General Atomics, Inc.

Rayotek Scientific, Inc.

William A Raggio

Lawrence D Woolf

Frederick H Elsner

Michael V Fisher

Kurt M Schaubel

Roko S Bujas

Ralf Dunkel

Robert A Olstad

A method for manufacturing a fused metal sight window that melts the metal of the frame around the window, instead of the traditional method of melting the window into the frame. Since most of the superior optical transparent materials (such as fused silica, sapphire, YAG, ALON, diamond, fused quartz and magnesium fluoride) have a melting point higher than most metals, it was not previously possible to create fused metal sight windows with these materials. By melting the frame onto the window, many new combinations of metals and optical materials may be used while retaining the strength of the sight window that results from fusing the metal and the window.

Method for manufacturing a fused metal sight window with a high flow temperature optical material

A lens for protective gear has first and second polymer layers with a glass layer therebetween. The glass layer is fused to the first and second polymer layers and encapsulated by the first and second polymer layers with the glass layer in compression. The lens may have a coating that provides the lens with (i) less than about 5 percent transmittance for light having wavelengths of less than 400 nm and greater than about 700 nm for an entire horizontal field of view of the lens, (ii) greater than 75 percent transmittance of light having wavelengths of between about 400 nm and about 700 nm for the entire horizontal field of view of the lens with less than about 5 percent transmittance of light having wavelength between about 530 nm and about 580 nm for a horizontal field of view of the lens of not greater than 60 degrees.

Lens for protective gear

A frac plug is configured to seal a pipe of a downhole well. The frac plug includes a cylindrical plug member comprising a glass body made of a tempered or high-compression glass. The plug member has axial opposite ends with a tapered outer diameter surface extending along its length between the ends. The frac plug further includes a seal of compressible material extending substantially around the plug member outer diameter. The seal has opposite axial ends corresponding to the axial ends of the plug member. The seal is movable axially relative to, and compressible against, the plug member outer diameter surface, thus allowing the seal expand radially outward to engage the bore of the pipe. The frac plug is anchored in the pipe bore with clamping portions on axially opposite ends of the plug member. The clamping portion may include bore engagement portions that are arcuate or radially expanding fingers.

Frac plug with anchors and method of use

A vacuum insulating glass (VIG) panel comprises first and second panels of glass spaced from another with a separation space therebetween. The VIG panel further comprises spacers disposed between the first and second glass panels to define the separation space. The spacers are generally arranged in a matrix between the first and the second glass panels. The spacers are coated with a coating material comprising particles having an average size of less than about 1 micron. The coating material may be polytetrafluoroethylene particles having an average particle size in a range of about 200 nanometers to about 700 nanometers.

Vacuum insulated glass panel with spacers coated with micro particles and method of forming same

A frac plug is configured to seal a bore of a pipe of a downhole well. The frac plug comprises a generally cylindrical plug member comprising a glass body. The glass body may be tempered or high-compression glass. The plug member has axial opposite ends and a length extending between the axial ends. The plug member has an outer diameter surface extending along the length. The outer diameter surface is tapered. The frac plug further comprises a seal of compressible material extending substantially around the plug member outer diameter. The seal has opposite axial ends generally corresponding to the axial ends of the plug member. The seal is movable axially relative to the plug member outer diameter surface. The seal is compressible against the plug member outer diameter surface and expandable radially outward to engage the bore of the pipe.

Oil well plug and method of use

A method of forming a hermetically sealed electrodless lamp envelope includes: (1) forming an envelope blank; (2) depositing a gas and light generating expedient material in an interior of the envelope blank; (3) arranging a window on an open end of the envelope blank; and (4) using an ultra-short pulse laser system to locally heat the axial end of the envelope blank and the window to seal the window on the envelope blank without degrading the contents deposited in an interior of the envelope or damaging or cracking the envelope blank and/or window.

Method of manufacturing an electrodeless lamp envelope

A vacuum insulated glass (VIG) panel includes a first glass panel and a second glass panel spaced from the first glass panels. A spacer is disposed between the first and second glass panels. The spacer includes first and second generally opposed faces, and a plurality of sides extending therebetween. The spacer is processed using tumbling and polishing operations to preferably round all corners of the spacer and form a circular contact footprint on opposed side faces of the spacer. The spacer surface break conditions are measured during tumbling and/or polishing operations using optical flat measuring equipment. Following the polishing operation the spacer is thermally processed to strengthen the spacer.

Method of forming a vacuum insulated glass panel spacer

By measuring ultralow moisture permeation through a barrier material sample at a temperature substantially above ambient, definitive values are produced on an accelerated basis that can be used to accurately predict long term daily performance of that barrier material. The sample is heated to a desired test temperature where there is controlled access to both its upstream and downstream surfaces, and HTO vapor is then supplied at predetermined relative humidity to the upstream surface by fracturing a glass ampoule containing not more than 10 millicuries of specific radioactivity for each test. Radioactive gas permeating from the downstream surface is collected by circulating a very slow flow of dry carrier gas past the downstream surface, which stream flows to an ionization chamber containing a beta-particle radiation monitor. Continuous monitoring generates signals that are converted to calculate instantaneous permeation rates through the sample, and operation at such elevated temperature is carried out until the values being monitored reach a steady state, allowing accurate prediction of the extent of long term barrier protection against moisture permeation the sample will exhibit.

Accelerated ultralow moisture permeation measurement

A process for joining ceramic superconductor fibers with a channel to fabricate a superconductor wire includes concertedly drawing the fibers and the channel together to feed the fibers into the channel. A flowable solder paste is continuously dispensed into the channel over the fibers. The combination of channel, fibers and solder paste is then subjected to a rapid rise in temperature which melts the solder. The molten solder is then frozen to encase the fibers in the solder and attach the solder to the channel to create a superconductor wire.

Method and apparatus for fabricating a multifilamentary wire

A ceramic superconductor comprises a substantially nonmagnetic preannealed nickel-based alloy substrate which supports a ceramic superconductor. The substrate may include aluminum to strengthen the substrate, make it less magnetic and enhance its chemical compatibility with the ceramic superconductor. The ceramic is formed on the substrate by sintering superconductor grains at temperatures above 1000.degree. C. to enhance densification of the ceramic.

Nickel-based substrate for ceramic superconductor

A method and apparatus for manufacturing a superconductor wire has a wire take-up spool and a feed speed control spool. A wire substrate is taken from the feed speed control spool and onto the take-up spool as the wire take-up spool is rotated. The wire passes through a container which holds a diffusion barrier material, where the diffusion barrier material is electrophoretically deposited onto the wire substrate and subsequently sintered. The wire is also passed through a container which holds a superconductor material suspended in solution, and a layer of the superconductor material is electrophoretically deposited onto the diffusion barrier. The grains of the superconductor layer are then magnetically aligned and sintered. Also, a silver coating is electrophoretically deposited onto the superconductor layer and sintered. A diffusion bonding inhibitor material is then applied to the silver coating. Then, the silver-coated superconductor wire is spooled and heated to four hundred degrees centigrade (400.degree. C.) for (1) day to oxidize the superconductor layer.

Fabrication of silver coated high temperature ceramic superconductor

A device for aligning superconductor filaments to form a filament layer includes a backboard and a number of motor-driven supply spools. Each of the supply spools is rotatably mounted on the backboard, and each of the supply spools holds one end of an individual superconductor filament. The opposite ends of the filaments are attached to a single rotatable wire take-up spool. Accordingly, the wire take-up spool can be rotated to transfer the filaments from the respective supply spools to the take-up spool. A combiner board is mounted on the backboard normal to the backboard between the supply spools and the wire take-up spool. The combiner board receives each of the superconductor filaments as the filaments are transferred from the respective supply spools to the take-up spool to guide the filaments into a layer of aligned superconductor filaments. Additionally, each supply spool has a tension controller individually associated with the respective supply spool. Each of the tension controllers engages the superconductor filament that is associated with the respective supply spool and establishes a speed of rotation for the associated supply spool motor such that it matches the speed of the take-up spool. In addition, the predetermined angle of pivot arm component of the tension controller establishes a predetermined tension of the respective filament.

Fiber combiner for aligning filaments in a planar filament array

An aqueous and method for manufacturing a ceramic superconductor coated metal fiber comprises a container for holding a nonaqueous solution inwhich particles of superconductor material are colloidally suspended to form a slurry. A voltage source is provided to influence the slurry with an electric field and a magnet device is provided to influence the slurry with a magnetic field. The magnetic field is oriented relative to the fiber to align the superconductor particles of the slurry in a desired orientation for subsequent attachment onto the surface of the fiber. The voltage source is connected to the metal fiber to electrically bias the fiber as it is drawn through the slurry. Consequently, charged superconductor particles in the slurry attach to the electrically biased fiber. Subsequently, the coated fiber is heated to sinter the aligned particles and establish a ceramic superconductor shell on the metallic fiber substrate.

Apparatus and method for manufacturing a ceramic superconductor coated

A substrate for supporting a ceramic superconductor comprises a metallic base member precoated with an yttrium oxide, rare earth oxide, or zirconium oxide layer and having a constituent oxide former which establishes an oxide layer with the yttrium oxide, rear earth oxide, or zirconium oxide on the surface of the substrate. A layer of ceramic superconducting material covers the substrate with the oxide layer between the metallic base member and the ceramic superconductor layer to inhibit the interdiffusion of respective constituent elements between the metallic base member and the ceramic layer. For applications requiring the transmission of electrical current through the ceramic layer over relatively extensive distances, the substrate can be formed as a wire or ribbon.

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Del Mar, CA, United States of America

William A Raggio