Acs Industries, Inc.

George C Greenwood

Richard Pfefferle

Michael J McCarthy

The present disclosure provides a segmented rotary floor stripping pad having a plurality of symmetrical, polygonal pad segments secured together in partially overlapping relation to form an annular pad. The segments are preferably formed from non-woven polyester fibers and are secured radially along the overlapping, adjacent side edges by hot melt glue, ultrasonic welding or by stitching. There is no backing pad, and since the segments are symmetrical, the pad is reversible so that both sides can be used. The plurality of pad segments are secured together in an overlapping manner such that each pad segment presents an angled leading cutting edge and each pair of adjacent pad segments forms a radial fluid channel. Depending on the degree of overlap and the thickness of the pad segment, the presentation angle of the cutting edge can be varied.

Rotary segmented floor stripping pad

An all-wire weft-knit tubular sleeve can be knit from a plurality of electrically conductive wire filaments. Further, an electrically conductive bus wire can be interlaced in the weft knit pattern of the tubular sleeve to provide improved electrical contact along the entire length of the gasket. The exemplary weft-knit sleeve can allow for at least a 15% axial stretch without breaking the bus wire. The conductive wire filaments can be a copper/nickel alloy having a wire diameter of between about 0.075 mm and about 0.1 mm, a tensile strength of between about 70-125 KSI and an elongation of at least 12%.

Tubular all-wire weft-knit mesh sleeve with improved electrical continuity

A wire mesh rivet () is provided which is used to produce a wire mesh isolator () in a bore () of a substrate such as a heat shield () for a vehicle exhaust system. The rivet () comprises a unitary wire mesh structure () which has a collar () and a shank (). The collar () has a higher density than the shank (), e.g., the collar () has the density of the finished isolator (). The rivet () is formed into the finished isolator () by compressing the shank () to form a second collar, while restraining the original collar () from substantially changing its shape. The rivet () can include a metal insert () which prevents the wire mesh of the finished isolator () from experiencing high levels of compression when the substrate is fastened to its supporting structure. The rivets () can be carried by a dispensing strip () and can be formed into the finished isolator () using forming equipment () whose dimensions are compatible with the limited space available with some substrates.

Wire mesh rivet

Expanded metal sheets are used to produce tubular filters. The expanded metal sheet has a multiplicity of rows of openings arranged to reduce nesting when the sheet is rolled on itself. In particular, the pitch between the rows of openings, the sizes of the openings, or both the pitch between the rows of openings and the sizes of the openings are varied to reduce nesting when the expanded metal sheet is rolled on itself. The filters can include external circumferential grooves, rounded corners produced by a point loading process, textured surfaces between openings, and/or torturous internal paths produced by non-perforated areas of an expanded metal sheet. The expanded metal sheet can be composed of carbon steel coated with a material having a higher heat conductivity, e.g., tin. Among other things, the filters can be used in automobile airbag inflators to capture slag and absorb heat produced by the inflator's explosive charge.

Expanded metal filters

Expanded metal sheets () are used to produce tubular filters (). The expanded metal sheet () has a multiplicity of rows of openings arranged to reduce nesting when the sheet () is rolled on itself. In particular, the pitch between the rows of openings, the sizes of the openings, or both the pitch between the rows of openings and the sizes of the openings are varied to reduce nesting when the expanded metal sheet () is rolled on itself. The filters () can include external circumferential grooves (), rounded corners () produced by a point loading process, textured surfaces () between openings, and/or torturous internal paths produced by non-perforated areas of an expanded metal sheet. The expanded metal sheet () can be composed of carbon steel coated with a material having a higher heat conductivity, e.g., tin.

'Tinkles' (also known as 'gotchas') (see reference numberin FIGS.and) are portions of knitted metal loops produced when a tube of knitted wire mesh is cut into individual pieces. In the prior art, tinkles have been considered a fact of life and the approach has been to try to shake them out of the mesh or immobilize them on or in the mesh. By producing a knitted tube () having alternating segments () of knitted rows of yarn and knitted rows of wire, completely tinkle-free knitted socks are produced which are used to produce completely tinkle-free knitted wire mesh filters. Knitted wire mesh filters that cannot release tinkles because they do not have any tinkles can be used in such applications as fuel filters and airbag filters.

Tinkle-free knitted wire mesh filters and methods for making such filters

A substrate such as a heat shield for a vehicle is provided with a unitary compressed wire mesh bushing or isolator formed in place though a bore in the substrate. The bushing is formed by supporting an uncompressed or partially compressed wire mesh sleeve, optionally including a grommet or spacer, on a mandrel positioned within the bore; the mandrel is surrounded on either side of the bore by outer sleeves forming a molding cavity on each side of the substrate, and a slidable tamp is disposed in each outer sleeve and moved towards each other to compress the mesh within the bore and provide the unitary bushing.

Wire mesh heat shield isolator

A compressed wire mesh filter for an airbag assembly has one or more wires wrapped around the outer perimeter of the filter prior to final compression of the mesh to increase the hoop strength of the filter.

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Tiverton, RI, United States of America

George C Greenwood