8997results about "Flexible pipes" patented technology

A flexible conduit for insertion into a body lumen comprises a plurality of elements coupled end to end to define a conduit lumen. A first one of the elements includes a male portion and a female portion. A second element includes a female portion having an inner surface configured to engage a male portion of an outer surface of the first element to form a first ball joint. A third element includes a male portion, an outer surface of the male portion of the third element configured to engage an inner surface of the female portion of the first element to form a second ball joint. The male and female portions of the first element are adapted to frictionally engage the female portion of the second element and the male portion of the third element to establish a rigid connection therebetween.

A heat-shrinkable anti-fomitic device in the form of a bag or tube forms a cover for an object which prevents cross-infection by bacteria and other pathogens that may reside on the object. The heat-shrinkable anti-fomitic device can have a sterile interior that is sealed or stored flat during manufacture to maintain sterility. Therefore, no outer wrapping for the anti-fomitic device is required. The anti-fomitic device is inverted when used to cover the object and results in an ultimate outer surface that is initially sterile. A plurality of such devices can be heat shrunk to an object such that removal of the outer layer will prevent cross contamination. Heat shrink film materials for the coverings / bags serve as a barrier to the transmission of pathogens.

A process-gas supply system 2 supplies a process gas diluted with a diluent gas to a gas using system 4. The process-gas supply system 2 includes a process gas tank 10, a diluent gas tank 12, a main gas duct 14 connecting the process gas tank 10 and the gas using system 4, and a diluent gas duct connecting the diluent gas tank 12 to the main gas duct. The respective main gas duct 14 and the diluent gas duct are provided with flow rate controllers FC1, FC2, and FC5. The diluent gas duct is connected to the main gas duct at a position on an immediately downstream side of one of a plurality of flow rate controllers other than the flow rate controller on the most downstream side. There is further provided a surplus-gas discharge duct 24 through which a surplus diluted process gas is discharged, the surplus-gas discharge duct 24 being connected to the main gas duct at a position on an immediately upstream side of one the flow rate controllers other than the flow rate controller on the most upstream side.

A first connector includes opposite ball and socket elements having a passageway formed therethrough. The socket element has a cavity formed therein for receiving a ball element of a second hose connector to form a hose assembly. A ring is disposed within the cavity for limiting pivotal movement of a ball element inserted therein to minimize the risk that the connectors, and thereby the hose assembly, will separate.

Implementations described herein protect a chamber components from corrosive cleaning gases used at high temperatures. In one embodiment, a chamber component includes at least a bellows that includes a top mounting flange coupled to a bottom mounting flange by a tubular accordion structure. A coating is disposed on an exterior surface of at least the tubular accordion structure. The coating includes of at least one of polytetrafluoroethylene, parylene C, parylene D, diamond-like carbon (DLC), yttria stabilized zirconia, nickel, alumina, or aluminum silicon magnesium yttrium oxygen compound. In one embodiment, the chamber component is a valve having an internal bellows.

A stent is constructed using interconnected links having micro-mechanical latching mechanisms. The micro-mechanical latching elements allow relative rotational movement of interconnected links in one rotational direction but restrict relative rotational movement of the two links in the opposite direction. The micro-mechanical latch surface features are formed using microelectronic mechanical systems (MEMS) manufacturing methods. The male surface of the latching components contains an array of ridges or protrusions, and the receiving surface contains a matching array of recesses. The array of ridges or protrusions and the corresponding recesses have uniformly dissimilar slopes that result in a substantially greater frictional force in one direction than in the opposite direction. The separation distance between the two surfaces is such that the male latch surface is engaged with the receiving surface recesses in the low stress “locked” state, preventing motion in the undesired direction. Each male ridge or protrusion can be underlined by a void that promotes elastic deflection when sliding in the desired direction and recovery into the ‘locked’ state when aligned with the recesses.

The invention is directed to conformal coatings that provide excellent shielding against electromagnetic interference (EMI). A conformal coating comprises an insulating layer and a conducting layer containing electrically conductive material. The insulating layer comprises materials for protecting a coated object. The conducting layer comprises materials that provide EMI shielding such as carbon black, carbon buckeyballs, carbon nanotubes, chemically-modified carbon nanotubes and combinations thereof. The insulating layer and the conductive layer may be the same or different, and may be applied to an object simultaneously or sequentially. Accordingly, the invention is also directed to objects that are partially or completely coated with a conformal coating that provides EMI shielding.

The drilling system includes a work string supporting a bottom hole assembly. The work string including lengths of pipe having a non-metallic portion. The work string preferably includes a composite coiled tubing having a fluid impermeable liner, multiple load carrying layers, and a wear layer. Multiple electrical conductors and data transmission conductors may be embedded in the load carrying layers for carrying current or transmitting data between the bottom hole assembly and the surface. The bottom hole assembly includes a bit, a gamma ray and inclinometer instrument package, a steerable assembly, an electronics section, a transmission, and a power section for rotating the bit. It may or may not include a propulsion system. The drilling system may be a gravity based drilling system that does include a propulsion system. Various motive means may be provided such as gravity, to apply weight on the bit.

Method and apparatus for installing a liner material into a host conduit such as, e.g., a sewer pipe, hydrocarbon pipeline, gas line, water line, industrial chemical pipe, or a saltwater line. The liner material may include a compression liner and / or a preliner that is attached to the inner wall of the host conduit to repair or reinforce the host conduit or separate the host conduit from materials transported within the new liner formed from the liner material. Curable resin, slurry, or cement can be placed between the liner material and the host conduit to affix the liner material into place. Before and during curing, a fluid such as air or water can be used to inflate the compression liner outwardly toward the host conduit. Spacers positioned between at least a portion of the liner material and the host conduit may be used to (i) calibrate the thickness of the liner material and curable material that is cured to form the new liner, and (ii) form communication channels adapted to house devices such as wire, cable, fiber optic cable, telephone lines, power lines, etc. The spacers and channels can be selectively inflatable to various sizes to allow calibration of the liner thickness and to form communication channels having a selected width or height. Additionally, the liner material may be formed into a one-piece, tubular lining member having an inflatable enclosure defined between an inner and an outer layer of the lining member. The enclosure can be selectively inflated to (i) calibrate the resulting thickness of the cured liner material, and (ii) form communication channels running along the length of the host conduit.

A flexible, sectioned plastic arm for a showerhead comprises a series of interconnected ball-and-socket (B&S) sections (10) with a proximal (shower pipe) end piece (12) and a distal (showerhead) end piece (14). Each B&S section has a proximal (cup or socket) end (10S) and a distal (ball) end (10B). The proximal end piece has a proximal end with female threads which can be screwed onto a shower pipe and a ball-shaped distal end for snapping into the socket of the most proximal section of the shower arm. The distal end piece has a proximal end with a socket for snapping onto the most distal end section of the shower arm and a distal end with male threads (12T) which can be screwed onto the showerhead. The arm has a through hole containing a series or chain of cylindrical brass or other metal sections, tubes, or sleeves (16). These prevent the arm from being bent too far, thereby to keep the B&S from separating. The two end tubes abut a pair of respective resilient spacers (18) or springs (18S), which in turn abut shoulders in the end pieces to keep the series of tubes in place. Inside the series of tubes is a flexible plastic tube (20) for carrying the water without leakage. A T-shaped end fitting (20T) is attached to each end of the plastic tube. These end fittings hold the tube in the arm. The top arm of the T of the distal end fitting sits in the bottom of the female threaded end of the proximal end piece. The top arm of the T of the distal end fitting sits on the very end of the male threaded end of the distal end piece.

Certain spin-coatable liquids and application techniques are described, which can be used to form nanotube films or fabrics of controlled properties. A spin-coatable liquid for formation of a nanotube film includes a liquid medium containing a controlled concentration of purified nanotubes, wherein the controlled concentration is sufficient to form a nanotube fabric or film of preselected density and uniformity, and wherein the spin-coatable liquid comprises less than 1×1018 atoms / cm3 of metal impurities. The spin-coatable liquid is substantially free of particle impurities having a diameter of greater than about 500 nm.

A faced fibrous insulation assembly includes: a fibrous insulation blanket whose fibers, preferably, are bonded together with a formaldehyde free binder; a facing formed by a kraft paper sheet material; and an asphalt coating layer on the inner surface of the facing that bonds the facing to the fibrous insulation blanket. The asphalt coating layer contains an odor-reducing additive in an amount sufficient to substantially eliminate odor that would otherwise be emitted by the asphalt coating layer without adversely affecting the adherent qualities of the asphalt coating layer. Preferably, the facing and the asphalt coating layer are fungi growth resistant.