Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Eaton Corporation

The United States of America As Represented by the United States

Graham A Whitlow

William R Lovic

Gerald Joseph Bruck

Suh Y Lee

Alan T Male

Paul Graham Slade

Robert G Charles

James E Smith

Thomas S Snyder

Carl Baldwin Freidhoff

Natraj C Iyer

Paul O Wayland

Aleksander I Braginski

Paul E Denney

Charles J Spengler

Egon A DeZubay

Ronald D O'Brokta

John C Powell

Philip E Carpentier

Mehmet N Gungor

Raymond A Hilgert

A new class of low chop contact materials based on Ag-chromium carbide and Ag--Cr compositions have an essentially 100% dense, porosity free microstructure. These materials combine the advantageous properties of Ag--WC and Cu--Cr contacts without their disadvantages. A method of making this new class of low chop contact materials includes the steps of cold pressing a mixture of Ag and chromium or chromium carbide to form an unsintered blank and the elevated temperature infiltration of silver into the unsintered blank to obtain an essentially 100% dense, porosity free microstructure.

Electrical contact compositions and novel manufacturing method

A 100% dense, porosity free copper-chromium contact has been prepared in which deleterious porosity has been eliminated. This copper-chromium contact has been produced by pressurizing liquid copper to infiltrate an evacuated chromium based, lightly sintered, highly porous preform. The electrical contact has one of either a homogeneous Cr distribution and a graded Cr distribution. The apparatus used to effect the molten metal infiltration has two independent, physically separated chambers--a first cold chamber and a second hot chamber. The first chamber is under no applied pressure except inside a gating system used to transfer molten Cu into the porous preform in the first chamber. The new contact has about 15-30% Cr material and a high erosion resistant contact surface. The graded Cr distribution has a Cr rich layer with about 25-50% by weight Cr, an intermediate Cr layer with about 15-20% by weight Cr, a low Cr layer with about 5-15% Cr and a Cr poor layer with about 1-5% Cr above a copper substrate.

Porosity-free electrical contact material, pressure cast method and

A new class of low chop contact materials based on Ag-chromium carbide and Ag-Cr compositions have an essentially 100% dense, porosity free microstructure. These materials combine the advantageous properties of Ag-WC and Cu-Cr contacts without their disadvantages. A method of making this new class of low chop contact materials includes the steps of cold pressing a mixture of Ag and chromium or chromium carbide to form an unsintered blank and the elevated temperature infiltration of silver into the unsintered blank to obtain an essentially 100% dense, porosity free microstructure.

A layer selected from a group comprising: molybdenum, tantalum, tungsten, osmium, rhenium, ruthenium and an alloy of two or more thereof on the under surface of an electrical contact acts as a barrier to copper diffusion from the braze material into the contact structure. A thin nickel layer on the barrier facilitates the brazing of the barrier coated contact surface to the copper electrodes.

Electrical contact containing a braze diffusion barrier

A method to form a superconducting wire or ribbon contains the steps: (1) forming ceramic powder, (2) forming pellets from the powder, (3) inserting the pellets in a metal sheath, (4) reducing the cross-section of the sheathed pellets to form a composite, (5) sealing the composite in a deformable container, (6) hot isostatically pressing the composite at a temperature over 600.degree. C., where the temperature is close to or just above the melting point of the core, and (7) annealing the pressed composite in a source of oxygen at a temperature from 770.degree. C. to 870.degree. C. for at least 40 hours.

Hot isostatic processing of high current density high temperature

A method of making a composite having superconducting capability is characterized by the steps: (1) forming a mixture of particulate yttrium or rare earth, that is alloyable with Ba and Cu, with particulate Ba, Cu, and Ag, where Ag additive is present in an amount of from 2 weight % to 30 weight % of the mixture, where the Ag additive has a particle size from 0.01 micrometer to 5 micrometers, (2) melting the mixture, (3) forming on a support surface a 10% to 30% porous ribbon of alloy having an interior Ag network, (4) removing the ribbon, (5) placing the ribbon alloy on top of a metal sheet, (6) placing a metal sheet on top of the ribbon alloy, (7) sealing the ribbon alloy within the metal sheets to form a composite, (8) uni-directional rolling the composite to reduce its cross-section, and (9) annealing the composite at from 100.degree. C. to 900.degree. C. in the presence of a source of oxygen, to provide a ceramic ribbon having contacting Ag additive particles effective to carry electrical current from the ceramic ribbon to the metal sheets at temperatures greater than 100.degree. K.

Alloy method of making a composite having superconducting capability

An integrated process for decontamination of metals, particularly metals that are used in the nuclear energy industry contaminated with radioactive material. The process combines the processes of electrorefining and melt refining to purify metals that can be decontaminated using either electrorefining or melt refining processes.

Integrated decontamination process for metals

A superconductor is made, having a core (10) of superconducting material, enclosed by a contacting metallic sheath (12), where the sheath (12) contains a layer of Ag-Pd alloy with interdispersed, discrete particles of a metal selected from the group consisting of W, Mo, Ni and their mixtures.

High temperature superconductor having a high strength thermally matched

A method of electroless deposition of gold from a solution onto ceramic oxide superconducting particles is characterized by the steps: (1) adding gold chloride to organic solvent-optional reducing agent for the gold chloride to provide a gold solution, (2) mixing the ceramic oxide superconducting particles with the gold solution, to provide a suspension, (3) optionally adding reducing agent for the gold chloride, (4) stirring and heating the suspension to deposit a layer of gold metal on the particles, and (5) separating the particles.

Method of electroless depositing of gold onto superconducting particles

Perforated plugs fitted into combustion air holes in a rotary combustor in which combustion air for burning municipal solid waste passes through the perforations to prevent molten aluminum and fines from passing through the perforations and the method of preventing molten aluminum from passing through the perforations using the plugs.

Perforated plugs for air holes in a rotary combustor

A material which exhibits different resistivity in mutually perpendicular directions is formed by providing sections of a first metal and interposing therebetween relatively thin sections of an insert metal. Passes are made over each section of metal insert with a high energy beam which produces, on each pass, an alloyed zone comprised of the first metal and metal insert and which zone, by different manufacturing techniques, will extend from one surface of the body to an opposed surface. The metal insert may be a thin section of a unitary piece of metal or may be comprised of a plurality of different layers. Alternatively, the metal insert may be comprised of one or more rods inserted into holes drilled into a base member.

Anisotropic resistivity material and method of making same

Near net shape metal articles are cast from powder feedstock using a focused high energy beam which melts successive layers of powder as it repetitively traces the shape of the article over a substrate without the necessity for refocusing. Powder is fed into a cavity in which the article is formed at a rate to maintain a depth which provides lateral support for, and therefore forms a mold for, a thick layer of powder which is melted by the energy beam to add each layer to the article. The high energy laser or electron beam has a power density sufficient to penetrate the melted layer of powder and melt the surface of the underlying substrate or layer just enough to provide a good metallurgical bond for the layer being added. A copper fixture which supports the substrate while the article is being formed, serves as a heat sink and forms the cavity which confines the powder to the vicinity of the article being formed. Various shapes can be cast through selected programming of the repetitive pattern of relative motion between the energy beam and the substrate.

Energy beam casting of metal articles

A rotary combustor has a wall formed from water cooled pipes that are secured together by welded perforated strips. The strips comprise cylindrical shaped metallic rods and the perforations are provided either by forming apertures through the cylindrical shaped metallic rods, or by slots formed between segments by spacing segments of cylindrical shaped rods along the pipes, or by gaps formed between welds that are provided at spaced intervals along the pipes and rods. A method of fabricating a rotary combustor wall is also provided.

Rotary combustor wall and method of forming same

Superconductor wire, and methods of constructing same, including one or more filaments formed of submicron-particle superconductor powder each surrounded by an encapsulating sheath having a composite wall. The composite wall includes a ductile outer skin surrounding a relatively harder, higher yield strength inner wall portion. The harder, higher strength inner wall portion improves dimensional uniformity of the filaments as the wire is fabricated, with the potential for enhanced superconducting performance, while the ductile outer skin enhances metallurgical bonding between the outer skins of adjacent filaments, to ensure a homogenous, thermally conductive and normally electrically conductive matrix.

Superconductor wire and methods of constructing same

A water cooled kiln comprises a cylindrical combustor structure made up of a plurality of generally parallel water pipes spaced circumferentially about the periphery of the structure, and a plurality of webs circumferentially interconnecting the pipes so as to present the cylindrical combustor structure. The webs are provided with openings so that combustion air may flow therethrough and into the combustion chamber defined by the cylindrical combustor structure. The webs are protected from corrosion and erosion by the provision of a protective sheet constructed of a corrosion resistant material which is placed in covering relationship to the web inside the chamber. The protective sheet is spaced slightly from the web by dimples or corrugated strips and is attached to the web by spot welding for example. Air proceeding toward the combustion chamber enters through the opening in the web and is diverted by the protective sheet so that the air flows through the plenum between the web and the sheet and cools both the web and the sheet to diminish the corrosive and erosive effects inherent in the combustion chamber. The diverted air flows through the plenum and enters the chamber about the edges of the protective sheet.

Growing community of inventors

Murrysville, PA, United States of America

Graham A Whitlow