Use of shaped charge explosives in the manufacture of x-ray tube targets
AssigneePicker International, Inc.
InventorRobert B. Campbell
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An explosive forming process provides an anode (10) suitable for use in a high energy x-ray tube. The process includes applying a shaped charge (54, 80, 90, 92) to a refractory material which has been formed in the general shape of the anode. The configuration of the charge is calculated to provide a target area (16) on the anode of uniform, high density which does not tend to outgas in the high vacuum conditions of the x-ray tube. The explosive process is capable of forming anodes with much larger diameters than is possible with conventional forging techniques.
Claims20
An anode for an x-ray tube comprising:
- a disk of a dense anode material which has been formed by explosively compressing an anode form with a shaped explosive charge, the shape of the charge being selected to compress the anode form uniformly at least in a target area of the anode form.
An x-ray tube comprising:
- an evacuated envelope;
- an anode within the envelope, the anode including a disk of a dense anode material which has been formed by explosively compressing an anode form with a shaped explosive charge, the shape of the charge being selected to compress the anode form uniformly in a target area of the anode form;
- and,
- a cathode supported within the envelope.
A method for forming an x-ray anode, the method comprising:
- forming an anode form in a general shape of the x-ray anode by sintering a powdered anode material;
- increasing the density of the anode form by explosively compressing the anode form with a shaped explosive charge, the shape of the charge being selected to compress the anode form uniformly at least in a target area of the anode form.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.