Raw Materials

An ICSD smoke detector is composed of a housing made of polyvinylchloride or poly-styrene

plastic, a small electronic alarm horn, a printed circuit board with an assortment of electronic
components, and a sensing chamber and reference chamber, each containing a pair of electrodes
and the radioactive source material.

Americium 241 (Am-241), a radioactive isotope, has been the preferred source material for
ICSDs since the late 1970s. It is very stable and has a half- life of 458 years. It is usually
processed with gold and sealed within gold and silver foils.

The Manufacturing
Process
The production of a smoke detector consists of two major steps. One is fabrication of the Am-
241 into a form (typically a foil) that can be installed into the sensing and reference chambers.
The other is assembly of the entire ICSD, beginning either with all of the individual components
or with prefabricated sensing and reference chambers obtained from the manufacturer of the
radioactive source material. The following description covers all steps, even though some may
be done by different manufacturers. Tests and inspections at several stages of the assembly
process ensure a reliable product.

Radioactive source

1 The process begins with the compound AmO 2 , an oxide of Am-241. This substance is
thoroughly mixed with gold, shaped into a briquette, and fused by pressure and heat at
over 1470°F (800°C). A backing of silver and a front covering of gold or gold alloy are
applied to the briquette and sealed by hot forging. The briquette is then processed through
several stages of cold rolling to achieve the desired thickness and levels of radiation
emission. The final thickness is about 0.008 inches (0.2 mm), with the gold cover
representing about one percent of the thickness. The resulting foil strip, which is about
0.8 inches (20 mm) wide, is cut into sections 39 inches (1 meter) long.
2 Circular ICSD source elements are punched out of the foil strip. Each disc, which is
about 0.2 inches (5 mm) in diameter, is mounted in a metal holder. A thin metal rim on
the holder is rolled over to completely seal the cut edge around the disc.

The sensing and reference chambers

3 One disc of source material is mounted in the sensing chamber and another is mounted
in the adjacent reference chamber. The electrodes are installed in both chambers and
connected to external leads which project out of the bottoms of the chambers.

The circuit board

 4 Printed circuit boards are prepared from design schematics by punching holes for the
component leads and by laying a copper trace on the back to form the paths for electric
currents. On the assembly line, the various electronic components (diodes, capacitors,
resistors, etc.) are inserted into the proper holes on the board. Leads extending out the
back of the board are trimmed.

5 The sensing chamber, reference chamber, and an alarm horn are installed on the printed
circuit board.
6 The board then passes over a wave solder machine, which solders the electronic
components into place.

Housing

7 The plastic housing consists of a mounting base and a cover. Both are made by
injection molding process in which powdered plastic and molding pigments are mixed,
heated, forced into a mold under pressure, then cooled to form the final pieces.

Final assembly

8 The circuit board is seated on the plastic mounting base. A test button is installed so the
device can be tested periodically after installation in the home. A mounting bracket is
added to the base, and the cover is added to complete the assembly.
 9 The smoke detector is packaged in a cardboard box, along with a battery and an owner's
manual.

New Developments
Some recent developments may make smoke detectors even more effective. One model, for
example, uses a strobe light alarm to alert hearing- impaired people of danger. The remote strobe
light can be mounted in a bedroom even though the detector may be located in another room or
hallway, giving the same advantage of early warning available to hearing people when an alarm
sounds from outside the bedroom.

In 1993 Newtron Products redesigned a traditional smoke detector to fit in the standard air filters
of a central heating or air conditioning system in order to examine air that circulates through an
entire building. When it detects smoke, the device shuts off the system's blower to prevent the air
flow from helping spread the smoke and fire. In addition, it triggers an alarm that resonates
through the duct work and is audible anywhere in the building.

Another kind of fire detector may utilize sound. Investigators at the Building and Fire Research
Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology have found that various types
of housing materials, such as wood, plastic, and drywall, make identifiable sounds as they
expand from rapid heating. Piezoelectric transducers can detect those sounds even before the
materials actually begin to burn. This would be especially helpful in detecting incipient fires
caused by overheated electrical wiring within a building's walls.