Corning Glass Works

Jack A Brothers

Robert C Doman

Robert N McNally

Wendell S Blanding

William T Kane

Margaret M Layton

Paul L Walsh

Harold A Brouneus

A novel electrochemical cell including a solid electrolyte heated to an elevated temperature for operation and an integral cell electrode/heater for heating the electrolyte. Solid electrolyte embodiments are described. The integral electrode/heater is applied to a surface of the solid electrolyte and is resistively heated by an alternating electric current. A portion of the solid electrolyte may also be resistively heated. The described or comparable cells may be incorporated into an oxygen detector or similar apparatus where the apparatus is operated by alternately heating the cell and measuring the emf developed by the cell across its electrode. The invention is also, in part, a unique, solid electrolyte-integral cell electrode/heater configuration which provides a zone of uniform maximum heating at a predetermined location within the electrolyte and which, when used with a suitable resistive heating electric current, confines the current to the integral electrode/heater prolonging cell life. Another aspect of the invention is the use of a radio frequency alternating electric current for resistively heating an electrochemical cell. Preferably, the radio frequency selected is sufficiently high so as to eliminate any offsets in the emf developed by the cell which are caused by the heater current. The invention also includes an apparatus for measuring the concentration of particular gases, such as oxygen, incorporating either and, preferably, both other inventive aspects of the invention. The preferred cell configuration reduces the complexity of such an apparatus by eliminating the auxiliary heat source and provides a more accurate and reliable electrochemical sensing cell. Radio frequency heating allows the operations of cell heating and emf measurement to proceed independent and concurrently and provides a continuously responding, self-heating detection apparatus.

Integrally heated electrochemical cell method and apparatus

Plastically formable material, which may be formed under pressure into desired shapes, is fed while in a fluid or plastically formable condition to a pair of cooperating surfaces which are relatively movable into compressive relationship with material disposed therebetween. The face of at least one of such surfaces is patterned with a plurality of juxtapositioned geometrical impressions of desired size and shape so as to form a ribbon or sheet of uniformly sized and shaped particles from the plastically formable material supplied to the cooperating surfaces. The uniform particles are initially joined together by thin web or edge portions which maintain the continuity of the newly formed particles within a sheet form. However, after the ribbon of newly formed particles has become sufficiently rigid, such as through the cooling of a molten thermoplastic material or the drying or firing of a green ceramic material from which such ribbon may be formed, the ribbon may then be flexed in various directions to separate the particles along the edge or web portions, thus providing a plurality of individual particles having substantially uniform size and shape.

Method of manufacturing connected particles of uniform size and shape

Dense fused cast product and fused grain product of material whose microstructure consists essentially of at least 70 volume % chrome-containing corundum solid solution crystal phase, at least about 5 volume % oxidic secondary crystal phases mainly comprising chrome-containing alkaline earth hexaluminate solid solution, and less than 10 volume % metal phase. Analytical composition of material, by weight, consists essentially of at least 90% Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 +Cr.sub.2 O.sub.3, 20-60% Cr.sub.2 O.sub.3, 1-4% MO where M is Ca, Ba, Sr, Mg, Fe and mixtures thereof, 0.4-3.5% CaO, BaO, SrO and mixtures thereof, not greater than 3% MgO, not greater than 3.5% FeO, &lt;5% SiO.sub.2, up to 0.5% fluorine, &lt;1.5% R.sub.2 O wherein R is Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs and mixtures thereof, up to 2% TiO.sub.2 and up to 3% ZrO.sub.2. Resistant to corrosion by soda-lime and borosilicate glasses. Notable electrical resistivity with SiO.sub.2 &lt;1% by weight.

Fused refractory

Fused abrasive grain consists essentially of: (1) crystalline phases of corundum and zirconia, with an average crystallite size smaller than 300 microns and at least in part being an eutectic matrix and (2) analytically by weight, about 44 to 91% (preferably 44 to 80%) Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, about 5 to 50% (preferably 17.6 to 50%) ZrO.sub.2 to 0.1 to 12% (preferably 0.2 to 5%) R.sub.2 O.sub.3 wherein R is at least one metal selected from vanadium, chromium, manganese and cobalt, the percentage of R.sub.2 O.sub.3 is based on all R metal content calculated as R.sub.2 O.sub.3, and the balance, if any, being incidental impurities not exceeding 2%. The R metal content is present as oxide in solid solution within the corundum, as random particles of aluminate phase and/or as small particles of the R metal scattered throughout the grain, depending upon the relative oxidizing-reducing ambient conditions during melting. Melted raw material is formed, directly or indirectly, into grain of appropriate particle sizes for use in abrasive articles such as grinding wheels, coated abrasive products and the like.

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Painted Post, NY, United States of America

Jack A Brothers