Abstract: The invention relates to a device to irradiate surfaces with electrons, especially to harden surface layers. The device includes a vacuum chamber that has an electron beam window; an electron beam-permeable film that closes off the vacuum chamber from the ambient medium; and an electron beam generating system, consisting of a cathode and a forming electrode which are connected to a high-voltage and beam current feed line. In order to achieve an increase of the electron beam power and to reduce the energy losses during the transfer out of the electron beam window in such a device, according to the invention, the forming electrode is designed as a tubular hollow body with inner hollow space lengthwise dividers and with a lengthwise slit that is open towards the electron beam window. A wire-shaped cathode is arranged in each hollow space segment divided off by the hollow space lengthwise divider.

Abstract: A system for sealing the working vacuum chamber of a charged particle beam machine which is movable with respect to a workpiece is disclosed. The system includes a housing with a central compartment having wire-shaped elements urged against the workpiece to provide a seal therebetween, and lateral compartments, each having a packing of sealing material which is biased against the workpiece surface of a spring arrangement. Rollers and a flexible lip seal arrangement having a flexible sheath of synthetic rubber are also disclosed.

Abstract: In a charge carrier beam machine, as an electron beam welding machine, a system for establishing the relative position of a beam impingement spot on a workpiece surface and a machine reference position, as a beam gun axis, comprises an X-ray sensor defining at least one measuring field boundary intersecting the workpiece surface at a line of intersection spaced from the gun axis. During repetitive measuring periods, the beam is deflected from the normal working position along a measuring path, which crosses the line of intersection, and a signal functionally related to the period of time the beam needs to travel from a reference position along the measuring path to the line of intersection is produced. This signal comprises the desired information about the relative position and can be used in a regulating apparatus for maintaining a desired relationship.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for the control of the filler material supply rate in energy beam welding as electron beam welding is disclosed. The width or cross-sectional area of a gap defined by opposed faces of two workpiece parts to be joined is measured by radiation, preferably X-ray radiation, and the rate with which filler material is supplied into a welding zone produced by the energy beam is controlled in proportion to the result of the measurement. The measurement may be made in advance of the welding zone and the control is then delayed by a period of time, which the welding zone takes to arrive at the position of the gap, where the measurement was made.

Abstract: An account is given of a welding pool support device for energy beam welding, with a metal structure, which on a beam outlet side of a welding seam zone of a workpiece system is put against the beam outlet side and being in contact with it by a number of touching points for stopping any movement of melt out of the welding zone, which is achieved by the energy beam in the workpiece system, by a relative movement of the energy beam and the workpiece system, the former going along the weld seam zone. A supporting structure, which is able to be so changed in shape that it takes into account uneven parts of the beam outlet side of the workpiece system in the long direction and also in the cross-direction of the weld seam zone.

Abstract: In a method of welding with a beam of charged particles, outside of a mobile vacuum chamber a gap between two workpiece parts is sealed by an elongated metal foil strip, two marginal zones of which being sealingly cemented to surface portions of said workpiece parts, said marginal portions being sufficiently spaced from the gap to avoid excessive heating of the adhesive during welding a seam along said gap. The preferred material for the foil strip is copper or austenitic steel.

Abstract: The specification describes an energy-beam engraving method for producing depressions of different dimensions in a surface. In the method depressions with smaller and larger dimensions are produced by shorter and longer action of an energy beam with a substantially constant power. Besides the duration of action of the energy-beam on a predetermined range of the surface to be engraved simultaneously its focussing is so varied that the focus plane is closer to the surface in the case of smaller depressions than with larger depressions.