Disclosed are metal-containing precursors having the formula Compound (I) wherein: —M is a metal selected from Ni, Co, Mn, Pd; and —each of R-1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R8, R9, and R10 are independently selected from H; a C1-C4 linear, branched, or cyclic alkyl group; a C1-C4 linear, branched, or cyclic alkylsilyl group (mono, bis, or tris alkyl); a C1-C4 linear, branched, or cyclic alkylamino group; or a C1-C4 linear, branched, or cyclic fluoroalkyl group. Also disclosed are methods of synthesizing and using the disclosed metal-containing precursors to deposit metal-containing films on a substrate via a vapor deposition process.

Provided is one aspect of copper alloy sheet containing 4.5% by mass to 12.0% by mass of Zn, 0.40% by mass to 0.90% by mass of Sn, 0.01% by mass to 0.08% by mass of P, as well as 0.005% by mass to 0.08% by mass of Co and/or 0.03% by mass to 0.85% by mass of Ni, the remainder being Cu and unavoidable impurities. The copper alloy sheet satisfies a relationship of 11≦[Zn]+7×[Sn]+15×[P]+12×[Co]+4.5×[Ni]≦17. The one aspect of copper alloy sheet is produced by a production process including a finish cold rolling process at which a copper alloy material is cold-rolled. An average grain size of the copper alloy material is 2.0 μm to 8.0 μm, circular or elliptical precipitates are present in the copper alloy material, and an average particle size of the precipitates is 4.0 nm to 25.0 nm, or a percentage of precipitates having a particle size of 4.0 nm to 25.0 nm makes up 70% or more of the precipitates.

A blowout preventer (BOP) lifting apparatus has a reinforced frame and a gate for securing a BOP stack. The frame has a central U-shaped recess for securing a collared portion of the BOP stack. The gate pivotally swings between a closed position on the frame and an open position for installation and removal of the lifting apparatus from the BOP stack. An actuator has a first end connected to a top surface of the frame and a second end connected to the gate for actuating the opening and closing of the gate to the frame. When the gate is in the closed position, three locking pins are inserted into three vertical pinning holes located on the frame, which are aligned with three pinning holes located on the gate. The apparatus may be lifted via cables or other lifting mechanisms attached via lifting eyelets located on each corner of the frame.

A gripper (42) for gripping an object (14), intended for a transfer device includes two jaws (64, 66). Each of the jaws includes: a recess (92), and a first clamping portion (94) and a second locking portion (96). The first clamping portion (94) of each jaw (64, 66) of the gripper (42) includes a supporting surface and, when the gripper (42) is closed around an object (14) occupying a predetermined reference position, the supporting surface is intended to engage with a portion of a bearing surface of a radial collar of the object.

A pick-and-place vacuum nozzle including a a nozzle body, a vacuum chamber within the nozzle body, a cavity formed in a lower surface of the nozzle body below the vacuum chamber, wherein the cavity is shaped to hold a head gimbal assembly, a back pressure relief hole passing through the nozzle body and connected to the vacuum chamber, the back pressure relief hole communicating with an exterior of the nozzle body, wherein a diameter of the back pressure relief hole is between 0.5 mm and 1 mm. The backpressure relief hole prevents light parts from sticking to the nozzle tip after vacuum is no longer applied.

To enable positioning a robot arm and a workpiece with high accuracy while reducing vibrations of a camera. According to the claimed invention for this purpose, a robot station 100 includes a pedestal 103 to which robot arms 101 and 102 are fixed, a camera 106 which images an area including a working area 209 of the pedestal 103, and a booth 104 to which the camera 106 is fixed. The pedestal 103 is fixed to a floor surface, and the booth 104 is fixed to the floor surface without contacting the pedestal 103. The booth 104 is formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped having a short side parallel to a workpiece conveying direction T and a long side perpendicular to the workpiece conveying direction T in a plan view. In the booth 104, the length of the long side y of the booth 104 is set to not less than the sum of a maximum length by which the robot arms 101 and 102 protrude from the pedestal 103 in a direction perpendicular to the workpiece conveying direction T and the length in the direction perpendicular to the workpiece conveying direction T of the pedestal 103 in a plan view.

A combination finger fold holder tong and surface texturizing set includes a set of tongs with finger pockets, whereby the pockets are movable towards and away from each other for grasping an article of food; plus a plurality of adhesively adherable sticker substrates having a first texture imparted side and an opposite adhesive bearing side with a release liner, whereby the texture containing adhesively adherable sticker is placed upon the food engaging surface for manual grasping of articles of food.

A gripper (1) for a contact lens (CL) includes a gripper head (10) having a bearing surface (11), the bearing surface (11) having at least one opening (110) through which underpressure can be applied in order to suck the contact lens (CL) against the bearing surface (11) and through which overpressure can be applied in order to release the contact lens (CL) from the bearing surface (11). The gripper further includes a detection opening (111) in the bearing surface (11) through which a separate underpressure can be applied.

A zirconium alloy nuclear reactor cylindrical cladding has an inner Zr substrate surface (10), an outer volume of protective material (22), and an integrated middle volume (20) of zirconium oxide, zirconium and protective material, where the protective material is applied by impaction at a velocity greater than 340 meters/second to provide the integrated middle volume (20) resulting in structural integrity for the cladding.

An integral pressurized water nuclear reactor for the production of steam utilizing a helical coil steam generator, a plurality of internal circulation pumps, and an internal control rod drive mechanism structure.

A method and apparatus for repairing and/or reinforcing a Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) jet pump riser pipe. The repair includes attaching two collars to the riser pipe using match drilling to drill holes through the collars and the riser pipe and plugging the holes with expandable plugs. Support columns are attached to the collars. Brace supports are slideably attached to the support columns. Gaps between each brace support and its respective collar are then narrowed as ratchet bolts may apply a force that pulls downward on an upper collar and pulls upward on a lower collar, thereby exerting a compression force on the riser pipe. A clamp assembly may also be located between the two collars that applies a hoop force on the riser pipe.

An apparatus for monitoring nuclear thermal hydraulic stability of a nuclear reactor, contains: a calculation unit configured to calculate a stability index of a nuclear thermal hydraulic phenomenon based on nuclear instrumentation signals, the signals being outputted by a plurality of nuclear instrumentation detectors placed at regular intervals in a reactor core; a simulation unit configured to simulate the nuclear thermal hydraulic phenomenon based on a physical model by using information on an operating state of the nuclear reactor as an input condition; a limit value updating unit configured to update a limit value of the nuclear thermal hydraulic phenomenon based on a result of the simulation; and a determination unit configured to determine, based on the stability index and the limit value, whether or not to activate a power oscillation suppressing device.

A system for radioisotope production uses fast-neutron-caused fission of depleted or naturally occurring uranium targets in an irradiation chamber. Fast fission can be enhanced by having neutrons encountering the target undergo scattering or reflection to increase each neutron's probability of causing fission (n, f) reactions in U-238. The U-238 can be deployed as one or more layers sandwiched between layers of neutron-reflecting material, or as rods surrounded by neutron-reflecting material. The gaseous fission products can be withdrawn from the irradiation chamber on a continuous basis, and the radioactive iodine isotopes (including I-131) extracted.

A pressurized water reactor (PWR) includes a vertical cylindrical pressure vessel having a lower portion containing a nuclear reactor core and a vessel head defining an internal pressurizer. A reactor coolant pump (RCP) mounted on the vessel head includes an impeller inside the pressure vessel, a pump motor outside the pressure vessel, and a vertical drive shaft connecting the motor and impeller. The drive shaft does not pass through the internal pressurizer. A central riser may be disposed concentrically inside the pressure vessel, and the RCP impels primary coolant downward into a downcomer annulus between the central ser and the pressure vessel. A steam generator may be disposed in the downcomer annulus and spaced apart from with the impeller by an outlet plenum, A manway may access the outlet plenum so tube plugging can be performed on the steam generator via access through the manway without removing the RCP.

An axial power distribution control device includes an axial offset calculation unit 52, a parameter calculation unit 53, and an axial offset determining unit 55. The axial offset determining unit 55 predicts whether a core axial offset of the power distribution is increased or decreased after a current time, based on a major axis of an ellipse drawn by the xenon parameter and the iodine parameter calculated by the parameter calculation unit 53 and the xenon parameter and the iodine parameter at the current time. This makes it possible to predict a change of the axial offset of the power distribution of a reactor for suppressing a xenon oscillation in the reactor.

A system, method and apparatus for providing additional radiation shielding to a ventilated cask for holding high level radioactive materials. The invention utilizes a tubular shell that is ancillary to the ventilated cask that circumscribes the ventilated cask to add radiation shielding protection while improving heat removal by natural convective air flow. Because the tubular shell and cask are non-unitary and slidably separable from one another, crane lifting capacity is not affected. In one aspect, the invention is an apparatus for providing additional radiation shielding to a cask holding high level radioactive materials comprising: a tubular shell extending from an open bottom end to an open top end, the tubular shell having an inner surface that forms a cavity about a longitudinal axis; a plurality of primary apertures forming passageways through the tubular shell and circumferentially arranged in a spaced-apart manner about the tubular shell; a plurality of secondary apertures forming passageways through the tubular shell and circumferentially arranged in a spaced-apart manner about the tubular shell; and an annular seal coupled to the tubular shell and extending from the inner surface of the tubular shell; wherein the secondary apertures are located at an axial height above the annular seal and the primary apertures are located at an axial height below the annular seal.

Electrochemical corrosion potential (ECP) probe assemblies may be used to monitor ECP of materials due to coolant chemistry in an operating nuclear reactor. Example embodiment assemblies include at least one ECP probe that detects ECP of potentially several different materials, a structural body providing a fluid flow path for the coolant over the ECP probes, and a signal transmitter that transmits or carries ECP data to an external receiver. The ECP probes may be of any number and/or type, so as to detect ECP for different component materials, including stainless steel, a zirconium alloys, etc. The ECP probes may further detect ECP due to ion concentration, pH, etc. The ECP data may be transmitted through wired or wireless signal transmitters. Example methods include installing and using example embodiment ECP probe assemblies in nuclear reactors and facilities.

Disclosed is a system for producing electromagnetic radiation with enhancement from a drift tube containing a cylindrical Smith-Purcell structure. The system includes a magnetically insulated linear oscillator. The oscillator includes a cylindrical resonant cavity having a traveling wave electron gun and a cooperating anode. The drift tube is formed of a hollow cylindrical conductive element that is positioned within a resonant cavity of the oscillator. The drift tube includes an inner surface and a pair of ends. The drift tube may be adapted such that the interaction between an electron beam, from the electron gun, passes through the inner space of the drift tube, and the internal grating, so as to produce RF radiation by the Smith-Purcell Effect. Spacing, face angle and shape of the grating, and the energy of the electron beam are determinants of the frequency of the RF radiation.

A nuclear fuel assembly tie plate is provided. The nuclear fuel assembly tie plate is formed by intersecting strips delimiting between them tubular guide cells each for allowing a fuel rod to extend through the tie plate. The strips delimit between them tubular flow cells separate from the guide cells, each flow cell for allowing coolant flow through the tie plate. Guide cells and flow cells are arranged at nodes of a lattice defined by a repeating pattern comprising four corner nodes in a square lattice arrangement and a central node at the center of the four corner nodes, with one guide cell at each corner nodes, separated by a pair of parallel spaced strips intersecting a pair of parallel spaced strips, the two pairs of strips delimiting a four-walled central flow cell at the center node.

This document's object is to provide an axial power distribution control method in which only the control of an axial power distribution in a nuclear reactor with a simple operation with a clear operational target keeps the control of a xenon oscillation, thereby suppressing the xenon oscillation to an extremely small magnitude in advance at the same time. An axial power distribution control method comprises an axial offset calculation step of calculating an axial offset of the current power distribution (AOP) and axial offsets of the power distributions (AOX, AOI) which would give the current xenon and iodine distributions under equilibrium conditions, respectively, based on relative powers (PT, PB) in the upper and lower halves of the nuclear reactor core, a parameter calculation step of calculating parameters (DAOPX, DAOIX), a trajectory display step of displaying a trajectory to plot the parameters (DAOPX, DAOIX) on one and the other axis, respectively, an allowable range excess judgment step of judging if the axial offset of the current power distribution (AOP) exceeds an allowable range, an alarming step of giving the alarm when the AOP exceeds the allowable range, and a control rod moving step of controlling the movement of control rods to guide the plot to the major axis of an ellipse formed by the trajectory of said parameters upon receipt of the alarm.

Nonconjugated conductive polymers absorb radioactive iodine, therefore are useful for protection against nuclear radiation. These polymers have at least one double bond per repeat unit. The ratio of the number of double bonds to the total number of bonds along the polymer chain is less than half. Examples of nonconjugated conductive polymers include: cis-1,4-polyisoprene (natural rubber), trans-1,4-polyisoprene (gutta percha), polybutadiene, polydimethyl butadiene, poly(b-pinene), styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), polyalloocimene, polynorbornene and many others. Through interaction with iodine atoms the double bonds in the nonconjugated polymers transform into radical cations leading to a dark color. The iodine atoms remain (immobile) bound to the polymer chain through the charge-transfer interaction, these polymers are very inexpensive and can be easily processed into any shape, structure and size. Therefore, these are useful for protection against nuclear radiation including radioactive iodine. These polymers when used as a thick cover can provide safe storage of nuclear waste materials including spent fuel rods.

A compressor assembly and the method of using the same which includes an elongated spiral passageway within which a compact toroid plasma, such as a compact toroid plasma structure, can be efficiently compressed to a high-energy state by compressing the compact toroid plasma structure by its own momentum against the wall of the spiral passageway in a manner to induce heating by conservation of energy. The compressor assembly also includes a burn chamber that is in communication with the spiral passageway and into which the compressed compact toroid plasma structure is introduced following its compression.

A method for obtaining free thermal antineutrons within the cage-like structure of a fullerene molecule comprising irradiating the fullerene molecule with free neutrons causing free neutrons to be trapped within the fullerene molecule wherein the trapped neutron oscillates between the neutron and antineutron states. A method for producing antiprotons comprising irradiating a fullerene molecule with free neutrons and trapping the neutrons within the fullerene molecule such that the neutrons oscillate between neutron and antineutron states and in the antineutron state decay and produce antiprotons. A method for producing antiprotonic x-ray cascade spectra.

A method and apparatus for the calibration of neutron flux monitoring devices used in a nuclear reactor core. The apparatus includes a transverse in-core probe (TIP) cable with a neutron absorber located a fixed distance apart from a TIP detector. The neutron absorber may be passed within close proximity of the neutron flux monitoring device such that a perceived drop in measured neutron flux occurs, whereupon the cable may be repositioned relative to the monitoring device to ensure that the TIP detector is within close proximity of the monitoring device for purposes of calibrating the monitoring device.

A method of fabricating a nuclear fuel comprising a fissile material, one or more hollow microballoons, a phenolic resin, and metal matrix. The fissile material, phenolic resin and the one or more hollow microballoons are combined. The combined fissile material, phenolic resin and the hollow microballoons are heated sufficiently to form at least some fissile material carbides creating a nuclear fuel particle. The resulting nuclear fuel particle comprises one or more fission product collection spaces. In a preferred embodiment, the fissile material, phenolic resin and the one or more hollow microballoons are combined by forming the fissile material into microspheres. The fissile material microspheres are then overcoated with the phenolic resin and microballoon. In another preferred embodiment, the fissile material, phenolic resin and the one or more hollow microballoons are combined by overcoating the microballoon with the fissile material, and phenolic resin.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a projectile target is disclosed comprising a target having a substantially sealed chamber having a front face and a rear face with an enclosing side wall disposed intermediate. The front and rear faces are formed by membranes configured to allow a projectile to pass therethrough and then substantially seal to maintain the substantially sealed chamber. Pressure wave sensors are disposed within the chamber and are configured to detect pressure waves created by the projectile. A target controller receives signals from the pressure sensors indicative of the pressure sensed by the sensors and determines an impact point of the projectile on the front face of the target.

Gaming systems and methods provide a tournament game which selectively awards an enhanced tournament play result. The enhanced tournament play result may be of variable value which is selected for the given instance in order to place the receiving tournament player in some predetermined rank in the tournament. Such a variable enhanced tournament play result in the tournament game may be used to help keep all participants interested in the tournament, even those participants who trail the tournament leaders by a wide margin.

Each play of a base game increases the likelihood of winning a bonus award. A display provides a graphical indication of the change in likelihood of winning the bonus award. In one aspect, the bonus award comprises the opportunity to play a secondary game.

A system and method for providing a table game are disclosed. According to one embodiment, an apparatus comprises a playing field, a ball launcher mechanism launching a ball into the playing field, and the ball launcher mechanism allows a first player to select one or more attributes affecting a ball trajectory. The apparatus further comprises a ball striker mechanism controlling a ball striker. The ball striker placed at a distance from the ball launcher mechanism in the playing field has a bat to hit a ball launched by the ball launcher mechanism and is controlled by a second player. One or more sensors are placed in predetermined locations in the playing field. The electrical signals generated by the one or more sensors are used to update a status of a game.

Various embodiments are directed to a gaming system capable of providing progressive level alerts or promotions when a progressive jackpot reaches a predetermined value. In one embodiment, the user is able to register for a progressive level alert. In another embodiment, the progressive level alert is presented on an affiliated or third party website. By providing progressive jackpot amount information, the user, who may not otherwise patronize a casino, is encouraged to visit the particular casino offering games capable of awarding a progressive jackpot prize of a predetermined amount.

An RFID event tracking and management system provides a standardized approach that can be utilized by various industry verticals. Loss of captured event data, such as RFID generated through an RFID event, can be prevented through a series of guarantee semantics. Approaches also provide for role-based data visibility. Queries received from a user or entity can be dynamically modified based on the role of the user/entity using a virtual private database (VPD). The modified query can result in a virtual private database automatically hiding or restricting access to event data at row, column, and/or cell levels, so that an authorized user/entity is only able to access data to which that user/entity should have access.

Systems, methods, and devices for providing and managing electronic event tickets are provided. For example, a device for managing an electronic event ticket may include a processor configured to run an electronic ticket management application, a memory device configured to store data associated with the electronic ticket management application, an electronic display configured to display at least a portion of the data associated with the electronic ticket management application, and an input/output interface configured to receive an electronic ticket and the data associated with the electronic ticket for management by the electronic ticket management application. The electronic ticket management application may be configured to enable the electronic device to gain entry to an event and to obtain at least one other event-related benefit after the electronic ticket is received by the input/output interface.

A transaction is preprocessed wirelessly in response to a wireless transaction preprocessing user device being in a queue for a point-of-transaction. The transaction that was preprocessed is then completed in response to the wireless transaction preprocessing user device reaching the point-of-transaction. Financial transactions and/or purchase of goods and/or services may thereby be preprocessed wirelessly and then completed at a point-of-transaction. Related devices and computer program products are also disclosed.

A system and approach for conveying engineering and license data with a handheld or mobile device via a multi-dimensional code. Engineering data from a page such as a schematic may be generated, formatted, and encoded with a multi-dimensional code. The code in a visual presentation may be embedded in the schematic. A mobile device may scan the code. The device with an appropriate application may decode and un-format the engineering data from the code for a consumer or user. License data may be generated, encrypted, and encoded in a multi-dimensional code. The code in a visual presentation may be scanned and decrypted by the mobile device with an appropriate application, for a consumer or user.

A method includes generating a machine readable code using each ink color implemented at a printer, printing the machine readable code on a first side of the medium, analyzing the machine readable code printed on the first side of the medium at a verification unit and detecting a side mismatch if the verification unit does not verify the machine readable code printed on the first side of the medium.

Reference equipment including a reference card and a reference reader is provided for testing electronic payment devices such as cards and card readers. The reference equipment includes reference cards and reference readers that respectively can be used to verify compliance of product cards and product readers with product specifications The product specifications may, for example, be the ISO 14443 Standard specifications which are commonly accepted in the electronic payment industry The reference equipment is designed to enhance interoperability of product payment devices whose functional behaviors may vary because of vendor customization of device specifications or due to manufacturing tolerances In some embodiments, the reference equipment includes a reference card for testing card readers The exemplary reference card can comprise a current mirror to permit an electronically adjustable variable load using an external controller The reference card electronic circuit can exhibit variable load conditions.

A fleet management system for managing a fleet of encoded information reading (EIR) terminals can comprise one or more computers, a fleet management software module, and a payment processing software module in communication with the fleet management software module. The fleet management software module can be configured, responsive to receiving a customer initiated request, to generate an unlocking message upon processing a payment by the payment processing software module. The unlocking message can be provided by a bar code to be read by an EIR terminal, or by a bit stream to be transferred to an EIR terminal via network. Each EIR terminal can be configured to perform not more than a pre-defined number of EIR operations responsive to receiving the unlocking message.

An assembly includes a transaction product and an auxiliary vehicle. The transaction product includes a folded sheet configured to be repeatedly folded and unfolded between a collapsed position and an extended position. The folded sheet defines a substantially planar surface defining a printed track. The transaction product comprises an account identifier statically connected thereto. The account identifier links the transaction product to at least one of an account and a record and is machine readable by a point-of-sale terminal. The auxiliary vehicle includes a microcontroller, one or more sensors, a motor, and at least one movable component. The microcontroller actuates the motor to induce movement of the at least one movable component propelling the auxiliary vehicle along and following the printed track based on detection of a location of the printed track as determined by the one or more sensors.

A printer credit management method is disclosed, the method includes receiving a code at a printer. From the code, a printer identifier and a credit value are discerned. It is determined if the printer identifier corresponds to a unique identifier assigned to the printer. Only upon a positive determination, a credit balance maintained by the printer is updated to include the credit value.

A negotiable instrument such as a check includes a unique microprint identifier that allows for authentication while preventing unauthorized reproduction and alternation. A printing system generates the identifier after receiving a customer order for printing a plurality of negotiable instruments, to allow inclusion of information that is specific to the customer order and/or the printing process. In various embodiments, the identifier is unique to each or each subset of the plurality of negotiable instruments and facilitates authentication of each of the negotiable instruments when needed.

Disclosed is an apparatus for protecting an analog input module from overvoltage, the apparatus including an analog input module and a stabilization unit. The analog input module converts one of a plurality of positive/negative analog signals inputted from the outside thereof into a digital signal and insulates the converted digital signal. The stabilization unit supplies voltages of the positive/negative analog signals to the analog input module when the voltage levels of the plurality of positive/negative analog signals are higher than the levels of positive/negative operating voltages in the analog input module.

An output buffer comprises a series connection of a first field effect transistor and a second field effect transistor, wherein the first field effect transistor is connected to a first supply potential terminal and the second field effect transistor is connected to a second supply potential terminal. An output terminal is connected to a common connection of the first transistor and the second transistor. The output buffer has a series connection of a resistive element and a capacitive element, wherein the capacitive element is connected to the output terminal, and a control circuit, to which an input signal is provided. The control circuit controls the transistors in such a way that turning off of a transistor is performed immediately, while turning on of a transistor is performed depending on the charging or discharging of the capacitive element, thus achieving a defined slew rate of the output signal at the output terminal.

A semiconductor structure including a device configured to receive an input data-word. The device including a logic structure configured to generate an encrypted data-word by encrypting the input data-word through an encrypting operation. The device further including an eFuse storage device configured to store the encrypted data-word as eFuse data by blowing fuses in accordance with the encrypted data-word.

A standby sanding unit for emergency sanding of icy roadways has a plurality of sand hoppers that are connected to a tank holding air under pressure. The hoppers have hopper type bottoms that have nozzles attached to the bottoms so that when air under pressure is provided to the upper portions of the tank, sand will be discharged out through the nozzles. The air pressure tank has valves that control the flow of air under pressure to the hoppers, when needed.

A method for supplying dry sand for spreading on road surfaces in freezing temperatures in a condition in which the sand remains fluid in freezing temperatures without the addition of salt includes the steps of drying the sand by providing a naturally occurring bed of the sand having an upper surface of the bed exposed to sunlight; planting on the upper surface a covering crop of a type such as alfalfa having deep roots which extend through the whole bed up to thirty feet deep in search of a water table below the bed and growing the crop for a period of time sufficient to allow the roots to penetrate the bed and to extract moisture from the bed to dry the sand in the bed. The dry sand is extracted from the bed and stored temporarily in a closed storage which prevents the re-introduction of moisture for subsequent use on road surfaces without the necessity of salt to keep the sand fluid for spreading.

A spreading device for confined application of grain type materials along a well-defined path on a road from a conveyor of a storing tank mounted on a moving vehicle includes a chute member mounted thereon that receives the materials from the conveyor and substantially drops them generally vertically under gravity on the road along the path in proximity and in front of a roller. The latter stops the materials relative to the road and confines, or packs, them on the road. The spreading device is adapted to be mounted on either side of the vehicle, in line with its wheels.

Problems are posed by slip prevention particle injection devices by wheels of railway rolling stock. Namely, if the injected quantity of slippage-preventing particles is adjusted so as not to be excessive and to be a suitable quantity, it is not possible to obtain a predetermined injection pressure and it is not possible to inject the particles at the target location. The injector device of the present invention is constituted by providing an air through-flow duct 5 inside a particle retainer tank 1, and connecting an air supply duct 17 to this air through-flow duct 5. In the above mentioned tank 1, in addition to an air inflow duct 6 being provided in the vicinity of the inlet side of the air through-flow duct 5, an air discharge duct 18 is provided in the vicinity of the outlet side of the air through-flow duct 5. This air inflow duct 6 and air discharge duct 18 are connected to the air through-flow duct 5 and one end of these ducts 6 and 18 is open into the tank 1. Further, in addition to a mixing chamber 15 and a smaller-diameter air passage section 9 being provided in the air through-flow duct 5, a particle introduction hole 16 is provided in the mixing chamber 15, and an injector duct 21 that injects a fluid mixture of slippage-preventing particles and compressed air is provided at the outlet side of the air through-flow duct 5.

Metering or dosing device for sand spreading apparatuses with a metering piston for sealing off and releasing the throughflow opening for the material to be spread, in which the metering piston and the opposite housing wall of the passage hole have profiles overlapping each other so that a labyrinth-like outflow of the spread material results.

A system and method for assessing a health and functionality of a locomotive friction modifying system wherein the locomotive has a friction modifying applicator associated with a wheel of the locomotive for applying a friction modifying agent to a rail on which the wheel is traversing. The system and method comprise a sensor detecting a predetermined operational condition of the locomotive. The system and method also comprise a controller associated with the sensor and responsive to input from the sensor determining a per unit creep of an axle of the locomotive. The controller also determines a tractive effort of the axle of the locomotive and determines a friction modifying applicator state for the applicator associated with the axle. The controller further compares the determined per unit creep of the axle, the tractive effort of the axle and the state of the friction modifying applicator associated with the axle to a predetermined value indicative of the health and functionality of the locomotive friction modifying system. The controller provides an indication of the health and functionality of the locomotive friction modifying system.

Metering or dosing device for sand spreading apparatuses with a metering piston for sealing off and releasing the throughflow opening for the material to be spread, in which the metering piston and the opposite housing wall of the passage hole have profiles overlapping each other so that a labyrinth-like outflow of the spread material results.