Granted Patent B2

US 8,539,671 · App. 12/652,162 · Granted Sep 24, 2013

Abstract

Claims (24)

1. A method of repairing a used electrode device comprising:

providing a used electrode assembly having:

an inner conductor with an integral electrode tip; the inner conductor being encapsulated in an insulator body having an outer conductor and an outer electrode tip; and

an outer sleeve attached to the insulator body, the sleeve being filled with a particle suspended fluid and the sleeve being retained by a metal ring at the location of attachment to the insulator body prior to removing the inner conductor from the insulator body;

placing the electrode assembly in a fixture with a collet holding the metal ring in place;

pushing on the sleeve to release the ring;

pressing the inner conductor with the integral electrode tip while holding or restraining the insulator body to apply a force sufficient to disengage the inner conductor from the insulator body; and

removing the electrode assembly from the fixture and separating the sleeve from the insulator body.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

grasping an end of the inner conductor opposite the integral electrode tip while holding the insulator body; and

withdrawing the inner conductor from the insulator body.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: measuring an amount the integral electrode tip of the inner conductor has been burnt as compared to a new tapered tip to establish a cut distance ΔX; and recutting the integral electrode tip by machining the burnt amount along a tapered surface of the integral electrode tip toward and into a shoulder of the inner conductor by a distance equal to the cut distance ΔX.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the inner conductor further has a shoulder taper surface extending from an end adjacent a base of the integral electrode tip; and further comprising: recutting the shoulder taper surface by machining the outside diameter of the inner conductor at a distance ΔX beyond an intersection of the shoulder taper surface and the diameter of the conductor along the same angle of the shoulder taper surface to form a conical surface having the same diametrical dimensions as the original shoulder surface.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising emptying the particle suspended fluid into a container while filtering the suspended particles.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

removing a particle holding container from the sleeve;

opening the particle holding container;

recharging the particle holding container with particles; and

closing the recharged particle holding container and reinserting the recharged particle holding container into the sleeve.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the sleeve has two gas vent holes and the method further comprising:

sealing vent holes in the sleeve with a tape labeled “remove prior to use”;

filling the sleeve with saline solution;

placing the metal ring around the sleeve;

placing the electrode assembly into the filled sleeve and pressing the metal ring over the sleeve and insulator body joint to tightly seal the electrode assembly to the sleeve.

Assignments (8)