An apparatus for temporarily blocking fluid flow through a pipe comprises a housing configured to enclose a portion of a pipe and a flow blockage device. The housing includes a first part defining a housing chamber for receiving the pipe, and a second part defining a stowage space adjacent the housing chamber. The flow blockage device is movable through an aperture formed in one side of the pipe to an installed position in the housing chamber. The flow blockage device includes an outer sealing part that is configurable between an unexpanded configuration allowing the flow blockage device to pass through the aperture and allowing fluid flow through the pipe and an expanded configuration configured to block fluid flow through pipe by substantially preventing passage of fluid between outer side surfaces of the flow blockage device and inner surfaces of the pipe.

A turning insert includes a top surface, an opposite bottom surface and a reference plane located parallel to and between the top surface and the bottom surface. A nose portion has a convex nose cutting edge, a first cutting edge and a second cutting edge. The nose cutting edge connects the first and second cutting edges. The first and second cutting edges form a nose angle () of 71-85 relative to each other. The nose portion includes a third convex cutting edge adjacent to the first cutting edge and a fourth cutting edge adjacent to the third convex cutting edge. The fourth cutting edge forms an angle () of 10-30 relative to a bisector. The distance from at least a portion of the fourth cutting edge to the reference plane increases as the distance from the nose cutting edge increases.

A method employing an apparatus in conjunction with a hammer-drill to penetrate composite metal and non-metal structure or structures including, for example, thick metal or rebar encountered during concrete, rock or masonry boring operations without requiring a change in drill equipment.

A hard coating, which is to disposed to cover a surface of a tool substrate, has a total thickness of 0.5-20 m and includes an A layer and nanolayer-alternated layer that are alternately laminated by physical vapor deposition. The nanolayer-alternated layer includes a B layer and C layer that are alternately laminated. The A layer has a thickness of 50-1000 nm and is AlCr(SiC) nitride that is represented by a composition formula of [Al.sub.1-W-XCr.sub.W(SiC).sub.X]N wherein an atomic ratio W is 0.20-0.80 and an atomic ratio X is 0.01-0.20. The B layer has a thickness of 1-100 nm and is TiAl nitride that is represented by a composition formula of [Ti.sub.1-YAl.sub.Y]N wherein an atomic ratio Y is 0.30-0.85. The C layer has a thickness of 1-100 nm and is Ti(SiC) nitride represented by a composition formula of [Ti.sub.1-Z(SiC).sub.Z]N wherein an atomic ratio Z is 0.05-0.45. The nanolayer-alternated layer has a thickness of 50-1000 nm.

A method employing an apparatus in conjunction with a hammer-drill to penetrate composite metal and non-metal structure or structures including, for example, thick metal or rebar encountered during concrete, rock or masonry boring operations without requiring a change in drill equipment.

A composite diamond body includes a diamond base material and a stable layer disposed on the diamond base material. The stable layer may have a thickness of 0.001 m or more and less than 10 m, and may include a plurality of layers. A composite diamond tool includes the composite diamond body. There are thus provided highly wear-resistant composite diamond body and composite diamond tool that are even applicable to mirror-finish planarization of a workpiece which reacts with diamond to cause the diamond to wear.

An adjustable pipe center; the lathe-center may be useful for supporting the end of a rotating workpiece having a hollow along an axis upon which the workpiece is rotating. The adjustable pipe center includes a shaft, a center-head having keyways, a plurality of bearing-fins, and a plurality of power-screws. The center-head is fixed to the shaft and is able to fit within the hollow of the workpiece. The plurality of bearing-fins is able to fit and slide within the keyways, with each having a bearing-surface for contacting the workpiece. The bearing-surface is disposed at an angle to the shaft-axis between zero and ninety degrees. The bearing-fins may be translated, functioning as an inclined plane to displace a workpiece resting against it. When the bearing-fins are collectively translated as desired, it may laterally adjust the position of the workpiece-axis relative to the shaft-axis.

Provided is a cutter apparatus for machining a difficult-to-machine material, the cutter apparatus including: a cutting tool body which has a fastening portion formed at a center thereof; one or more cutters which are installed on the cutting tool body, and have superhard insert tips fixed to end portions thereof, respectively; and an angle adjusting unit which is installed in an internal space of the cutters, and adjusts angles of the cutters by spreading or retracting the cutters, so that angles of the cutters may be easily adjusted in accordance with a condition for cutting a difficult-to-machine material, in order to prevent damage to the superhard insert tips when machining a difficult-to-machine material having high hardness and high toughness.

A coated cutting tool for chip forming machining of metals includes a substrate having a surface coated with a chemical vapour deposition (CVD) coating. The coated cutting tool has a substrate coated with a coating including a layer of -Al2O3, wherein the -Al2O3 layer exhibits a dielectric loss of 106tan 0.0025, as measured with AC at 10 kHz, 100 mV at room temperature of 20 C.

An apparatus for temporarily blocking fluid flow through a pipe comprises a housing configured to enclose a portion of a pipe and a flow blockage device. The housing includes a first part defining a housing chamber for receiving the pipe, and a second part defining a stowage space adjacent the housing chamber. The flow blockage device is movable through an aperture formed in one side of the pipe to an installed position in the housing chamber. The flow blockage device includes an outer sealing part that is configurable between an unexpanded configuration allowing the flow blockage device to pass through the aperture and allowing fluid flow through the pipe and an expanded configuration configured to block fluid flow through pipe by substantially preventing passage of fluid between outer side surfaces of the flow blockage device and inner surfaces of the pipe.