Supporting tube for a magnetic resonance scanner

Abstract

Supporting tube made from reinforced plastic for magnetic resonance scanners with tracks for a patient bed and load-bearing shells formed on both sides, opening upwardly, with fastening members on the undersides is manufactured including the guide rails and the under embedded fastening members from mold-cast plastic and is locally provided with cast-in reinforcements only in the region bf the load-bearing shells.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention concerns a supporting tube made from reinforced plastic for magnetic resonance scanners of the type having tracks for a patient bed and load-bearing shells formed on both sides, opening upwardly, with fastening members on the undersides of the shells. [0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art [0004] Known supporting tubes of the above type are produced by winding resin-impregnated fiberglass threads (rovings) around a mandrel with an outer diameter conforming to the desired inner contour of the tube and, if applicable, are cured by heating. Moreover, it is known to manufacture the supporting tube in a multipart-casting mold with a reaction resin with subsequent hardening. The casting can ensue in a known manner under vacuum, or under vacuum with subsequent pressurization. In this production method, in principle a uniform wall thickness of the supporting tube is produced and a resin system plus add...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention provides a supporting tube for a bearing that has a simple design and high rigidity. The tube is made from a mold-cast plastic and has reinforcements embedded at the bottom. The invention includes a method of achieving flexural strength by introducing local thickenings in the load-bearing shells of the supporting tube. The casting resin can also contain fillers, such as silica powder or fused quartz, to improve flexural strength and reduce deformations under load. The casting resin can also contain fibrous reinforcement inserts made from mineral or glass fibers. The fillers and reinforcement inserts can be bonded with bonding agents adapted to the casting resin. The glass transition temperature of the casting resin is adapted to the working temperature range."

Problems solved by technology

Both effects can lead to mechanical stresses in the finished component, tears (cracks) or at least to shrinkage-dependent deformations and deviations of the outer contour from the desired contour.

These problems can be prevented by optimally complete filling of the hollow receptacle of the casting mold, with reinforcement materials such as glass fabric / felt (non-woven fiber) but these solutions involve high production and material expenditure.

Deformations and voids due to exothermy and reaction shrinking can be largely prevented by the use of a filler, for example silica powder, However, the rigidity of typical casting resins with approximately 65-weight percent silica powder is insufficient to achieve the necessary substantial freedom from deformations under load with respect to the predetermined contour of the supporting tube.

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