envelope

tungsten-halogen lamps with quartz envelopes came into wide use. The halogen compound is included inside the envelope, and its purpose is to combine with the tungsten evaporated from the hot filament. This forms a compound that is electrically attracted back to the tungsten filament. It thus prevents the evaporated…

Electric discharge lamps, in which enclosed gases are energized by an applied voltage and thereby made to glow, are extremely efficient light sources, but the heat and corrosion involved in their operation push optical ceramics to their thermochemical limits. A major breakthrough occurred in…

…the sintering of alumina lamp envelopes for sodium-vapour street lights. The lamp envelope must be able to contain the hot sodium discharge, and at the same time it must be transparent, or at least translucent, to visible light. The necessary refractory properties can be found in alumina, but the material…