Babcock & Wilcox Technical Services Y-12, LLC

Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC

Ut-battelle, Inc.

Bwxt Y-12, LLC

Consolidate Nuclear Security, LLC

Edward B Ripley

Roland D Seals

Jonathan S Morrell

Russell Louis Hallman, Jr

Gerard Michael Ludtka

David K Mee

Layton N Howell, Jr

Michael John Renner

Jacob Lee Miller

Zachary C Nienstedt

Walter Duerksen

Alex W Nienstedt

David M Cecala

Glenn L Pfennigwerth

Gerald M Ludtka

William A Ripley

Methods and systems for characterizing ultrasonic environments using piezo-electric sensor devices. In general, a piezo-electric sensor assembly is disposed and selectively repositioned in the fluid in an ultrasonic cleaning vessel, before, while, or after a component to be cleaned is present, providing quantitative and directional data regarding the high and low energy areas within the tank, where cleaning will be more or less intense, as well as areas in which standing waves without cavitation are present, representing cleaning dead spots. Further, the presence of harmonic vibrations can be detected where a fixed frequency causes a part itself to resonate. Thus, wave cancellation, reinforcement, and relative uniformity can be mapped and assessed in an ultrasonic environment, such as an ultrasonic cleaning environment or ultrasonic environment used for another purpose.

Methods and assemblies for characterizing ultrasonic environments using piezo-electric sensor devices

An annular radioisotope target and method therefor that includes an inner cladding tube and a helical coil-shaped foil ribbon disposed over the inner cladding tube. The helical coil-shaped foil ribbon has a first end, a second end, a first edge and a second edge. An outer cladding tube is disposed over the helical coil-shaped foil ribbon and inner cladding tube, and end caps are attached to the outer cladding tube and the inner cladding tube.

Method of making an annular radioisotope target having a helical coil-shaped foil ribbon between cladding tubes

A method of efficiently forming a finished part, the method includes providing a cutting tool having a first cutting edge extending from a first end of the cutting tool, a second cutting edge extending from a second end of the cutting tool, and a shaping edge disposed between the first cutting edge and the second cutting edge. The cutting tool is advanced into a rotating workpiece such that the first cutting edge removes a trailing end of the rotating workpiece, the shaping edge shapes a working portion of the rotating workpiece, and the second cutting edge removes the working portion of the rotating workpiece to form the finished part.

Shaped cutting tool and method of use to efficiently form a finished part

A thermal protection barrier including a base layer having a high melting temperature granular media having free standing granules disposed within the base layer and a distributor grid layer having a plurality of spaced-apart distributors composed of a high melting temperature material disposed adjacent to the base layer. The spaced-apart distributors are dimensioned and configured to provide load bearing support to the thermal protection barrier prior to a breach of the thermal protection barrier and to divide and disperse a superheated flowing mass to the free standing granules of the base layer upon occurrence of a breach. In certain embodiments, the thermal protection barrier is positioned adjacent to a nuclear system such that, upon occurrence of a loss of containment accident, the distributor grid layer is positioned and configured to divide and disperse a superheated flowing nuclear mass to the free standing granules.

Thermal protection barrier

Composite structures having a reinforced material intermingled with a substrate wherein the reinforced material includes titanium monoboride, titanium diboride, or a combination thereof.

Toughened and corrosion- and wear-resistant composite structures and fabrication methods thereof

A thermal protection barrier including a base layer having a plurality of baffles with perforated walls and a high melting temperature granular media disposed within the plurality of baffles. When the base layer is breached by a thermal threat, the granular media is operable to flow through the perforated walls of the plurality of baffles to provide a controlled flow of granular media to an area proximate the breach for thwarting the thermal threat.

Thermal protection barrier for delaying access

A cutting tool for forming a finished part from a rotating workpiece includes a first cutting edge extending from a first end of the cutting tool, a second cutting edge extending from a second end of the cutting tool, and a shaping edge disposed between the first cutting edge and the second cutting edge. The first cutting edge is operable to remove a trailing end of the rotating workpiece and the second cutting edge is operable to remove a working portion of the rotating workpiece disposed between the trailing end and a leading end. The shaping edge is operable to shape the working portion of the rotating workpiece by advancing the cutting tool into the rotating workpiece until the first cutting edge removes the trailing end of the rotating workpiece and the second cutting edge removes the working portion of the rotating workpiece to form the finished part.

Shaped cutting tool

A microwave furnace includes a microwave casket having an inner surface forming an internal cavity. A heatable body, formed at least in part of a microwave susceptor material, is located in the internal cavity of the casket and heats in response to a microwave field. A thermal control system is provided, which includes a fluid flow path extending through the casket and has an inlet and an outlet formed in the microwave casket. A portion of the fluid flow path is adjacent the heatable body. The thermal control system flows a thermal transfer fluid through the fluid flow path via the inlet to absorb heat from the heatable body and to transfer the absorbed heat along the fluid flow path until the thermal transfer fluid exits the fluid flow path via the outlet.

Passive thermal control of microwave furnace components

A stub tuner apparatus includes a body portion having a first end and a second end and defining an internal space configured to carry electromagnetic energy. A gas-sealed pocket extends from the body portion such that, when the body portion forms a portion of a gas-sealed environment, the stub tuner apparatus is gas sealed. A stub is disposed in the gas-sealed pocket and the apparatus includes a linear translation means for moving the stub at least partially out from and into the pocket and at least partially into and out from the internal space without breaching the gas-sealed environment of the stub tuner apparatus.

Gas-sealed stub tuner for microwave systems

Disclosed is a passive, in-situ pressure sensor. The sensor includes a sensing element having a ferromagnetic metal and a tension inducing mechanism coupled to the ferromagnetic metal. The tension inducing mechanism is operable to change a tensile stress upon the ferromagnetic metal based on a change in pressure in the sensing element. Changes in pressure are detected based on changes in the magnetic switching characteristics of the ferromagnetic metal when subjected to an alternating magnetic field caused by the change in the tensile stress. The sensing element is embeddable in a closed system for detecting pressure changes without the need for any penetrations of the system for power or data acquisition by detecting changes in the magnetic switching characteristics of the ferromagnetic metal caused by the tensile stress.

Sensor and methods of detecting target materials and situations in closed systems

Composite structures having a reinforced material interjoined with a substrate, wherein the reinforced material comprises a compound selected from the group consisting of titanium monoboride, titanium diboride, and combinations thereof.

A family of materials wherein nanostructures and/or nanotubes are incorporated into a multi-component material arrangement, such as a metallic or ceramic alloy or composite/aggregate, producing a new material or metallic/ceramic alloy. The new material has significantly increased strength, up to several thousands of times normal and perhaps substantially more, as well as significantly decreased weight. The new materials may be manufactured into a component where the nanostructure or nanostructure reinforcement is incorporated into the bulk and/or matrix material, or as a coating where the nanostructure or nanostructure reinforcement is incorporated into the coating or surface of a 'normal' substrate material. The nanostructures are incorporated into the material structure either randomly or aligned, within grains, or along or across grain boundaries.

Processes for fabricating composite reinforced material

Disclosed are methods and systems for controlling of the microstructures of a soldered, brazed, welded, plated, cast, or vapor deposited manufactured component. The systems typically use relatively weak magnetic fields of either constant or varying flux to affect material properties within a manufactured component, typically without modifying the alloy, or changing the chemical composition of materials or altering the time, temperature, or transformation parameters of a manufacturing process. Such systems and processes may be used with components consisting of only materials that are conventionally characterized as be uninfluenced by magnetic forces.

Control of microstructure in soldered, brazed, welded, plated, cast or vapor deposited manufactured components

Pressure sensor

Systems for heat treating materials are presented. The systems typically involve a fluidized bed that contains granulated heat treating material. In some embodiments a fluid, such as an inert gas, is flowed through the granulated heat treating medium, which homogenizes the temperature of the heat treating medium. In some embodiments the fluid may be heated in a heating vessel and flowed into the process chamber where the fluid is then flowed through the granulated heat treating medium. In some embodiments the heat treating material may be liquid or granulated heat treating material and the heat treating material may be circulated through a heating vessel into a process chamber where the heat treating material contacts the material to be heat treated. Microwave energy may be used to provide the source of heat for heat treating systems.

Growing community of inventors

Knoxville, TN, United States of America

Edward B Ripley