Laminate thin-wall ceramic tubes, including with integral stress wrappings, thickened ends and/or internal baffles, particularly for solid oxide fuel cells

Abstract

Very thin cast ceramic tape, preferably approximately 12 &mgr;m in thickness, is wrapped, preferably in a reversing spiral or helix, around a mandrel, preferably a mandrel made of steel and coated with a wax releasing agent, for so many times, preferably five or greater, as achieves a desired thickness of a tube wall, preferably about 100 &mgr;m. The green ceramic tube is then laminated in a pressure laminator, preferably a hydrostatic laminator at 3000 to 5000 psi, linking polymer chains between each ceramic layer, cross-linking polymer chains within each ceramic layer, and densifying the produced ceramic laminate tube by reducing porosity. By varying the wraps, wrapping and/or mandrel surface, high quality thin-wall laminate ceramic tubes having any of (i) external reinforcement windings as enhance burst strength, (ii) thickened end regions as facilitate mounting while reducing breakage, and/or (iii) internal features, including baffles, as desirably induce turbulence in longitudinal gas flow, may all readily be fabricated, including in an automated process.