A mechanism for maintaining a surface such as a landing pad in a desired orientation with respect to a supporting surface includes a pair of columns that rotate with respect to each other. The angle at which the columns engage, or the angle at which the columns engage the surface and the supporting surface, are offset with respect to a line perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cylinders. By selectively rotating the columns with respect to each other and with respect to the supporting su...

A composition is provided that includes a plurality of calcined particles of terbium aluminum oxide having a mean particle domain size of between 30 and 600 nanometers. A translucent article having a surface includes polycrystalline terbium aluminum garnet having a mean grain size from 1 to 10 microns and light scattering inclusions of aluminum-rich oxide and/or terbium-rich oxide that are present at less than 2 surface area percent of the surface. A process for forming such an article involves ...

The present invention provides a lutetium oxide sinter to which yttrium is added in an amount of 100 mass ppm to 7000 mass ppm, whose average particle size is from 0.7 to 20 .mu.m, and with which there is no precipitation of a hetero phase containing yttrium at the grain boundary.

A unit and method for feeding containers, whereby the containers, arranged in two superimposed rows, are fed along a horizontal path and through a reject station; upstream from the reject station, two superimposed containers are parted, by translation in a vertical direction, so as to travel, separately and facing each other, along the next portion of the path; immediately downstream from the reject station, two facing containers are brought back into contact with each other so as to travel, sup...

A handling unit (1) for palletizing, comprising: a support (2) for coupling to manipulator means; a framework (3) associated with said support (2) and defining an aperture; a pair of parallel opposing slide rails (5) fixed to said framework (3); at least one flexible sliding panel (5) slidable along said rails (5) between an extended position in which it completely closes said aperture to enable it to support articles to be palletized, and a retracted position in which it opens said aperture to ...

A machine for packaging stacks of articles into containers using selectors for grouping the article stacks. The selectors include arrays of vertically spaced wedge members which engage the articles in each stack. The wedge members are aligned with slots in comb-like guide rails and operate to form groups of predetermined numbers of stacks of articles while keeping the articles in each stack in vertical alignment as they progress through the machine into the containers.

A mechanism for maintaining a surface such as a landing pad in a desired orientation with respect to a supporting surface includes a pair of columns that rotate with respect to each other. The angle at which the columns engage, or the angle at which the columns engage the surface and the supporting surface, are offset with respect to a line perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cylinders. By selectively rotating the columns with respect to each other and with respect to the supporting su...

A valve mechanism for a tube-type fluid container includes a valve seat portion having an upper opening portion and a lower opening portion; and a valve portion disposed co-axially with the upper opening portion. The valve portion includes a supporting portion attached at or below the lower opening portion, a closing portion for closing the upper opening portion, and a connecting portion connecting the closing portion and the supporting portion. At least either the closing portion or the connect...

A helipad motion compensation system for a vessel includes at least one controllable length actuator operatively coupled between the helipad and the vessel. The system also includes an attitude sensor disposed on at least one of the helipad and the vessel. The sensor produces signals corresponding to change in attitude of the helipad. A controller is in operative communication with the sensor and is arranged to operate the at least one actuator. The actuator is operable to substantially maintain...

The invention provides a cerium based composite oxide and its production method, which hardly forms aggregates, is composed of particular acicular particles providing sinterable ceramic materials, has a sharp particle size distribution, and inhibited from aggregating. The composite oxide contains 0.1 50 mol % of metal such as Y, Sc, or rare earth elements excluding Ce and Pm, in terms of oxides, and 50 to 99.9 mol % of cerium in terms of oxides, wherein the composite oxide takes the acicular pri...