Process for producing tubular ceramic structures of non-circular cross section
AssigneeWATT Fuel Cell Corp.
InventorsCaine Finnerty, Benjamin Emley
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Tubular ceramic structures of non-circular cross section, e.g., anode components of tubular fuel cells of non-circular cross section, are manufactured by applying ceramic-forming composition to the external non-circular surface of the heat shrinkable polymeric tubular mandrel component of a rotating mandrel-spindle assembly, removing the spindle from said assembly after a predetermined thickness of tubular ceramic structure of non-circular cross section has been built up on the mandrel and thereafter heat shrinking the mandrel to cause the mandrel to separate from the tubular ceramic structure of non-circular cross section.
Claims24
A process for producing tubular ceramic structures of non-circular cross section is provided which comprises:
- a) rotating a mandrel-spindle assembly having a non-circular external cross section corresponding to the non-circular internal cross section of the tubular ceramic structure to be produced, the mandrel-spindle assembly comprising a mandrel component and a spindle component, the mandrel component being a heat shrinkable polymeric tube of non-circular cross section the external surface of which corresponds to the internal surface of the tubular ceramic structure of non-circular cross section to be produced and the internal surface of which defines a bore, the spindle component having a non-circular cross section corresponding to that of the bore of the mandrel and being in close fitting but slidably removable contact therewith;
- b) applying a ceramic-forming composition to the external surface of the mandrel component of the rotating mandrel-spindle assembly to produce a tubular ceramic structure of non-circular cross section the internal surface of which is in contact with the external surface of the mandrel;
- c) removing the spindle from the bore of the mandrel to provide a mandrel-tubular ceramic structure assembly in which the interior surface of the tubular ceramic structure of non-circular cross section remains in contact with the external surface of the mandrel;
- and,
- d) heat shrinking the mandrel component of the mandrel-tubular ceramic structure assembly to cause the mandrel to undergo shrinkage to a reduced size in which the external surface of the mandrel separates from the interior surface of the tubular ceramic structure of non-circular cross section facilitating removal of the mandrel therefrom.
Apparatus for producing tubular ceramic structures of non-circular cross section which comprises:
- a) a support track;
- b) a traveling frame movably mounted upon the support track;
- c) a mandrel having a non-circular cross section and an external surface for supporting ceramic-forming material deposited thereon, the mandrel being rotatably mounted within the traveling frame;
- d) a first driver for moving the traveling frame in back-and-forth cycles upon the support track;
- e) a second driver for rotating the mandrel, the second driver being flexibly coupled to the mandrel to allow movement of the mandrel in a direction perpendicular to its axis of rotation;
- and,
- f) a stationary spray nozzle disposed proximate to the surface of the mandrel and adapted to deposit a ceramic-forming composition thereon, the distance between the spray nozzle and the surface of the mandrel remaining substantially constant throughout a complete rotation of the mandrel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.