Method of producing a uniform fluid-tight seal between a thin, flexible member and a support and an apparatus utilizing the same

Abstract

A method of producing a fluid-tight seal between a thin, flexible member and a support including the steps of providing a moat for receiving excess braze material on an external surface of a member support and a dam adjacent to the moat to confine the excess braze material to the moat and having a height above the bottom of the moat to accommodate a brazing of the member to the external surface, positioning the member to extend across the dam and the surface while contacting only the top of the dam and brazing the member to the surface while maintaining the contact between the top of the dam and the member to uniformly support the member. An apparatus using this method to produce a fluid-tight seal for a thin, flexible member comprises a support surface, an excess braze material receiving moat on said surface, a dam adjacent to one side of said moat and having a height above the bottom of said moat to contact said member while accommmodating a brazing of said member to said surface and a brazing material means between said member and said surface adjacent to the other side of said moat.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.