Abstract:
A method of preparing a patient's one leg, that is in need of treatment, for ambulation. The method includes the steps of: applying an external fixation assembly, having at least one external frame component, by pinning the at least one external frame component to at least one of the patient's bones in the patient's one leg so as to prepare the patient's one leg for healing; providing a foot assembly with a sole assembly defining a bearing surface and a connecting assembly; and operatively joining the foot assembly to the patient's one leg, whereby the patient can walk in a manner whereupon weight of the patient's body is applied by a patient's one foot, that is part of the user's one leg, to the sole assembly and therethrough to and against an underlying surface during ambulation.
Abstract:
Apparatus for fracturing a powder metal bearing support having stress risers to initiate cracking along a cracking plane. The apparatus has (a) a fixture assembly for holding one internal side of the bearing stationary, and (b) structure for fracturingly pulling a second internal side of the bearing away from the one internal side along a track in a direction substantially perpendicular to the cracking plane.
Abstract:
A piston and ring assembly operative within a cylindrical bore wall to retain pressurized fluid to one side of the assembly, the piston having a crown and an annular side wall for movement along the bore wall. The assembly comprises a piston having at least on annular groove (the groove having an enlarged height of at least 4 mm) in the side wall of the piston; at least two split compression rings in each such groove effective to each substantially annularly engage the bore wall, the rings having mating superimposed surfaces to facilitate movement of the rings in unison as a result of friction therebetween; a compressed elastomeric ring (constituted of polysilanes, such as silastic with strengtheners) disposed in said groove (having a compression of 10-20% at room temperature), acting between the piston and ring most-remote from said piston crown, to resiliently bias at least the most-remote-ring against the bore wall; a solid film lubricant coating essentially all the sides of said groove; and non-mating surfaces of solid lubricant carried by the rings to effect reduced friction between said rings and groove when being biased by the elastomeric ring.
Abstract:
A collection of agglomerated anti-friction grains for plasma deposition, the grains each consisting essentially of (a) H.sub.2 O atomized stainless steel particles, (b) solid lubricant particles consisting of at least one of boron nitride or a eutectic of calcium fluoride and lithium fluoride, and (c) a binder holding said steel and solid lubricant particles together for plasma spraying, said binder being present in an amount of 0.5-4.0% by weight and is vaporizable at the temperature of plasma spraying and does not interfere with the deposited process.
Abstract:
A method of making a connecting rod for attachment to a bearing journal by separation of parts of the connecting rod, including: (a) forging a powder metal sintered preform to provide a one-piece connecting rod having an annular wall defining a crank opening with a center axis and with stress risers for establishing a cracking plane that extends across said crank opening; (b) providing access for a compression coupling across the cracking plane; (c) while at ambient conditions, applying tension substantially uniformly across the cracking plane to propogate fracture from the stress risers along said cracking plane and thereby separate the connecting rod into a cap and body with cracked surfaces; and (d) remating the cap and body by applying a compression coupling through the access to draw said cap and body together under guidance and with metal yielding pressure to effect substantially an exact rematch of said cracked surfaces. Control of the diametrical clearance between the bolt shanks and the bolt openings, of the bolts used as the compression coupling, promotes guidance needed to achieve such rematch. The cracking is effected in an improved manner by use of continuous pulling apart of the rod in a direction perpendicular to the cracking plane.
Abstract:
A method of making a connecting rod for attachment to a bearing journal by separation of parts of the connecting rod, comprising: (a) forging a powder metal sintered preform to provide a one-piece connecting rod having an annular wall defining a crank opening with a center axis and with stress risers for establishing a cracking plane that extends across said crank opening; (b) providing access for a compression coupling across the cracking plane; (c) while at ambient conditions, applying tension substantially uniformly across the cracking plane to propagate fracture from the stress risers along said cracking plane and thereby separate the connecting rod into a cap and body with cracked surfaces; and (d) remating the cap and body by applying a compression coupling through the access to draw said cap and body together under guidance and with metal yielding pressure to effect substantially an exact rematch of said cracked surfaces. Control of the diametrical clearance between the bolt shanks and the bolt openings, of the bolts used as the compression coupling, promotes guidance needed to achieve such rematch. The cracking is effected in an improved manner by use of continuous pulling apart of the rod in a direction perpendicular to the cracking plane.
Abstract:
A method of preparing a patient's one leg, that is in need of treatment, for ambulation. The method includes the steps of: applying an external fixation assembly, having at least one external frame component, by pinning the at least one external frame component to at least one of the patient's bones in the patient's one leg so as to prepare the patient's one leg for healing; providing a foot assembly with a sole assembly defining a bearing surface and a connecting assembly; and operatively joining the foot assembly to the patient's one leg, whereby the patient can walk in a manner whereupon weight of the patient's body is applied by a patient's one foot, that is part of the user's one leg, to the sole assembly and therethrough to and against an underlying surface during ambulation.
Abstract:
A method of flexibly manufacturing engine blocks by first bonding an extruded tube liner insert, of a given thickness (1-15 mm), to a fixed configuration block, the liner insert having been coated with an anti-friction wear-resistant coating having a controlled standard thickness, and secondly bonding an extruded tube liner insert of a different thickness (again selected from 1-15 mm) to another of the fixed configuration blocks, the second liner insert having been coated with the same type of anti-friction wear-resistant coating in essentially the same controlled standard thickness. The common sized engine block can have (i) identically shaped circular cylindrical bore walls or (ii) ovoid cylindrical bore walls with the liner insert having an interior surface shape selection varying between circular to ovoid. The block and liner insert may be both made of aluminum. To promote wear-resistant and lubricant qualities, the coating may contain a mixture of hard particles (such as stainless steel, nickel, chromium or vanadium) and solid lubricant particles such as oxides of iron having controlled oxygen, BN, LiF, NaF.sub.2 or a eutectic of LiF/NaF.sub.2.
Abstract:
A low-friction piston construction for use in an oil-fed cylinder bore with the piston skirt relieved to define lands that are coated with SFL (graphite, MoS.sub.2, BN, and a special expoxy resin). A method of making such piston construction including provision of asperities on the skirt wall onto which the SFL coating is thermally sprayed and formation of small pockets at the mouth of the asperities to additionally act as oil replenishing reservoirs. A method of using such piston construction in an engine which comprises provisions of a slightly increased gap between the piston and cylinder wall and formation of a transferred SFL coating from the piston to the cylinder wall resulting in two polished microsmooth mating coatings, each attractive to oil films.
Abstract:
A precision cast connecting rod which has an elongate tubular shank member defining a hollow section for producing desired stiffness to weight characteristics. Piston and crankpin connecting members are attached to opposite ends of the shank member. The connecting members are provided with passages which extend axially therewithin from the hollow section. Defined within the elongate tubular shank member is a radially extending central aperture. A precision casting method for preparing the hollow connecting rod includes forming an elongate core with a locating member positioned at each end thereof and a disk-shaped protuberance extending radially therefrom. The core is secured in a die and defines a cavity therebetween for preparing a pattern of the connecting rod using a molding material which substantially encapsulates the core within the cavity. After removing the pattern from the die, coatings of refractory material are applied to form a shell mold which encrusts the pattern. Removal of the molding material results from heating the shell mold. The connecting rod is formed by filling the cavity with molten metal and then cooling the shell mold. Unwanted material is eliminated from the connecting rod by separating the shell mold from the solidified metal and removing the core from the hollow section, thereby producing a near net shape of the connecting rod.