Vaporizing foil actuator configured as consumable tape

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11097372-B2
Application number	US-201816114840-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 28, 2018
Priority date	Aug 29, 2017
Publication date	Aug 24, 2021
Grant date	Aug 24, 2021

Abstract

An elongate tape (10) acts as a vaporizing actuator for impulse metalworking. It has an electrically-insulative base layer (20), an electrically-conductive layer (30), and an electrically-insulative top layer (40). In it, the base layer is characterized by the length of the tape and a first width W1, as measured between a pair of side edges. The conductive layer is characterized by the length of the tape and a second width W2, as measured between a pair of side edges; and the top layer is characterized by the length of the tape and a third width W3, as measured between a pair of side edges. The layers are joined to each other to form the elongate tape with the electrically-conductive layer interposed between the electrically-insulative base and top layers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An elongate tape, used as a consumable item in an impulse metal working process, the elongate tape comprising:
an electrically-insulative base layer;
an electrically-conductive metal layer, and
an electrically-insulative top layer;
wherein the layers are joined together to form the tape, with the metal layer interposed between the base layer and the top layer;
wherein the metal layer has a width that is larger than a width of the top layer, thereby providing a pair of electrically-conductive metal side edges along the length of the tape; and
wherein the metal layer has, between the side edges, a portion of the metal removed, in a regular sequential manner, along the length of the elongate tape, such that an electrical current passing transversely in a portion of the tape from one side edge to the other side edge encounters a zone of constricted area to focus the current.

2. The elongate tape of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first and a second electrically-insulative strip, the first strip disposed between the base layer and the electrically-conductive layer and the second strip disposed between the top layer and the electrically-conductive layer, wherein each of the first strip and the second strip has a width that is significantly narrower than the width of the metal layer.

3. The elongate tape of claim 2 , wherein:
the widths of the first and second strips are each in the range of about 10% to about 15% of the width of the metal layer.

4. The elongate tape of claim 3 , wherein each of the first and second electrically-insulative strips comprise mica or glass fiber.

5. The elongate tape of claim 3 , wherein the base layer comprises a polyimide, a polyester or a polyethylene.

6. The elongate tape of claim 3 , wherein the top layer comprises a polyimide, a polyester or a polyethylene.

7. The elongate tape of claim 3 , wherein each electrically-conductive layer is aluminum.

8. The elongate tape of claim 2 , wherein each of the first and second electrically-insulative strips comprise a non-combustible material.

9. The elongate tape of claim 8 , wherein the non-combustible material comprises mica or glass fiber.

10. The elongate tape of claim 1 , further comprising:
a further electrically-conductive layer, disposed such that the two electrically-conductive layers are between the first and second electrically-insulative strips, the further electrically-conductive layer differing from the electrically-conductive layer in that the further electrically-conductive layer has a more extensive removal of metal in a region thereof, to provide a more constricted area for flow of electrical current across the layer.

11. The elongate tape of claim 1 , wherein the base layer is a polymer.

12. The elongate tape of claim 11 , wherein the base layer is a polyimide, a polyester or a polyethylene.

13. The elongate tape of claim 1 , wherein each electrically-conductive layer is aluminum.

14. The elongate tape of claim 1 , wherein the top layer is a polymer.

15. The elongate tape of claim 14 , wherein the top layer is a polyimide, a polyester or a polyethylene.

Assignees

• Ohio State Innovation Foundation

Inventors

• Vivek Anupam
• Daehn Glenn

Classifications

• B23K35/0238

  layered · CPC title

• B32B15/20

  comprising aluminium or copper {(B32B15/016 and B32B15/017 take precedence)} · CPC title

• B32B2307/202

  Conductive · CPC title

• B32B15/043

  of metal (B32B15/01 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B21D26/10

  generated by evaporation, e.g. of wire, of liquids · CPC title