US1680271A - Argon-mercury discharge tube - Google Patents

Argon-mercury discharge tube Download PDF

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Publication number
US1680271A
US1680271A US204479A US20447927A US1680271A US 1680271 A US1680271 A US 1680271A US 204479 A US204479 A US 204479A US 20447927 A US20447927 A US 20447927A US 1680271 A US1680271 A US 1680271A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
tube
mercury
argon
glass
lamp
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US204479A
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English (en)
Inventor
Machlett Raymond Robert
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
RAINBOW LIGHT Inc
Original Assignee
RAINBOW LIGHT Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority to BE345547D priority Critical patent/BE345547A/xx
Application filed by RAINBOW LIGHT Inc filed Critical RAINBOW LIGHT Inc
Priority to US204479A priority patent/US1680271A/en
Priority to FR644800D priority patent/FR644800A/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US1680271A publication Critical patent/US1680271A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J61/00—Gas-discharge or vapour-discharge lamps
    • H01J61/02—Details
    • H01J61/12—Selection of substances for gas fillings; Specified operating pressure or temperature
    • H01J61/18—Selection of substances for gas fillings; Specified operating pressure or temperature having a metallic vapour as the principal constituent
    • H01J61/20—Selection of substances for gas fillings; Specified operating pressure or temperature having a metallic vapour as the principal constituent mercury vapour

Definitions

  • My present invention relates to an improved discharge tube in which a rarefied gas acts as the conducting medium, said tube being provided with interior electrodes.
  • my improved tube 1 make use of pure argon gas as the conducting atmosphere preferably at a pressure of about millimeters of mercury.
  • the electrical characteristics of argon are exceptionally favor- 10 able for the purpose; it is even more readily conducting than neon.
  • the luminosity of neon is better and therefore with my improved tube 1 avail myself of the lu minous efficiency of mercury vapor by which a very beautiful blue light can be secured if the tube is of transparent glass. By using glass of amber color and in other ways known to the art, various shades of green may be secured.
  • the electrical conditions within the tube are such at low temperatures that the decreased amount of mercury vapor no longer plays apart in the production of light in the tube.
  • the alkali metal is substantially eliminated there will be present in the tube throughout its length more or less isolated sections of amalgam in which the mercury vaportension is very low and which tends to give the striated effect above .referred to. It is thus desirable to eliminate as much of the free alkali in the glass to be used in the manufacture of these tubes as possible before the formation of the tube. This is best accomplished by placing the glass in a-pickling bath consisting of a weak acid solution (for example, 2% hydrofluoric acid) for severil days before using the glass to form the tu e. i
  • a weak acid solution for example, 2% hydrofluoric acid
  • the tube Assuming that the tube has been suitabl pickled, is in its 'final form or shape so ar as its contour is concerned, and is provided with the-usual interior electrodes, it is preferably attached to a high vacuum difiusion pump system of any ordinary construction which will include an arrangement for admitting pure argon to the tube at the proper pressure. This of course is well known practice in the art.
  • the preferred pressure is in the neighborhood of 10 millimeters of mercury.
  • the lamp is maintained within an ordinary oven heated by gas or in any other usual way and is heated at a temperature as high as glass will stand without collapsing.
  • a temperature as high as glass will stand without collapsing.
  • high-melting boro-silicon glass is used which maintains its form through exhaustion u to a temperature as high as 450 Centigrade. Also with this glass the difficulties due to the presence of alkali metal are minimized.
  • the pumping and baking process it is necessary to eliminate impurities from the electrodes, since the proper operation of the lamp depends upon the ideal characteristics of pure argon gas which may be seriously distorted and disturbed by the presence of even slight amounts of impurities.
  • This purification of the electrodes is preferably effected by passing through the tubes during the exhaustion process a cur rent of very much higher value than is ordinarily employed and preferably sufficient to heat the electrodes red hot.
  • a cur rent of very much higher value than is ordinarily employed and preferably sufficient to heat the electrodes red hot.
  • the current in the tube is conducted by the residual ai'r therein and also by reason of carbon dioxide and other gas or gases evolved from the electrodes.
  • the purifying current is now discontinued and the electrodes are allowed to cool, the pumping going on until all traces of carbon dioxide are removed and until the desired degree of evacuation has been secured.
  • Fig. 1 shows a section of a well known baking ovenwith a tube therein in process of formation
  • Fig. 2 is a longitudinal elevation of the tube at. a later stage of its process.
  • the oven is shown at l and is supplied with gas or other heating means, the tube is indicated at 2, interior electrodes are shown at 3, and the wires for supporting the tube in the oven are shown at 44.
  • the tube is formed with a small bulbular attachment or sidetube 5 as shown, from which a tube 7 leads to the lamp and a tube 8.1eads to the outside of the oven, the end havinga bulb 9 containing a small quantity of very pure mercury.
  • the attachment for admitting the argon is not shown. Any approved practice in this respect may be followed.
  • Mercury from the side tube 5 may be admitted to the lamp by simply tilting up the. side tube and allowing the mercury to flow into the lamp after which it will be dis tributed mechanically through the same as uniformly as possible. ()f course the amount of mercury thus introduced will be extremely small.
  • the side tube 5 is now tipped 01f and it then becomes important to carry out further operations by which the glass walls of the lamp will be saturated evenly and uniformly with mercury to result in the successful operation of the lamp even at extremely low ambient temperatures.
  • v Preferably I apply lengthwise of the tube small cooling surfaces which may conveniently be copper bars having a width in the neighborhood of 2 centimeters, spaced about 20 centimeters apart.
  • the tube may be conveniently supported upon acopper grid composed of such bars suitably spaced apart so that the points of' contact between the glass walls and the copper bars will constitute cooling areas from which heat will be dissipated by conduction through the bars.
  • An improved luminous tube containing an atmosphere. of rarefied argon and mercury vapor, the latter being evolved uniformly from the surface of the glass walls of the tube.
  • An improved luminous tube comprising a tubular glass receptacle, the walls of which are free of alkali metal and said tube containing rarefied argon and mercury vapor.

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  • Vessels And Coating Films For Discharge Lamps (AREA)
US204479A 1927-07-09 1927-07-09 Argon-mercury discharge tube Expired - Lifetime US1680271A (en)

Priority Applications (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
BE345547D BE345547A (cs) 1927-07-09
US204479A US1680271A (en) 1927-07-09 1927-07-09 Argon-mercury discharge tube
FR644800D FR644800A (fr) 1927-07-09 1927-10-15 Perfectionnements aux tubes à argon et vapeur de mercure

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US204479A US1680271A (en) 1927-07-09 1927-07-09 Argon-mercury discharge tube

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US1680271A true US1680271A (en) 1928-08-07

Family

ID=22758059

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US204479A Expired - Lifetime US1680271A (en) 1927-07-09 1927-07-09 Argon-mercury discharge tube

Country Status (3)

Country Link
US (1) US1680271A (cs)
BE (1) BE345547A (cs)
FR (1) FR644800A (cs)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3331977A (en) * 1965-03-15 1967-07-18 Westinghouse Electric Corp High output discharge lamp with vapor pressure control means
FR2408214A1 (fr) * 1977-11-02 1979-06-01 Philips Nv Lampe a decharge dans la vapeur de sodium a basse pression

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3331977A (en) * 1965-03-15 1967-07-18 Westinghouse Electric Corp High output discharge lamp with vapor pressure control means
FR2408214A1 (fr) * 1977-11-02 1979-06-01 Philips Nv Lampe a decharge dans la vapeur de sodium a basse pression

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FR644800A (fr) 1928-10-13
BE345547A (cs)

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