Cladding Tube Coating Apparatus with Rotary Support for Uniform Arc Ion Plating
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing arc ion plating (AIP) process for coating zirconium alloy cladding tubes faces limitations in loading and coating a large number of tubes efficiently, leading to variations in coating thickness and reduced coating rates due to bending issues and complex jig requirements.
Innovation Solution
A cladding tube coating apparatus with a rotating support portion and multiple rotary tables that maintain a constant rotation speed and uniform coating thickness, allowing for efficient loading and coating of multiple tubes using arc ion plating, and optimizing the target portion arrangement for increased coating efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If cladding tubes are arranged horizontally in AIP equipment, then coating can be performed, but bending phenomenon occurs due to own weight requiring complicated jigs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional horizontal arrangement approach by implementing vertical arrangement of cladding tubes in the AIP equipment. This inversion eliminates the bending phenomenon caused by gravity acting on horizontally positioned tubes, thereby removing the need for complicated support jigs while maintaining coating quality.
2Stability of the object's composition
If cladding tubes are arranged vertically in AIP equipment, then bending phenomenon is reduced, but loading and coating a large amount of tubes at once is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the loading system into multiple loading positions arranged vertically within the AIP equipment. This segmentation allows multiple cladding tubes to be loaded and coated simultaneously at different vertical levels, thereby increasing throughput while maintaining the stability benefits of vertical arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a single-level vertical arrangement to a multi-level vertical stacking configuration. By utilizing the vertical dimension more effectively with multiple loading positions at different heights, the system increases the number of tubes that can be coated simultaneously without compromising the stability provided by vertical orientation.
3Productivity
If multiple cladding tubes are loaded to increase coating efficiency, then coating rate per unit time increases, but variations in coating thickness in longitudinal and circumferential directions occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a rotation support portion that rotates the loaded cladding tubes during the AIP coating process. This dynamic rotation ensures uniform exposure of all tube surfaces to the ion plating flux, eliminating thickness variations in both longitudinal and circumferential directions while maintaining high coating efficiency through multiple simultaneous loadings.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The apparatus enables a homogeneous coating layer with increased coating efficiency and uniform thickness in both longitudinal and circumferential directions, addressing the limitations of the AIP process and enhancing economic feasibility for mass production of oxidation-resistant cladding tubes.
Implementation Method 1
a target portion provided in the chamber unit toward the plurality of cladding tubes accommodated in the rotation support portion and ionized as an oxidation-resistant material is melted and evaporated due to an arcing phenomenon
Implementation Method 2
a chamber unit configured to create a zirconium alloy coating environment using arc ion plating
Data Source
AI summary
A cladding tube coating apparatus includes a chamber unit configured to create a zirconium alloy coating environment using arc ion plating, a rotating support portion provided in the chamber unit to accommodate a plurality of cladding tubes, which are coating objects, and a target portion provided in the chamber unit toward the plurality of cladding tubes accommodated in the rotation support portion and ionized as an oxidation-resistant material is melted and evaporated due to an arcing phenomenon, wherein the rotation support portion includes a plurality of rotary tables on which the plurality of cladding tubes are rotationally supported, supports the rotary tables so that a rotation speed of the plurality of cladding tubes is constant at a preset speed, and supports the rotary table to maintain a coating thickness uniformly in longitudinal and circumferential directions.