Segmented heater assembly
AssigneeUltra Carbon Corporation
InventorHarvey J. Wilsey
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A picket or zig-zag type heater for use in high temperature furnaces, such as are used for crystal growing for example, is constructed from a plurality of like graphite cylindrical shell segments assembled into a cylindrical shell having uniform resistance heating characteristics by graphite connector elements which also function to couple the electric current source to the heater.
Claims8
For use in a high temperature furnace of the type having a resistance heating element of cylindrical shell-like shape having a plurality of like uniformly spaced slots extending axially less than the axial length of the shell alternately from opposite ends of the element;
- a heating element assembly comprising a plurality of like discrete cylindrical shell segments of rigid graphite each having n like uniformly spaced slots extending axially from one end of the segment and n+1 like slots extending axially from the opposite end of the segment uniformly spaced between the first mentioned slots, and a plurality of detachable discrete connectors of graphite mechanically and electrically connecting said segments to each other at the respective one ends of said segments to assemble the individual segments into a rigid cylindrical shell, each connector being secured to a pair of adjacent shell segments and having an arcuate flange abutting said segments which extends a distance axially approximately equal to the difference between the axial length of a slot and the axial length of a segment.
For use in a high temperature furnace of the type having a resistance heating element of cylindrical shell-like shape having a plurality of like uniformly spaced slots extending axially less than the axial length of the shell alternately from opposite ends of the element;
- a heating element assembly comprising a plurality of like partly cylindrical discrete rigid shell segments of graphite each having like uniformly spaced slots extending axially from one end of the segment to terminate short of the opposite end of the segment and like slots extending axially from the opposite end of the segment uniformly spaced from the first mentioned slots and terminating short of the said one end of the segment, said discrete segments being spaced apart from said one end to said opposite end with a spacing between segments equal to the width of said slots to provide a cylindrical heater of zig-zag construction with uniformly spaced pickets of uniform width, and a plurality of discrete rigid connectors of graphite disposed to bridge the spacing between segments mechanically and electrically connecting said segments to each other at the respective one end of said segments to assemble the individual segments into a rigid cylindrical shell having uniformly spaced pickets and hold the segments in uniformly spaced relation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.