Abstract:
An anode plate for an X-ray tube includes an outer edge, a center region, and a plurality of slots disposed along the outer edge and extending toward the center region (210b) with each of the plurality of slots including a slot end. The anode plate further includes slot termination material disposed around a least a portion of the periphery of one or more of the slot ends, the slot termination material operable to reduce the tension stress or compression stress at the slot end.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a device for generating X-rays (69) comprising a source (5) for emitting electrons and a carrier (7) which is provided with a material (9) which generates X-rays as a result of the incidence of electrons. The device comprises a dynamic groove bearing (17) having an internal bearing member (23) and an external bearing member (21) by means of which the carrier is journalled so as to be rotatable about an axis of rotation (15). A first one (21) of the bearing members is connected to the carrier. A bearing gap (57, 59, 61) containing a liquid lubricant is present between the bearing members. The bearing gap forms part of a heat transfer path via which the heat, which is generated during operation as a result of the electrons impinging upon the X-ray generating material, is conducted from the carrier to the surroundings of the device. To improve the rate of heat transfer via said heat transfer path, the carrier (7) and at least a portion (33, 37) of said first bearing member (21), which portion at least partially covers the bearing gap (57, 59, 61), constitute an integral part of the device. Preferably, the carrier and said portion of the first bearing member are manufactured from a single piece of material. In this manner the heat transfer path does not include any material separations between the carrier and the part of the bearing gap covered by said portion of the first bearing member.
Abstract:
A rotary anode for a rotary anode X-ray tube has an anode disc with a supporting portion. A focal track is located in the vicinity of an outer diameter of the anode disc. The supporting portion has inhomogeneous material properties along a radial coordinate of the anode disc to provide a high mechanical load capacity in the area of an inner diameter of the anode disc and a high thermal load capacity at the focal track. These measures provide for a rotary anode for a rotary anode X-ray tube that meets the extreme thermal and mechanical loads during operation. Further, a method for manufacturing such a rotary anode is described as well.
Abstract:
A rotary-anode X-ray tube including a sleeve bearing with a stationary and a rotatable bearing portion having facing bearing faces, at least one of which is provided with a groove pattern, has a lubricant which is liquid at least in the operating condition present between the bearing faces. A reduction of bearing wear is achieved by addition of a solid having a low sliding friction to the lubricant.
Abstract:
A rotary anode for a rotary anode X-ray tube has an anode disc with a supporting portion. A focal track is located in the vicinity of an outer diameter of the anode disc. The supporting portion has inhomogeneous material properties along a radial coordinate of the anode disc to provide a high mechanical load capacity in the area of an inner diameter of the anode disc and a high thermal load capacity at the focal track. These measures provide for a rotary anode for a rotary anode X-ray tube that meets the extreme thermal and mechanical loads during operation. Further, a method for manufacturing such a rotary anode is described as well.
Abstract:
This invention relates to high power X-ray sources, in particular to those equipped with a rotating X-ray anode capable of delivering a higher short time peak power than conventional rotating x-ray anodes. This invention can overcome the thermal limitation of peak power by allowing fast rotation of the anode and by introducing a lightweight material with high thermal conductivity in the region adjacent to the focal track material. The fast rotation can be provided by using sections of the rotating anode disk made of anisotropic high specific strength materials with high thermal stability that can be specifically adapted to the high stresses of anode operation. Uses include high speed image acquisition for X-ray imaging, for example, of moving objects in real-time such as in medical radiography.
Abstract:
The present invention is related to high power X-ray sources, in particular to those ones that are equipped with rotating X-ray anodes capable of delivering a much higher short time peak power than conventional rotating X-ray anodes according to the prior art. The herewith proposed design principle thereby aims at overcoming thermal limitation of peak power by allowing extremely fast rotation of the anode and by introducing a lightweight material with high thermal conductivity (2) in the region adjacent to the focal track material (4). The extremely fast rotation is enabled by providing sections of the rotary anode disk made of anisotropic high specific strength materials with high thermal stability (1, 3, 6) which will be specifically adapted to the high stresses building up when the anode is operated, as for example fiber-reinforced ceramic materials. An X-ray system equipped with a high peak power anode according to the present invention will be capable of high speed image acquisition with high resolution and high coverage. Such a high-speed rotary anode disk can advantageously be applied in X-ray tubes for material inspection or medical radiography, for X-ray imaging applications which are needed for acquiring image data of moving objects in real-time, such as e.g. in the scope of cardiac CT, or for any other X-ray imaging application that requires high-speed image data acquisition. According to a further exemplary embodiment, the invention is directed to a rotary anode disk divided into distinct anode segments (10a, 10b) with adjacent anode segments which may e.g. be limited to each other by straight radial (14a) or S-shaped slits (14b) ranging from the inner anode bulk (1) to the inner radial edge of the anode disk's outer frame section (3). Other exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a rotary anode disk structure design which comprises liquid metal conductors (16a) between the inner anode bulk (1) and a rotary shaft (12) needed for rotating the rotary anode disk about its rotational axis (5), said liquid metal conductors (16a) providing a liquid metal connection between the rotary anode and its rotary shaft (12), or to a rotary anode disk structure which comprises a sliding radial connection (17) and a flexible heat conductor (18) between the inner anode bulk (1) and the rotary shaft (12).
Abstract:
An X-ray tube with a rotatable anode for generating X-rays and an X-ray apparatus and a method for balancing the rotary anode of an X-ray tube include balancing of the rotary anode applicable to an anode mounted inside an X-ray tube. The rotatable anode includes an anode disc fixedly mounted to a rotatably driven support body, which is rotatably supported by a bearing arrangement. The anode includes at least one balancing cavity to adjust the center of gravity of the anode. The balancing cavity is partly filled with a balancing material being solid at operating temperature of the X-ray tube and liquid at a higher temperature. The balancing method includes determining an imbalance of the anode; heating liquefy balancing material; dislocating the balancing material inside the balancing cavity to compensate the imbalance; and cooling to solidify the balancing material.
Abstract:
In a rotatable anode (4) of an X-ray tube, a heat transfer between the rotating disc of the anode (4a) and the second bearing element (11) is achieved by providing a contact material (14) within a gap (16a, b) between the anode disc (4a) and the second bearing element (11). Contact elements (15) protrude from the second bearing element (11) into the contact material (14), thus allowing a heat transfer from anode disc (4a) to second bearing element (11) via contact material (14) and contact element (15).
Abstract:
The invention describes an X-ray tube for generating X-radiation, wherein the tube comprises a rotary structure, which comprises a rotating anode, a stationary structure for rotatably supporting the rotary structure, a hydrodynamic bearing, which is arranged between the rotary structure and the stationary structure, wherein the bearing comprises a gap between the rotary structure and the stationary structure, means for stabilising the dimensions of the gap with respect to distortions because of thermo-mechanical causes. A further aspect, which is described, is a method for manufacturing the tube according to the invention, wherein means for stabilising the dimensions of the gap are arranged. It is also described an X-ray system for diagnostic use comprising the tube according to the invention, wherein the X-ray system is adapted to stabilise the dimensions of the gap. Another aspect of the specification is a method for manufacturing the X-ray system.