Abstract:
At least the surface region of a cutting tool substrate made of tungsten carbide in a cobalt matrix is carburized to chemically passivate the cobalt prior to deposition of diamond film on it. The passivation improves adhesion by preventing reaction of the cobalt with the diamond in the course of the deposition process. To further improve adhesion of the diamond, cobalt is removed from the exposed surfaces of the tungsten carbide grains by heat treatment in inert gas or by hydrogen plasma.
Abstract:
Methods for preparing a cutting tool substrate material for diamond coating include providing a grooved pattern on selected portions of at least the top surface and preferably also the sides of the substrate material. The pattern may be a cross-hatching, a diamond-hatching, or another design. The pattern is preferably applied to the tool substrate by scribing with a laser ablation tool. The pattern is designed to optimize adhesion of CVD diamond on the portions of the tool substrate which are expected to be most challenged during a cutting process. The dimensions of the pattern (e.g. the depth and spacing of scribe lines) are selected to provide the optimum combination of mechanical bonding and diamond nucleation during the CVD coating of the tool substrate. According to preferred aspects of the invention, the pattern is applied only to the portions of the surface not immediately adjacent to the cutting edge of the tool substrate, thereby sparing the geometry of the cutting edge itself. According to a one embodiment of the invention, the pattern includes a cross hatch on the top surface and on the side surfaces of the substrate. According to a another embodiment, the top surface is cross hatched in the center while the corners of the top surface are provided with parallel grooves. In another embodiment, the side surfaces are provided with parallel grooves parallel to the top surface.
Abstract:
Shaped ceramic articles can be obtained by forcing a ceramic precursor gel into a belt provided with apertures corresponding to the shapes of the desired articles, freezing the gel in the apertures so that they can be removed without losing structural integrity and then removing the frozen articles from the belt and drying and firing them to produce the desired shaped ceramic articles.
Abstract:
An x-ray detector for computer-assisted tomography (CAT) having an array of cadmium tungstate scintillation crystal rods (16) for generating light output which is coupled to photodiode (24) has the end edges of the rods chamfered (30) to reduce variations in the optical response output of the rods to the photodiode with variations in the axial location of the light generation in the rod.
Abstract:
A water wall heat transfer system comprising tube block and assembly, the assembly comprising a plurality of parallel tubes (91) connected therebetween by a membrane (92), wherein the tube block comprises: a) a base section, and b) a plurality of spaced ridges (3) extending upward from the base section, the upper surface of at least one of the spaced ridges defining a generally horizontal surface, the ridges being spaced to define channels (4) therebetween, the height of at least one of spaced ridges being such that the membrane of the assembly seats thereon, said tube block containing a means for securing the tube block to the tube assembly.
Abstract:
A glass embedded, sintered ceramic comprising a total sintering aid concentration of between about 1 and about 5 w/o, said ceramic having a reaction layer of less than about 750 microns, where the reaction layer is defined as the depth at which the sintering aid concentration is 80% of that of the bulk of the ceramic, and the ceramic is selected from the group consisting of silicon nitride, silicon carbide, boron carbide, titanium diboride, and aluminum nitride.
Abstract:
Shaped ceramic articles can be obtained by forcing a ceramic precursor gel into a belt provided with apertures corresponding to the shapes of the desired articles, freezing the gel in the apertures so that they can be removed without losing structural integrity and then removing the frozen articles from the belt and drying and firing them to produce the desired shaped ceramic articles.
Abstract:
The reliability of a braze joint formed between a diamond film and a tungsten carbide body is increased by use of a vanadium containing braze. The braze joint exhibits an average shear strength greater than about 40,000 pounds per square inch, (276 MPa) and the braze exhibits a contact angle with the diamond film of less than about 15°.
Abstract:
The invention relates to synthetic diamond films in which the undesirable bowing is reduced by reducing the severe non-uniform intrinsic stress distribution across the diamond thickness. According to one aspect of the invention, the defect density is reduced in the initial deposition zone of the diamond film. Application to, in particular, relatively large area diamond films.