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US 6,550,280 B1Granted
Process of sintering a hanging silica tube so as to exhibit a low bow
AssigneeAgere Systems Guardian Corp.
InventorsEric M Monberg, Frederick W. Walz, Jr.
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention involves fabricating a ceramic tube, e.g., a silica overcladding tube, with very little bow, e.g., about 0.3 mm per meter or less. In particular, the invention involves securing the tube by a handle that both allows the tube to hang plumb during treatment, and also is capable of deforming during such heat treatment to maintain the plumb arrangement.
Claims13
A process for fabricating an article, comprising the steps of:
- providing an unsintered ceramic tube;
- forming a hole through the entire diameter of the ceramic tube, where the hole is perpendicular to the tube axis, and where the hole is located proximate to a first end of the tube;
- inserting into the first end of the tube a tip of a handle, where the handle tip comprises a hole perpendicular to the long axis of the handle, the hole corresponding to the hole in the ceramic tube;
- providing a pin through the hole in the tube and the hole in the handle tip;
- securing the end of the handle opposite the tip, such that the tube is able to hang at least substantially plumb;
- and
- firing the ceramic tube while the tube is hanging at least substantially plumb.
4 more elements
The process of claimed 4, wherein the handle tip is tubular and is formed from silica.
A process for fabricating an article, comprising the steps of:
- securing an unsintered silica tube such that it is able to hang substantially plumb;
- and
- sintering the tube while the tube is hanging substantially plumb,
- wherein the sintered tube exhibits a bow of about 0.3 mm per meter or less.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.