Method for fabricating wick microstructures in heat pipes

Abstract

The invention provides a method for fabricating wick microstructures in heat pipes, comprising the following steps: providing a flat plate and a mold with several molding holes; filling a dry powder material in the several molding holes and putting the mold to cover the flat plate so as to form an object to be sintered; sintering the object; and removing the mold to form a flat plate with wick microstructures. The wick microstructures are arranged on the flat plate in a form of microgrooves, microcylinders or any combination of them. The flat plate with wick microstructures is further processed to form a heat pipe with a characteristic shape and having two kinds of wick microstructures such that the heat transferred by the heat pipe is increased and the occurrence of dry out of the heat pipe is delayed.

1 . A method for fabricating wick microstructures for heat pipes, which comprises the following steps:
 a) selecting a flat plate and a mold having a plurality of molding holes;   b) selecting a dry powder material;   c) filling the plurality of molding holes with the dry powder material;   d) forming an object to be sintered by covering the mold having the plurality of molding holes on a surface of the flat plate;   e) sintering the object so that a plurality of wick microstructures are directly bonded on the surface of the flat plate; and   f) removing the mold to form a moldified plate with the plurality of wick microstructures.   
   
   
       2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the sintering step d) further includes applying a pressure on the mold and the flat plate. 
   
   
       3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein, in the selecting step b), the dry powder material is metal powder. 
   
   
       4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein, in the selecting step b), the dry powder material is ceramic powder. 
   
   
       5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein, in the selecting step b), the shape of the dry powder material has a shape selected from a group consisting of a sphere, a tree branch, and a combination thereof. 
   
   
       6 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein, in the selecting step a), the flat plate has plurality of microstructures formed thereon. 
   
   
       7 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein the plurality of microstructures are protruding bodies. 
   
   
       8 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein the microstructures on the flat plate is formed by a metal process. 
   
   
       9 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein, in the selecting step a), the plurality of molding holes has a shape selected from a group of shapes consisting of a circle, a rectangle, a triangle, a curve and a combination thereof. 
   
   
       10 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising a step of forming a heat pipe utilizing the modified flat plate with the plurality of wick microstructures, the heat pipe having the wick microstructures protruding inwardly in a hollow interior thereof. 
   
   
       11 . The method according to  claim 10 , wherein, in the step of forming, the heat pipe has a cross section having a shape selected from a group of shapes consisting of a triangle, a rectangle, and a circle. 
   
   
       12 . The method according to  claim 10 , wherein, the step of forming is selected from a group consisting of rolling and folding. 
   
   
       13 . The method according to  claim 10 , wherein, the step of forming includes soldering at least two flat plates with common wick microstructures to form the heat pipe. 
   
   
       14 . The method according to  claim 10 , wherein, the step of forming includes soldering at least two flat plates having different wick microstructures to form the heat pipe. 
   
   
       15 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein a porosity of the wick microstructures is greater than 30%. 
   
   
       16 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of wick microstructures are capable of absorbing a heat fluid and dissipates the heat of the heat fluid.