Field assisted sintering of X-ray tube components
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsThomas Carson Tiearney, Jr., Gregory Alan Steinlage, Kirk Alan Rogers, Ben David Poquette
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method for x-ray tube components is disclosed. The method of fabricating an x-ray tube component includes providing a powder into an electrically conductive die constructed to have a cavity shaped as the x-ray tube component being fabricated and simultaneously applying a mechanical pressure and an electric field to the die so as to cause sintering of the powder and thereby fabricate the x-ray tube component, wherein the electric field applied to the die directly passes through the die to the powder, so as to generate heat internally within the powder responsive to the applied electric field.
Claims16
A method of fabricating an x-ray tube component, the method comprising:
- providing a powder into an electrically conductive die, wherein the die is constructed to have a cavity shaped as the x-ray tube component being fabricated;
- and
- simultaneously applying a mechanical pressure and an electric field to the die so as to cause sintering of the powder and thereby fabricate the x-ray tube component;
- wherein the electric field applied to the die generates heat internally in the die that is passed to the powder, so as to heat the powder responsive to the applied electric field.
A method of fabricating an x-ray tube component useable in an x-ray tube, the method comprising:
- providing a powder into an electrically conductive die, wherein the powder comprises one of a refractory metallic powder, a non-refractory metallic powder, and a ceramic powder, and wherein the die is constructed to have a cavity shaped as the x-ray tube component being fabricated;
- compacting the powder into the electrically conductive die;
- prepping a volume about the die for a subsequent sintering operation, wherein prepping the volume comprises one of creating a vacuum environment about the die or introducing an inert or reducing gas about the die;
- performing a field assisted sintering technology (FAST) process to sinter the powder and thereby fabricate the x-ray tube component.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.