Easy Joining of Dissimilar Materials in Concentric Tubes

APPLICATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY:

Electrochemical devices, e.g. solid oxide fuel cells Filter elements Gas sparger/bubbler/fluid manifold Wear coatings Thermal barrier layers Chemical resistance coatings Current collection

ADVANTAGES:

More robust than current methods Promises easier manufacturing Allows inspection of the outside of an internal layer

ABSTRACT:

Steven Visco, Mike Tucker and colleagues have invented an efficient method for joining concentric tubes of dissimilar materials to form a robust, composite tubular structure. The method was developed in the context of tubular solid oxide fuel cells but could be applied to filter elements, gas manifolds, or any other device with concentric tubes where the pore size, total porosity, chemical, mechanical, or electronic properties must vary in the radial direction.

Unlike current processes, the Berkeley Lab method makes it unnecessary for the tubes to display adhesive, chemical, or sintering bonding to each other. The inventors exploit radial shrinkage during sintering to join tubular layers to one another primarily by compressive and friction forces, and possibly some mechanical interlocking, thus “shrink-wrapping” an outer tube onto an inner tube. The new method is not only simple, but promises to produce more robust joining. It also enables inspection of the outside of an internal concentric layer before an external layer is applied. This is not possible in a manufacturing scheme where all of the layers are produced as a single green body and subsequently co-sintered.

Inventor(s): Steven Visco, Mike Tucker

Type of Offer: Licensing



« More Material Science Patents

---