Method and apparatus for irradiating organic polymers with electrons

Claim 2

APPARATUS FOR INCREASING UNIFORMLY OF DOSE PRODUCED BY ELECTRON IRRADIATION IN A PRODUCT WHICH IS DIVISIBLE INTO THIN LAYERS, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION; MEANS FOR CREATING A STREAM OF HIGH ENERGY ELECTRONS AND MEANS FOR CONDUCTING SUCH A PRODUCT THROUGH SAID STREAM IN SUCH A MANNER THAT, DURING THE IRRADIATION OF ANY POINT IN SUCH PRODUCT, THE NORMALIZED PRODUCT THICKNESS INTERVENING BETWEEN SUCH POINT AND THE ELECTRON SOURCE ASSUMES A SEQUENCE OF VALUES, WHICH SEQUENCE IS SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME FOR ALL POINTS IN THE PRODUCT.

Claim 3

THE PROCESS FOR CONTINUOUSLY IRRADIATING WITH HIGH ENERGY ELECTRONS FROM A HIGH VOLTAGE ACCELERATING APPARATUS, LAYERS OF AN ORGANIC POLYMER SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF POLYETHYLENE, CHLORINATED POLYETHYLENE, CHLOROSULFONATED POLYETHYLENE, SUPERPOLYAMIDE RESINS, NATURAL RUBBER, COPOLYMERS OF BUTADIENE AND STYRENE, COPOLYMERS OF BUTADIENE AND ACRYLONTRILE, ORGANOPOLYSILOXANES CONVERTIBLE TO THE CURED, SOLID, ELASTIC STATE, POLYACRYLONTRILE, AND POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE, SAID LAYERS HAVING A THICKNESS SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THE PENETRATION DEPTH OF SAID ELECTRONS, WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES IRRADIATING A PLURALITY OF LAYERS OF SAID ORGANIC POLYMER WITH SAID HIGH ENERGY ELECTRONS WHILE PASSING A PLURALITY OF LAYERS OF SAID POLYMER SIMULTANEOUSLY THROUGH A BEAM OF HIGH ENERGY ELECTRONS HAVING AN ENERGY OF AT LEAST 50,000 ELECTRON VOLTS, THE COMBINED THICKNESS OF SAID PLURALITY OF LAYERS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE PENETRATION DEPTH OF SAID ELECTRONS, AND THEN REPASSING THE PLURALITY OF LAYERS THROUGH THE BEAM OF ELECTRONS A PLURALITY OF DIFFERENT TIMES WITH THE POSITION OF EACH LAYER OF SAID POLYMER WITH RESPECT TO SAID PLURALITY OF LAYERS ASSUMING A SEQUENCE OF VALUES DURING SUCCESSIVE PASSES THROUGH SAID BEAM OF ELECTRONS AND WITH SUBSTANTIALLY EVERY ONE OF SAID LAYERS ASSUMING THE SAME SEQUENCE OF VALUES, WHEREBY EACH LAYER RECEIVES SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME TOTAL IRRADIATION DOSAGE.

Claim 4

THE PROCESS FOR CONTINUOUSLY IRRADIATING WITH HIGH ENERGY ELECTRONS FROM A HIGH VOLTAGE ACCELERATING APPARATUS, LAYERS OF AN ORGANIC POLYMER SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF POLYETHYLENE, CHLORINATED POLYETHYLENE, CHLOROSULFONATED POLYETHYLENE, SUPERPOLYAMIDE RESINS, NATURAL RUBBER, COPOLYMERS OF BUTADIENE AND STYRENE, COPOLYMERS OF BUTADIENE AND ACRYLONTRILE, ORGANOPOLYSILOXANES CONVERTIBLE TO THE CURED, SOLID, ELASTIC STATE, POLYACRYLONTRILE, AND POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE, SAID LAYERS HAVING A THICKNESS SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THE PENETRATION DEPTH OF SAID ELECTRONS, WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES IRRADIATING A PLURALITY OF LAYERS OF SAID ORGANIC POLYMER WITH SAID HIGH ENERGY ELECTRONS WHILE PASSING A PLURALITY OF LAYERS OF SAID POLYMER SIMULTANEOUSLY THROUGH A BEAM OF HIGH ENERGY ELECTRONS HAVING AN ENERGY OF AT LEAST 50,000 ELECTRON VOLTS, THE COMBINED THICKNESS OF SAID PLURALITY OF LAYERS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE PENETRATION DEPTH OF SAID ELECTRONS, AND THEN REPASSING THE PLURALITY OF LAYERS THROUGH THE BEAM OF ELECTRONS A PLURALITY OF DIFFERENT TIMES WITH THE POSITION OF EACH LAYER OF SAID POLYMER WITH RESPECT TO SAID PLURALITY OF LAYERS ASSUMING A SEQUENCE OF VALUES DURING SUCCESSIVE PASSES THROUGH SAID BEAM OF ELECTRONS AND WITH SUBSTANTIALLY EVERY ONE OF SAID LAYERS ASSUMING THE SAME SEQUENCE OF VALUES, WHEREBY EACH LAYER RECEIVES SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME TOTAL IRRADIATION DOSAGE.