Rotating anode target disk thermal shock test apparatus and method for x-ray tubes

Abstract

The application provides a kind of X-ray tube rotating anode target disc thermal shock test device and method, for the life of the anode target disc is evaluated, the test device includes heating source and vacuum chamber, the anode target disc is placed in the vacuum chamber, the area for receiving the X-ray bombardment of cathode emission is called annular track area, and the heating source makes the temperature of the annular track area reach the actual working temperature.Using this test device can simulate the actual working environment of the anode target disc, and test the life of the anode target disc. The method is simple, the result is reliable, and the test device can be reused, compared with the direct tube destructive test of the anode target disc, it saves time and cost.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention entitled "Device and Method for Thermal Shock Testing of Rotating Anode Target for X-ray Tube" filed on January 17, 2022, with application number 202210050189.X. Technical Field

[0002] This invention relates to the field of thermal shock testing technology for anode target disks, and particularly to a rotating anode target disk thermal shock testing device and method for X-ray tubes. Background Technology

[0003] X-ray tubes are used to generate X-rays and play a vital role in various fields such as medical diagnosis, security inspection, and non-destructive testing. The basic principle of an X-ray tube is that thermionic electrons excited by the heating of its cathode filament collide with the anode target disk under the influence of the accelerating electric fields at the anode and cathode. About 1% of the energy is converted into X-rays, while the remaining approximately 99% is converted into heat, resulting in a rapid temperature rise at the impact site. In a fixed anode X-ray tube, electrons continuously collide at the same location, leading to rapid localized temperature rise; continuous power loading is possible, but the power output is very low. A rotating anode X-ray tube, on the other hand, uses an anode bearing to drive the anode target disk to rotate at high speed within a vacuum tube shell, thus distributing heat across the entire target disk and significantly increasing the continuously loadable power compared to a fixed anode X-ray tube.

[0004] Common high-power X-ray tubes use a rotating anode target with a thin tungsten-rhenium alloy as the track layer, which is composited with a TZM molybdenum alloy, and a graphite layer is welded to the back of the molybdenum alloy. During the loading process of the X-ray tube, the target disk focal spot temperature exceeds 2300℃, the TZM substrate operating temperature exceeds 1400℃, and the operating speed is as high as 9000 r / min. In actual operation, the target disk is constantly subjected to alternating high-temperature and low-temperature cycles, so the welding quality of the molybdenum alloy and graphite directly determines the lifespan of the target disk. Currently, the commonly used method for evaluating the lifespan of anode target disks is to directly load the tube and conduct exposure tests, which is not only time-consuming but also expensive. With the development needs of target disks, there is an urgent need for a simple and convenient method for evaluating the lifespan of target disks. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a thermal shock testing device and method for a rotating anode target disk for X-ray tubes, replacing the existing anode target disk life assessment method. The testing environment provided by this device is basically consistent with the actual working environment of the anode target disk, the test results are reliable, and the test method is simple and convenient.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: A thermal shock testing apparatus for a rotating anode target disk in an X-ray tube is provided for evaluating the lifespan of the anode target disk. The testing apparatus includes a heating source and a vacuum chamber. The anode target disk is placed in the vacuum chamber. The area of ​​the anode target disk used to receive X-ray bombardment from the cathode is called the annular trajectory region. The heating source brings the temperature of the annular trajectory region to the actual operating temperature.

[0007] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned X-ray tube rotating anode target thermal shock test apparatus, the heating source is a directional regional heating source generated by an electron beam gun, and the heating source can generate a beam that acts directionally on the annular trajectory region.

[0008] Furthermore, the above-mentioned rotating anode target thermal shock test apparatus for X-ray tubes also includes a support body for supporting the anode target.

[0009] Furthermore, the above-mentioned rotating anode target plate thermal shock test device for X-ray tubes also includes a rotating power system located outside the vacuum chamber. The rotating power system is connected to the support body and can drive the anode target plate to rotate, thereby realizing dynamic thermal shock testing of the anode target plate.

[0010] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned rotating anode target thermal shock test device for X-ray tubes, the upper section of the support is located inside the vacuum chamber, and the lower section of the support extends outside the vacuum chamber through a dynamic seal and is connected to the rotating power system.

[0011] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned rotating anode target thermal shock test apparatus for X-ray tubes, the sidewall of the vacuum chamber is an electronically grade sealed quartz bell jar, which enables the vacuum chamber to provide a vacuum environment for the anode target during the test.

[0012] Furthermore, in the aforementioned X-ray tube rotating anode target thermal shock testing apparatus, the sealed quartz bell jar can provide a vacuum of ≤5×10⁻⁶ for the anode target during the testing process. -4 The vacuum testing environment of Pa.

[0013] Furthermore, the above-mentioned rotating anode target plate thermal shock test device for X-ray tubes also includes a temperature sensor and a control system. The control system is connected to the temperature sensor, the rotating power system, and the heating source. The temperature sensor feeds back the temperature to the control system in real time to achieve linkage with the heating source. The temperature sensor is an infrared temperature sensor.

[0014] Furthermore, in the aforementioned X-ray tube rotating anode target thermal shock test apparatus, the control system stores parameters, including the number of thermal shocks, heating time, thermal shock time interval, temperature, and vacuum degree. The control system has a display interface that can display and record the parameters during the test in real time.

[0015] On the other hand, a method for conducting tests using the aforementioned rotating anode target thermal shock testing apparatus for X-ray tubes is provided, comprising the following steps: First, fix the anode target disk to the support, and then evacuate the vacuum chamber to a vacuum level of 5×10⁻⁶. -4 Within Pa, the heating time, number of thermal shocks, thermal shock time interval and temperature of the thermal shock test are set in the control system; Then, adjust the relative position of the directional heating source in the annular trajectory area of ​​the anode target disk, start the control system, and begin the test. After the test, observe the state of the anode target disk and analyze and evaluate it.

[0016] Analysis reveals that this invention discloses a thermal shock testing apparatus and method for a rotating anode target disk used in X-ray tubes. This apparatus simulates the actual working environment of the anode target disk and evaluates its lifespan. The apparatus uses a high-energy beam generated by an electron beam gun to act directionally on the annular trajectory region of the anode target disk used to receive X-rays emitted from the cathode. The heating time is set to be approximately consistent with the actual exposure loading time of the anode target disk. A sealed quartz bell jar provides a vacuum environment for the test, enabling both infrared thermography and real-time observation of the anode target disk's thermal shock test surface. The anode target disk is fixed to a support and rotates at a certain speed under the drive of a rotational power system. The test environment closely resembles the actual working environment of the anode target disk, ensuring that the test results directly reflect the quality and lifespan of the target disk. This method is simple, reliable, and the apparatus is reusable. Compared to the destructive testing of the anode target disk by directly mounting it into the tube, it saves both time and cost. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this application, are used to provide a further understanding of the invention. The illustrative embodiments of the invention and their descriptions are used to explain the invention and do not constitute an undue limitation of the invention. Wherein: Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached diagram: 1. Heating source; 2. Vacuum chamber; 3. Anode target plate; 4. Support body; 5. Rotation power system; 6. Temperature sensor; 7. Control system. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. Various examples are provided by way of explanation and not by way of limitation. Indeed, those skilled in the art will recognize that modifications and variations can be made to the invention without departing from its scope or spirit. For example, a feature shown or described as part of one embodiment may be used in another embodiment to produce yet another embodiment. Therefore, it is desirable that the invention encompass such modifications and variations falling within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0020] In the description of this invention, the terms "longitudinal," "lateral," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," and "bottom," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing the invention and do not require the invention to be constructed and operated in a specific orientation; therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the invention. The terms "connected," "linked," and "set up" used in this invention should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection or a detachable connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through intermediate components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms according to the specific circumstances.

[0021] The accompanying drawings illustrate one or more examples of the invention. The detailed description uses numerals and letters to refer to features in the drawings. Similar or analogous reference numerals in the drawings and description have been used to refer to similar or analogous parts of the invention. As used herein, the terms “first,” “second,” and “third,” etc., are used interchangeably to distinguish one component from another and are not intended to indicate the location or importance of individual components.

[0022] like Figure 1 As shown in the embodiment of the present invention, a rotating anode target plate thermal shock test device for X-ray tubes is provided for evaluating the lifespan of the anode target plate 3. The test device includes a heating source 1 and a vacuum chamber 2. The anode target plate 3 is placed in the vacuum chamber 2 and can rotate. The area of ​​the anode target plate 3 used to receive the X-ray bombardment emitted from the cathode is called the annular trajectory region. The heating source 1 can make the temperature of the annular trajectory region reach the actual working temperature of the anode target plate 3 according to the actual loading time, thereby providing a test environment close to the actual working environment for testing the anode target plate 3, making the test results reliable.

[0023] Furthermore, in order to make the heating of the annular trajectory region more uniform by the heating source 1, the heating source 1 is a directional regional heating source generated by an electron beam gun. The heating source 1 can generate a beam that acts directionally on the annular trajectory region, and thus can heat the annular trajectory region by electron beam oscillation.

[0024] Furthermore, the test apparatus also includes a support 4, which is used to support the anode target disk 3.

[0025] Furthermore, the test apparatus also includes a rotary power system 5, which is located outside the vacuum chamber 2. The rotary power system 5 is connected to the support body 4 and can drive the anode target disk 3 to rotate. During the test, the anode target disk 3 can be dynamically thermally shocked by rotating with the rotary power system 5 at a certain speed. Alternatively, the rotation speed of the rotary power system 5 can be set to 0 r / min to achieve static thermal shock testing of the anode target disk 3.

[0026] Furthermore, the upper section of the support body 4 is located inside the vacuum chamber 2, and the lower section of the support body 4 extends to the outside of the vacuum chamber 2 through a dynamic seal and is connected to the rotary power system 5. The rotary power system 5 can drive the anode target disk 3 to rotate at high speed through the support body 4, so that the test environment of the anode target disk 3 is close to the actual working environment, ensuring the reliability of the test results.

[0027] Furthermore, the sidewalls of vacuum chamber 2 are electronically grade sealed quartz bell jars, enabling vacuum chamber 2 to provide a vacuum environment for anode target disk 3 during testing. The use of sealed quartz bell jars in vacuum chamber 2 allows for both infrared thermography and real-time observation of the thermal shock surface state of anode target disk 3 during the experiment.

[0028] Furthermore, the sealed quartz bell jar can provide a vacuum of ≤5×10⁻⁶ for the anode target disk 3 during testing. -4 The vacuum testing environment is determined by Pa. A vacuum testing environment is created using a sealed quartz bell jar, and the high-speed rotation of the rotary power system 5 ensures that the testing environment closely approximates the actual working environment of the anode target 3, guaranteeing that the test results directly reflect the quality and service life of the anode target 3.

[0029] Furthermore, the experimental apparatus also includes a temperature sensor 6 and a control system 7. The control system 7 is connected to the temperature sensor 6, the rotational power system 5, and the heating source 1. The temperature sensor 6 provides real-time temperature feedback to the control system 7 to achieve linkage with the heating source 1. The temperature sensor 6 is an infrared temperature sensor. Based on infrared temperature measurement, the temperature sensor 6 can measure the temperature through the side wall of the vacuum chamber 2 and can provide real-time feedback of the trajectory temperature of the anode target disk 3 to the control system 7. The control system 7 controls the heating source 1 to heat the annular trajectory area based on the feedback temperature information, thus achieving linkage with the heating source 1.

[0030] Furthermore, the control system 7 stores parameters, including the number of thermal shocks, heating time, thermal shock interval, temperature, and vacuum degree. These parameters are important parameters for simulating the actual operation of the anode target plate 3. When setting these parameters in the experiment, the actual working conditions should be as close as possible to obtain the actual condition of the anode target plate 3 after thermal shock. The control system 7 has a display interface that can display and record the parameters in real time during the experiment, providing data support for the analysis and evaluation of the anode target plate 3 after the experiment is completed.

[0031] The present invention also discloses a method for conducting tests using the above-mentioned anode target plate thermal shock testing device, comprising the following steps: First, the anode target is fixed on the support 4, and the vacuum chamber is evacuated to 5×10⁻⁶. -4 Within Pa, according to the test requirements, the heating time, number of thermal shocks, thermal shock time interval and temperature of the thermal shock test are set in the control system 7; then the relative position of the directional heating source 1 in the annular trajectory area of ​​the anode target disk 3 is adjusted, the control system 7 is started, and the test is started. After the test, the state of the anode target disk 3 after the thermal shock test is observed, and the parameters of the test process recorded by the control system 7 are analyzed and evaluated.

[0032] In one embodiment of the present invention, the parameters in the control system 7 are set as follows: heating time is 5s, heating temperature is 2000℃, heat preservation is 2s, thermal shock time interval is 60s, rotation speed of the rotating power system 5 is 0r / min, and the number of thermal shocks is 10000. Static thermal shock test is performed on the anode target disk 3 under the above parameters.

[0033] In another embodiment of the present invention, the parameters in the control system 7 are set as follows: heating time is 5s, heating temperature is 2000℃, heat preservation is 2s, thermal shock time interval is 60s, rotation speed of the rotating power system 5 is 2000r / min, and the number of thermal shocks is 10000 times. Dynamic thermal shock test is performed on the anode target disk 3 under the above parameters.

[0034] The parameter settings in the above embodiments are mainly based on the actual working conditions of the anode target disk 3. The anode target disk 3 actually operates at a maximum speed of 9000 r / min, which places high demands on the bearings of the rotary power device. If the test apparatus were to utilize the rotary power system 5 to achieve the actual operating speed, the test would become more complex and costly. Therefore, the test apparatus uses the rotary power system 5 to drive the rotation at a lower speed, generally below 3000 r / min.

[0035] As can be seen from the above description, the embodiments of the present invention achieve the following technical effects: A thermal shock testing apparatus for an anode target disk (3) is disclosed. This apparatus simulates the actual working environment of the anode target disk (3) and evaluates its lifespan. The apparatus uses a high-energy beam generated by an electron beam gun to act directionally on the annular trajectory region of the anode target disk (3) that receives X-rays emitted from the cathode. The heating time is set to be approximately consistent with the actual exposure and loading time of the anode target disk (3). A vacuum chamber (2) uses a sealed quartz bell jar to provide a vacuum environment for the test, enabling both infrared thermography and real-time observation of the surface state of the anode target disk (3) during the thermal shock test. The anode target disk (3) is fixed to a support (4) and rotates at a certain speed via a rotational power system (5). This allows for both static and dynamic thermal shock tests on the anode target disk (3). The test environment closely resembles the actual working environment of the anode target disk (3), ensuring that the test results directly reflect the quality and lifespan of the anode target disk (3). This method is simple, reliable, and the apparatus is reusable. Compared to the destructive testing of the anode target disk (3) by directly mounting it in a tube, this method saves both time and cost.

[0036] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention. Various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A thermal shock testing apparatus for a rotating anode target disk in an X-ray tube, used to evaluate the lifespan of the anode target disk, characterized in that, The experimental apparatus includes a heating source and a vacuum chamber. The anode target disk is placed inside the vacuum chamber. The area of ​​the anode target disk used to receive X-rays emitted from the cathode is called the annular trajectory region. The heating source brings the temperature of the annular trajectory region to the actual operating temperature. The sidewalls of the vacuum chamber are electronically grade sealed quartz bell jars, enabling the vacuum chamber to provide a vacuum environment for the anode target disk during testing. The sealed quartz bell jar can provide a vacuum of ≤5×10⁻⁶ for the anode target disk during testing. -4 Vacuum testing environment for Pa The heating source is a directional regional heating source generated by an electron beam gun. The heating source can generate a beam that acts directionally on the annular trajectory region, thereby heating the annular trajectory region through electron beam oscillation.

2. The rotating anode target thermal shock testing apparatus for X-ray tubes according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a support body for supporting the anode target disk.

3. The rotating anode target thermal shock testing apparatus for X-ray tubes according to claim 2, characterized in that, It also includes a rotary power system located outside the vacuum chamber. The rotary power system is connected to the support body and can drive the anode target disk to rotate, thereby performing dynamic thermal shock testing on the anode target disk.

4. The rotating anode target thermal shock testing apparatus for X-ray tubes according to claim 3, characterized in that, The upper section of the support is located inside the vacuum chamber, and the lower section of the support extends outside the vacuum chamber through a dynamic seal and connects to the rotary power system.

5. The rotating anode target thermal shock testing apparatus for X-ray tubes according to claim 3, characterized in that, It also includes a temperature sensor and a control system, wherein the control system is connected to the temperature sensor, the rotary power system, and the heating source. The temperature sensor feeds back the temperature to the control system in real time to achieve linkage with the heating source. The temperature sensor is an infrared temperature sensor.

6. The rotating anode target thermal shock testing apparatus for X-ray tubes according to claim 5, characterized in that, The control system stores parameters including the number of thermal shocks, heating time, thermal shock time interval, temperature, and vacuum level. The control system has a display interface that can display and record the parameters in real time during the test.

7. A method for conducting tests using the rotating anode target thermal shock testing apparatus for X-ray tubes according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: First, fix the anode target disk to the support, and then evacuate the vacuum chamber to a vacuum level of 5×10⁻⁶. -4 Within Pa, the heating time, number of thermal shocks, thermal shock time interval and temperature of the thermal shock test are set in the control system; Then, adjust the relative position of the directional heating source in the annular trajectory area of ​​the anode target disk, start the control system, and begin the test. After the test, observe the state of the anode target disk and analyze and evaluate it.

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