University of Virginia Patent Foundation

Heinz G Wilsdorf

Charles M Adkins

Doris Wilsdorf

A multifiber electrical brush formed of an electrically conductive matrix material having plural electrically conducting fiber wires embedded therein and extending therefrom, wherein the fiber wires have a diameter varying from 1 to 120.mu.m, a length on the order of 100 times greater than the diameter thereof, and a packing density between 1-25%. Suitable materials for the fiber wires are platinum, gold, silver, copper, palladium, or niobium which may be embedded in a copper, silver, or other suitable matrix material, or copper embedded in an aluminum matrix. The fiber wires may be provided with a coating of a suitable barrier material on the lateral surfaces thereof as may be required to protect the fiber wires from etching during removal of the matrix material, or to prevent and/or retard interdiffusion between the matrix material and the fiber wire material during annealing or hot-forming of brush stock, and/or to impart improved electrical performance to the resultant electrical brush. The electrical brush is fabricated typically by drawing, cutting, bundling and redrawing metal fiber wires, with or without a coating or casing of a barrier material, packed in a tube of matrix material, whereupon after shaping of the multi-filamentary ends to the shape of an object to which the brush is to make contact, the matrix is etched away to a predetermined length, preferably under high centrifugal forces in a centrifuge and/or with the application of ultrasound.

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Charlottesville, VA, United States of America

Heinz G Wilsdorf