Aluminum Company of America

Union Switch & Signal, Inc.

Paul J Boget

Frankie E Phelps

Subodh K Das

James P Chew

Wei Li

Robert L Troup

A brake pipe pneumatic valve attachable to an end of a railway vehicle having a first flexible air hose for transmitting brake pipe pressure, and the end-of-train device with a second flexible air hose. The valve includes a housing having first, second, and third ports. The first port is releasably connectable to the first flexible air hose; the second port is releasably connectable with the second flexible air hose; and the third port is releasably matable with a coupling connected to a helper locomotive brake pipe. The valve includes a piston that divides the housing into first and second chambers. The first chamber communicates with the first and third ports; the second chamber communicates with the second port. Also, the piston has a channel therethrough connecting the first and second chambers. The valve further includes first biasing means, disposed between the housing and the piston, for selectably urging the piston towards sealing the first port. Second biasing means, disposed between the housing and the piston, for selectably urging the piston away from sealing the first port and acting to oppose the first biasing means is used, and is an operating pin. The valve includes coupling means attached to the housing releasably matable with a glad-hand coupling. The coupling means includes a mating surface with a protruding locking tongue, an aperture in communication with the third port, and a locking lip that is arranged with respect to the mating surface to form a locking channel.

Brake pipe pneumatic valve

An apparatus for providing a light signal to a signal unit at an overhead location along a railway signal structure, particularly a cantilever signal structure having a vertical mast and an arm assembly extending therefrom. Signal units may be located along the mast and/or the arm assembly. A light source is provided at or near ground level so as to be readily accessible by a maintainer and is connected by fiber optic cable to the signal units. Thus, light produced by the light source travels through the optical fiber to the signal units.

Railroad signal with remote light source

A process for producing a refractory material comprising essentially beta'-SiAlON wherein initial reactants comprising Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 and SiO.sub.2 are nitrided for sufficient times and temperatures to convert at least a portion of the initial reactants to at least a portion of effective reactants and the effective reactants are then further heated to produce an essentially beta'-SiAlON refractory material.

Process for producing beta'-silicon aluminum oxynitride (B'-SiAlON)

Metal such as aluminum is produced electrolytically from metal chlorides or other halides dissolved in a molten solvent bath of higher decomposition potential in a cell including one or more carbonaceous or graphite cathode surfaces spaced from opposed anodes, particularly a bipolar cell, with bath flow through the spaces between the anodes and cathodes. The wetting characteristics of the graphite cathode with respect to the metal deposited there by electrolysis are selectively balanced with the bath flow over the cathode and with the anode-to-cathode distance. Cathode surface wear rate is substantially reduced if the surface is wettable by the metal in regions of low bath flow velocity or regions of greater anode-cathode distance. The wear rate is also reduced by using a non-wettable cathode surface in regions of higher bath flow velocity or regions of closer anode-cathode distance.

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Murrysville, PA, United States of America

Paul J Boget