Raymond E Thomas

US Patent:

6514605, Feb 4, 2003

Filed:

Jun 19, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/883315

Inventors:

Ronald A. Rudder - Wake Forest NC 27587
Raymond E. Thomas - Chapel Hill NC 27514

International Classification:

B32B 1800

US Classification:

428325, 428469, 428472, 428432, 428323

Abstract:

A method for producing a durable, non-stick, diamond-tiled implement and the diamond-tiled implement thereby produced. Diamond particles are distributed on a surface of a workpiece containing a ceramic binder. The ceramic binder on the surface of the workpiece is heated to above its glass temperature to fuse the diamond particles in and onto the workpiece. The workpiece is then cooled so that the diamond particles are bonded to and at least partially embedded in the ceramic binder at the surface of the workpiece to produce durable, non-stick, diamond-tiled implements including cookware, bakeware, hot-presses, ski surfaces, skid surfaces, marine articles, and mechanical polishing wheels. Other implements of this invention utilize a high diamond content to produce thermally conducting and electrically insulating coatings for heat spreaders, or conversely, heaters.

US Patent:

6552295, Apr 22, 2003

Filed:

Dec 20, 2000

Appl. No.:

09/739748

Inventors:

Robert J. Markunas - Chapel Hill NC
John B. Posthill - Chapel Hill NC
Robert C. Hendry - Hillsborough NC
Raymond Thomas - Chapel Hill NC

Assignee:

Research Triangle Institute - Research Triangle Park NC

International Classification:

B23K 1000

US Classification:

21912136, 21912143, 21912148, 21912159, 588900, 110246

Abstract:

A method and apparatus for plasma waste disposal of hazardous waste material, where the hazardous material is volatilized under vacuum inside a containment chamber to produce a pre-processed gas as input to a plasma furnace including a plasma-forming region in which a plasma-forming magnetic field is produced. The pre-processed gas is passed at low pressure and without circumvention through the plasma-forming region and is directly energized to an inductively coupled plasma state such that hazardous waste reactants included in the pre-processed gas are completely dissociated in transit through the plasma-forming region. Preferably, the plasma-forming region is shaped as a vacuum annulus and is dimensioned such that there is no bypass by which hazardous waste reactants in the pre-processed gas can circumvent the plasma-forming region. The plasma furnace is powered by a high frequency power supply outputting power at a fundamental frequency. The power supply contains parasitic power dissipation mechanisms to prevent non-fundamental, parasitic frequencies from destabilizing the fundamental frequency output power.

US Patent:

62584189, Jul 10, 2001

Filed:

Jun 23, 1999

Appl. No.:

9/338485

Inventors:

Ronald A. Rudder - Wake Forest NC
Raymond E. Thomas - Chapel Hill NC

International Classification:

G05D 106

US Classification:

427475

Abstract:

A method for producing a durable, non-stick, diamond-tiled implement and the diamond-tiled implement thereby produced. Diamond particles are distributed on a surface of a workpiece containing a ceramic binder. The ceramic binder on the surface of the workpiece is heated to above its glass temperature to fuse the diamond particles in and onto the workpiece. The workpiece is then cooled so that the diamond particles are bonded to and at least partially embedded in the ceramic binder at the surface of the workpiece to produce durable, non-stick, diamond-tiled implements including cookware, bakeware, hot-presses, ski surfaces, skid surfaces, marine articles, and mechanical polishing wheels. Other implements of this invention utilize a high diamond content to produce thermally conducting and electrically insulating coatings for heat spreaders or heaters.