Other

Basic American Foods, Inc.

Towner Manufacturing Company

Dale F Gordon

May Danhash

David Wilson Beddome

John F Fritskey

William B Benson

William Warner

A hybrid fluid-flow assembly having a base fitting that has been formed by axial load bulge forming from a sheet of metal, and a custom fitting that has been machined from a shaped-memory alloy. At least one connection port of the custom fitting is connected to at least one connection port of the base fitting by an interference fit. The interference fit is formed by cooling the custom fitting to a temperature below its transition temperature, deforming the custom fitting so that the diameter of its connection port is slightly larger than the connection port on the base fitting, installing the connection port of the custom fitting on the connection port of the base fitting, and allowing the custom fitting to warm to room temperature. The shaped-memory alloy swages and coins the outer surface of the base fitting at the interface of the ports, thereby forming a compressive, interference fit.

Hybrid fluid-flow fitting assembly

A drive and bearing arrangement for a rotatable member such as a concrete mixing drum has a first drive mechanism for providing a rotational drive force to the drum, a primary bearing coupled to the primary drive mechanism and the drum for supporting an end of the drum, an auxiliary bearing for selectively and alternatively supporting the end of the drum in the event of failure of the primary bearing, and an auxiliary drive mechanism for providing a drive force to the drum when the end of the drum is supported by the auxiliary bearing. In one embodiment, the arrangement includes a drive flange coupled to the output of a transmission which includes the primary bearing, and a driven flange which is coupled to the rotatable drum. Auxiliary bearings are provided between the first and second flanges. A removable locking element is provided to rigidly lock the drive and driven flanges together when the primary bearing is rotatably supporting the end of the drum. In the event of failure of the primary bearing, the locking element may be removed to allow the drive and driven flanges to rotate, with the aid of the auxiliary bearings, relative to one another. The locking element may include removable bolts or pins which extend through openings in the drive and driven flange, or a locking ring which interacts with notches formed in the peripheries of the flanges to secure the flanges together.

Auxiliary bearing and drive mechanism for a concrete mixer

A vegetable digger is provided for furrowing vegetables from the earth and for removing the vegetables from the earth and thereafter depositing them above the ground. The digger includes a frame having a front, opposed first and second sides, a rear and a plurality of wheels. One furrowing disk is provided which will loosen the dirt in the furrowed sections of the ground when the digger moves in a predetermined forward direction. At least one earth moving disk is provided for moving the loosened dirt away from the vegetables, and at least one unearthing disk for raising the vegetable bulbs towards the top of the ground. At least one transfer disk is provided for conducting the bulbs from the dirt and into the conveyor. A method is also provided for using the apparatus to remove bulbs which are buried in the ground and then deposit them back onto the ground so that they can be picked up by a trailing harvesting machine which will separate them into market-grade and process-grade vegetable bulbs. The apparatus is particularly useful in conjunction with the harvesting of garlic bulbs.

Harvesting apparatus

A hydraulically operated folding mechanism for ground working implements wherein substantially rectilinear movement of the piston rod of a hydraulic actuator causes one section of the implement to rotate substantially 180.degree. relative to another section thereof. This enables a relatively large implement to be made small and compact for purposes of storage and transport. It further includes members for permitting the several sections to pivot relative to each other when in operating position so that the implement can conform to the contour of the ground and locking structure which prevents such pivotal movement as soon as the folding mechanism becomes operative.

Growing community of inventors

Avilla, IN, United States of America

Dale F Gordon