U.S. patent application number 15/994203 was filed with the patent office on 2018-09-27 for assembly fabrication and modification of elasticity in materials.
The applicant listed for this patent is Gyrus ACMI, Inc. d/b/a Olympus Surgical Technologies America, Gyrus ACMI, Inc. d/b/a Olympus Surgical Technologies America. Invention is credited to Gregory S. Konstorum, Antonio E. Prats, Lawrence J. St. George.
Application Number | 20180274075 15/994203 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 54366766 |
Filed Date | 2018-09-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180274075 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
St. George; Lawrence J. ; et
al. |
September 27, 2018 |
ASSEMBLY FABRICATION AND MODIFICATION OF ELASTICITY IN
MATERIALS
Abstract
A fabricator resource receives an assembly including a first
portion of material and a second portion of material. Initially,
the first portion of material in the assembly may have a different
modulus of elasticity than the second portion of material. The
fabricator resource exposes the assembly to one or more
heating/cooling cycles. Exposure of the assembly to the one or more
heating/cooling cycles modifies a modulus of elasticity of the
first portion of material and a modulus of elasticity of the second
portion of material to desired target values (such as substantially
same or different values).
Inventors: |
St. George; Lawrence J.;
(Sudbury, MA) ; Konstorum; Gregory S.; (Stamford,
CT) ; Prats; Antonio E.; (Shrewsbury, MA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Gyrus ACMI, Inc. d/b/a Olympus Surgical Technologies
America |
Southborough |
MA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
54366766 |
Appl. No.: |
15/994203 |
Filed: |
May 31, 2018 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
14687176 |
Apr 15, 2015 |
10011895 |
|
|
15994203 |
|
|
|
|
61989173 |
May 6, 2014 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B06B 3/00 20130101; C22F
1/183 20130101; G01N 29/221 20130101; A61B 8/4444 20130101; C22C
14/00 20130101; C22F 1/18 20130101; G10K 11/24 20130101 |
International
Class: |
C22F 1/18 20060101
C22F001/18; G10K 11/24 20060101 G10K011/24; B06B 3/00 20060101
B06B003/00; C22C 14/00 20060101 C22C014/00; G01N 29/22 20060101
G01N029/22; A61B 8/00 20060101 A61B008/00 |
Claims
1. A method for manufacturing an ultrasonic probe assembly
comprising: receiving the ultrasonic probe assembly including at
least a first portion of material and a second portion of material;
and controlling exposure of the first portion of material and the
second portion of material in the ultrasonic probe assembly to
different temperatures, the controlled exposure causing a modulus
of elasticity of the first material in the ultrasonic probe
assembly to be substantially different than a modulus of elasticity
of the second material in the ultrasonic probe assembly.
2. The method as in claim 1, wherein controlling exposure of the
ultrasonic probe assembly to different temperatures includes:
exposing the first portion of material in the ultrasonic probe
assembly to a first temperature for a controlled amount of time to
set a modulus of elasticity of the first portion of material to be
a first elasticity value; and exposing the second portion of
material in the ultrasonic probe assembly to a second temperature
for a controlled amount of time to set a modulus of elasticity of
the second portion of material to be a second elasticity value, the
second elasticity value substantially different than the first
elasticity value.
3. The method as in claim 1, wherein the controlled exposure of the
ultrasonic probe assembly to different temperatures causes the
modulus of elasticity of the ultrasonic probe assembly to vary
along a length from a distal end of the ultrasonic probe assembly
to a proximal end of the ultrasonic probe assembly.
4. The method as in claim 1, wherein controlling exposure of the
first portion of material and the second portion of material in the
ultrasonic probe assembly to different temperatures, tunes the
first portion of material to a first resonant frequency value and
second portion of material to a second resonant frequency
value.
5. The method as in claim 1, wherein the first portion of material
and the second portion of material are Titanium alloys.
6. An ultrasonic probe assembly comprising: a first portion of
material having a first elasticity; and a second portion of
material, having a second elasticity, attached to the first portion
of material; the first and the second elasticity are adjusted to
enable the ultrasonic probe assembly to convey an ultrasonic
frequency in a desired target range.
7. The ultrasonic probe assembly as in claim 6, wherein the first
portion of material and the second portion of material have a
substantially same modulus of elasticity.
8. The ultrasonic probe assembly as in claim 6, wherein the first
portion of material and the second portion of material are Titanium
alloys.
9. The ultrasonic probe assembly as in claim 7, wherein the
substantially same modulus of elasticity to which the first portion
of material and the second portion of material are adjusted is a
Young's modulus value of E=103.0 GigaPascals to 111.0
GigaPascals.
10. The ultrasonic probe assembly as in claim 16, wherein the
desired target range to which the ultrasonic probe assembly is
tuned is 50.+-.3.5 KiloHertz.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is a divisional of a U.S.
Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 14/687,176, filed Apr. 15,
2015, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.
61/989,173, filed May 6, 2014, the contents of each of the
above-identified applications are herein incorporated by reference
in their entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Titanium is used in many applications due to its relatively
low weight and strengthening properties. For example, titanium can
be mixed with one or more other metals to produce different types
of titanium metal alloys. Such titanium alloys are widely used in
different types of applications because of their good combinations
of strength, toughness, and formability.
[0003] Atoms of pure titanium align in the solid state in either a
hexagonal close-packed crystalline structure, called the alpha
(.alpha.) phase, or a body-centered cubic structure, called the
beta (.beta.) phase. In a pure metal, transformation from the alpha
to the beta phase occurs upon heating above a temperature such as
883.degree. C. Most alloying elements either stabilize the alpha
phase to higher temperatures or stabilize the beta phase to lower
temperatures. For example, Aluminum (Al) and oxygen are typical
alpha-stabilizing elements, and typical beta-stabilizing elements
are vanadium (V), iron (Fe), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni),
palladium (Pd), niobium (Nb), silicon (Si), and chromium (Cr). A
few other alloying elements, such as tin (Sn) and zirconium (Zr),
have little effect on phase stabilization.
[0004] The lowest temperature at which a 100-percent beta phase can
exist is called the beta transus; this can range from 700.degree.
C. (1,300.degree. F.) to as high as 1,050.degree. C. (1,900.degree.
F.), depending on alloy composition. Final mechanical working and
heat treatments of titanium alloys are generally conducted below
the beta transus temperature in order to achieve the proper
microstructural phase distribution.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
[0005] Conventional techniques of producing a titanium alloy
component or assembly having precise physical characteristics
suffer from deficiencies. For example, an ultrasonic probe assembly
such as a titanium probe may require that the corresponding
titanium alloy used to produce the titanium probe has a Young's
modulus of elasticity that is a very specific value and is
substantially the same along its length. Young's modulus, also
known as the tensile modulus or elastic modulus, is a measure of
the stiffness of an elastic isotropic material and is a quantity
used to characterize materials. It is defined as the ratio of the
stress along an axis over the strain along that axis in the range
of stress in which Hooke's law holds.
[0006] A variation in the modulus of elasticity (or Young's
modulus) along the length of the probe (if the elasticity is
outside a desired tolerance) reduces the usefulness of the probe
because portions of material outside the desired elasticity range
dampen a respective ultrasonic signal conveyed from one end of the
probe to the other.
[0007] One way to fabricate a respective titanium probe (such as
one that varies in diameter along its length) is to receive a
sufficiently large mass such as a rod or block of homogeneous
titanium alloy material having a substantially same Young's modulus
value throughout. A fabricator resource machines off an unwanted
portion of the original mass of titanium alloy material to produce
an assembly having a desired form. Assuming that the initial large
mass of titanium alloy material had appropriate desired
characteristics (such as a homogeneous modulus of elasticity
throughout the material), and that the process of machining did not
change these characteristics of the material, the resulting
titanium probe formed by machining (removal of unwanted material)
results in a titanium probe tuned to convey ultrasonic signals in a
desired frequency range.
[0008] This disclosure includes the observation that titanium alloy
material is expensive and that, depending on a final shape of the
probe, as much as or more than 80% of material in an original mass
of titanium alloy material may need to be removed to produce a
titanium probe having desired characteristics. The machined-off
material is typically not very valuable. Because substantial
machining is needed, it can be difficult to easily and reliably,
produce a titanium probe that exhibits the necessary precise
physical characteristics required for proper performance in a
respective ultrasonic system.
[0009] In contrast to conventional techniques, embodiments herein
include a first fabricator resource that receives a first portion
of material and a second portion of material. By way of
non-limiting example, assume that the first portion of material and
the second portion of material are of approximately the same
titanium alloys. The first fabricator resource joins (via a
suitable process such as welding, forging, molding, casting, etc.)
the first portion of material and second portion of material to
form an assembly such as a probe or other suitable device.
[0010] In accordance with further embodiments, a second fabricator
resource receives the assembly including the first portion of
material and a second portion of material. Assume in this example
that the first portion of material initially has a different
modulus of elasticity than the second portion of material in the
assembly. In one embodiment, the second fabricator resource exposes
the assembly to a first heating/cooling cycle in which the assembly
is exposed to a temperature greater than a beta transus temperature
associated with the material in the assembly (probe in this
example). In one embodiment, exposure of the assembly to the first
heating/cooling cycle resets a modulus of elasticity of the first
portion of material and a modulus of elasticity of the second
portion of material to be a substantially same modulus of
elasticity value (reset elasticity value).
[0011] Subsequent to resetting the modulus of elasticity value of
the first portion of material and the second portion of material in
the assembly, the second fabricator resource anneals the assembly
to change the modulus of elasticity of the assembly to a desired
target value above (or possibly below) the reset elasticity value.
For example, in one embodiment, the second fabricator resource
exposes the assembly (and corresponding first portion of material
and second portion of material) to one or more additional
heating/cooling cycles to set the modulus of elasticity of the
material in the assembly to a desired target value within a
predetermined range. The one or more additional heating/cooling
cycles can include exposing the assembly to a temperature such as
between 300 and 900 degrees Celsius and then cooling back to room
temperature.
[0012] In certain instances, the annealing process may require
exposing the assembly to additional heating/cooling cycles in order
to change the modulus of elasticity of the material to a desired
target value.
[0013] In one embodiment, modifying the material in the assembly to
be within a desired elasticity range tunes the titanium alloy
assembly to support conveyance of ultrasonic frequencies in a
desired range along an axial length from a proximal end of the
assembly through the first portion of material and the second
portion of material to a distal end of the assembly.
[0014] Embodiments herein are beneficial over conventional
techniques. For example, as previously discussed, conventional
methods of machining off a large amount of expensive material to
produce an assembly (such as a probe or other suitable shape) of a
desired shape and having a substantially homogenous modulus of
elasticity is undesirable. In contrast to conventional techniques,
embodiments herein include controlling characteristics of material
in a respective assembly via exposure to one or more
heating/cooling cycles, reducing an amount of wasted material, as
well as machining and energy resources used, yet producing an
assembly having desired characteristics.
[0015] These and other embodiment variations are discussed in more
detail below.
[0016] Note that embodiments herein can include a configuration of
one or more computerized devices, hardware processor devices,
assemblers, fabricator resources, or the like to carry out and/or
support any or all of the method operations disclosed herein. In
other words, one or more computerized devices, processors, digital
signal processors, assemblers, etc., can be programmed and/or
configured to perform the method as discussed herein.
[0017] Additionally, although each of the different features,
techniques, configurations, etc., herein may be discussed in
different places of this disclosure, it is intended that each of
the concepts can be executed independently of each other or in
combination with each other. Accordingly, the one or more present
inventions, embodiments, etc., as described herein can be embodied
and viewed in many different ways.
[0018] Also, note that this preliminary discussion of embodiments
herein does not specify every embodiment and/or incrementally novel
aspect of the present disclosure or claimed invention(s). Instead,
this brief description only presents general embodiments and
corresponding points of novelty over conventional techniques. For
additional details and/or possible perspectives (permutations) of
the invention(s), the reader is directed to the Detailed
Description section and corresponding figures of the present
disclosure as further discussed below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] FIG. 1 is an example diagram of a fabricator resource
configured to produce an assembly according to embodiments
herein.
[0020] FIG. 2 is an example diagram illustrating exposure of an
assembly to one or more heating/cooling cycles according to
embodiments herein.
[0021] FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C are example diagrams illustrating
modification of a modulus of elasticity of material in an assembly
via exposure of the assembly to one or more heating/cooling cycles
according to embodiments herein.
[0022] FIGS. 4 is an example diagram illustrating an alternative
method (to FIG. 3B) of applying heat to reset a modulus of
elasticity of an assembly according to embodiments herein.
[0023] FIG. 5 is an example diagram illustrating a graph of a
modulus of elasticity versus temperature for a titanium alloy.
[0024] FIG. 6 is an example diagram illustrating a computer system
(such as a fabricator resource) executing one or more instructions
to modify characteristics of an assembly according to embodiments
herein.
[0025] FIGS. 7 and 8 are example diagrams illustrating a method of
modifying a modulus of elasticity of material in an assembly
according to embodiments herein.
[0026] FIG. 9 is an example diagram illustrating exposure of an
assembly to one or more different temperatures and/or
heating/cooling cycles along a length of an assembly to vary
elasticity settings according to embodiments herein.
[0027] FIGS. 10 is an example diagram illustrating a method of
setting a modulus of elasticity of material in an assembly to
different values according to embodiments herein.
[0028] The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of
the invention will be apparent from the following more particular
description of preferred embodiments herein, as illustrated in the
accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to
the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not
necessarily to scale, with emphasis instead being placed upon
illustrating the embodiments, principles, concepts, etc.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND FURTHER SUMMARY OF EMBODIMENTS
[0029] In general, as described herein, a fabricator resource
receives an ultrasonic probe assembly including a first portion of
material and a second portion of material. Initially, the first
portion of material in the assembly may have a different modulus of
elasticity than the second portion of material. The fabricator
resource exposes the assembly to one or more heating/cooling
cycles. Exposure of the assembly and corresponding portions of
material to the one or more heating/cooling cycles modifies a
modulus of elasticity (such as Young's modulus) of the first
portion of material and a modulus of elasticity of the second
portion of material to one or more desired target values.
[0030] As described herein, certain embodiments herein include
setting the modulus of elasticity of the material in the assembly
to a homogenous value. Alternative embodiments herein include
setting the modulus of elasticity of the material in the assembly
to heterogeneous values such that different portions of the
assembly have different Young's modulus values.
[0031] In one embodiment, an assembly may be fabricated from
different portions of material of substantially the same alloy.
However, initially, although the material is of the same type of
alloy, each of the different portions of material may have
different Young's modulus characteristics. Embodiments herein
include exposing the respective assembly to one or more
heating/cooling cycles to modify settings of the material in the
assembly. Controlling the setting of material in the assembly to be
a substantially same Young's modulus value controls a resonant
frequency of the corresponding assembly.
[0032] For example, assume that the material in the assembly is a
titanium alloy such as Ti6Al4V. In one non-limiting example
embodiment, controlling the characteristics of material in a
respective probe assembly to be a Young's modulus target range
value of E=107.0.+-.3.0 Giga Pascals (GPa) tunes the respective
assembly to support an optimum acoustic transmission frequency of
50.+-.3.5 KiloHertz (KHz). Note that these settings are shown by
way of non-limiting example only and that desired attributes of a
respective assembly can be adjusted depending on the application.
As further discussed below, characteristics of an assembly can be
more tightly controlled within narrower or different ranges if
desired.
[0033] Now, more specifically, FIG. 1 is an example diagram of a
fabricator resource configured to produce an assembly according to
embodiments herein.
[0034] As shown, fabricator resource 151 receives a portion of
material 121 and portion of material 122. The first portion of
material 120 and second portion of material 122 can be any suitable
shape or size. For example, in one non-limiting example embodiment,
the first portion of material 121 is approximately 1/8 inch in
diameter and is between one and twenty inches long; the second
portion of material 122 is approximately 1/4 inch in diameter and
is between one and four inches long.
[0035] In accordance with further embodiments, both the first
portion of material 121 and second portion of material 122 are of a
substantially the same composite of titanium alloy such as Ti6Al4V.
If desired, the titanium alloy Ti6Al4V from which the portions of
material are fabricated can conform to any suitable standard such
as JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards) H4650-TAB6400H, standard
ASTM B348 GRS, etc.
[0036] In accordance with further embodiments, assume that the
first portion of material 121 and the second portion of material
122 are fabricated from Titanium alloy(s) having a substantially
same alloy composition, grain size, alpha/beta ratio, etc.,
although these parameters may vary from one portion to another.
[0037] Even though the first portion of material 121 and the second
portion of material 122 are of a substantially same composite
material, the first portion material 121 may have a first Young's
modulus setting; the second portion material 122 may have a second
Young's modulus setting which is different than the first Young's
modulus setting. In other words, an elasticity of the material of
the assembly 120 can vary along the length.
[0038] In one embodiment, if desired, X-ray fluorescence or other
suitable measurement techniques can be used to accurately measure
the constituents (or components) of the alloy mixture of the
different portions of material 121, 122, etc., that are used to
fabricate assembly 120. In certain instances, a respective
manufacturer providing the raw material (from which the first
portion of material 121 and second portion of material 122 is
fabricated) provides information indicating a composition of the
raw material and any other useful specifications.
[0039] As further shown in FIG. 1, the fabricator resource 151
fixedly attaches (joins) surface 141 of the portion of material 121
and surface 142 of the portion of material 122 via a corresponding
joint 135 to produce assembly 120 such as a probe.
[0040] Note that the fabricator resource 151 can produce joint 135
in any suitable manner. In one embodiment, the fabricator resource
151 produces the joints 135 via friction welding. In accordance
with another embodiment, the fabricator resource 151 produces the
joint 135 via investment casting. In accordance with yet another
embodiment, the fabricator resource 151 produces the joint 135 via
molding in which two solid rods (such as first portion of material
121 and second portion material 122) are heated in a containing
mold. In still another embodiment, the fabricator resource 151 can
be configured to produce the joint 135 via forging, in which
surface 141 of the first portion material 121 and surface 142 of
the second portion of material 122 forming respective joint 135 are
heated (such as via contacting surfaces 141 and 142 and spinning
one portion of material about axis 160 with respect to the other)
and pushed together as shown.
[0041] Note that the proximal end 170-1 (such as a base) and distal
end 170-2 (such as a tip) of assembly 120 can be formed to be any
suitable shape depending upon the application. In one embodiment,
the assembly 120 is part of a probe used in the Thunderbeat.TM.
product developed by Olympus.TM..
[0042] In one instance, it is desired that the assembly 120
supports ultrasonic transmission of signals along the axis 160 of
assembly from the proximal end 170-1 to the distal end 170-2 in a
frequency range of 50.+-.3.25 KiloHertz (KHz), although this may
vary depending on the embodiment.
[0043] As previously discussed, each of the portions of material
121 and 122 may have a different Young's modulus setting. As
further discussed below, creation of joint 135 (based on heat
treating) may alter corresponding characteristic of material in
vicinity of joint 135, resulting in yet another variation in
characteristic (such as a Young's modulus setting) of the assembly
120 from the proximal end 170-1 to the distal end 170-2.
[0044] FIG. 2 is an example diagram illustrating exposure of an
assembly to one or more heating/cooling cycles according to
embodiments herein.
[0045] As shown, fabricator resource 152 provides control input 205
to temperature controller 220. In accordance with control input
205, temperature controller 220 controls the temperature of chamber
240 in which assembly 120 resides.
[0046] In one embodiment, the temperature controller 220 is able to
control the chamber 240 to any suitable temperature value as
specified by control input 205 such as greater than 1000.degree. C.
or less than 50.degree. C. As further discussed below, if desired,
as specified by control input 205, temperature controller 220 is
able to quickly increase or decrease the temperature of chamber 240
and/or its contents (such as assembly 120 such as an ultrasonic
probe assembly) to modify attributes (such as a Young's modulus of
elasticity) of assembly 120.
[0047] FIG. 3A is an example graph illustrating initial Young's
modulus settings of assembly along its length according to
embodiments herein.
[0048] As shown, the first portion material 121 of assembly 120 has
a Young's modulus setting of E1; second portion material 122 in
assembly 120 has a Young's modulus setting of E0; joint 135 of
assembly 120 has a Young's modulus setting of Eweld. The heat
caused by joining portion of materials causes the Young's modulus
of the joint to be different than adjacent material in the first
portion of material 121 and second portion of material 122.
[0049] As previously discussed, one embodiment herein includes
modifying values of the Young's modulus setting along the length of
the assembly 120 to a substantially homogeneous value. Other
embodiments as further discussed below in FIGS. 9 and 10 include
producing an assembly that has a varying Young's modulus
(elasticity) along its length.
[0050] FIG. 3B is an example graph illustrating application of a
heating/cooling cycle to the assembly to reset the Young's modulus
to a reset value according to embodiments herein.
[0051] In one embodiment, the fabricator resource 152 transmits
control input 205 to temperature controller 220 to, in turn,
control the temperature of assembly 120 in chamber 240 to above a
beta transus temperature value such as above 1000.+-.15.degree. C.
for an appropriate duration of time (e.g., a suitable time such as
more than 30 minutes). It is known that pure titanium has two solid
crystalline forms. At relatively low temperatures, the crystalline
phase is called alpha, and it has a hexagonal closed packed (HCP)
structure. At high temperatures, the solid phase is called beta and
has a body centered cubic (BCC) structure. The temperature at which
the solid becomes fully beta is called the beta-transus
temperature.
[0052] After heating the assembly 120 for the appropriate amount of
time as specified by control input 205, the fabricator resource 152
initiates quench cooling of the assembly 120. As previously
discussed, quench cooling can include exposing the assembly 120 to
a liquid (such as water, oil, etc.) below a temperature of 100
degrees Celsius. By way of non-limiting example embodiment, the
fabricator resource 152 can be configured to cool assembly 120 from
a temperature of over 1000.degree. C. to less than 50.degree. C. in
less than several seconds. After cooling, as shown in FIG. 3B, the
material in assembly 120 is reset to the homogeneous Young's
modulus value of Elow.
[0053] FIG. 3C is an example graph illustrating application of one
or more subsequent heating/cooling cycles to the assembly to tune
the assembly to a desired resonance frequency according to
embodiments herein.
[0054] In this example embodiment, the fabricator resource 152
controls application of one or more heating/cooling cycles to
carefully anneal the material in the assembly 120. In one
embodiment, the fabricator resource 152 controls the temperature of
assembly 120 in chamber 240 to be in a range between T1 (such as
300.degree. C.) and T2 (such as 900.degree. C.) for a predetermined
duration of time. FIG. 5 is an example diagram illustrating a graph
of Young's modulus of elasticity versus temperature and
corresponding temperature range between T1 and T2.
[0055] After the fabricator resource 152 controls the temperature
of assembly 120 to be greater than 300 and less than 900 degrees
for a duration such as more than 30 minutes to modify the
elasticity setting of material in assembly 120, the fabricator
resource 152 reduces the temperature in chamber 240 to reduce the
temperature of assembly 120 to below 50.degree. C. In one
embodiment, the fabricator resource 152 ramps down the temperature
of assembly 120 from a starting value within the range (between 300
and 900 degree Celsius) to room temperature of about 20.degree. C.
over a several minute time span. In other words, the assembly can
be slowly cooled. This causes the material along a length of
assembly 120 to be set to a homogeneous Young's modulus value of Et
as further shown in FIG. 3C.
[0056] In certain instances, note that it may be required to expose
the assembly 120 to multiple heating/cooling cycles in order to
raise the setting of the Young's modulus from Elow to a value (such
as Et) within a desired target range.
[0057] In one embodiment, a determination of environmental control
parameters (such as temperature, duration of exposure to
temperature, . . . ) associated with the heating and cooling cycles
that are needed to modify an assembly such that its Young's modulus
fall within a desired range is determined based on trial and
error.
[0058] For example, embodiments herein can include applying a
temperature in a range between 300 and 900.degree. C. for a certain
duration of time and then determining a Young's modulus setting
resulting from the previously applied heating/cooling cycle. If the
resulting Young's modulus setting of the respective assembly 120
after exposing the assembly 120 to a first heating/cooling cycle is
not within a desired range, the fabricator resource 152 can be
configured to expose the assembly 120 to one or more additional
heating/cooling cycles until the assembly 120 has a homogeneous
Young's modulus setting within the desired range. The duration or
temperature can be modified each successive time of applying a
heating/cooling cycle so that the characteristic of assembly 120
are closer to a desired target value.
[0059] After application of a respective heating/cooling cycle, any
suitable method can be used to determine modulus of elasticity
settings associated with assembly 120. For example, embodiments
herein can include implementing acoustic scanning, ultrasonic
scanning, optical scanning, laser scanning, thermal scanning, x-ray
scanning, x-ray fluorescence scanning, pull testing, etc., of the
assembly 120 to determine whether characteristic (such as its
elasticity) of the assembly 120 conforms to desired settings.
[0060] As previously discussed, the composition of the one or more
alloy materials used to fabricate the assembly 120 may be known.
After learning of one or more appropriate heating/cooling cycles
that are needed to modify different possible compositions of
titanium alloy material via trial and error, the fabricator
resource 152 can be configured to determine attributes of an next
assembly and then implement an appropriate one or more learned
heating/cooling cycles techniques (from previous trial and error)
to apply and modify the material in a newly received assembly such
that the Young's modulus of the material in the new assembly
modified to be within a desired range. As previously discussed, one
embodiment herein includes applying one or more subsequent
heating/cooling cycles to modify the Young's modulus setting along
the length of the assembly 120 such that a Young's modulus of the
assembly 120 is a substantially homogeneous value within a desired
target range such as E=103.0 GigaPascals to 110.0 GigaPascals,
preferably 104.0 GigaPascals to 109.0 GigaPascals, and most
preferably 105.0 GigaPascals to 108.0 Gigapascals. If desired, the
Young's modulus setting along the length can be controlled to a
more narrow range of E=104.0-GigaPascals to 109.0 GigaPascals,
preferably 105.0 GigaPascals to 108.0 GigaPascals, and most
preferably 106.0 GigaPascals to 107.0 GigaPascals to support
translation of acoustics signals along the axial length of assembly
120 at a resonance frequency of 50.+-.3.5 KiloHertz (KHz).
[0061] In contrast to conventional techniques in which fabricators
desire to produce titanium alloy material that does not resonate
(to prevent self-destruction of a respective component),
embodiments herein include tuning the assembly 120 to resonate
within a desired frequency range when exposed to a respective
ultrasonic excitation frequency signal.
[0062] FIG. 4 is an example diagram illustrating an alternative
method (to FIG. 3B) of applying heat to reset a modulus of
elasticity of an assembly to a desired reset value according to
embodiments herein.
[0063] In this example embodiment, in contrast to FIG. 3B, the
fabricator resource 152 applies different amounts of heat (e.g.,
heat at different temperatures) along a length of the assembly 120
to reset the Young's modulus of the assembly 120 to a homogenous
reset value of Elow. In a similar manner as previously discussed
with respect to FIG. 3C, after resetting the value to Elow, the
fabricator resource 152 then anneals the material (as in Fabricator
3C) in assembly 120 to adjust the homogenous Young's modulus of
elasticity and tune the assembly 120 within a desired resonance
frequency range.
[0064] FIG. 6 is an example diagram illustrating a computer system
(such as located in a fabricator resource 151, 152, etc.) executing
one or more instructions to modify characteristics of an assembly
according to embodiments herein. Any of the different processing
techniques to fabricate an assembly 120 having desired
characteristics can be achieved via execution of software code on
computer processor hardware.
[0065] As shown, computer system 650 (e.g., computer processor
hardware) of the present example can include an interconnect 611
that couples computer readable storage media 612 such as a
non-transitory type of media (i.e., any type of hardware storage
medium) in which digital information can be stored and retrieved.
The computer system 650 can further include processor 613 (i.e.,
computer processor hardware such as one or more processor
co-located or disparately located processor devices), I/O interface
614, communications interface 617, etc.
[0066] Computer processor hardware (i.e., processor 613) can be
located in a single location or can represent multiple resources to
be distributed amongst multiple locations in a fabrication
environment.
[0067] As its name suggests, I/O interface 614 provides
connectivity to resources such as repository 680, control devices
(such as controller 692), one or more display screens 630, etc.
[0068] Computer readable storage medium 612 can be any hardware
storage device to store data such as memory, optical storage, hard
drive, floppy disk, etc. In one embodiment, the computer readable
storage medium 612 stores instructions and/or data.
[0069] Communications interface 617 enables the computer system 650
and processor resource 613 to communicate over a resource such as a
network 190. I/O interface 614 enables processor resource 613 to
access data from a local or remote location, control a respective
display screen, receive input, etc.
[0070] As shown, computer readable storage media 612 can be encoded
with fabricator application 140-1 (e.g., software, firmware, etc.)
executed by processor 613 (computer processor hardware). Fabricator
application 140-1 can be configured to include instructions to
implement any of the processing operations as discussed herein.
[0071] During operation of one embodiment, processor 613 accesses
computer readable storage media 612 via the use of interconnect 611
in order to launch, run, execute, interpret or otherwise perform
the instructions in fabricator application 140-1 stored on computer
readable storage medium 612.
[0072] Execution of the fabricator application 140-1 produces
processing functionality such as fabricator process 140-2 in
processor resource 613. In other words, the fabricator process
140-2 associated with processor resource 613 represents one or more
aspects of executing fabricator application 140-1 within or upon
the processor resource 613 in the computer system 650.
[0073] Those skilled in the art will understand that the computer
system 650 can include other processes and/or software and hardware
components, such as an operating system that controls allocation
and use of hardware resources to execute fabricator application
140-1.
[0074] In accordance with different embodiments, note that computer
system can be any suitable type of computer device. The computer
system 650 may reside at any location or multiple locations in a
fabrication environment. As mentioned, the computer system 650 can
be included in any suitable resource such as in fabricator resource
151, fabricator resource 152, etc., to implement any functionality
as discussed herein.
[0075] FIG. 7 is a flowchart 700 (flowchart 700-1 and flowchart
700-2) illustrating an example method according to embodiments.
Note that there will be some overlap with respect to concepts as
discussed above.
[0076] In processing block 710, fabricator resource 151 receives a
first portion of material 121.
[0077] In processing block 720, fabricator resource 151 receives a
second portion of material 122.
[0078] In processing block 730, fabricator resource 151 produces
joint 135 joining the first portion of material 121 and second
portion of material 122 to form an assembly 120. In processing
block 740, fabricator resource 152 receives assembly 120 including
the first portion of material 121 and a second portion of material
122. In one embodiment, the first portion of material 121 in the
assembly 120 initially has a different modulus of elasticity than
the second portion of material 122.
[0079] In processing block 750, fabricator resource 152 exposes the
assembly 120 to a first set of one or more heating/cooling cycles.
Exposure of the assembly 120 to the first set of one or more
heating/cooling cycles modifies a modulus of elasticity (such as a
Young's modulus) of the first portion of material 121 and a modulus
of elasticity (such as a Young's modulus) of the second portion of
material 122. In one embodiment, exposure of the assembly 120 to
the first set of one or more heating/cooling cycles causes the
first portion of material 121 and the second portion of material
122 in the assembly 120 to have a substantially same modulus of
elasticity (reset elasticity value).
[0080] As its name suggests, the first set of one or more
heating/cooling cycles includes exposing the assembly 120 to
different temperatures. For example, in processing block 760 of
processing block 750, fabricator resource 152 exposes the assembly
120 to a temperature greater than a beta transus temperature (such
as greater than 985.degree. C.) associated with the first portion
of material 121 and the second portion of material 121.
[0081] In processing block 770, the fabricator resource 152 quickly
cools the assembly 120 to a temperature value substantially below
the beta transus temperature (such as back to room temperature) to
reset the modulus of elasticity of the respective material in the
assembly 120 to the substantially same modulus of elasticity. In
one embodiment, as previously discussed, after heating the assembly
120 a sufficiently high temperature (such as above the beta transus
temperature), the fabricator resource 152 can be configured to
quickly reduce the temperature of the assembly 120 via
quench-cooling in which a liquid (such as water, oil, etc., at
below 100 degree Celsius) is used to rapidly cool the assembly 120.
As discussed above, this resets the modulus of elasticity such as
Young's modulus of the material in the assembly 120 to a homogenous
value.
[0082] In processing block 810 of FIG. 8, subsequent to resetting
the modulus of elasticity of the first portion of material 121 and
second portion of material 122 in the assembly 120 to the
substantially same modulus of elasticity via application of the
first set of one or more heating/cooling cycles, fabricator
resource 152 anneals the material in the assembly 120 such that the
modulus of elasticity of the first portion of material 121 and the
second portion of material 122 in the assembly 120 is substantially
the same and within a desired target elasticity range. In one
embodiment, the desired target range for the modulus of elasticity
is above the reset modulus of elasticity value achieved in
processing block 760. Setting the material in assembly 120 to be
within a desired elasticity range (such as a Young's modulus value
of E=103.0 GigaPascals to 110.0
[0083] GigaPascals, preferably 104.0 GigaPascals to 109.0
GigaPascals, and most preferably 105.0 GigaPascals to 108.0
Gigapascals.) tunes the assembly 120 to support conveyance of
ultrasonic frequencies in a desired range (such as around 50
KiloHertz) along an axial length from a proximal end of assembly
120 through the second portion of material 122 and the first
portion of material 121 to a distal end of the assembly 120.
[0084] In sub-processing block 820 associated with processing block
810, fabricator resource 152 exposes the assembly 120 (including
the first portion of material 121 and second portion of material
122) to at least a second set of one or more heating/cooling cycles
in which both the modulus of elasticity of the first portion of
material 121 and the modulus of elasticity of the second portion of
material 122 is modified (such as to a target modulus of elasticity
value greater than the reset elasticity value as set in processing
block 750). As previously discussed, the fabricator resource 152
can be configured to expose the assembly 120 to any suitable number
of heating/cooling cycles in order to set the material in assembly
120 to an appropriate modulus of elasticity within the desired
target range.
[0085] FIG. 9 is an example diagram illustrating exposure of an
assembly to one or more different temperatures along a length to
vary elasticity settings (or resonance frequency settings)
according to embodiments herein.
[0086] Assume in this example embodiment that fabricator resource
152 receives assembly 920 such as a rod of titanium alloy material
with respective disks. Note that the shape of assembly 920 as a rod
and respective disks is shown by way of non-limiting example. The
assembly 920 and corresponding components can be any suitable
shape. In this example embodiment, the initial setting of the
modulus of elasticity (such as Young's modulus) of material along a
length of assembly 920 may be the same (such as E10) or different
starting value.
[0087] One embodiment herein includes modifying characteristics of
assembly 920 such that the modulus of elasticity of different
material along the length vary. For example, in one example
embodiment, to tune characteristics such as the resonance frequency
of the assembly 920 to different values (such as step values, a
gradient, etc., along a length of assembly 920), the fabricator
resource 152 exposes portion 921 of assembly 920 to one or more
temperature heating/cooling cycles as specified by T11; the
fabricator resource 152 exposes portion 922 of assembly 920 to one
or more temperature heating/cooling cycles as specified by T12; the
fabricator resource 152 exposes portion 923 of assembly 920 to one
or more temperature heating/cooling cycles as specified by T13; the
fabricator resource 152 exposes portion 924 of assembly 920 to one
or more temperature heating/cooling cycles as specified by T14.
[0088] To obtain different Young's modulus settings, the fabricator
resource 152 can be configured to apply different maximum
temperatures (for a same or different amount of times) to the
different portions 921, 922, etc., of assembly 920.
[0089] Exposure of the different portions 921, 922, 923, and 924 to
different heating/cooling cycles causes the different portions to
be set to different elasticities and, thus, resonance frequency
settings. For example, exposure of the portion 921 to a first set
of one or more heating/cooling cycles T11 sets the respective
Young's modulus of portion 921 to a value of E11 (corresponding to
a first resonance frequency value); exposure of the portion 922 to
a second set of one or more different heating/cooling cycles T12
sets the respective Young's modulus of portion 922 to a value of
E12 (corresponding to a second resonance frequency value); exposure
of the portion 923 to a third set of one or more different
heating/cooling cycles T13 sets the respective Young's modulus of
portion 923 to a value of E13 (corresponding to a third resonance
frequency value); exposure of the portion 924 to a fourth set of
one or more different heating/cooling cycles T14 sets the
respective Young's modulus of portion 924 to a value of E14
(corresponding to a fourth resonance frequency value).
[0090] In a manner as previously discussed, if desired, the
fabricator resource 152 can be configured to reset the Young's
modulus values of the assembly 920 prior to controlling
characteristic of the portions in assembly 920 to target elasticity
values.
[0091] Accordingly, via exposure of different portions of the
assembly 920 to different heating/cooling cycle and respective
temperatures, the fabricator resource 152: i) tunes the first
portion of material 921 to resonate at a first resonant frequency
value, ii) tunes the second portion of material 922 resonate at a
second resonant frequency value, iii) tunes the third portion of
material 923 to resonate at a third resonant frequency value, and
iv) tunes the fourth portion of material 924 to resonate at a
fourth resonant frequency value. Such an embodiment may be useful
in a stirring application in which the disks in assembly 920 are
used to agitate one or more liquids at different frequencies.
[0092] FIG. 10 is a flowchart 1000 illustrating an example method
according to embodiments. Note that there will be some overlap with
respect to concepts as discussed above.
[0093] In processing block 1010, fabricator resource 152 receives
an assembly 120 including at least a first portion of material 921
and a second portion of material 922.
[0094] In processing block 1020, fabricator resource 152 controls
exposure of the first portion of material 921 and the second
portion of material 922 in the assembly 920 to different
temperatures (e.g., a first location of the assembly 920 along the
length is exposed to a first temperature such as T1, a second
location of the assembly 920 along the length is exposed to a
second temperature T2, etc.). The controlled exposure of different
temperatures along the length of assembly 920 causes a modulus of
elasticity of the first portion of material 921 (such as at the
first location) in the assembly 920 to be substantially different
than a modulus of elasticity of the second portion of material 922
(such as at the second location) in the assembly 920. In one
embodiment, the controlled exposure of the assembly 920 to
different temperatures along the length causes the modulus of
elasticity of the assembly 920 to vary along a length from a distal
end of the assembly 920 to a proximal end of the assembly 920.
[0095] In sub-processing block 1030 of processing block 920,
fabricator resource 152 exposes the first portion of material 921
in the assembly 920 to first temperature settings Ti for a
controlled amount of time to set a modulus of elasticity of the
first portion of material 921 to be a first elasticity value such
as E11.
[0096] In sub-processing block 1040, fabricator resource 152
exposes the second portion of material in the assembly 920 to
second temperature settings T2 (different than the first
temperature settings T2) for a controlled amount of time to set a
modulus of elasticity of the second portion of material 922 to be a
second elasticity value such as E12. In one embodiment, the second
elasticity value of the second portion of material 922 is
substantially different than the first elasticity value of the
first portion of material 921. In this manner, the fabricator
resource 152 can control resonant frequency settings of the
assembly 920 to different values along its length.
[0097] In processing block 1050, fabricator resource 152 cools the
assembly 920 including the first portion of material 921 and the
second portion of material 922, exposure of the first portion of
material 921 and the second portion of material 922 to the
substantially different temperature settings (such as T1, T2, T3,
etc.) causes the modulus of elasticity to vary along the length of
assembly 920 after final cooling. That is, as previously discussed,
portion 921 of assembly 920 has an elasticity setting of E11;
portion 922 of assembly 920 has an elasticity setting of E12; and
so on.
[0098] Note again that techniques herein are well suited for
modifying elasticity characteristics such as a Young's modulus of
material in an assembly. However, it should be noted that
embodiments herein are not limited to use in such applications and
that the techniques discussed herein are well suited for other
applications as well.
[0099] While this invention has been particularly shown and
described with references to preferred embodiments thereof, it will
be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in
form and details may be made therein without departing from the
spirit and scope of the present application as defined by the
appended claims. Such variations are intended to be covered by the
scope of this present application. As such, the foregoing
description of embodiments of the present application is not
intended to be limiting. Rather, any limitations to the invention
are presented in the following claims.
* * * * *