating energy from the energy source is received by the energy receiver and coupled into the core and guided to the energy exit so as to emerge from the core at the energy exit. A first focusser (39) is operatively associated with the energy exit to focus at least a portion of the illuminating energy emerging from the core into a diffraction limited spot pattern volume having a central portion which in use intersects an objet (40). A second focusser (39) is operatively associated with the first focusser to collect outgoing energy from the volume resulting from interaction between the illuminating energy in the volume and the objet and/or resulting from transmission or reflection of illuminating energy from the volume. The microscope includes a detector (45) having an aperture and a detecting element wherein the detector is operatively associated with the second focusser whereby the second focusser images the aperture onto the central portion wherein the numerical aperture, NA, of the outgoing energy originating from the central portion focussed onto the aperture, the wavelength of the outgoing energy, μ, and the average diameter, d, of the aperture are related by the equation: NA « 0.6 x μ/d whereby the detector detects the outgoing energy.
Abstract:
A method and apparatus for electroslag surfacing of metal plate which utilizes a plate feeder assembly to which the plate is presented and which includes an elongate, horizontally disposed feeder table having an approach-end section and a runout-end section. The plate, with a major surface uppermost, is conveyed along the feeder table in a feeding direction from said approach-end section to said runout-end section, and is subjected to an electroslag operation at a surfacing installation located intermediate those sections to provide a cladding metal layer on that surface. At the surfacing installation, there is a flux mould arrangement under an electrode holder and feeder assembly having depending electrodes vertically in line with the interior of the mould arrangement. The plate is passed under the mould arrangement and the electrode holder and feeder assembly is vertically adjusted to bring a lower end of the electrode means into contact with the upper surface and to establish current flow. On establishing current flow, the electrodes then are raised to establishing an arc between the electrodes and the uppermost surface, with charging of flux to mould arrangement establishing a molten slag pool which overlies that surface to submerge and extinguish the arc. Alloy powder material to said mould arrangement at the interface between the slag pool and the uppermost surface and melted in said mould arrangement to clad the uppermost surface as the metal plate is conveyed under the mould arrangement.
Abstract:
The present invention provides a membrane comprising a closely packed array of self-assembling amphiphilic molecules, and is characterized in that it incorporates plurality of ion channels, and/or at least a proportion of the self-assembling molecules comprise a receptor molecule conjugated with a supporting entity. The ion channel is selected from the group consisting of peptides capable of forming helices and aggregates thereof, coronands, cryptands, podands and combinations thereof. In the amphiphilic molecules comprising a receptor molecule conjugated with a supporting entity, the receptor molecule has a receptor site and is selected from the group consisting of immunoglobulins, antibodies, antibody fragments, dyes, enzymes and lectins. The supporting entity is selected from the group consisting of a lipid head group, a hydrocarbon chain(s), a cross-linkable molecule and a membrane protein. The supporting entity is attached to the receptor molecule at an end remote from the receptor site. In preferred embodiments the ion channel is gramicidin A, and is preferably gated. Such membranes may be used in the formation of sensing devices.