Hughes Aircraft Company

Raytheon Company

Clark A Saito

Mir Akbar Ali

Manuel B Valle

Stuart J Marble

Ronald E Hoover

Robert S Hutchins

A thermal shunt comprising flexible graphite fibers for removing heat from components coupled thereto and providing mechanical isolation. The thermal shunt comprises a plurality of stacked layers of graphite fibers secured together at opposite ends to form rigid sections at the respective opposite ends that provide for thermal coupling. Portions of the graphite fibers between the rigid sections are flexible and provide mechanical isolation between components to which the thermal shunt is coupled.

Flexible graphite fiber thermal shunt

An electrochemical storage cell (20) includes ceramic housing frame (22) with a flat plate solid ceramic electrolyte (32) bonded to a internal shoulder (26) of the housing frame (22) with a glassy seal (33). A metallic weld ring (34) is bonded to each end of the housing frame (22). Each weld ring (34) has a welding flange (36) disposed parallel to a respective end of the housing frame (22) and also has a bonding flange (40). The bonding flange (40) lies parallel and adjacent to an internal surface (24) of the housing frame (22) if the coefficient of thermal expansion of the weld ring (34) is less than that of the housing frame (22), and parallel and adjacent to an external surface (28) of the housing frame (22) if the coefficient of thermal expansion of the weld ring (34) is greater than that of the housing frame (22). A glassy seal (42) is formed between the bonding flange (40) of each weld ring (34) and the respective adjacent surface (24 or 28) of the housing frame (22). The glassy seals (33 and 42) are formed by heating an assembly of the components to the glass transition temperature of the glassy seal material to effect bonding and then slowly cooling to minimize thermal stresses.

Glass sealing of electrochemical storage cell structures

An electrochemical storage cell (20) includes a ceramic housing frame (22) with a flat plate solid ceramic electrolyte (32) bonded to a internal shoulder (26) of the housing frame (22) with a glassy seal (33). A metallic weld ring (34) is bonded to each end of the housing frame (22). Each weld ring (34) has a welding flange (36) disposed parallel to a respective end of the housing frame (22) and also has a bonding flange (40). The bonding flange (40) lies parallel and adjacent to an internal surface (24) of the housing frame (22) if the coefficient of thermal expansion of the weld ring (34) is less than that of the housing frame (22), and parallel and adjacent to an external surface (28) of the housing frame (22) if the coefficient of thermal expansion of the weld ring (34) is greater than that of the housing frame (22). A glassy seal (42) is formed between the bonding flange (40) of each weld ring (34) and the respective adjacent surface (24 or 28) of the housing frame (22). The glassy seals (33 and 42) are formed by heating an assembly of the components to the glass transition temperature of the glassy seal material to effect bonding and then slowly cooling to minimize thermal stresses.

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Cerritos, CA, United States of America

Clark A Saito