Investigation of a Process for the Production of Metallic Filaments

摘要

The process investigated involves the continuous casting of beryllium metal as a core material in a glass capillary as the capillary is continuously drawn from glass tubing. The vigorous reaction between molten beryllium and glass prevented successful development of this process, and most of the effort was spent in studying means of introducing molten beryllium into the core of glass fibers with a minimum reaction time. Some glass compositional studies were also made in an effort to improve the compatibility between beryllium and glass at high temperature. A pressure ejection technique of squirting a stream of molten beryllium vertically downward from a beryllium oxide nozzle into the cone of glass fiber formation appeared to be the most promising method for reducing the reaction time. Problems involving beryllium-glass reaction, control of metal flow, nozzle design, heating techniques and material purity must be overcome before this process can succeed. The glass compositional study has given encouraging results. Experimental glasses, used as an intermediate layer between the beryllium and the conventional fiberizing glass, appeared to reduce the severity of the usual beryllium-glass reaction. The extent of this investigation has been too limited to warrant any definite conclusions. (Author)