Apparatus for fabricating a foil

• US 5,351,938 A
• Filed: 02/11/1993
• Issued: 10/04/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Endress U Hauser GmbH U Company
• Original Assignee: Endress U Hauser GmbH U Company
• Inventors: Hegner, Frank, Reimann, Peter, Schmidt, Elke, Messmer, Stephan, Klahn, Thomas, Breitenstein, Heinz
• Primary Examiner(s): KASTLER, SCOTT R
• Application Number:
  US08/016,515
• Time in Patent Office: 600 Days
• Field of Search: 222/591, 222/594, 222/593, 266/236, 266/275, 266/280
• US Class Current: 266/236
• CPC Class Codes: B22D 11/0611 formed by a single casting wheel, e.g. for casting amorphous metal strips or wires
• CPC Class Codes: B22D 11/064 for supplying molten metal supplying molten metal to open-ended moulds B22D11/10
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 35/0233 Sheets, foils B23K35/0244 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 35/32 with the principal constituent melting at more than 1550 degrees C
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 9/0075 using a ceramic diaphragm, e.g. alumina, fused quartz, glass

Abstract

This active brazing serves to braze ceramic parts or single crystals or metal parts or to braze ceramic parts to single crystals or ceramic parts or single crystals to metal parts. In addition to the zirconium-nickel alloy, which is composed of 70 atom % to 85 atom % zirconium and 15 atom % to 30 atom % nickel, it contains titanium. In an apparatus for fabricating a foil (6) from this ternary active-brazing alloy by melt spinning which has a uniform thickness and two surfaces that are as smooth as possible, the alloy, after being melted by high-frequency heating in a cylindrical crucible (1) made completely of a high-temperature-resistant and highly thermally conductive nonmetallic material, particularly of high-density graphite or of boron nitride, is forced through an opening (3) in the bottom of the crucible onto a metal drum (5) of high thermal conductivity rotating at a high circumferential speed, on which the liquid alloy solidifies at a cooling rate on the order of 10³ to 10⁶ ° C./s. A product made using this ternary active brazing is a pressure sensor (10) having a substrate (12) and a diaphragm (11) of ceramic, particularly alumina ceramic, preferably with a purity of 96 wt.%, which are thermally joined around the periphery in a defined spaced relationship (d) and parallel to each other by means of the active brazing, e.g., by means of a preform (20) made therefrom, thus forming a chamber (13).

Claims

1. Apparatus for fabricating a foil (6) from a ternary active brazing alloy containing at least one of titanium, zirconium, or nickel by melt spinning, the foil having a uniform thickness and two generally smooth surfaces, the apparatus comprising a cylindrical uncooled crucible (1) made of high-density graphite or of boron nitride, means or melting the alloy in the crucible, and means for forcing the melted alloy through an opening (3) in the bottom of the crucible onto a metal drum (5) of high thermal conductivity rotating at a high circumferential speed, on which the liquid alloy solidifies at a cooling rate of about of 10³ to 10⁶ °

C/s.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the crucible (1) consists of an upper part (21) and a lower part (22).

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the crucible (1;

21,

     22) has a constant wall thickness.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the opening (3) of the crucible is located at the center of the bottom of the crucible (1;

22) and projects from the bottom surface.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the upper and lower parts (21, 22) are screwed together by means of suitable threads (23, 24), and wherein the quantity of alloy to be melted is received solely by a hollow space of the lower part (22).

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the opening (3) of the crucible is located vertically above the metal drum (5) in the prolongation of the diameter of the drum.

7. An apparatus for fabricating a foil having a substantially uniform thickness from a brazing alloy containing at least one of titanium, zirconium, or nickel, the apparatus consisting essentially of:

a drum having a high thermal conductivity;

means for rotating the drum;

an uncooled crucible made from a high-density graphite material or from a boron nitride material for holding molten brazing alloy therein, the crucible being formed to include an opening for discharging the molten brazing alloy from the crucible and onto the drum;

means for heating the crucible to melt the brazing alloy in the crucible; and

means for cooling the drum so that the molten brazing alloy solidifies on the drum at a cooling rate of 10³ to 10⁶ °

C./s.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the heating means includes a coil surrounding the crucible for heating the crucible with high frequency energy.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the crucible is made of high-density graphite.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the crucible is made of boron nitride.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the crucible includes a lower part removably coupled to an upper part.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the upper part and the lower part are threaded together, and wherein the quantity of alloy to be melted is received solely by a hollow space of the lower part.

13. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the crucible includes an outer wall having a substantially uniform thickness.

14. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the opening formed in the crucible is located vertically above the metal drum in the prolongation of the diameter of the metal drum.

15. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising means for forcing the molten brazing alloy through the opening in the crucible and onto the drum.