摘要 |
An electric pulsed power vacuum press assembly for fast pulse heating of electrically conductive materials at high pressures is disclosed. The fast pulse capability is provided for by a current path (49) that is characterized by extremely low inductance and resistance. The low inductance of the press structure is achieved through the use of parallel plate (52), (56) and coaxial (64), (98) transmission line elements in the circuit. The use of a vacuum environment (46) reduces contamination of the material being processed. The press is useful for achieving fine scale adiabatic heating in dielectric/conductor mixtures (11) such as graphite and diamond, allowing for extreme heating of the conductive phase with minimal heat transfer to the dielectric phase during the heating pulse. Fine scale adiabatic heating enables phase changes and consolidation to be achieved in a composite with minimum energy input and minimum heating of the press structure.
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