Method for inflating micro-channels

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11858809-B2
Application number	US-202117339886-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 4, 2021
Priority date	Mar 13, 2020
Publication date	Jan 2, 2024
Grant date	Jan 2, 2024

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of metal micro-forming, and in particular relates to a method for inflating micro-channels. The present invention is aimed at the problems of low process flexibility, single product type, and non-closed structure of the micro-channel when preparing metal micro-channels by micro-plastic forming of ultra-thin metal strips. The present invention uses a method combining numerical simulation and bond rolling experiment to analyze the effect of the hydrogen pressure and bond strength of the metal composite ultra-thin strip after bond rolling on the pore diameter of the micro-channel, and the corresponding relationship between the micro-channel pore diameter and the titanium hydride content, heating temperature, and bond strength of the metal composite ultra-thin strip is obtained.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for inflating a micro-channel, comprising steps of:
Step (1) determining a quantitative relationship among titanium hydride content-temperature-hydrogen pressure and a relationship between a target pore size of the micro-channel and an amount of hydrogen released from decomposition of titanium hydride and a heating temperature;
Step (2) engraving micro/nano grooves on a surface of an ultra-thin metal strip by a micro/nano scratcher, and performing surface cleaning treatment;
Step (3) determining an amount of titanium hydride according to the quantitative relationship among titanium hydride content-temperature-hydrogen pressure and the relationship between the target pore size of the micro-channel and the amount of hydrogen released from decomposition of titanium hydride and the heating temperature determined in step (1), and the titanium hydride is placed in the micro/nano groove of the metal strip after the surface cleaning treatment in step (2);
Step (4) covering another ultra-thin metal strip with identical size and identical surface cleaning treatment in step (2) on the ultra-thin metal strip in step (3), welding the edges of the two ultra-thin metal strips together by spot welding technology, and performing bond rolling;
Step (5) heating the metal composite ultra-thin strip after bond rolling in step (4) under vacuum conditions, and keeping temperature to decompose the titanium hydride to release hydrogen, and by hydrogen pressure, plastic deformation occurs at the composite interface of the bond-rolled metal composite ultra-thin strip, and a tubular micro-channel structure is formed along the micro/nano groove engraved in step (2);
Step (6) cutting the tubular micro-channel structure generated in step (5) at an appropriate position to obtain a tubular micro-channel product;
wherein a specific process of determining the quantitative relationship among titanium hydride content-temperature-hydrogen pressure and the relationship between the target pore size of the micro-channel and the amount of hydrogen released from decomposition of titanium hydride and the heating temperature in the step (1) comprising: calculating an equilibrium hydrogen pressure when titanium hydride decomposes by thermodynamic method; analyzing the decomposition behavior of titanium hydride in the actual heating process by differential scanning calorimeter and thermal weight loss analyzer, so as to obtain the heating temperature to decompose and release hydrogen to determine the quantitative relationship between titanium hydride content-temperature-hydrogen pressure; by the method of combining numerical simulation and bond rolling experiment, analyzing the effect of the hydrogen pressure and bond strength of the metal composite ultra-thin strip after bond rolling on the pore size of the micro-channel, and the corresponding relationship between the pore size of the micro-channel and the content of titanium hydride, the heating temperature, and the bond strength of the metal composite ultra-thin strip is obtained.

2. The method for inflating the micro-channels according to claim 1 , wherein the surface cleaning treatment in step (2) is immersing the ultra-thin metal strips engraved with micro/nano grooves in an acetone solution, cleaning the ultra-thin strip by ultrasonic cleaner to remove the scratch residue on its surface, to ensure that the composite interface is clean during the rolling process, and to improve the bond rolling effect of the ultra-thin metal strip.

3. The method for inflating the micro-channels according to claim 1 , wherein a heating temperature in the step (5) is at a range of 500-700° C., and a keeping time is at a range of 10-30 min.

4. The method for inflating the micro-channels according to claim 1 , wherein the titanium hydride in step (1) is capable of being replaced by zirconium hydride or other metal hydrides.

5. The method for inflating the micro-channels according to claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the ultra-thin metal strip in the steps (1)-(5) is at a range of 20-200 μm.

6. The method for inflating the micro-channels according to claim 1 , wherein the material of the metal ultra-thin strip is at least one member selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, pure metal of titanium, copper, and aluminum; or an alloy of titanium, copper, and aluminum; wherein two metal ultra-thin strips have the identical material or a combination of different materials during bond rolling.

Assignees

• Univ Taiyuan Technology

Inventors

• Zhao Jingwei
• Wang Tao
• Ma Linan
• Huang Qingxue

Classifications

• B81C1/00071 Primary

  Channels · CPC title

• B08B7/028

  Using ultrasounds · CPC title

• B23K11/11

  Spot welding · CPC title

• B23P2700/12

  Laminated parts · CPC title

• B81C2201/0102

  Surface micromachining · CPC title