1. A method for passively generating current flow in a body of water, the method comprising:
promoting growth of microbes on a plurality of bio-substrates;
funneling waste gases produced by the microbes along a confined fluid path;
transporting water through the fluid path using the waste gases; and
releasing the waste gases and transported water at an opening of the confined fluid path located at or above a water surface.
2. The method as in claim 1, wherein the microbes are grown below a thermocline layer.
3. The method as in claim 1, further comprising supplementing the waste gases with mechanically-generated bubbles.
4. The method as in claim 1, wherein the transported water is drawn from an area below a thermocline layer.
5. The method as in claim 1, further comprising radiating the transported water for a defined distance parallel to the water surface before reintroducing the transported water into the body of water.
6. The method as in claim 5, wherein the transported water is radiated across an aeration plate disposed at a top surface of the body of water.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A press brake die holder for holding a die having an upper, workpiece-contact portion and a lower, elongated tang, the die holder having a first shoulder, a second shoulder, a base, and an elongated channel adapted to receive the tang of said die, the die holder further including an elongated locking bar adapted for movement toward the second shoulder of the die holder so as to positively clamp the tang when the tang is positioned in the channel, the first shoulder of the die holder carrying at least one cam member adapted to move so as to cause a camming action between the cam member and the locking bar, wherein this camming action causes said movement of the locking bar toward the second shoulder of the die holder.
2. The press brake die holder of claim 1 wherein the elongated locking bar has a rear wall facing the first shoulder of the die holder, wherein said camming action involves the cam member camming against the rear wall of the locking bar and thereby forcing the locking bar to move toward the second shoulder of the die holder.
3. The press brake die holder of claim 1 wherein said camming action results when the cam member is moved from a first configuration to a second configuration, the locking bar being closer to the second shoulder of the die holder when the cam member is in its second configuration than when the cam member is in its first configuration.
4. The press brake die holder of claim 1 wherein the cam member is adapted to rotate about a vertical axis to cause said camming action.
5. The press brake die holder of claim 4 wherein the cam member rotates about said vertical axis in response to horizontal movement of a manually operated handle, an end of which is removably received in the cam member.
6. The press brake die holder of claim 1 wherein the cam member has a generally-cylindrical configuration, the first shoulder of the die holder having a vertically-extending, generally-cylindrical opening in which the cam member is rotatably received.
7. The press brake die holder of claim 1 wherein the cam member has a head portion adapted to cam with the locking bar to provide said camming action, the cam member being nested within an opening defined by the first shoulder of the die holder such that a wall section of the first shoulder surrounds more than 180 degrees of the cam member’s head portion.
8. The press brake die holder of claim 7 wherein, in a horizontal cross section extending through the head portion of the cam member, said wall section of the first shoulder surrounds more than 240 degrees of the cam member’s head portion.
9. The press brake die holder of claim 1 wherein the cam member has a first exterior wall section that is generally planar and a second exterior wall section that is convex, said convex wall section being contiguous to said generally planar wall section, wherein to initiate said camming action the cam member is rotated from a first configuration where its generally planar wall section directly faces the locking bar to a second configuration where its convex wall section directly faces and bears forcibly against the locking bar.
10. The press brake die holder of claim 9 wherein the cam member has a major diameter and a minor diameter, the major diameter being greater than the minor diameter, the minor diameter being perpendicular to the generally planar wall section, the major diameter being perpendicular to the convex wall section.
11. The press brake die holder of claim 10 wherein the major diameter is greater than the minor diameter by at least 136 inch.
12. The press brake die holder of claim 1 wherein the first shoulder of the die holder carries a plurality of cam members each being adapted to move from a first configuration to a second configuration so as to cause said camming action between the cam member and the locking bar, wherein the locking bar is resiliently biased toward the die holder’s first shoulder such that, when all the cam members are in their first configurations, the locking bar is held resiliently against the first shoulder.
13. The press brake die holder of claim 1 wherein the die holder includes a plurality of cam members received in respective openings spaced-apart along a length of the die holder’s first shoulder, wherein each cam member has an opening into which an end of a manually-operable handle can be inserted, wherein each cam member can be made to cam with the locking bar by inserting the end of the handle into the opening in such cam member and then moving the handle in a horizontal manner.
14. The press brake die holder of claim 1 wherein at least one of the locking bar and the second shoulder has a cavity that opens into the channel, and wherein a resilient body is received in said cavity and protrudes into the channel, the resilient body having a die-seating configuration such that the resilient body is adapted to deliver a net downward force to the die’s tang when the tang is positively clamped between the locking bar and the second shoulder, the net downward force urging the tang toward said base.
15. The press brake die holder of claim 14 wherein the resilient body is an elongated resilient bar, and wherein said cavity is an elongated cavity extending lengthwise along the locking bar or along the second shoulder, the resilient bar having a face that engages the die’s tang when the tang is positively clamped between the locking bar and the second shoulder, said face being downwardly angled to provide the die-seating configuration.
16. The press brake die holder of claim 14 wherein the resilient body comprises a resilient polymer.
17. The press brake die holder of claim 14 wherein the resilient body is formed of urethane.
18. The press brake die holder of claim 1 wherein the first shoulder is a camming actuator unit attached removably to said base, the press brake die holder further including a hydraulic actuator unit adapted for being attached removably to said base at such time as the camming actuator unit is removed from the base, wherein when the hydraulic actuator unit is operably connected to said base the hydraulic actuator unit can be operated such that, in response to delivering a sufficient pressure of hydraulic fluid into a hydraulic line of the hydraulic actuator unit, at least one moveable body carried by the hydraulic actuator unit bears forcibly against the locking bar and thereby moves the locking bar toward the second shoulder of the die holder.
19. The press brake die holder of claim 1 wherein the die holder is adapted for said camming action to be initiated by a manual tool-free operation.
20. A press brake die holder for holding a die having an upper, workpiece-contact portion and a lower, elongated tang, the die holder being adapted for conversion between a first operatively-assembled configuration having a manually-operable actuator unit and a second operatively-assembled configuration having a hydraulically-operable actuator unit, the die holder having a block that includes a base and a shoulder, said base and shoulder together having a generally L-shaped configuration, the die holder further including an elongated locking bar, the locking bar having a first clamping wall, said shoulder having a second clamping wall, the die holder being provided with a rigid fastening assembly adapted to rigidly attach the base, as desired, either to a lower portion of the manually-operable actuator unit or to a lower portion of the hydraulically-operable actuator unit, the die holder also being provided with a resilient fastening assembly adapted to resiliently attach the locking bar, as desired, either to an upper portion of the manually-operable actuator unit or to an upper portion of the hydraulically-operable actuator unit.
21. The press brake die holder of claim 20 wherein the rigid fastening system includes a plurality of fastener openings defined by the base and configured to be alignable, as desired, either with corresponding openings in the lower portion of the manually-operable actuator unit or with corresponding openings in the lower portion of the hydraulically-operable actuator unit, the rigid fastening system further including a plurality of rigid fasteners each adapted to be extended through one of said fastener openings defined by the base and into an aligned one of said corresponding openings in, as desired, either the lower portion of the manually-operable actuator unit or the lower portion of the hydraulically-operable actuator unit.
22. The press brake die holder of claim 20 wherein the resilient fastening system includes a plurality of fastener openings defined by the locking bar and configured to be alignable, as desired, either with corresponding openings in the upper portion of the manually-operable actuator unit or with corresponding openings in the upper portion of the hydraulically-operable actuator unit, the resilient fastening system further including a plurality of fasteners each coupled with a spring member and each adapted to be extended through one of the openings in, as desired, either the upper portion of the manually-operable actuator or the upper portion of the hydraulically-operable actuator and into an aligned one of the fastener openings in the locking bar.
23. The press brake die holder of claim 20 wherein the locking bar’s clamping wall is defined by uncoated metal, the locking bar having a bottom wall that bears a coating and that is adapted to slide along a coating on the base during clamping and unclamping actions of the die holder, wherein said shoulder has an upwardly-facing loading surface along which a downwardly-facing loading surface of said die is adapted to slide during positioning of said die at such time as the die holder is in an unclamped position, the upwardly-facing loading surface of said shoulder having a coating, and wherein the locking bar has an upwardly-facing loading surface along which a downwardly-facing loading surface of said die is adapted to slide during positioning of said die at such time as the die holder is in the unclamped position, the upwardly-facing loading surface of the locking bar having a coating.
24. The press brake die holder of claim 23 wherein the coating on the locking bar’s bottom wall, the coating on said base, the coating on the upwardly-facing loading surface of said shoulder, and the coating on the upwardly-facing loading surface of the locking bar are all dry lubricant coatings.
25. The press brake die holder of claim 23 wherein each of said coatings comprises nitrogen andor carbon.
26. The press brake die holder of claim 20 wherein the locking bar defines a cavity in which a resilient polymer body is received, the cavity opening through the clamping wall of the locking bar, wherein part of the resilient polymer body protrudes outwardly from the cavity.
27. The press brake die holder of claim 26 wherein the resilient polymer body is an elongated bar having a face that forms an oblique angle relative to an adjacent planar surface of the locking bar’s clamping wall.
28. A press brake die holder for holding a die having an upper, workpiece-contact portion and a lower, elongated tang, the die holder having two confronting walls between which the tang can be positioned, wherein a desired one of the two walls is adapted for being moved toward the other wall so as to positively clamp the tang when the tang is positioned between the two walls, the die holder being provided in combination with both a manually-operable actuator unit and a hydraulically-operable actuator unit, the die holder being adapted for conversion between a first operatively-assembled configuration that includes the manually-operable actuator unit and a second operatively-assembled configuration that includes the hydraulically-operable actuator unit.
29. The die holder of claim 28 wherein an elongated locking bar defines said desired one of the two walls and is adapted for movement toward said other wall so as to positively clamp the tang when the tang is positioned between said two walls, wherein the manually-operable actuator unit has at least one cam member which, when the die holder is in its first operatively-assembled configuration, is adapted to move so as to cause a camming action between the cam member and the locking bar, this camming action causing said movement of the locking bar.
30. The press brake die holder of claim 29 wherein the manually-operable actuator unit has a plurality of cam members which, when the die holder is in its first operatively-assembled configuration, are each adapted to move from a first configuration to a second configuration so as to cause said camming action between the cam member and the locking bar, and wherein, when the die holder is in its first operatively-assembled configuration, the locking bar is resiliently biased toward the manually-operable actuator unit such that when all the cam members are in their first configurations the locking bar is held resiliently against the manually-operable actuator unit.
31. The press brake die holder of claim 28 wherein, when the die holder is in its second operatively-assembled configuration, the hydraulically-operable actuator unit can be operated such that, in response to delivering a sufficient pressure of hydraulic fluid into a hydraulic line of the hydraulically-operable actuator unit, at least one moveable body carried by the hydraulically-operable actuator unit bears forcibly against the locking bar and thereby moves the locking bar toward said other wall of the die holder.
32. The press brake die holder of claim 31 wherein, when the die holder is in its second operatively-assembled configuration, the locking bar is resiliently biased toward the hydraulically-operable actuator unit such that the locking bar is held resiliently against the hydraulically-operable actuator unit unless said sufficient pressure of hydraulic fluid is delivered into said hydraulic line of the hydraulically-operable actuator unit.
33. The die holder of claim 28 wherein the die holder has a block that includes a base and a shoulder, the base and shoulder together having a generally L-shaped configuration, the die holder including an elongated locking bar, the locking bar defining said desired one of the two walls, the shoulder defining said other wall, the die holder being provided with a rigid fastening assembly adapted to rigidly attach the base, as desired, either to a lower portion of the manually-operable actuator unit or to a lower portion of the hydraulically-operable actuator unit, the die holder also being provided with a resilient fastening assembly adapted to resiliently attach the locking bar, as desired, either to an upper portion of the manually-operable actuator unit or to an upper portion of the hydraulically-operable actuator unit.
34. The press brake die holder of claim 33 wherein the rigid fastening system includes a plurality of fastener openings defined by the base and configured to be alignable, as desired, either with corresponding openings in the lower portion of the manually-operable actuator unit or with corresponding openings in the lower portion of the hydraulically-operable actuator unit, the rigid fastening system further including a plurality of rigid fasteners each adapted to be extended through one of said fastener openings defined by the base and into an aligned one of said corresponding openings in, as desired, either the lower portion of the manually-operable actuator unit or the lower portion of the hydraulically-operable actuator unit.
35. The press brake die holder of claim 34 wherein the resilient fastening system includes a plurality of fastener openings defined by the locking bar and configured to be alignable, as desired, either with corresponding openings in the upper portion of the manually-operable actuator unit or with corresponding openings in the upper portion of the hydraulically-operable actuator unit, the resilient fastening system further including a plurality of fasteners each coupled with a spring member and each adapted to be extended through one of the openings in, as desired, either the upper portion of the manually-operable actuator or the upper portion of the hydraulically-operable actuator and into an aligned one of the fastener openings in the locking bar.
36. A press brake die holder for holding a die having an upper, workpiece-contact portion and a lower, elongated tang, the die holder having two confronting walls between which the tang can be positioned, wherein a desired one of the two walls is adapted for being moved toward the other wall so as to positively clamp the tang when the tang is positioned between the two walls, the die holder having a die-contact body that delivers a net downward force to the tang when the tang is positively clamped between the two walls, the net downward force urging the tang downwardly toward a base that extends between the two walls of the die holder, the die holder and die-contact body being adapted to deliver the net downward force to the tang even when the tang has opposed clamping surfaces consisting of parallel planar surfaces.
37. The press brake die holder of claim 36 wherein, during positive clamping of the die’s tang between said two confronting walls, the die-contact body delivers the net downward force as a frictional force.
38. The press brake die holder of claim 36 wherein said two confronting walls both carry die-contact bodies adapted to deliver the net downward force, the die-contact bodies being mounted on the confronting walls so as to have limited range freedom of movement relative to the confronting walls.
39. The press brake die holder of claim 38 wherein the die-contact bodies are wedge members that, during positive clamping of the die’s tang between said two confronting walls, move downwardly relative to the confronting walls and toward a base of the die holder.
40. The press brake die holder of claim 36 wherein the die-contact body is a resilient body.
41. The press brake die holder of claim 40 wherein the resilient body is an elongated resilient bar extending lengthwise along said desired one of the two walls, the resilient bar having a face that engages the tang when the tang is positively clamped between the two walls, said face being downwardly angled so as to provide the net downward force on the tang when the tang is positively clamped between the two walls.
42. The press brake die holder of claim 41 wherein said desired one of the two walls has a length of at least 4 inches, and the elongated resilient bar extends along at least 75% of this length.
43. The press brake die holder of claim 42 wherein the elongated resilient bar extends along substantially the entire length of said desired one of the two walls.
44. The press brake die holder of claim 40 wherein the resilient body comprises a resilient polymer.
45. The press brake die holder of claim 40 wherein the resilient body is formed of urethane.
46. The press brake die holder of claim 40 wherein the die holder has a first shoulder, a second shoulder, a base, an elongated locking bar, and an elongated channel, wherein said desired one of the two walls is defined by the elongated locking bar, the other of the two walls being defined by the second shoulder, the elongated locking bar being adapted for movement toward the second shoulder so as to positively clamp the tang when the tang is positioned between the locking bar and the second shoulder, the locking bar having a clamping wall that faces the second shoulder and that defines a cavity open to the channel, the resilient body being received in said cavity such that part of the resilient body protrudes from said cavity into the channel so as to be engageable with the die’s tang when the tang is positively clamped between the locking bar and the second shoulder.
47. A press brake die holder for holding a die having an upper, workpiece-contact portion and a lower, elongated tang, the die holder having a block that includes a base and a shoulder, said base and shoulder together having a generally L-shaped configuration, the die holder further including an elongated locking bar, the locking bar having a first clamping wall, said shoulder having a second clamping wall, wherein the locking bar’s clamping wall is defined by uncoated metal, the locking bar having a bottom wall that bears a coating and that is adapted to slide along a coating on the base during clamping and unclamping actions of the die holder, wherein said shoulder has an upwardly-facing loading surface along which a downwardly-facing loading surface of said die is adapted to slide during positioning of said die at such time as the die holder is in an unclamped position, the upwardly-facing loading surface of said shoulder having a coating, and wherein the locking bar has an upwardly-facing loading surface along which a downwardly-facing loading surface of said die is adapted to slide during positioning of said die at such time as the die holder is in the unclamped position, the upwardly-facing loading surface of the locking bar having a coating.
48. The press brake die holder of claim 47 wherein the coating on the locking bar’s bottom wall, the coating on said base, the coating on the upwardly-facing loading surface of said shoulder, and the coating on the upwardly-facing loading surface of the locking bar are all dry lubricant coatings.
49. The press brake die holder of claim 47 wherein each of said coatings comprises nitrogen andor carbon.