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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Method to produce large, uniform hollow spherical shells

Patent ·
OSTI ID:7129319

The invention is a method to produce large uniform hollow spherical shells by (1) forming uniform size drops of heat decomposable or vaporizable material, (2) evaporating the drops to form dried particles, (3) coating the dried particles with a layer of shell forming material and (4) heating the composite particles to melt the outer layer and to decompose or vaporize the inner particle to form an expanding inner gas bubble. The expanding gas bubble forms the molten outer layer into a shell of relatively large diameter. By cycling the temperature and pressure on the molten shell, nonuniformities in wall thickness can be reduced. The method of the invention is utilized to produce large uniform spherical shells, in the millimeter to centimeter diameter size range, from a variety of materials and of high quality, including sphericity, concentricity and surface smoothness, for use as laser fusion or other inertial confinement fusion targets as well as other applications.

DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-48
Assignee:
Dept. of Energy
Patent Number(s):
None
Application Number:
ON: DE84011286
OSTI ID:
7129319
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English