Did You Know...
...that in the early 1940s GE engineer James Wright was charged with a task of utmost importance to the war effort: develop a cheap substitute for rubber that could be used to produce tires, gas masks and a whole host of military gear. Wright tackled the task diligently -- and wound up inventing Silly Putty.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7213640 | Heat exchanger assembly having fitting secured thereto and method of securing the same The subject invention provides a heat exchanger assembly including a tank having a wall defining an aperture with a fitting secured thereto and a method of securing the fitting thereto. The fitting has a first end with an outer perimeter disposed exteriorly thereof ... | 05/08/2007 |
| 7086669 | Method and apparatus for sealing radially expanded joints Connectors and connections that enhance mechanical and sealing engagement between the ends of tubular bodies that are radially expanded by a forging tool. The connectors are designed to maintain or restore mechanical and sealing engagement following expansion. The c... | 08/08/2006 |
| 7082868 | Lightweight armor with repeat hit and high energy absorption capabilities A lightweight armor with repeat hit capability includes at least one layer of material that absorbs energy upon being impacted by an object through a reversible phase change and/or an elastic strain deformation of at least 5%. Once the energy of the object has been ... | 08/01/2006 |
| 6955286 | Use of silver-copper-palladium brazing alloys A compound arrangement comprising a first component of metal being brazed to a second component of metal. The first component has an external cylindrical surface touching an cylindrical internal surface of the second component. The second component clasps the first ... | 10/18/2005 |
| 6742585 | Sealing off openings through the wall of a well tubular A device for sealing off an opening through the wall of a well tubular, which device comprises a tubular spacer having an outer diameter allowing the spacer to be arranged in the well tubular, a first seal collar assembly and a second seal collar assembly arranged o... | 06/01/2004 |
| 6637110 | Pipe joining method using shape memory alloy For a pipe joining method using shape memory alloy capable of preventing a shape memory capacity loss due to a pipe's tolerance, a shape memory alloy joint having an inner diameter greater/less than an outer diameter of pipes to be joined is installed at ... | 10/28/2003 |
| 5779281 | Forming a connection to an object The present invention provides a technique for forming a connection to an object (26) with a shape memory alloy sleeve (4). In the preferred embodiment, the sleeve (4) has a first end (10) with formations on its internal surface for forming a seal with th... | 07/14/1998 |
| 5687995 | Shape memory alloy pipe coupling and underwater pipes A shape memory alloy pipe coupling in the present invention for joining two pipes, the pipe coupling comprising a tube of a shape memory alloy, and a cover of stainless steel having a sufficient thickness and having high corrosion resistance for covering ... | 11/18/1997 |
| 5662362 | Swage coupling including disposable shape memory alloy actuator A threadless self-swaging coupling for joining or capping pipe. The coupling includes a coupling member and an actuating member of a heat shrinkable polymer material or a shape memory alloy material which undergoes a change in shape when heated from a mar... | 09/02/1997 |
| 5338070 | Diameter-reducing member joint device The present invention discloses a diameter-reducing member joint device, where connecting a first member to be connected as the boss of a flange joint or composed of relatively large-diameter pipes to a second member to be connected and having an outer di... | 08/16/1994 |
| 5301213 | Method of field replacement of an electrical connector for nuclear reactor instrumentation The method of repairing in situ a damaged or malfunctioning electrical connector (10) of a safety related nuclear reactor instrument (14) and its associated sheathed cable (18) wherein the damaged or malfunctioning connector portion (20) is cut from its a... | 04/05/1994 |
| 5226683 | Reusable metallic seal using memory metal A metallic seal having a continuous annulus of Nitinol that is compressed between two seal faces and conforms to the minute irregularities of the seal faces to prevent leakage of fluid through those irregularities at extreme conditions of temperature, pre... | 07/13/1993 |
| 5192147 | Non-pyrotechnic release system A non-pyrotechnic release system for use in satellites and other remote actuations applications is disclosed. This system employs shape memory rod assemblies to release a captive toggle that retains the item to be deployed. The shape memory rod assembly i... | 03/09/1993 |
| 5108214 | Coupling device with improved thermal interface A coupling device with a thermal interface occuring along a curved vertical surface is disclosed. One curved surface is on a cold pin extending from a "cold" object and the other curved surface is on a hot pin extending from a "hot" object. The cold pin i... | 04/28/1992 |
| 5088772 | Joining insulated elongate conduit members The invention relates to joining insulated elongate conduit members, such as thermally insulated pipes. A pipe (1) is provided with thermal insulation (2), in which, at an end of the pipe, there is an annular recess (6) such that an end portion (4) of the... | 02/18/1992 |
| 5037233 | Bicycle frame A bicycle frame comprising a lug and a pipe to be fitted onto a projection at the lug, annular grooves opposite to each other being disposed at the mutual contact surfaces of the lug projection and pipe, wherein an unidirectional form memory alloy changea... | 08/06/1991 |
| 5024549 | Method and apparatus for joining structural members Permanent joinder of structural components is accomplished by means of a heat retractable member connected between them by mechanically interlockable elements and raising the temperature of the member to a value sufficient to cause retraction thereof.... | 06/18/1991 |
| 5002716 | Joining insulated elongate conduit members The invention relates to joining insulated elongate conduit members, such as thermally insulated pipes. A pipe (1) is provided with thermal insulation (2), in which, at an end of the pipe, there is an annular recess (6) such that an end portion (4) of the... | 03/26/1991 |
| 4934743 | Assembly for forming a mechanical connection to an object An assembly for forming a mechanical connection to an object, such as a tube within a hydraulic system, comprising a transversely heat-shrinkable shape memory alloy collar having an axially facing surface, a ring having an axially facing surface and a dev... | 06/19/1990 |
| 4844647 | Device for connecting the parts of potentiometer housings In order to connect the case parts (10, 12) of several potentiometer planes, a heat-shrinkable sheath (36) is used. On the outer faces (18, 20) recesses are provided along the contact faces (14, 16), between which recesses a connecting bead (30) is formed... | 07/04/1989 |
| 4773680 | Pipe couplers Rings of shape memory metal are deformed to be insertable between coaxial and overlapping surfaces of a conduit and a coupler so that upon heating above their transition temperature, the rings attempt to return to their undeformed shape and seal the openi... | 09/27/1988 |
| 4715739 | Connection between a plastics quill shaft and a metal element The end region of the fibre reinforced plastics hollow shaft (1) is clamped between an outer ring (3) and an inner ring (21) provided on the metal part (2) which is to be connected to the shaft. The two rings are clamped to the shaft wall and to one anoth... | 12/29/1987 |
| 4537406 | Hostile environment joint seal and method for installation A tubular joint sealing system for use in high pressure and high temperature conditions is provided. The sealing system consists of a shape memory material backup member combined with a compliant seal. The shape memory member is deformed into an intermedi... | 08/27/1985 |
| 4528733 | Method of making tubular heat exchangers A method of mechanically joining tubes to headers in tubular heat exchangers of a high density, high performance type. The headers are made of a heat recoverable metallic material and worked while in a martensitic state to be subsequently shrunk upon inst... | 07/16/1985 |
| 4501058 | Method of pre-stressing a structural member The following specification discloses the use of a nickel titanium alloy component referred to as Nitinol for purposes of providing a pre-stressed structure. The alloy component provides stiffness to shell structures and tubular members such as oil well p... | 02/26/1985 |
| 4455041 | Heat recoverable composite coupling device with tapered insert Described herein are heat recoverable composite couplings comprising an outer, tubular heat-shrinkable sleeve and a hollow insert member adapted to receive plural substrates. The insert member has a tapered surface to allow it to accommodate substrates of... | 06/19/1984 |
| 4434320 | Contractible conduit sealing connector Disclosed is contractible conduit sealing connector that features an expanded sleeve made from a heat recoverable metallic material which when exposed to a sufficient amount of heat is able to contract and secure at least two conduits together while at th... | 02/28/1984 |
| 4424990 | Thermochromic compositions This invention provides novel thermochromic compositions which exhibit distinct color changes at temperatures in the range of about 165° C. to about 240° C. The compositions comprise basic copper carbonate and a sulfur compound. Paint formulations conta... | 01/10/1984 |
| 4424991 | Composite connector The substantial change in modulus with temperature of certain materials, especially memory metals, is used to make a novel connector by forcing a band made from such a material in its low modulus state up an external tapered portion of a tubular coupling ... | 01/10/1984 |
| 4424411 | Connector A device for forming a mechanical and/or electrical connection between a plurality of elongate objects 1, 2, for example bus bars in electrical switchgear, comprises one or more inserts or shell members 9, 10 that can be positioned about the ends of the o... | 01/03/1984 |
| 4411655 | Apparatus and method for percutaneous catheterization An apparatus for percutaneous catheterization of a vascular or other body compartment employs a shape memory alloy cylindrical cannula which expands after introduction into the body compartment with sufficient radial force to dilate the vascular member. A... | 10/25/1983 |
| 4309807 | Method of making composite connector and using same The substantial change in modulus with temperature of certain materials, especially memory metals, is used to make a novel connector by forcing a band made from such a material in its low modulus state up an external tapered portion of a tubular coupling ... | 01/12/1982 |
| 4298221 | Pipe connectors A pipe connector comprises a tubular pin member and a tubular box member which are telescopically engageable, the pin and box members having corresponding frusto-conical inner and outer peripheral surfaces respectively which peripheral surfaces are in con... | 11/03/1981 |
| 4297779 | Method of joining structural elements A process for the manufacture of a solid gas and vacuum tight join between components of different physical properties using a joining element comprising a memory alloy whose memory effect gives rise to the necessary contraction or dilatation stress, in p... | 11/03/1981 |
| 4295494 | Method and apparatus for plugging and cutting a gas line or the like without excavation A method and apparatus of sealing and cutting an underground pipeline, such as a gas line or the like, at or near a point where it connects to a main utilizes an expandable plug which may be inserted in the line without the need to excavate to obtain acce... | 10/20/1981 |
| 4294559 | Pre-stressed structural joint The following specification discloses the use of a nickel titanium alloy component referred to as Nitinol for purposes of providing a pre-stressed structure. The alloy component provides stiffness to shell structures and tubular members such as oil well p... | 10/13/1981 |
| 4283079 | Ultra high vacuum seal arrangement Arrangement for demountably sealing two concentric metallic tubes in an ultra high vacuum system which facilitates remote actuation. A tubular seal includes integral spaced lips which circumferentially engage the metallic tubes. The lips plastically defor... | 08/11/1981 |
| 4281841 | O-Ring sealing arrangements for ultra-high vacuum systems An all metal reusable O-ring sealing arrangement for sealing two concentric tubes in an ultra-high vacuum system. An O-ring of a heat recoverable alloy such as Nitinol is concentrically positioned between protruding sealing rings of the concentric tubes. ... | 08/04/1981 |
| 4245674 | Protective cover for a thermoresponsive tube Thermoshrinkable or thermoexpansive tubes for corrosion prevention or lin of piping are disclosed which have their inner and/or outer walls covered with at least one protective cover to keep them clean from dust, dirt, water or any other foreign matter w... | 01/20/1981 |
| 4226448 | Heat-recoverable metallic couplings A novel coupling member which comprises a hollow, generally tubular metal member which is heat-shrinkable or can be rendered heat-shrinkable in the radial direction and is provided on its inner surface with at least three teeth in the form of radially ext... | 10/07/1980 |
