US3815224A
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Method of manufacturing a ductile superconductive material
Assignee: United States Atomic Energy Commission
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Filing: 1971-06-08
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Granted: 1974-06-11
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Expires: 1991-06-08
Abstract
Abstract A ductile superconductive material and method for manufacturing same, which basically may utilize any porous metal or its hydride with a melting point substantially higher than that of the infiltrating metal that will form a superconductive compound when reacted with the infiltrating metal. The superconductive material is made from a porous strip or tape of niobium or vanadium for example, infiltrated with tin, aluminum, antimony, antiomony, or gallium, for example, and treated in a manner so as to contain interconnecting filaments of the superconducting phase Nb3Sn, Nb3A1, Nb3(A1,Ge), Nb3Sb, or V3Ga, for example. The novel manufacturing process, which is relatively simple and inexpensive provides a method of producing a new and useful end product capable of a broad superconductive range due to the amount of reaction of the infiltrated material with the porous material. The novel process may be utilized in either batch or continuous operational applications.
Inventors
- 👤 M Pickus
- 👤 E Parker
- 👤 V Zackay
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 12:38
CPC Classifications
C; C22; C22C; C22C1/00; C22C1/04; C22C1/0475; H; H10; H10N; H10N60/00; H10N60/01; H10N60/0184; H10N60/80; H10N60/85; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S428/00; Y10S428/922; Y10S428/9265; Y10S428/93; Y10S505/00; Y10S505/80; Y10S505/815; Y10S505/818; Y10S505/821; Y10S505/823; Y10S505/825; Y10S505/917; Y10S505/918; Y10S505/919; Y10S505/921; Y10T; Y10T29/00; Y10T29/49; Y10T29/49002; Y10T29/49014; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/12; Y10T428/12014; Y10T428/1216
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
25 words
The method defined in claim 1, wherein the step of forming the metallic strip is accomplished by compacting finely powdered metallic material into a strip.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method defined in claim 1, wherein the step of forming the metallic strip is accomplished by compacting hydrides of selected metallic material into a strip, the hydrides decomposing to form the porous metallic strip during the sintering step.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
45 words
The method defined in claim 1, wherein the step of diffusion heat treating the thus infiltrated metallic strip is accomplished by passing same through a diffusion heat treating furnace wherein at least a portion of the metallic material is reacted with the porous metallic strip.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method defined in claim 1, additionally including the step of collecting the diffusion heat treated metallic strip by rolling same on a collecting apparatus.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
53 words
The method defined in claim 1, wherein the step of forming the porous metallic strip is accomplished by containing niobium powder of a particle size in the range of -100 to -400 mesh, and directing the thus contained niobium powder through a compacting roller apparatus forming a continuous ''''green'''' strip of porous niobium.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
54 words
The method defined in claim 6, wherein the step of sintering is accomplished by passing the poRous niobium strip through a sintering furnace having an atmosphere selected from the group consisting of vacuum and inert gas, a temperature in the range of 1,850*C to 2,250*C, and for a time period of about 3 minutes.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
50 words
The method defined in claim 6, wherein the step of infiltrating the porous niobium strip is accomplished by passing the strip through a bath of molten tin having a temperature range of 500*C to 1000*C and for a time period ranging from less than 1 minute to about 3 minutes.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method defined in claim 7, wherein the step of thickness reduction of the tin-infiltrated strip is accomplished by passing the strip through a rolling apparatus whereby the thickness of the strip is reduced in the order of up to 75 percent.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
63 words
The method defined in claim 9, wherein the step of diffusion heat treating the tin-infiltrated strip is accomplished by directing the strip through a diffusion heat treating furnace having a temperature in the range of 925*C to 1,075*C for a time period varying from less than 1 minute to several hours depending on the amount of infiltrated tin to be converted to Nb3Sn.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
80 words
The method defined in claim 1, wherein the porous metallic strip constitutes a porous niobium strip, wherein the step of infiltrating the niobium strip is accomplished by directing the strip through a molten bath selected from the group consisting of tin, aluminum, antimony, germanium and mixtures thereof, and wherein the diffusion heat treating of the infiltrated niobium strip creates a superconductive material containing interconnected filaments of a superconducting phase selected from the group consisting of Nb3Sn, Nb3Al, Nb3(Al,Ge), and Nb3Sb.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
77 words
The method defined in claim 1, wherein the porous metallic strip constitutes a porous vanadium strip, wherein the step of infiltrating the vanadium strip is accomplished by directing the strip through a molten bath, selected from the group consisting of gallium, aluminum, germanium, and mixtures thereof, and wherein the diffusion heat treating of the infiltrated vanadium strip creates a superconductive material containing interconnected filaments of superconducting phase selected from the group consisting of V3Ga, V3Al, and V3(Al,Ge).
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method defined in claim 1, wherein the step of diffusion heat treating is accomplished by coiling the thus infiltrated strip, and subjecting the thus coiled strip to a diffusion heating means.
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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) | 1977-06-10 | 1977-12-10 | 1978-06-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-06-10 | 1981-12-10 | 1982-06-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-06-10 | 1985-12-10 | 1986-06-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |