Annular cathode for vacuum tube

Abstract

An annular cathode for a vacuum tube includes a central cylindrical support whose axis is that of the cathode; an outer peripheral electron emitter with annular section whose axis is that of the cathode, extending over the outer perimeter of the cathode; and a folded skirt, secured at an inner end to the central support, and secured, at its outer end, to a plurality of lugs; each lug being disposed in series with the folded skirt, and secured with the folded skirt and with the inner surface of the electron emitter.

Claims

1. An annular cathode for a vacuum tube, comprising: a cylindrical central support whose axis is that of the cathode; an outer peripheral electron emitter with annular section whose axis is that of the cathode, extending over the outer perimeter of the cathode; and a folded skirt, secured at an inner end to the central support, and secured, at its outer end, to a plurality of lugs; each lug being disposed in series with the folded skirt, and secured with the folded skirt and with the inner surface of the electron emitter.

2. The annular cathode according to claim 1, wherein the folded skirt is of a single piece.

3. The annular cathode according to claim 1, wherein the folded skirt comprises a plurality of concentric tubular cylinders with circular sections, two consecutive cylinders being linked alternately at one end and at the other of the tubular cylinders by a ring.

4. The annular cathode according to claim 1, wherein the cylindrical central support is tubular with circular section.

5. The annular cathode according to claim 1, comprising a fixing support for the lugs disposed between the electron emitter and the lugs.

6. The annular cathode according to claim 1, wherein the lugs are U-shaped.

7. The annular cathode according to claim 1, wherein the lugs are angularly evenly distributed.

8. The annular cathode according to claim 1, wherein the volume-to-surface area ratio of a lug and/or of a cylinder of the folded skirt is less than 0.06 mm.

9. The annular cathode according to claim 7, wherein a lug has a volume-to-surface area ratio of 0.05 mm.

10. The annular cathode according to claim 7, wherein a cylinder of the folded skirt has a volume-to-surface area ratio of 0.025 mm.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention will be better understood on studying a few embodiments described as nonlimiting examples and illustrated by the attached drawings in which:

(2) FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a cylindrical cathode in plan view and in cross-sectional view, according to the state of the art;

(3) FIG. 2 schematically illustrates an annular cathode in cross-sectional view and plan view, according to one aspect of the invention;

(4) FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a comparison between an annular cathode of the state of the art and an annular cathode according to an aspect of the invention;

(5) FIG. 4 schematically illustrates an annular cathode in plan view, according to an aspect of the invention;

(6) FIG. 5 schematically illustrates an annular cathode in cross-sectional view, according to an aspect of the invention; and

(7) FIG. 6 schematically illustrates an example of a lug and of a folded skirt cylinder of an annular cathode according to an aspect of the invention.

(8) Throughout the figures, the elements that have the same references are similar.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(9) The proposed invention, as represented in FIG. 2, is based on two coupled mechanical securing elements which act in synergy to maintain the concentricity and the alignment of all the components of the cathode when it is operating hot. The two securing elements are a folded skirt 4 and a plurality of lugs 5 disposed in series between a cylindrical central support 7 whose axis is that of the cathode and an outer peripheral electron emitter 6 with annular section whose axis is that of the cathode, extending over the outer perimeter of the cathode.

(10) The folded skirt 4 makes it possible to compensate for the axial and radial deformations of the geometry of the cathode. The folded skirt 4 comprises sleeves or concentric tubular cylinders 4a which implement gauged flexible securing elements with opposing thermal expansion vectors to neutralize thermal expansion.

(11) The plurality of lugs 5 makes it possible to neutralize orbital and radial deformations of the cathode. The lugs 5 are radial supports which link the outer peripheral electron emitter 6 to the folded skirt 4.

(12) The axial neutralization can be obtained by adjusting the height (dimension in the axial direction) of the lugs. These lugs implement flexible securing elements which neutralize the radial expansion of the material by an isotropic counter-effect acting in the circumferential direction. The opposite expansion within a symmetrical deformation renders the electron emitter aligned in the desired condition, once the system has been dimensioned to exploit this condition.

(13) These two securing elements 4, 5 are disposed in series. The folded skirt 4 is fixed to the cylindrical central support 7 of the annular cathode and to the lugs 5 which are fixed to the inner surface of the outer peripheral electron emitter 6.

(14) The tubular cylinders 4a of the folded skirt 4 expand in opposing longitudinal and radial directions and, simultaneously, the lugs 5 expand in opposing orbital and radial directions. The presence of the tubular cylinders 4a renders the expansion of the electron emitter 6 balanced in the three axial, radial and orbital directions. The tubular cylinders 4a of the folded skirt 4 expand symmetrically in the axial direction of the annular cathode in both positive and negative directions, as a consequence of the symmetry of the expansion forces distributed over the sleeves themselves. The temperature discontinuities and the mechanical expansion differences along the tubular cylinders 4a of the folded skirt 4 are greatly limited.

(15) There is a reduction of the heat flux from the electron emitter 6 to the support by virtue of the use of a plurality of securing elements 4a, which guarantees a long path in which the heat is radiated by the surfaces, which is reflected by an augmented thermal resistance (instead of the use of a single securing element, in which the heat would follow a path that is shorter and with fewer surfaces). During the heating of the structure, the mechanical deformations act in synergy with the lugs 5. The lugs 5 expand symmetrically in the orbital and radial directions in order to create an isotropic thermal deformation which maintains the concentricity between the outer peripheral electron emitter 6 and the rest of the cathode during the heating thereof. The result of symmetrical deformations in both directions on the three axes makes it possible to obtain perfect concentricity and alignment when the cathode is heated.

(16) The limited thermal conduction between the outer peripheral electron emitter 6 and the securing elements 4, 5 is ensured by the star-configuration alternation of contact points of reduced size between the securing elements of the electron emitter and the sleeves. The securing elements are manufactured in appropriate materials (tungsten, molybdenum and moly-rhenium) and are designed by observing a constraint with respect to their form factor (reduced volume compared to surface area) in order to limit the thermal conduction. As a direct consequent, the thermal uniformity is ensured by the multiplicity of the contact points, which creates thermal discontinuities of low amplitude, each placed in a near space. The result is a negligible thermal non-uniformity of the electron emitter 6.

(17) There is a partial break in the heat flux from the electron emitter 6 to the support 7, by virtue of the alternation of the contact points (instead of a single securing element, in which the heat is conducted directly from the emitter 6 to the support 7). There is, at each contact point between the securing element 5 and the electron emitter 6, a small temperature and expansion discontinuity by virtue of the plurality of the lugs 5 (instead of a great discontinuity, in the case of a smaller number of securing elements).

(18) The structure of the securing elements 4, 5 can be inverted and the number of tubular cylinders 4a of the folded skirt 4 and/or the number of lugs 5 can be adapted for a better correlation of the sizes of the central support 7 and of the electron emitter 6, as a function of the size of the cathode.

(19) The tubular cylinders 4a of the folded skirt 4 expand in opposing longitudinal and radial directions and, simultaneously, the star-configuration lugs 5 expand in opposing orbital and radial directions. The result of symmetrical deformations in both directions along the three axes causes the electron emitter 6 to be deformed thermally concentrically and aligned on the rest of the cathode structure. The limited thermal conduction between the electron emitter 6 and the securing elements 4, 5 is ensured by the alternation of contact points of reduced size between the electron emitter 6 and the lugs 5, with a thermal conduction given by the property of the material and the length ratio of the securing elements.

(20) FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a comparison between an annular cathode of the state of the art and an annular cathode according to an aspect of the invention.

(21) The known annular cathodes can expand with an anisotropic deformation when they heat up. The alignment and the concentricity of the electron emitter 6 relative to the other elements of the cathode can be compromised during the heating. Some existing solutions try to compensate for the longitudinal expansions of the electron emitter 6 in the axial direction. However, the radial and orbital expansions are not balanced and the result thereof is a non-uniformity of the thermal movement, as illustrated in the left hand part of FIG. 3. At the same time, the presence of discrete contact points between the electron emitter 6 and the traditional connections produces heat flux discontinuities and affects the thermal uniformity of the electron emitter 6. The thermal conduction of the support pads 8 (necessary for placing the electron emitter in the desired zone) produces a non-uniformity of the temperature of the support 7 and of the electron emitter 6 relative to the contribution added by the radiation effect.

(22) The present invention, in addition to compensating for the thermal expansions, makes it possible to improve the thermal uniformity of the electron emitter 6. The reason lies in the geometry of the lugs 5: they are thin and flexible security elements. More securing elements gives a more uniform heat flux in more contact points, but the thinness of these securing elements guarantees an extremely low thermal conduction. In order to demonstrate how the proposed design makes it possible to resolve the real drawbacks, an example of known solution is compared to the proposed invention in FIG. 3.

(23) FIGS. 4 and 5 schematically illustrate an annular cathode in plan view and cross-sectional view, according to an aspect of the invention.

(24) This annular cathode for a vacuum tube comprises: a tubular cylindrical central support 7 with circular section whose axis is that of the cathode; an outer peripheral electron emitter 6 with annular section whose axis is that of the cathode, extending over the outer perimeter of the cathode; and a folded skirt 4, secured at its inner end to the central support, and secured, at its outer end, to a plurality of lugs 5; each lug 5 being disposed in series with the folded skirt 4, and secured with the folded skirt 4 and with the inner surface of the electron emitter 6.

(25) The folded skirt 4 comprises a plurality of concentric tubular cylinders 4a with circular sections, two consecutive cylinders 4a being linked alternately at one end and at the other of the tubular cylinders by a ring 4b.

(26) The electron emitter 6 has an outer surface emitting electrons outwards.

(27) The cylindrical central support 7 is tubular with circular section, and the lugs 5 are U-shaped.

(28) A fixing support 9 for the lugs 5 is disposed between the electron emitter 6 and the lugs 5. The support 9 is provided with locations, such as slits, intended to slidingly receive the ends of the lugs 5, which can then simply be fixed by simple brazing. That simplifies the fixing of the lugs 5 to the electron emitter 6.

(29) FIG. 6 schematically illustrates an example of a lug and of a cylinder.

(30) The volume-to-surface area ratio of a lug and/or of a cylinder of the folded skirt can be less than 0.06 mm.

(31) For example, a lug 5 has a volume-to-surface area ratio of 0.05 mm, and a cylinder 4a of the folded skirt 4 has a volume-to-surface area ratio of 0.025 mm.