General Electric Company

Ge Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC

Thomas Carson Tiearney, Jr

Gregory Alan Steinlage

Michael Scott Hebert

Kirk Alan Rogers

Brian D Lounsberry

Ben David Poquette

William D Love

David K Moorman

Melvin Robert Jackson

Mark Gilbert Benz

Mark Ernest Vermilyea

Robert John Zabala

Paul A Siemers

Pazhayannur Ramanathan Subramanian

Ian Strider Hunt

Donald Robert Allen

William F Banholzer

Kenwood Dayton

Kamleshwar Upadhya

Liqin Wang

David S Lee

Srihari Balasubramanian

Christian Bennett Fuller

Michael Allan Lathrop

Paul U Ujari

Ray Alden Henrichsen

Karen A Lou

An x-ray tube includes a frame enclosing a high vacuum, a cathode positioned within the enclosure, and a target assembly. The target assembly includes a target cap, a focal track material positioned on the target cap to receive electrons from the cathode, and a foam material positioned within a cavity of the target cap and positioned proximate the focal track. The x-ray tube also includes a bearing assembly attached to the frame and configured to support the target assembly.

X-ray tube target having enhanced thermal performance and method of making same

A system and method for x-ray tube components is disclosed. The method of fabricating an x-ray tube component includes providing a powder into an electrically conductive die constructed to have a cavity shaped as the x-ray tube component being fabricated and simultaneously applying a mechanical pressure and an electric field to the die so as to cause sintering of the powder and thereby fabricate the x-ray tube component, wherein the electric field applied to the die directly passes through the die to the powder, so as to generate heat internally within the powder responsive to the applied electric field.

Field assisted sintering of X-ray tube components

An x-ray tube includes a cathode and a target assembly positioned to receive electrons emitted from the cathode. The target assembly includes a target and a spiral groove bearing (SGB) configured to support the target. The SGB includes a rotatable component having a first surface and a first material attached to the first surface, a stationary component having a second surface and a second material attached to the second surface, the stationary component positioned such that a gap is formed between the first material and the second material, and a liquid metal positioned in the gap. At least one of the first and second materials has a thickness greater than 0.1 mm.

Interface for liquid metal bearing and method of making same

A composite target for generating x-rays includes a target substrate and at least one material applied to the target substrate with a laser beam.

Apparatus for x-ray generation and method of making same

A target for generating x-rays includes a target substrate, a target shaft attached to the target substrate, and a radiation emissive coating applied to at least one of the target substrate and the target shaft, wherein a center-of-gravity of the target is positioned between a front bearing assembly and a rear bearing assembly of an x-ray tube.

Method and apparatus for increasing heat radiation from an x-ray tube target shaft

In some embodiments, an X-ray target includes a target cap formed of a substrate material and a focal track layer of emitting material, and at least one of the substrate material and the emitting material has a density greater than about 95.0% of theoretical density. In some embodiments, a method of manufacturing an X-ray target includes forming an intermediate target cap form of substrate material and a focal track layer of emitting material, and compacting the intermediate target cap form by application of gas pressure at elevated temperature to form a final target cap form, and at least the substrate material is dense substrate material having a final density greater than an intermediate density or the emitting material is dense emitting material having a final emitting material density greater than an intermediate emitting material density.

X-ray system, X-ray apparatus, X-ray target, and methods for manufacturing same

An x-ray anode for use in an x-ray tube is provided. The x-ray anode includes a substrate material, a target material, and one or more graded coefficient of thermal expansion material layers. The target material is coupled to the one or more graded coefficient of thermal expansion material layers and the graded coefficient of thermal expansion material layers are coupled to the substrate material. A method of making the x-ray anode is also provided.

Method for making a light weight high performance target

Apparatus and method for light weight high performance target

An X-ray target material comprising an oxide-dispersion strengthened Mo (ODS-Mo) alloy. ODS-Mo refers to molybdenum strengthened by a fine dispersion of insoluble oxide particles of one or more of the following compounds: La O , Y O and CeO . ODS&mdash;Mo alloy improves upon the prior art by providing higher and more uniform strength and creep resistance over the applicable temperature range of large brazed graphite targets. This, in conjunction with higher-strength graphite, allows the target to spin faster without causing graphite burst, thus providing improvement in peak power. The recrystallization temperature of the fabricated material is high enough to maintain original properties through all target processing, including a very high-temperature braze cycle.

X-ray tube targets made with high-strength oxide-dispersion strengthened molybdenum alloy

An x-ray imaging apparatus having an anode stem assembly with explosion-bonded joints is provided. Explosion-bonding the components of an anode stem assembly to one another provides a hermetic seal with increased reliability as well as reducing the anode stem's susceptibility to thermal and/or mechanical induced fracture. By eliminating the need for brazing and/or welding material within the anode stem, the present invention also provides an anode stem with increased heat transfer capabilities. Further, providing explosion-bonded joints creates a simple joint microstructure absent any voids and temperature-induced phases not previously present in the anode stem materials.

Explosion bonded anode stem of an x-ray tube assembly

A rotating anode target for X-ray devices comprises a circular graphite disc structure both of whose front and back sides or faces taper equally towards each other and define a narrow rim surface and central hub section. A larger area of the front face is coated with a focal track metal which extends coextensively over the front face to overlap part of the rim surface. The slant height dimension of the focal track metal is greater than the diameter of the hub section.

X-ray tube anode target

A high performance x-ray tube rotating target having a reactive barier layer between the substrate and the emissive coating and, if desired, a protective layer of molybdenum between the reactive barrier and the emissive coating is disclosed.

High performance metal x-ray tube target having a reactive barrier layer

A composite target for an x-ray tube has a graphite substrate portion and a metal portion, the two portions being bonded together by platinum and platinum alloying materials. The preferred alloying materials are tungsten and nickel which act in conjunction with the platinum to improve the bond resulting in an x-ray tube having a longer life span.

Bonding materials and process for anode target in an x-ray tube

A composite target for an x-ray tube has a graphite substrate portion and a metal portion, the two portions being bonded together by a platinum braze. A tantalum wetting agent layer on the graphite acts to improve the bond by causing the platinum to better wet the graphite portion.

X-ray tube target

An x-ray tube target has improved heat dissipation by applying a layer of diamond between the focal track and the target body. The diamond layer can be applied directly to a graphite target body, a graphite disc covered with silicon carbide or to a disc composed of an molybdenum alloy such as TZM.

Growing community of inventors

Waukesha, WI, United States of America

Thomas Carson Tiearney, Jr