PRE-STRESSED GAMMA DENSITOMETER WINDOW AND METHOD OF FABRICATION

• Main Authors: BRATLAND, Paal, NOEL, Jean-François, RUSTAD, Rolf
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 01.11.2017
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; MEASURING; MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUIDLEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME; PHYSICS; RESONATORS, LINES, OR OTHER DEVICES OF THE WAVEGUIDE TYPE; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; TESTING; WAVEGUIDES

A gamma densitometer window is provided along with a method of fabrication thereof. The window comprises a plate of non-metallic, preferably gamma transparent, material having a first face and a second face opposing one another and having an outer edge defined therebetween. The window further comprises a metallic frame member fitted around the outer edge of the plate and adapted to pre-load the plate with a compressive stress that is sufficiently high such that the sum of the compressive stress, tensile stress and shear stress components generated in the plate under high-pressure conditions is always compressive. The method of fabrication shrink fitting the metallic frame member around the outer edge of the plate at a shrink-fit temperature such that the metallic frame member applies a compressive stress to the plate at any temperature below the shrink-fit temperature.