Thermal attachment device
AssigneeIllinois Superconductor Corporation
InventorsDonald E. Richied, Anne M. Stecher
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Abstract
A mechanical coupling device for selectively connecting and disconnecting an apparatus to a thermal source. The coupling device includes a thermal bridge element comprised of a flexible structure having a first coefficient of thermal expansion, and a thermal stress element disposed about the thermal bridge element with the thermal stress element having a second coefficient of thermal expansion. The difference in coefficients of thermal expansion act to cause stressing of the thermal bridge element into thermal contact with the apparatus.
Claims20
A mechanical coupling device for selectively connecting and disconnecting an apparatus to a cryogenic cooling source, comprising:
- a cryogenic thermal bridge element coolable by the cryogenic cooling source and comprised of a flexible structure having a first coefficient of thermal expansion, said cryogenic thermal bridge element disposed apart from said apparatus until cooled by the cryogenic cooling source;
- and
- a thermal stress element disposed circumferentially about and in thermal contact with said cryogenic thermal bridge element and said thermal stress element having a second coefficient of thermal expansion larger than said first coefficient of thermal expansion, thereby enabling said thermal element to cause hoop stresses and preferential flexing of said cryogenic thermal bridge element into thermal contact with the apparatus when the cryogenic cooling source establishes cooling of said cryogenic thermal bridge element.
A mechanical coupling device for selectively connecting and disconnecting an apparatus to a thermal source, comprising:
- a thermal bridge element which can have a thermal source coupled thereto and comprised of a flexible structure having a first coefficient of thermal expansion, said thermal bridge element disposed apart from said apparatus until its temperature is changed by the thermal source;
- and
- a thermal stress element disposed circumferentially about and in thermal contact with said thermal bridge element and said thermal stress element having a second coefficient of thermal expansion appropriately different than said first coefficient of thermal expansion, thereby enabling said thermal element to cause hoop stresses and preferential flexing of said thermal bridge element into good thermal contact with the apparatus when the thermal source establishes a change of temperature of said thermal bridge element.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.