General Electric Company

Michael John Danyluk

Richard Eugene Klaassen

Thomas James Batzinger

Carey Shawn Rogers

Dennis Michael Gray

John Broddus Deaton, Jr

Robert S Gilmore

Ian Strider Hunt

Donald Robert Allen

James Norman Barshinger

Patrick Joseph Howard

Wei Li

Kenwood Dayton

Ben David Poquette

Liangheng Qiu

Michael Everett Keller

David Charles Copley

David Paul Lappas

Santosh Kumar Tiwari

William John Schaefer

Various methods and systems are provided for providing coatings and textures to surfaces of a bearing assembly in an x-ray system to control the wettability of the surfaces when components of the bearing assembly rotate during operation of the x-ray system. A lubricant is disposed in a gap formed between a shaft and a sleeve of the bearing assembly such that textured and coated surfaces of the shaft and sleeve alter wetting properties between the lubricant and surfaces. The coatings and textures can be wetting or anti-wetting to further enhance control over the behavior of the lubricant.

Method and systems for texturing liquid bearing surfaces in X-ray tubes

An x-ray system includes x-ray tube containing a cathode which supplies electrons and an anode which can be maintained at high positive electrical potential to the cathode and has a target area which is impacted by electrons from the cathode when the positive potential is maintained generating x-rays. The x-ray tube is enclosed in a radiation resistant casing. The radiation resistant casing has a window which allows some of the x-rays generated at the target area to exit the system. The window has a vapor deposited layer of a filtering metal of sufficient thickness to effectively condition the x-rays passing through the window and located to intercept the x-rays passing through the window.

X-ray system window with vapor deposited filter layer

An x-ray tube includes a frame enclosing a high vacuum, a cathode positioned within the enclosure, a bearing assembly a stationary component comprised of a first base substrate, the first base substrate having a first surface, a rotatable component comprised of a second base substrate, the second base substrate having a second surface, wherein the rotatable component is positioned proximate the stationary component such that a gap is formed between the first surface and the second surface, a liquid metal positioned within the gap, and an antiwetting coating attached to at least one of the first surface and the second surface, the coating includes titanium nitride attached to the at least one of the first surface and the second surface, and an oxide of titanium attached to the titanium nitride.

Antiwetting coating for liquid metal bearing and method of making same

An x-ray tube includes a housing enclosing a vacuum chamber, a cathode positioned within the vacuum chamber configured to emit electrons, and an anode positioned within the vacuum chamber to receive the electrons emitted from the cathode and generate a beam of x-rays from the electrons. The x-ray tube also includes a magnetic coupler drive configured to rotate the anode, with the magnetic coupler drive having an inner rotor frame positioned within the vacuum chamber and an outer rotor frame positioned outside the vacuum chamber and adjacent the inner rotor frame. The magnetic coupler drive also includes an inner rotor magnet mounted to the inner rotor frame and an outer rotor magnet mounted to the outer rotor frame. The inner and outer rotor magnets interact to generate a magnetic field that transfers torque from the outer rotor to the inner rotor, thereby causing the inner rotor to rotate the anode.

Magnetic coupler drive for x-ray tube anode rotation

A bearing assembly for an x-ray tube is disclosed that includes a bearing race, a bearing ball positioned adjacent to the bearing race, and a combination coating deposited on one of the bearing race and the bearing ball. The combination coating includes titanium carbide and a solid lubricant.

Titanium carbide plus silver coated balls for x-ray tube bearings

The present disclosure provides for the application of a two-dimensional ultrasonic phased array (), formed of a plurality of transducers () arranged in a rectilinear pattern, for material and volumetric component testing. The two-dimensional array enables electronic adjustment of the focal properties and size of the aperture in both the azimuthal and elevational directions such that uniform and/or specified sound field characteristics can be obtained at any or all locations in the component being tested.

Two dimensional phased arrays for volumetric ultrasonic inspection and methods of use

An ultrasonic inspection element and method are provided for improved ultrasonic inspection of curved entry surface parts. The transducer element may be spherically focused, or have a flat surface. The transducer/mirror element combination is used to inspect through a concave or convex surface. A mirror element shapes the sound beam relative to the shape of the curved surface of the part being inspected. Curvature of the mirror is adjusted with a screw, rod, voltage modulator, or other suitable adjustment mechanism. An alternative mechanism includes multiple &ldquo;quick disconnect&rdquo; interchangeable curved mirror elements.

Adjustable acoustic mirror

Growing community of inventors

Waukesha, WI, United States of America

Michael John Danyluk