Method for gas bubble and void control and removal from metals
AssigneeLockheed Idaho Technologies Company
InventorsClinton D. Van Siclen, Richard N. Wright
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for enhancing the diffusion of gas bubbles or voids attached to impurity precipitates, and biasing their direction of migration out of the host metal (or metal alloy) by applying a temperature gradient across the host metal (or metal alloy). In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the impurity metal is insoluble in the host metal and has a melting point lower than the melting point of the host material. Also, preferably the impurity metal is lead or indium and the host metal is aluminum or a metal alloy.
Claims20
A method for removing inert gas bubbles and voids from fusion and fission reactor cladding or containment materials to prevent the long-term deleterious effects of inert gases in said reactor materials caused by the operation of said fusion and fission reactors, comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a reactor material host metal containing at least 100 parts per million of impurity metal particles within said host metal, said impurity metal particles being substantially insoluble in the host metal and having a melting point lower than the melting point of the host metal;
- (b) applying heat to the host metal to create a temperature gradient across the host metal, the temperature gradient having a high temperature region greater than the melting point of the impurity metal but lower than the melting point of the host metal, the applied temperature gradient causing the impurity metal particles to melt and distribute over the surface of the bubbles or voids to enhance bubble or void diffusion, and biasing the direction of bubble or void migration toward the high temperature.
A method for removing inert gas bubbles and voids from fusion and fission reactor cladding or containment materials to prevent the long-term deleterious effects of inert gases in said reactor materials caused by the operation of said fusion and fission reactors, comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a reactor material host metal containing at least 100 parts per million of impurity metal particles within said host metal, said impurity metal particles being substantially insoluble in the host metal and having a melting point lower than the melting point of the host metal;
- (b) elevating the temperature of a portion of the host metal to a temperature greater than the melting point of the impurity metal but lower than the melting point of the host metal causing the impurity metal particles to melt and distribute over the surface of the bubbles or voids to enhance bubble or void diffusion, and biasing the direction of bubble or void migration toward said heated portion of said host metal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.