Heat Switch Picture Descriptions
This page of picture descriptions has two sections:
Heat Switch Cross Section Schematic Drawing
This is a simplified cross section of the gas gap heat switch. The cylindrical outer shell shows up as one thick vertical line on the right hand side of the switch and one on the left hand side. Closing each end of the switch is an end piece. Each endpiece has fingers that stick out towards the other end. These fingers don't touch, although they come close; in fact, the fingers from each endpiece stretch almost to the other endpiece. Thus, there is narrow gap between the two enpieces.
Just outside one endpiece is a small square, representing the small chamber where the getter is stored. The chamber is connected to the gap between the two endpieces by a tube, represented in cross section by parallel lines.
Return to heat switch page.
Heat Switch Parts Photograph
The photograph shows an assembled heat switch, 4 parts, a torque wrench, and a ruler sitting on a table. In a line drawing below the photograph, the objects are numbered. Here is a list of those parts with the same numbers.
- 1. Assembled Heat Switch. The switch is basically a vertical cylinder, covered with shiny metallic foil, 4 or 5 times as long as it is wide. Each end is closed by a brass, gold-colored disk, which sticks out past the edge of the shiny metal cylinder. The brass disks are about half again as large in diameter as the shiny metal cylinder. Each disk has a ring of bolt holes just in from its outer edge. You can't see it in this photograph, but each disk has hollow concentric cylinders welded to the surface inside the switch. These cylinders stretch almost the whole lenght of the switch. Each flat disk with its concentric cylinders is called an endpiece. A thin tube sticks up from the center of the top brass endpiece. A cylindrical chamber, much smaller than the first cylinder, sits atop this tube. This small chamber is the getter chamber.
- 2. Getter Capillary. This is a duplicate of the thin tube that runs from the end of the heat switch to the getter chamber. It's about as long as the main heat switch is in diameter. A thinner, shorter tube sticks out of its middle.
- 3. End Piece 1. This is one of 2 endpieces shown. The endpieces the flat brass disks at the end of the switch with the attached cylinders. This endpiece is lying on its side. The flat brass disk is resting on its rim and the cylinders stretch out horizontally, with the tip of the outer cylinder resting on the table.
- 4. End Piece 2. This endpiece is standing vertically, like the assembled heat switch. It is resting on the flat disks. The concentric cylinders are sticking straight up. The outer cylinder is hollow, the inner is not..
- 5. Outer Shell. This is a hollow, brown, thin-walled cylinder. It is as long and as big in diameter as the assembled switch, because it is the outer shell of the assembled switch. The assembled switch looks shiny and metallic because it is covered with metal foil.
- 6. Torque Wrench. This wrench has a black handgrip, like that of a screwdriver. In fact, the end of the tool looks sort of like the end of a scredriver. In between is a gauge which shows how much torque the user is applying.
Links.