Foil changing apparatus
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
InventorsCharles E. Crist, Harry C. Ives, Gordon T. Leifeste, Robert B. Miller
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Abstract
A self-contained hermetically sealed foil changer for advancing a portion of foil web into a position normal to the path of a high energy particle beam. The path of the beam is defined generally by an aperture plate and cooperating axially movable barrel such that the barrel can be advanced toward the plate thereby positioning a portion of the foil across the beam path and sealing the foil between the barrel and the plate to form a membrane across said beam path. A spooling apparatus contained in the foil changer permits selectively advancing a fresh supply of foil across the beam path without breaking the foil changer seal.
Claims11
A self-contained foil changer apparatus for replenishing foil material across the path of a high energy particle beam, the apparatus comprising:
- a cylindrical hermetically sealed housing comprising an end plate having an aperture defining a beam passageway therethrough, one end of the housing being attachable to a high energy particle accelerator and the opposite end being attachable to a beam propagation tube;
- foil supply means disposed inside the housing for storing a foil web and supporting a portion of said web across the beam passageway to form a plane perpendicular to the beam path;
- a barrel assembly disposed inside the housing and comprising a longitudinally disposed cylindrical barrel being movable from an advanced position wherein said portion of the foil web is gripped between one end of the barrel and the end plate surrounding the aperture to a retracted position thereby freeing the web from contact with said end plate;
- web control means extending through the housing and operably connected to the foil supply means for selectively advancing the foil web to replenish a portion across the beam passageway;
- and
- barrel control means extending through the housing and operably connected to the barrel assembly for selectively moving the barrel to and from the advanced and retracted positions, said barrel control means comprising a lever arm transversely disposed inside the housing and pivotally secured thereto, said lever arm being also pivotally secured to the movable barrel and operator shaft means journaled through the housing and having one end portion operably connected to the lever arm, for moving the lever in either direction about its pivotal connection to impart longitudinal movement to the barrel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.