Abstract: It is common practice to assemble heat exchangers from a multitude of pre-formed and sometimes extremely delicate pieces. The pieces have to be held in jigs along with appropriately placed braze material and then heated to achieve brazing. The invention takes advantage of the ability which some materials have, to considerably extend their areas without rupturing, by using such materials in that they are assembled in the flat condition and then diffusion bonded, followed by inflation of the parts of the assembly which are to provide the fluid passageways, inlet manifolds and headers. The construction of heat exchangers is thus considerably simplified.

Abstract: A plate-fin type of heat exchanger (100) facilitates exchange of heat between two or more process streams (101, 102). It comprises a matrix (M) of two different types of heat exchange plate elements (P1, P2) inter-digitated with each other. Adjacent plate elements are metallurgically bonded together for good thermal contact by an activated diffusion bonding process. The plate elements (P1, P2) are high-integrity diffusion bonded sandwich constructions comprising two outer sheets (201, 203--FIG. 4) and a superplastically expanded core sheet structure (202) between the two outer sheets. The sandwich construction provides flow passages (P) for the process streams. Adjacent plate elements (P1, P2) carry different process streams (102, 102).

Abstract: It is common practice to assemble heat exchangers from a multitude of pre-formed and sometimes extremely delicate pieces. The pieces have to be held in jigs along with appropriately placed braze material and then heated to achieve brazing. The invention takes advantage of the ability which some materials have to considerably extend their areas without rupturing by using such materials in that they are assembled in the flat condition and then diffusion bonded, followed by inflation of the parts of the assembly which are to provide the fluid passageways, inlet manifolds and headers. The construction of heat exchangers is thus considerably simplified.

Abstract: A plate-fin type of heat exchanger (100) facilitates exchange of heat between two or more process streams (101, 102). It comprises a matrix (M) of two different types of heat exchange plate elements (P1, P2) inter-digitated with each other. Adjacent plate elements are metallurgically bonded together for good thermal contact by an activated diffusion bonding process. The plate elements (P1, P2) are high-integrity diffusion bonded sandwich constructions comprising two outer sheets (201, 203 - FIG. 4 and a superplastically expanded core sheet structure (202) between the two outer sheets. The sandwich construction provides flow passages (P) for the process streams. Adjacent plate elements (P1, P2) carry different process streams (101, 102).

Abstract: A compressed gas storage tank comprises a multi-layer sheet metal sandwich structure with a predetermined pattern of solid state diffusion bonds between all the neighburing layers. After the sheets have been solid state diffusion bonded together in the flat condition, the tank is blow formed between dies under superplastic forming conditions to produce at least one superplastically expanded core layer for containing the compressed gas. The configuration of the core layer is determined by the diffusion bond pattern. The expanded core layer provided internal bracing for the tank to give in rigidity and enable it to withstand the high internal pressures.

Abstract: A method of making a titanium fan disc for a gas turbine engine comprises the steps of providing a pair of identical forged titanium cylinders each having a central bore and a flat end surface at right angles to its central axis, preparing the flat end surface of each cylinder to a high degree of smoothness, abutting the prepared surfaces of the cylinders one against the other in axial alignment, removing air from between said surfaces, and diffusion bonding the cylinders end-to-end by hot isostatic pressing to form the disc.

Abstract: A compact, high integrity heat exchanger element comprises a core layer through which the heat exchange fluid passes between its inlet and its outlet. The core layer includes a main heat exchange region containing heat exchange surfaces acting as fins. It also has distributor/ collector regions containing flow intercepting features for distributing or collecting the fluid flow over the width of the element. The heat exchange element consists of a minimum of two unitary sheets of metal joined by diffusion bonding in selected places. During manufacture, at least one of the unitary sheets has been superplastically deformed, in at least some of the places where it has not been diffusion bonded, so as to form the core layer complete with all its features in one operation.

Abstract: It is common practice to assemble heat exchangers from a multitude of pre-formed and sometimes extremely delicate pieces. The pieces have to be held in jigs along with appropriately placed braze material and then heated to achieve brazing. The invention takes advantage of the ability which some materials have to considerably extend their areas without rupturing by using such materials in that they are assembled in the flat condition and then diffusion bonded, followed by inflation of the parts of the assembly which are to provide the fluid passageways, inlet manifolds, and headers. The construction of heat exchangers is thus considerably simplified.