Articles molded from papermill sludge

An article, such as a pallet having a substantially flat deck member and a plurality of hollow legs projecting from the deck member, is molded as a one-piece unit from a papermill sludge. Dried, comminuted papermill sludge is blended with a fibrous reinforcing material, preferably a cellulosic material such as fibrous bark particles, and a resinous particle board binder, the resulting mixture of furnish is formed into a loosely fitted mat, and the mat is placed between dyes of a mold and press and compressed to substantially the desired shape under temperature and pressure conditions sufficient to bond the sludge and bark particles together.https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/patents/1126/thumbnail.jp

Diffusion-Cooled Tantalum Hot-Electron Bolometer Mixers

A batch of experimental diffusion-cooled hot-electron bolometers (HEBs), suitable for use as mixers having input frequencies in the terahertz range and output frequencies up to about a gigahertz, exploit the superconducting/normal-conducting transition in a thin strip of tantalum. The design and operation of these HEB mixers are based on mostly the same principles as those of a prior HEB mixer that exploited the superconducting/normal- conducting transition in a thin strip of niobium and that was described elsewhere

Representations of integers as quotients of sums of distinct powers of three

Which integers can be written as a quotient of sums of distinct powers of three? We outline our first steps toward an answer to this question, beginning with a necessary and almost sufficient condition. Then we discuss an algorithm that indicates whether it is possible to represent a given integer as a quotient of sums of distinct powers of three. When the given integer is representable, this same algorithm generates all possible representations. We develop a categorization of representations based on their connections to $0,1$-polynomials and give a complete description of the types of representations for all integers up to 364. Finally, we discuss in detail the representations of 7, 22, 34, 64, and 100, as well as some infinite families of integers

Method for molding articles having non-planar portions from matted wood flakes

An article having non-planar portions, such as a pallet having a substantially flat deck member and a plurality of hollow leg members projecting integrally from the deck member, is molded as a one-piece unit from a loosely-felted, layered mat formed from a mixture of a resinous particle board binder and flake-like wood particles. The wood flakes have an average length of about 11/4 to about 6 inches, preferably about 2 to about 3 inches, an average thickness of about 0.005 to about 0.075 inch, preferably about 0.015 to about 0.025 inch, and an average width of 3 inches or less and no greater than the average length. Each layer of wood flakes in the mat lie substantially flat on a plane generally parallel to the major plane thereof and are randomly oriented to each other. The mat is placed between the male and female dies of a mold or press and compressed therein to substantially the desired shape under temperature and pressure conditions sufficient to bond the flakes together.https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/patents/1118/thumbnail.jp

Apparatus for making continuous lengths of composite wood material, the apparatus including rotating circular baffles

Apparatus for forming an elongated loosely felted mat of thin elongated wood flakes with the flakes being aligned in mutually parallel relation and being aligned with the longitudinal direction of the elongated mat. The apparatus comprises a plurality of conveyor belts positioned in closely adjacent side-by-side relation and defining a mat supporting surface adapted to support the aligned wood flakes, the belts being supported on the surface of a cylinder. Wood flakes are deposited in loosely felted relation on the belts, and a plurality of closely spaced parallel planar baffles surround the cylinder, the baffles comprising plates positioned between the belts and functioning to cause alignment of the flakes as they are deposited on the belts. The mat is compressed against the supporting surface by a plurality of belts positioned in adjacent side-by-side relation, the belts being positionable between the baffles and engage- able against the mat.https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/patents/1108/thumbnail.jp