The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 01, 1994
Filed:
May. 13, 1993
Ronald B Adamson, Fremont, CA (US);
Donald C Bartosik, Wilmington, NC (US);
Eric B Johansson, Wrightsville Beach, NC (US);
Cedric D Williams, Wilmington, NC (US);
General Electric Company, San Jose, CA (US);
Abstract
A method of manufacturing fuel channels made of zirconium-based alloy by combining heat treatment, warm forming and thermal sizing. Fuel channel strip material is heated to a temperature which initiates the transformation from a hexagonal close-packed to a body-centered cubic crystallographic phase and then quenched at a rate which initiates transformation to a hexagonal close-packed crystallographic phase having a texture factor f.sub.L =0.28-0.38. The heat-treated strips are formed into fuel channel components by bending at an elevated temperature sufficient to increase the ductility of the strip material. After the fuel channel components are welded together, the fuel channel is annealed by thermal sizing.