Embodiments of the present technology are directed to a grooved composite industrial block product. The industrial block products described herein may be manufactured from plastic materials. Methods for manufacturing such grooved composite block products are additionally described herein, and comprise filling a grooved block mold with a polymeric mixture comprising plastic materials. The grooved composite block products described herein may be utilized in various industrial applications, including as railroad ties and industrial matting.

What is presented is a unit cell comprising a cellular geometry that comprises cell walls and cell edges arranged into a combination of a cubic cell geometry and a tetrahedral cell geometry arranged to have a coincident central vertex. The cubic cell geometry comprises three orthogonal cell faces that intersect at its central vertex. The tetrahedral cell geometry comprises an arrangement of eight tetrahedral cells that share its central vertex such that each tetrahedral cell shares three coincident edges with three other tetrahedral cells in a cubically symmetric arrangement. The tetrahedral cell geometry is combined with the cubic cell geometry such that all vertices of the tetrahedral cell geometry are coincident with the vertices of the cubic cell geometry.

What is presented is a unit cell that has a cellular geometry that comprises cell walls and cell edges arranged into a combination of a cubic cell geometry and a tetrahedral cell geometry and assembled structures that comprise a plurality of unit cells. The voids of the unit cell created by the combination of geometries comprise regular tetrahedrons, irregular tetrahedrons, and octahedrons. In some embodiments, the thickness of selected cell walls can vary and in some embodiments have zero thickness. In some embodiments selected cell walls and selected cell edges have a varied thickness. In other embodiments selected cell walls are non-planar. In some embodiments selected cell walls may have one or more holes. Selected cell edges of some embodiments of unit cell may have varying cross-sectional geometry that vary along a length of the cell edge. Some embodiments of the unit cell may comprise fillets to blunt stress concentrations.

According to the invention, an extendable member is disclosed. The extendable member may include a structure having a first state and a second state. The structure may be deformable between the first state and the second state. In the first state the structure may include a compact form. In the second state the structure may include a hollow longeron having a slit along the entire length of the hollow longeron. One or both longitudinal edges along the slit of the hollow longeron may have lateral protrusions. The lateral protrusions of a longitudinal edge may act in such a way with the other edge, and possibly its protrusions, to at least partially inhibit relative motion of the edges.

According to the invention, an extendable member is disclosed. The extendable member may include a structure having a first state and a second state. The structure may be deformable between the first state and the second state. In the first state the structure may include a compact form. In the second state the structure may include a hollow longeron having a slit along the entire length of the hollow longeron. One or both longitudinal edges along the slit of the hollow longeron may have lateral protrusions. The lateral protrusions of a longitudinal edge may act in such a way with the other edge, and possibly its protrusions, to at least partially inhibit relative motion of the edges.

Bend members making up a variable shape structure each have a central coupling point, a one-end coupling point, and an other-end coupling point that are arranged so as to form a V shape with a fixed bend angle. A central coupling point of the first bend member and a central coupling point of the second bend member are pivotally coupled together. A central coupling point of the third bend member and a central coupling point of the fourth bend member are pivotally coupled together. A one-end coupling point of the first bend member and a one-end coupling point of the third bend member are pivotally coupled together. A one-end coupling point of the second bend member and a one-end coupling point of the fourth bend member are pivotally coupled together. The first, the second, the third, and the fourth bend members are of the same shape and the same size.

A subsea direct electrical heating power supply system includes at least one input device adapted to couple the direct electrical heating power supply system to a power supply and a subsea variable speed drive, for receiving electrical power from the at least one input device and for providing an AC output, including a plurality of series-connected power cells. Each power cell includes an inverter and a bypass device to selectively bypass the power cell. The system further includes an adjustable subsea capacitor connected to the AC output of the subsea variable speed drive; an output device adapted to couple the direct electrical heating power supply system to a subsea pipeline section; and a controller, adapted to adjust the capacitance of the adjustable subsea capacitor such that upon the system output voltage being reduced, the current output by the direct electrical heating power supply system is increased.

A subsea direct electrical heating power supply system includes at least one input device adapted to couple the direct electrical heating power supply system to a power supply and a subsea variable speed drive, for receiving electrical power from the at least one input device and for providing an AC output, including a plurality of series-connected power cells. Each power cell includes an inverter and a bypass device to selectively bypass the power cell. The system further includes an adjustable subsea capacitor connected to the AC output of the subsea variable speed drive; an output device adapted to couple the direct electrical heating power supply system to a subsea pipeline section; and a controller, adapted to adjust the capacitance of the adjustable subsea capacitor such that upon the system output voltage being reduced, the current output by the direct electrical heating power supply system is increased.

A foldable structure comprised of hinged panel segments is provided. These segments are comprised of a first panel pair comprised of a first and second polygonal panel, and a second panel pair comprised of a third and fourth polygonal panel. Segments are bounded by a first boundary plane defined by two sides of the first panel pair, and a second boundary plane defined by two sides of the second panel pair, Measurement of a boundary angle may be taken normal to the intersection of the first and second boundary planes. As the segment is continuously folded between a first position and a second position, said boundary angle remains substantially constant during folding.

A cooker with a gasket may include a top plate on which a plurality of burners may be placed; a manifold panel provided in front of the top plate and including thereon a plurality of knobs to control output powers of the plurality of burners; and a gasket that extends along a front end of the top plate and is compressed between the top plate and the manifold panel to hermetically seal the top plate and the manifold panel.