US3763553A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method of fabricating intermetallic type superconductors
Assignee: Imperial Metal Industries Kynoch Ltd
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Filing: 1972-09-26
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Granted: 1973-10-09
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Expires: 1992-09-26
Abstract
Abstract A method of manufacturing a superconductor which contains a superconductive intermetallic compound of at least two elements, includes the steps of producing a composite precursor having at least one filament which contain at least one of said elements and is embedded in and supported by a ductile metal matrix material, passing the precursor into a molten bath containing the remainder of said elements which removes substantially all of the matrix material from said filament(s) and which replaces the removed matrix material with a substance comprising the remainder of said elements, and reacting together said elements to produce said compound.
Inventors
- 👤 A Barber
- 👤 I Mcdougall
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 23:37
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10N; H10N60/00; H10N60/01; H10N60/0184; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S505/00; Y10S505/825; Y10S505/917; Y10S505/918; Y10S505/919; Y10S505/921; Y10T; Y10T29/00; Y10T29/49; Y10T29/49002; Y10T29/49014; Y10T29/4981
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
36 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 in which the step of reacting together the elements to produce the compound is carried out in the molten bath or in a vapor consisting of said bath material.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 in which the step of reacting together the elements to produce the compound is carried out after emergence of said filament from the molten bath.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
49 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the molten bath into which the precursor is passed contains the remainder of said elements and removes the matrix material from said filament or filaments by dissolution, the temperature of the molten bath being below the melting point of said filament.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the precursor includes at least one reinforcing filament which is not soluble in or react with the molten bath and which forms part of the manufactured superconductor.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
29 words
A method as claimed in claim 5 in which the reinforcing material consists of at least one filament which is covered with a material unreactive with the molten bath.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said filament is formed of niobium and the remainder of the elements are chosen from the group consisting of tin, aluminum, and germanium.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said filament is formed of vanadium and the remainder of the elements consists of silicon or a silicon alloy, in particular a copper-silicon alloy.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said intermetallic compound is chosen from the class consisting of Nb3Al, Nb3Ga, and V3Ga.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
18 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said filament is twisted about the axis of the superconductor.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
71 words
A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein niobium filaments in a matrix of copper, or silver, or an alloy thereof are passed into a bath of molten tin at a temperature of about 500*C, said filaments remain in the bath for about 5 minutes, the filaments are removed from the bath and heat treated in another liquid tin bath for about 5 minutes in a temperature range of about 870*C-950*C.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
42 words
A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein niobium filaments in a matrix of copper, or silver, or an alloy thereof are passed into a bath of molten tin at a temperature of 950*C for a period in excess of 5 minutes.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
37 words
A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein niobium filaments in a copper matrix are passed first through a bath of molten tin at a temperature of 800*C, and then into a second bath at about 950*C.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said filament is in the form of a tube containing copper, aluminium, silver or an alloy thereof.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
38 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the manufactured intermetallic superconductor is passed through a bath of molten copper, aluminium or silver or an alloy thereof to produce a layer of good normal conductor on the superconductor.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
17 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said filament has a diameter of approximately 10 microns.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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Cited
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-10-08 | 1977-04-09 | 1977-10-09 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-10-08 | 1981-04-09 | 1981-10-09 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-10-08 | 1985-04-09 | 1985-10-09 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |