Interface for liquid metal bearing and method of making same

A target assembly comprising:

• a shaft having a first material attached to an outer surface thereof;
• a sleeve configured to support a target and having a second material attached to an inner surface thereof;
• and
• a liquid metal positioned between the first material and the second material;
• wherein one of the shaft and sleeve comprises an iron-based alloy having less than a 10% chromium content.

A method of manufacturing a target assembly for an x-ray tube comprising the steps of:

• providing a shaft having an outer surface material and having an outer diameter;
• providing a sleeve having an aperture exposing an inner surface material of the sleeve, wherein a diameter of the inner surface material is greater than the outer diameter of the outer surface material;
• applying a first layer to the inner surface material;
• applying a second layer to the outer surface material;
• attaching a target to one of the shaft and the sleeve;
• inserting the shaft into the sleeve to form a shaft sleeve assembly;
• and
• applying a liquid metal to one of the first layer and the second layer of the shaft sleeve assembly;
• wherein at least one of the first and second layers has a thickness greater than 0.1 mm.