Whisker Manufacturing, Detection, Response, and Compound Manufacturing Apparatus and Method

• Main Authors: MAEGERLEIN NANCEY J, CALDWELL NORRIS J, FULTZ WILLIAM W, STUART SAMUEL G, ZILCH LLOYD W, DESHPANDE NISHKAMRAJ U, SCHWABE JAMES E, BARSUN H FRED
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 29.10.2015
• Subjects: APPARATUS THEREFOR; ARRANGEMENTS FOR MEASURING TWO OR MORE VARIABLES NOT COVEREDIN A SINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; CHEMISTRY; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATIONOR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY IONIMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; ELECTROFORMING; ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION INGENERAL; INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; MEASURING; MEASURING NOT SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR A SPECIFIC VARIABLE; MEASURING OR TESTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; METALLURGY; PHYSICS; PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTIONOF COATINGS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THESURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; TARIFF METERING APPARATUS; TESTING; TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES ORSTRUCTURES; TESTING STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

An invention for making productive uses of normally undesirable whiskers is provided. Embodiments of the invention include a variety of apparatuses and methods associated with forming and using whiskers as well as forming whisker compounds is disclosed. For example, whisker detection modules can be created which provide a whisker surveillance capability. The whisker detection modules can further be coupled with a whisker response system such as an alarm or insulating material dispersing system. Another aspect of the invention is providing a variety of environments or microenvironments with regard to a whisker forming structure to affect whisker creation such as maximizing whisker formation. Another example includes provision of a variety of embodiments for manufacturing compounds of whiskers of various metal and metal alloys, including structures and methods is provided. Whisker compounds produced using various embodiments of the invention can be used for various applications.