A method for improving the quality of aluminum ingots or billets formed by the direct chill method comprises applying a small amount of an insulating, nonreactive powder to the surface of the molten metal.

Method of casting steel strip in which molten steel solidifies as a shell on a chilled casting surface (100). The casting surface (100) has a texture (101) formed by a regular pattern of surface projections (103) and depressions (102) and the steel chemistry is selected to generate in the casting pool deoxidation products which form on the casting surface (100) a layer of less than 5 microns thickness a major proportion of which is liquid during cooling of the steel to below its liquidus tempera...

An antifouling coating composition can inhibit or prevent fouling of hulls of ships and other underwater structures. The coating composition includes (A) an antifouling agent, (B) a film-forming copolymer having a number average molecular weight of 1,000 to 50,000, and structural units derived from a trialkylsilyl ester of polymerizable unsaturated carboxylic acid in an amount of 20 to 65% by weight, based on the copolymer, and (C) chlorinated paraffin having 8 to 30 carbon atoms, number average...

A new class of materials for use as a dielectric to separate various metallic layers within a magnetoresistive transducer. The materials include oxides of Ta, Hf, Zr, Y, Ti, or Nb. Thin films of these materials, when fabricated in accordance with the teachings of the invention, constitute dielectric films which maintain their integrity as insulators at thicknesses down to 5 nm. Additionally, the adhesion of this class of dielectrics equals or exceeds that of commonly used dielectrics.

Method of casting steel strip in which molten steel solidifies as a shell on a chilled casting surface (100). The casting surface (100) has a texture (101) formed by a regular pattern of surface projections (103) and depressions (102) and the steel chemistry is selected to generate in the casting pool deoxidation products which form on the casting surface (100) a layer of less than 5 microns thickness a major proportion of which is liquid during cooling of the steel to below its liquidus tempera...

A swing apparatus, used primarily for the amusement of children, comprising a partially enclosed seating platform suspended by vertical hangers from an overhead support structure and a linkage mechanism which is used to initiate and sustain the swing pendular motion.

An add-on hand-powered swinging mechanism for a porch swing or the like including an extension bar securable to a fixed surface adjacent the existing porch swing at one end thereof and having a pulley connection mechanism at a second end thereof; a pulley assembly, detachably mountable to an end of the extension bar, including an extension bar connecting mechanism and a pulley wheel rotatably mounted within a pulley bracket; a cable assembly including a handle member, a cable guide having a mech...

Method for continuously casting metal strip of the kind in which molten metal is introduced into the nip between a pair of parallel casting rolls (16) via a metal delivery nozzle (19) disposed above the nip to create a casting pool (30) of molten metal supported on casting surfaces (16A) of the rolls immediately above the nip and the casting rolls (16) are rotated to deliver a solidified metal strip (20) downwardly from the nip. The casting surfaces (16A) are smooth so as to have an Arithmetic M...

A swinger's position elevatory swing is disclosed. The swing lets manual and mechanical elevation of swinger's position by swinger's feet or hands at about the highest position of the swinger and thereby increasing the swinging times due to increased potential energy of the sitting board loaded with the swinger. A fixed sitting board is fixed to the swing ropes and has an arcuate hollow guide pipe and a fixing pipe. A movable sitting board is coupled to the fixed board and has an arcuate slide b...

An exercise apparatus includes a base member, an elongated and rectilinear central shaft with axially opposed top and bottom ends, first and second couplings attached to the top and bottom ends respectively, first and second handles coupled to the first coupling and extending outwardly away from the central shaft, first and second leg rails attached to the second coupling and extending laterally away from the central shaft, and a rectilinear auxiliary shaft with axially opposed top and bottom en...