Methods of strengthening metal halide particles, and improved lamp fill material
OwnerScott Anderson, Steve Hanseninventors
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Abstract
Particle compositions are described comprising certain metal halides in combination with a strengthening agent. The addition of the strengthening agent to a metal halide particle increases the particle's strength thereby reducing breakage on impact and during handling. When used as a vaporizable metal halide fill in discharge lamps, the particle strength is increased without significantly altering the spectral and electrical characteristics of the lamp. Methods of making the particles and arc tube containing the particles are also disclosed.
Claims27
In a method of forming a particle suitable for introducing lamp fill material into a gaseous discharge lamp determinative of the spectral characteristics of the lamp, the method including the steps of (i) providing a lamp spectral characteristic determinative fill material comprising one or more metal halides;
- (ii) melting the fill material;
- and (iii) forming a particle from the melted fill material, the improvement comprising the step of admixing a strengthening agent to the fill material in an amount sufficient to comprise between about 0.25 and 5.0 mole percent of the admixture, the strengthening agent being added to the fill material prior to the step of melting the fill material so that the particle is formed from the melted admixture, the strengthening agent comprising one or more metal halides from the group consisting of gold halide, silver halide, and copper halide.
A method of strengthening a metal halide particle suitable for use as a lamp fill material for a gaseous discharge lamp, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a lamp fill material determinative of the color characteristics of the lamp, the fill material comprising one or more metal halides,
- (b) admixing a strengthening agent comprising one or more metal halides from the group consisting of silver halide, gold halide, and copper halide;
- and
- (c) forming a particle from the admixture,
- wherein the strengthening agent comprises between about 0.25 and 5.0 mole percent of the admixture.
A method of forming a strengthened particle suitable for introducing lamp fill material into a gaseous discharge lamp determinative of the spectral characteristics of the lamp, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing fill material determinative of the spectral characteristics of the lamp, the fill material comprising one or more of the following halides:
- (i) iodides, (ii) bromides and (iii) chlorides of one or more of the following metals:
- Li, Na, K, Rb and Cs in Group 1,
- Mg, Ca, Sr and Ba in Group 2,
- Sc, Y and La in Group 3,
- Ti, Zr and Hf in Group 4,
- Ta and Nb in Group 5,
- Mn in Group 7,
- Fe in Group 8,
- Co in Group 9,
- Ni in Group 10,
- Zn, Cd and Hg in Group 12,
- Al, Ga, In and Tl in Group 13,
- Sn and Pb in Group 14,
- As, Sb and Bi in Group 15,
- Te in Group 16,
- Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, and Lu in the Lanthanide Series, and
- Th in the Actinide Series
- (b) admixing the spectral characteristic determinative fill material with a strengthening agent comprising one or more metal halides from the group consisting of AgIX, AgBrX, AgClX, CuIX, CuBrX, CuClX, AuIX, AuBrX and AuClX where 0.95<X<1.05, the strengthening agent comprising between about 0.25 and 5.0 mole percent of the admixture;
- (c) melting the admixture;
- and
- (d) forming the particle.
A method of increasing the strength of a metal halide particle comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a mixture of one or more metal halides which if melted and formed into a particle would form a particle having a breaking strength less than 200 grams as measured by crushing the particle between two parallel surfaces;
- (b) admixing a sufficient amount of strengthening agent to comprise between about 0.25 and 5.0 mole percent of the admixture, the strengthening agent comprising one or more halides from the group consisting of gold halide, silver halide, and copper halide;
- (c) melting the admixture;
- and
- (d) forming a particle from the melted admixture.
A method of increasing the strength of a metal halide particle comprising the steps of:
- (a) admixing one or more parent metal halides and a strengthening agent comprising one or more halides of one or more metals of the group consisting of silver, gold and copper;
- (b) melting the admixture;
- and
- (c) forming the melted mixture into a particle,
- wherein the amount of the strengthening agent comprises between about 0.25 and 5.0 mole percent of the admixture.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.