High frequency tube method and apparatus

Claim 1

A HIGH FREQUENCY TUBE APPARATUS INCLUDING, MEANS FOR PRODUCING AND DIRECTING A BEAM OF CHARGE PARTICLES OVER A PREDETERMINED BEAM PATH LONGITUDINALLY OF THE TUBE, MEANS FOR COLLECTING THE BEAM AT THE TERMINATING END OF THE BEAM PATH, MEANS FORMING AN ELONGATED VACUUM ENVELOPE STRUCTURE INTERPOSED AND INTERCONNECTING SAID BEAM PRODUCING MEANS AND SAID BEAM COLLECTING MEANS IN SURROUNDING SPATIAL RELATIONSHIP TO SAID BEAM PATH THEREBETWEEN, SAID ELONGATED VACUUM ENVELOPE BEING OF GENERALLY HOLLOW CYLINDRICAL FORM WITH GENERALLY UNIFORM OUTSIDE DIMENSIONS AND BEING COMPOSED OF A PLURALITY OF METALLIC TUBULAR SEGMENTS OF GENERALLY UNIFORM OUTSIDE TRANSVERSE DIMENSIONS AND MADE OF MATERIAL HAVING GREATER STRENGTH AND LOWER ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY THAN COOPER AND JOINED END TO END AT GAS TIGHT SEALS THEREBETWEEN, SAID GAS TIGHT SEALS BEING FORMED BY OUTWARDLY DIRECTED ANNULAR MATING FLANGE PORTIONS CARRIED AT THE JOINED ENDS OF ADJACENT ONES OF SAID TUBULAR SEGMENTS, SAID FLANGE PORTIONS HAVING MAXIMUM TRANSVERSE DIMENSIONS GREATER THAN THE OUTSIDE TRANSVERSE DIMENSIONS OF THE IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT PORTIONS EXTEND RADIALLY OUTWARDLY FROM THE EXFLANGE PORTIONS EXTEND RADIALLY OUTWARDLY FROM THE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID TUBULAR SEGMENTS, SAID MATING FLANGE PORTIONS BEING SEALED TOGETHER IN A GAS TIGHT MANNER, AND THE INSIDE SURFACE OF A PLURALITY OF SAID TUBULAR SEGMENTS DEFINING THE INSIDE WALLS OF A PLURALITY OF CAVITY RESONATORS SUCCESSIVELY SPACED APART ALONG THE BEAM PATH IN ELECTROMAGNETIC ENERGY EXCHANGING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BEAM PASSABLE THERETHROUGH, WHEREBY SAID SEGMENTED VACUUM ENVELOPE FORMS A COMPOSITE RIGID TUBE BODY AND VACUUM ENVELOPE STRUCTURE HAVING GAS TIGHT JOINTS READILY ACCESSIBLE FROM THE EXTERIOR THEREOF FACILITATING REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT OF TUBE ELEMENTS.