Method of manufacturing a heat pipe

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10975488-B2
Application number	US-201916540513-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 14, 2019
Priority date	Aug 14, 2019
Publication date	Apr 13, 2021
Grant date	Apr 13, 2021

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a heat transfer device includes manipulating the microstructure of a metal alloy to thereby remove one or more chemical components of the alloy to form resultant heat pipe structure having an envelope composed of the precursor metal alloy and a porous wick structure composed of the dealloyed metal. Manipulation of the microstructure may be conducted by selective etching of a substrate composed of a metal or metal alloy using a dealloying process.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a heat pipe, the method comprising:
conducting an electroplating process on a metal substrate to form a metal composite structure;
conducting a heat treatment on the metal composite structure to form a locally alloyed region on an inner surface of the metal substrate; and
manipulating a microstructure of the locally alloyed region by selectively etching the locally alloyed region via a dealloying process to form the heat pipe having an outer layer to serve as a heat pipe envelope composed of the metal substrate and an inner surface to serve as a wick structure composed of a dealloyed metal having a porous wick structure formed from the locally alloyed region.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the heat pipe comprises:
a hollow cylindrical structure, such that the porous wick structure is to extend radially inward from the metal substrate, or
a hollow rectangular structure, such that the porous wick structure is to extend laterally inward from the metal substrate.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dealloying process comprises electro-chemical dealloying.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dealloying process comprises vacuum dealloying.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dealloying process comprises vapor-phase dealloying.

6. A method of manufacturing a heat pipe, the method comprising:
conducting an electroplating process on a metal substrate composed of a first metal to form a metal composite structure that includes an inner layer composed of a second metal and an outer layer comprising the metal substrate;
conducting a heat treatment on the electroplated metal composite structure to transform the inner layer composed of the second metal into a metal alloy layer formed on the metal substrate; and
selectively etching the metal alloy layer, via a dealloying process, to form the heat pipe having an outer layer to serve as a heat pipe envelope composed of the metal substrate and an inner surface to serve as a wick structure composed of a dealloyed metal having a porous wick structure formed from the metal alloy layer.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the heat pipe comprises:
a hollow cylindrical structure, such that the porous wick structure is to extend radially inward from the metal substrate, or
a hollow rectangular structure, such that the porous wick structure is to extend laterally inward from the metal substrate.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the dealloying process comprises electro-chemical dealloying.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the dealloying process comprises vacuum dealloying.

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein the dealloying process comprises vapor-phase dealloying.

Assignees

• Toyota Eng & Mfg North America

Inventors

• Fleming Evan B
• Zhu Gaohua

Classifications

• C25D5/50 Primary

  by heat-treatment · CPC title

• F28D15/046

  characterised by the material or the construction of the capillary structure · CPC title

• C25D5/48

  After-treatment of electroplated surfaces · CPC title

• C25D7/04

  Tubes; Rings; Hollow bodies · CPC title