Thermal mechanical study of mini-TWT ceramic jacketed collectors

Ceramic jacketed mini-TWT collectors are used in a number of TWT designs at L-3 EDD. In applications where size is a critical constraint, the ceramic jacketed collector is often the only option that will satisfy the power density requirement as well as the form factor requirement. Cracking of the ceramic can occur, however, typically during aging and initial testing of TWTs containing these collectors. The goal of this study is to analyze the design of the collector in order to reduce the incidence of cracking.