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 member support including the steps of providing a braze material receiving recess on an external surface of the member support having a depth to accommodate excess braze material during the brazing of the member to the support, providing an upwardly extending ridge on the external surface spaced from the recess and having a height above the external surface equal to the thickness of the braze material used to braze the member to the support, positioning the member to extend across the recess, the surface and the free end of the ridge and brazing the member to the surface while maintaining the contact between the braze material and the member and between the free end of the ridge and 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 recess on the surface and having a depth for accommodating excess brazing material, an upwardly extending ridge on the surface spaced from the recess and a brazing material located between the member and the surface and covering the recess and an adjacent portion of the support surface extending to the ridge.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.