US2619609A

US2619609A - Adjustable electrode support

Info

Publication number: US2619609A
Application number: US716115A
Authority: US
Inventors: John D Reid
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1946-12-13
Filing date: 1946-12-13
Publication date: 1952-11-25
Anticipated expiration: 1969-11-25

Description

Nov. 25, 1952 3, 2,619,609

ADJUSTABLE ELECTRODE SUFPQRT Filed Dec. 13, 1946 2 SI-1EETSSHEET 1 Fig. l.

INVENTOR. JOHN D.RE|D

BY. .WaM

Nov. 25, 1952 REID 2,619,609

ADJUSTABLE ELECTRODE SUPPORT Filed Dec. 15, 1946 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Fig.2.

mmvrox. JOHN 0. new

Patented Nov. 25, 1952 ADJUSTABLE ELECTRODE SUPPORT John D. Reid, Oak Ridge, Tenn., assignor to the United States of America as represented by the United States Atomic Energy Commission Application December 13, 1946, Serial No. 716,115

Claims. 1

My invention relates to supports, and more particularly to adjustable supports for mounting electrodes so that they may be placed in a variety of positions.

In the prior art of separating isotopes, it has been the practice to employ electromagnetically operated equipment for the separation of isotopes which provides a charge chamber for heating the charge to vaporize it, an ionization chamber for ionizing the vapors and having a slit or slits therein for egress of the ions, an accelerating electrode for projecting the ions into a beam region where they may be acted upon by a magnetic field which causes them to travel in armate paths Whose radii correspond to their respective masses, and receivers located at or near the focal points of the ion beams to collect and neutralize the ions of the various isotopes. One form of this equipment is known as the Calutron. Slits in the ionization chamber must be aligned with slits in the accelerating electrode. The alignment of the slits is critical to the successful operation of the system and this alignment must be accomplished by movement of the electrode in both the horizontal and vertical planes as well as tilting it about a plurality of axes. Great difliculty has been encountered and considerable time is required in this aligning operation. Heretofore, it has been the practice to employ a large, intricate framework, cooled by a considerable length of hard soldered water tubing. In addition, it has been difficult to obtain the desired adjustments in such a construction.

Applicant with a knowledge of all these defects in and objections to the prior art has for an object of his invention the provision of an adjustable electrode support which will serve -to quickly and accurately align the slits in the electrode with the slits of the ionizing chamber.

Applicant has as another object of his invention the provision of an adjustable electrode support which will permit adjustment along planes at right angles to each other and also provide rotational adjustment so that the slits of the electrode may be very accurately aligned with the ion slits of the ionizing chamber.

Applicant has as a further object of his invention the provision of an adjustable electrode support which may be quickly and easily assembled and which will offer rapid and accurate adjustment to facilitate proper alignment of the electrade with other elements of the system.

Applicant has as a still further object of his invention the provision of an adjustable support for mounting an electrode which will be sim- 2 ple in construction and which departs from the bulky, complicated, and space-consuming framework of the prior art.

Applicant has as a still further object of his invention the provision of an adjustable electrode support which will permit rocking adjustment of the electrode about a plurality of horizontal axes which are substantially at right angles to each other, in order to facilitate alignment of the slits of the electrode with the slits of the ionizing chamber.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear from the following specification and the accompanying drawings, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointedout in the annexed claims.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevation of my improved electrode support. Fig. 2 is a fragmental sectional view of my improved electrode support taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig.

3 is a cross sectional View of my improved electrode support taken along the line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view of the same support taken along the line 44 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings in detail, I designates an insulator housing supported from the inner walls of the Calutron housing by a tube and supporting

arms

35, 35 bridged by insulator 36, joined thereto by

screws

31, 31. Formed on the inner walls of the housing is a circumferential pocket 5| for the circulation of cooling liquid fed thereto through tubing 50. Disposed within the housing I and carried by studs I4 passing through the upper wall thereof and countersunk therein is an insulator 2. The insulator is placed in the housing in order to protect it from the deteriorating effects of electron or ion bombardment or from the effects of radiations. Insulator 2 is supported within the housing I by studs [4 passing through openings in the upper wall of the casing and threaded into the insulator. Mounted on the lower end of insulator 2 is a metal cap 3 having an upturned circumferential flange. Screws I5 pass through the metal cap and, seat in threaded sockets in the insulator 2. 'The cap 3 is cooled by circulation of liquid through the tubing 4 extending about the cap 3 in a circumferential recess adjacent the periphery. Screw threaded into a central socket and projecting downwardly from the lower face of the cap 3 is a threaded pin 5.

Mounted on the cap 3 is a cylinder 6 terminating at its upper end in a circumferential flange. Passing through enlarged slots '52 in the flange on cylindert and screw threaded in the cap 3 are attaching screws 16 for mounting the cylinder 6 on the cap 3. Positioned in a plane at substantially right angles to the attaching screws 16 are adjusting screws 53. These adjusting screws thread into the flange on cylinder 6 and their ends bear against the cap 3. Extending transversely of the cylinder and carried by the flange are opposed adjusting screws ll, 1,! whose ends engage and bear against the projecting shank of pin 5 to provide a horizontal adjustment. In this connection it will be noted that the horizontal adjustment referred to above is assured by the fact that the attaching screws l8 pass through slots 52 which only permit relative movement of the cylinder Sin a horizontal ,plane towards or away from the ionizing chamber in response to adjustment of screws H, H.

Disposed within the cylinder 6 is a piston having transverse diagonal slots therethrough to provide slanting cam slots in the opposite faces of the piston. At substantially right angles-to the slots 38 1s a bore 45 passing transversely through the piston is. Disposed within thebore filtland movable therein is a'block: 8. Passing through the block 8 in screw ed engagement therewith is abolt it which also passesthrough enlarged openings inicylinder and is carried by a ring it disposed about cylindent and rotatably mounted in a circumferential groove therein. Passing through and carried by the block 3 at substantially right angles to the bolt is is guide pin 5 whose ends rest loosely in the opposed slanting slots 38 of the cylinder 6. Projecting upwardly from the upper extremity of the piston i is a semi-circular or half cylindrical portion l. The -fiat inner face of the half cylinder 2* extends across the diameterof the'cylinder and is engaged spaced adjusting screws-3d, 32 i extending through spaced apart boresin the cylinder 5 and is-in screw threaded engagement therewith.

The lower end of the piston l iscut to provide a flat end-face for overlapping engagement with the electrode bracket or clamp ii having screws 2i passing therethrough for screw threaded engagement the piston i. The lower-end l3-- of thebraclret or clamp isprovidedwith a socket 22' for the reception the upper end or the electrode 52 and supports the electrode insaid socket. The electrode 52, is preferably made of carbon material a plurality of slits 5 3, ordinarily known G-siits, therein for alignment with slits in the ionizing chamber for the passage of ions therethrough.

Adjustment in the horizontal plane towards and away from the slit in theionizing chamber is accomplished by loosening the attaching screws l8. Tightening or one adjusting screw llandloosening of the other adjusting screw ll bearingagainstpin 5 will serve to move cylinder ii with respect to cap 3.

For adjustment about horizontal axes at substantial right angles to each other one of the pair of diametrically opposite adjusting screws ciiis'loosened rand the other is tightened, or one of the diametrically opposed attaching screws [5 is loosened and the other is tightened. This has the effect of tilting the accelerating electrode 2 with respect to the ionization chamber in two planes at substantially right angles to each other for alignment of the electrode slits with the ionization chamber slits,

Torotate the electrode i2 about a vertical axis, one; of the screws 3.9.is loosened and theother is, tightened, depending upon the desired direc- 38 passing,

tion of rotation. The ends of the adjusting screws press upon the flat inner face of the half cylinder l and cause it to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise depending upon which of the two adjusting screws is tightened for this purpose. This provides angular adjustment of the electrode slits with respect to the slits in the ionization chamber. Limited adjustment is permitted, due to theiarge openings. in the cylinder 6 which permits rotation of the piston 7, block it and bolt it with respect thereto. This movement is limited by the size of the openings in the cylinder through which the bolt it, carried by piston 1', passes. The bolt shanl: engages the walls of the openings when the piston is rotated with respect to the cylinder to provide a stop at theextrei'ni'ties or" the movement.

To raise'and lower the electrode ii, the bolt i3 is' rotated. This causes the block 8, in screw threaded engagement therewith, to move back andforth, depending upon the direction of rotation. ofthe bolt. Movement of block 8 transversely of the piston l in bore "53 moves the pin 5) carried by it, transversely of the piston and slanting slots 38 causing the piston l to be raised or lowered-with respect to cylinder The half cylinder is suiiiciently and its adjustment screws 39 are so positioned as not to interfere with the raising and lowering of piston l. The raising and lowering of piston s has the effect of'raising and lowering electrode I2, and in turn slots Still the electrode, with respect to the slots in the ionizing chamber;

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. An electrode support of th character described oomprising an insulator, a cylinder suspended iroin said insulator, piston means carried by said cylinder for supporting an electrode, and means for axially adjusting said piston with respectto said cylinder to position said electrode.

2. An electrod support of the character described comprising. an insulator, a cylindrical element suspended from the insulator in adjusted relation thereto, an inner element supported by said cylinder in telescopic relation thereto for positioning an electrode, and means for raising and loweringsaid inner element in said cylinder.

3. An electrode support of the character described comprising an insulator, a cylindrical element suspended from the insulator in adjusted relation thereto, means telescoped within said cylindrical element for supporting and positioning an electrode, means bridging the walls of said cylindrical element for raising and lowerin said supporting and positioningmeans, and means for rotating'said positioning means to aline the electrode, withother associated equipment.

4. an eiectrodesupport of the character described comprising an insulator,. a cylindrical element, diametrically opposed sets of adjusting screws for suspending said cylindrical element from said insulator in adjusted relation thereto, and means adjustably supported by said cylindrical element for positioning an electrode.

5. An electrode support of the character dec ibed comprising an insulator, a cylinder suspended from said insulator in adjusted relation theerto, a piston element telescoped within said cylinder for supporting an electrode in position, means carried. by the cylinder and extending through the piston for raising and lowering it, and additional means carried bythe cylinder for engagingthe'piston to rotate it.

6. An electrode support of the character. described-comprising an insulator, a cylinder suspended from said insulator in adjusted-relation, a piston telescoped within the cylinder for positioning an electrode and cam means carried by the cylinder for engagement with the walls of the piston to raise and lower it.

'7. An electrode support of the character described comprising an insulator, a cylinder suspended from said insulator in adjusted relation thereto, a piston telescoped within the cylinder for positioning an electrode, said piston having an extension thereon, and means carried by the cylinder for engaging said extension for rotating said piston with respect thereto.

8. An electrode support of the character described comprising an insulator, a cylinder suspended from said insulator in adjusted relation thereto, a piston telescoped within the cylinder for supporting an electrode in adjusted position, diagonal cam slots in said piston, and means passing transversely through said piston and engageable with the walls of the cam slots for raising and lowering said piston.

9. An electrode support of the character described comprising an insulator, a cylinder suspended from said insulator, a shank projecting into said cylinder from said insulator, adjustable means carried by said cylinder and engageable with said shank for displacing said cylinder with respect to said insulator, and piston means car ried by said cylinder for supporting an electrode in adjusted relation.

10. An electrode support of the character described comprising a housing, an insulator disposed Within said housing, a cylinder suspended from said insulator, adjusting screws carried by the cylinder for rocking it, a shank projecting from said cylinder, adjusting means carried by the cylinder and engageable the shank for displacing the cylinder, a piston telescoped within the cylinder for suspending an electrode in adjusted position, cam means for raising and lowering the piston, and additional means carried by the cylinder and engagable with the piston for rotating it, whereby to place th electrode in a variety of different positions.

JOHN D. REID.

REFERENCES CKTEE) The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,132,170 Langsner Oct. 4, 1938 2,336,10 Laube et al. Dec. 7, 1943