The United States of America As Represented by the Administrator of the

Charles D Stocks

Don A Gregory

Disclosed are a device and a method for inert gas plasma welding in a low pressure or vacuum environment. The device comprises: (1) a pre-plasma cavity having (a) a first opening therein capable of accepting an inert gas into the pre-plasma cavity, (b) first and second electrodes within the pre-plasma cavity capable of applying an electromagnetic field to the inert gas to thereby convert the inert gas into a plasma and (c) a second opening capable of allowing the plasma to exit the pre-plasma cavity and (2) a structure capable of directing the plasma from the second opening of the pre-plasma cavity to an arc welding cavity adjacent the second opening, the arc welding cavity capable of being placed adjacent to a working surface, the arc welding cavity further capable of accepting a welding material therein, the plasma impinging on the working surface and the welding material, the directing means focusing the plasma within the arc welding cavity to thereby increase a rate of heat transfer between the plasma and the working surface and the welding material. The present invention allows welding to be done in a vacuum by preventing the vacuum from prematurely dispersing the plasma.

Metal inert gas welding system for use in vacuum

The apparatus 11 according to the present invention effectively eliminates losses to reflection and/or secondary emission of the charged particle beam 13 being measured. It comprises a sense cup (17) with an interior chamber and an entry opening (25) through which the charged particle beam (13) enters. A sense cone (19) forms the rear wall of the interior chamber with the cone apex adjacent the entry opening (25). An outer case (21) surrounds the sense cup (17) and is electrically insulated therefrom. Charged particles entering the interior chamber are trapped and are absorbed by the sense cup and cone and travel through a current measuring device (15) to ground.

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Huntsville, AL, United States of America

Charles D Stocks