Apparatus for preloading a spring loaded threaded member. The apparatus is formed of three telescoping tubes. The innermost tube has means to prevent rotation of the threaded member. The middle tube is threadedly engaged with the threaded member and by axial movement applies a preload thereto. The outer tube engages a nut which may be rotated to retain the threaded member in axial position to maintain the preload.

A display device particularly suited for providing the pilot of an aircraft with combined inflight attitude, heading, altitude, and horizontal situation information previously available only by using two or three devices providing separate displays. The preferred embodiment of this invention combines a commonly used and commercially available flight director-type device for providing a display in combination with a miniature aircraft supported for angular displacement from a vertical orientation...

A symmetrical adsorption pump/compressor system having a pair of mirror image legs and a Joule Thomson expander 40, or valve, interposed between the legs thereof for providing a new, efficient refrigeration cycle. The system further includes a plurality of gas operational heat switches 48a, 48b, 48c, and 48d adapted selectively to transfer thereto heat from a thermal load 44 and to transfer or discharge heat therefrom through a heat projector 46, such as a radiator or the like. The heat switches...

A solid electrolyte cell including a body of solid ionized gas-conductive electrolyte 20 having mutually spaced surfaces 30 and 32 on which is deposited a multiplicity of mutually spaced electrodes 34 and 36, having strips 30 and 32 of bare substances interposed between electrodes, so that currents of ionic gas may be established between the electrodes via the bare strips 30 and 32, whereby electrical resistance for the cells is lowered and the gas conductivity thereof is enhanced.

A solar energy collector system characterized by an improved concentrator for directing incident rays of solar energy on parallel strip-like segments of a flat-plate receiver and a plurality of individually mounted reflector modules of a common asymmetrical triangular cross-sectional configuration supported for independent reorientation and defining a plurality of asymmetric vee-trough concentrators for deflecting incident solar energy toward the receiver.

A method characterized by the steps of positioning a plurality of uniformly dimensioned photovoltaic cells in registered relation with a plurality of openings formed in a planar tool for affording access to the P contact surface of each of the cells, connecting the N contact surface of alternate cells to the P contact surface of the cells interposed therebetween, removing therefrom residue of solder flux, applying to the N contact surfaces of the cells a transparent adhesive, placing a common tr...

Nitramine propellants absent a pressure exponent shift in the burning rate curves are prepared by matching the burning rate of a selected nitramine or combination of nitramines within 10% of burning rate of a plasticized active binder so as to smooth out the break point appearance in the burning rate curve.

A radio-frequency glow discharge reactor for removing trace oxidizable contaminants from an oxygen bearing atmosphere including a reaction chamber defined by an inner metal electrode facing a dielectric backed by an outer conductive electrode. In one embodiment, a conductive liquid forms the conductor of an outer electrode and cools the dielectric. A resonator coupled to a variable radio-frequency source generates the high voltages for creating a glow discharge in the chamber at a predetermined ...

A received, suppressed carrier, quadraphase shift key modulated (QPSK) signal is demodulated with a phase locked loop including a variable frequency, coherent reference that drives first and second channels also responsive to the QPSK signal. The channels respectively derive first and second replicas of binary signals that modulated the suppressed carrier. The replicas are combined to derive a variable amplitude error signal for controlling the coherent reference frequency. The frequency of the ...

A method of forming hollow glass spheres S shaped by the effects of surface tension acting on bubbles of glass in its molten state; the method is characterized by the steps of establishing a downwardly flowing stream of air accelerated at a one-G rate of acceleration through a drop tower 10, introducing into the stream of air free-falling bubbles B of molten glass, and freezing the bubbles in the stream as they are accelerated at a one-G rate of acceleration.