US2225938A - Alloy with artificial radio activity - Google Patents

Description

Patented D... 24, 1949 UNITED. STATES ALLOY wrrn ARTIFICIAL RADIO ACTIVITY Oleg Yadoff, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France No Drawing.

Application December 28, 1936, Se-

rial No.- 117,976. In FranceDecember 27, 1935 Claims. (Cl. 75-140) v Granted under the provisions '0! sec. 14, act of March 2, 1927; 357 0. G- 5) It is known that it was recently discovered that it is possible artificially to produce, under the action of intensive electric fields, alloys capable of emitting rays similar to alpha rays.

,5' These emanatlons are spontaneous, and,' becauseof their low amplitude, their intensity remains constant after a long time. a

The object of the present invention is to provide :.a new alloy of this kind, which is to be 7 10 called "R alloy," giving a very high activity,

and capable, in particular, of acting to a distance through air, fluids, quartz, various dielectrics, etc. The physical structure of the alloy according to the present invention is based upon the general principle of transmutation and the discovery of artificialradio'activity, as above mentioned.

The new alloy according to the present invention is obtained from a charge which chiefly ineludes aluminium, from 68 to 74%; magnesium,

from 4.2. to 8.4%; silicon, from 1.5 to 3.5%; copper, from 5 to 12%; tin, from'4 to 65%; lead, from 2.4 .to 5%; manganese, from 1.89 to 2%;

, and mercury, from 0.5 to 1%.

In this alloy the essential elements arealumin- ,ium and magnesium. 'Silicon and tin increase in a substantial manner the activity of the alloy. Copper serves to improve the cohesion and the. mechanical properties of the alloy, by forming a kind of binder, but it is not an essential 0element of the alloy. Lead alsov serves-to improve the radio-active properties and manganese the inductive properties of the alloy; Finally, mercury is intended to purify the alloy.

. Preferably, the alloy is of the following com- 5 position, which I found to give the best possible results: Aluminium, 73%; magnesium, 6.4%; silicon, 3.2%; copper, 7.5%; tin, 5.1%; lead, 2.4%;

manganese, 1.89%; and mercury, not more than.

0.5%. 40 In accordance with my invention, this alloy can be prepared as follows The alloy can be prepared in any furnace. I first introduce, in the cold state, on the bottom of the furnace, the necessary amount of mer- 45 curyf I cover the layer of mercury with tin and lead. I place thereabove copper and aluminum in a mixed form, for instance in the form of an alloy commonly used for automobile pistons. The

. percentage of aluminum lacking in this alloy for 50 :obtaining the desired proportionis introduced in the pure state. Then the furnace is heated until the whole alloy is molten. Mercury evaporates and purifies the composition of the alloy. Then manganese is introduced. About five min- 65 utes after complete melting, once mercury has evaporated, magnesium is introduced into the furnace lnapure state. V 1 The mixture is stirred and the inside of the I furnace is subjected to the action of an intensive electric field, for instance, by connecting 5 two circular zones of the furnace to a source oi.

. high tension direct current. In order to determine the tension, account is taken of the amount 5 of alloy to be prepared and of the characteristics of the furnace. I may indicate, by way of eiraml0 ple, that, for a thickness of ten centimeters of the alloy in the melted state, it is advisable to 7 make use of a source of 3000 volts. The intensive electric field should be applied for ten minutes. Then the tension at the terminals is reduced in 15 a gradual: manner in such manner as to pass. from full tension to zero tension in a period of time of about two minutes. After this, I operate in substantially the same manner as with ordinary alloys. *As-a rule, the alloy according 20 to the invention should not be "subjected to violent shocks and to sudden variations of t'emperature.

The present invention is not in any way limited to a special method of producing the alloy, 25

but the above process has proven advantageous and is also set forth in my divisional applica- 1 tion, Serial No. 176,643, filed November 26,1937, now Patent No. 2,175,236. a

The alloy which constitutes the chief object of the present invention can be obtained in any suitable manner.

What I claim is:

1. An alloy having artificialradio-activity consisting of from 68 to 74% of aluminium, from 85 4.2 to 8.4% of magnesium, from 1.5 to 3.5 of silicon, from 5 to 12% of copper, from4 to 6.5 of tin, from 2.4'to 5% of lead, from 1.89 to,2% of manganese, and not more than 0.5% of mer-" cury.

2. An alloy having artificial radio-activity which consists of 73% of aluminium, 6.4%.of magnesium, 3.2% .of silicon, 7.5% of copper, 5.1% of tin, 214% of lead, 1.89% of manganese, and not more than 0.5% of mercury. V

3. An alloy having artificial radio-activity comprising from 68 to 74 per cent of aluminium, from 4.2 to 8.4 per cent of magnesium, from 1.5 to 3.5 per cent of silicon, from 4 to 6.5 per cent 7 of tin, from 2.4 to 5 per cent of lead. from 1.89 to 2 per cent' of manganese, and not more than 0.5 per cent of mercury.

4. A charge for the obtainment of an alloy having artificial radio-activity, which consists 01' from 68 to 74 per cent of aluminium from 4.2

to 8.4 per eent of magnesium, from 1.5 to 3.5 per cent of silicon, from 5 to 12 per cent of copper, from 4 to 6.5 per cent of tin. from 2.4 to 5 per cent of lead, from 1.89 to 2 per cent of manganese, and from 0.5 to 1 per cent of mercury.

5. A charge for the manufacture of an alloy having artificial radio-activity, which consists of 73 per cent of aluminium, 6.4 per cent of magnesium, 3.2 per cent of silicon, 7.5 per cent of copper, 5.1 per cent of tin, 2.4 per cent of lead, 1.89 percent of manganese, and 0.5 per cent of mercury.

OLEG YADOFF.