Stock material or miscellaneous articles – All metal or with adjacent metals
Reexamination Certificate
2002-10-22
2004-04-27
Bareford, Katherine A (Department: 1762)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
All metal or with adjacent metals
C427S451000, C427S452000, C427S453000, C427S455000, C427S456000, C427S290000, C427S292000, C427S316000, C427S318000, C427S319000, C427S327000, C427S328000, C427S331000, C427S355000, C427S422000, C427S427000, C427S450000, C428S411100, C428S457000, C428S688000, C428S689000, C428S704000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06727005
ABSTRACT:
DESCRIPTION
The present invention relates to a process for the manufacture of low-density components, having a polymer or metal matrix substrate, ennobled with a ceramics and/or metal-ceramics coating, capable of improving the performances of the components in all the situations requiring high surface strength. The process of the invention allows the application on said substrates of protective hard coatings, like, e.g., the carbide-, boride-, nitride-based ceramic ones, capable of remarkably improving the surface strength of the underlying low-density structural material.
As it is known, for application in the industrial, aeronautical and space fields there subsists a need for the availability of compounds capable of competing with the high performances of the steels, yet exhibiting lower specific weight.
EP-A-0,164,617, DE 35 27 912 A, U.S. Pat. No. 5,521,015 disclose process of hot spraying deposition of a coating having a strength greater than that of the respective low density substrate.
The present invention allows to comply with the above-mentioned need, further providing other advantages that will hereinafter be highlighted.
In fact, the present invention relates to a process for the manufacture of low density components, having a polymer or metal matrix substrate, and ceramics and/or metal-ceramics coating, in which the low density substrate to be coated is subjected to the following steps:
machining the surface in order to generate residual compressive stress in the outer layers;
thermal stabilising at a temperature lower 350° C.;
depositing onto the outer surface, with hot spraying techniques at a temperature ranging from 70° to 350° C., of a coating layer in a ceramics and/or metal-ceramics material with a surface strength higher than that of the component to be coated; and
finishing the surface of the coating layer by a finishing treatment.
The surface machining, in order to generate residual compressive stress in the outer layers of the component to be coated consists of a treatment selected from the group consisting of peening and/or sandblasting and/or combinations thereof.
The finishing treatment of the surface of the coating layer comprises of a machining selected from the group consisting of grinding, polishing, tumbling, rumbling and combinations thereof.
The hot spraying techniques are selected from the group comprising high velocity hot spraying (HVOF, High Velocity Oxy-Fuel), plasma spraying (VPS-Vacuum Plasma Spraying, CAPS-Controlled Atmosphere Plasma Spraying, APS, HPPS), Flame Spraying (FS), Plasma Transferred Arc (PTA), Arc Spraying (AS), and combinations thereof.
The hot sprayed coating layer has a thickness comprised in the range from 100 to 4200 &mgr;m, preferably from 100 to 500 &mgr;m.
The coating layer is selected from the group consisting of WC-M, CrC-M, TiC-M, BN-M, SiC-M, wherein M is the metal matrix selected from the group consisting of Ni, Co, NiCr, NiCrFeBSi, NiCrCuMoWB.
It has been observed that satisfactory results are obtained in the present invention adopting low density materials exhibiting an E/p (Modulus of elasticity/specific weight) value of the same order of that of the reference 17-4PH steel (E/p=25 GPa/kg/dm
3
).
Accordingly, light metals, like aluminium and titanium, Ti/Al alloys, metal matrix composites thereof and polymer matrix composites (usually made of fibres immersed in a polymer matrix) were found to be suitable for use as substrates in the present invention.
Concerning the metal matrix composites, satisfactory results were obtained with compounds made of an aluminium matrix charged with a charge percent of about 10-20% titanium carbide (yielding higher E and coefficient of thermal expansion &agr; with respect to the pure aluminium) and a composite made of titanium charged with 10-20% titanium carbide. The E/p ratio for these composites is 28.6 and 28.2 GPa/kg/dm
3
, respectively. In order to compare the characteristics of these materials, it has to be pointed out that the AA7075 aluminium alloy and the T6Al4V titanium alloy exhibit E/p values of 26.7 and 24.2, respectively (see also the comparison reported in Table 1).
TABLE 1
E
&agr;
&rgr;
E/p
(GPa)
(° C. − 1)
(kg/dm
3
)
(GPa/kg/dm
3
)
A1 (AA7075)
72
18 × 10 − 6
2.7
26.7
A1 + 10% TiC
80
15 × 10 − 6
2.8
28.6
Ti6A14V
110
8 × 10 − 6
4.54
24.2
Ti + 10% TiC
130
7.6 × 10 − 6
4.6
28.2
Concerning the composite materials, their properties depend on the matrix and fibrefill selection.
In this respect, carbon fibres which have moduli of elasticity ranging from 160 (low modulus) to 725 (very high modulus) are of special interest. Highly promising are, e.g., the carbon-carbon, composites made of carbon fibres in a carbon matrix, having a modulus of elasticity ranging from 125 to 220 GPa. These materials have an 1.3-1.6 kg/dm
3
density, thereby yielding≧78 (GPa/kg/dm
3
) E/p values.
Other highly promising fibrefill are the boron fibres, having a modulus of elasticity of about 400 GPa, though being accordingly more expensive, with respect, e.g., to the carbon fibres (approximately 2-fold with respect to a High Modulus).
Another crucial aspect that needs considering re the fibrefill concerns the glass fibres, having moduli of elasticity ranging from 69 to 86 GPa with 2.4-2.6 kg/dm
3
densities, and hence seemingly not useful in several industrial, aeronautical and space fields.
The selection of the composite material matrix deserves a much ampler account. In this respect, it has to be pointed out that satisfactory results were attained with the polyetheretherketone, commercially known as PEEK, and with an epoxy resin.
The characteristics of these two resins are reported in Table 2 and in Table 3, respectively.
TABLE 2
Polyetheretherketone polymer (TECAPEEK) specifications
Generic name:
PEEK
Polymer type:
Non-reinforced granules
Fillers, lubricants and other (%):
—
Manufacturing process:
Extrusion
Applicable Standard (ASTM, MIL . . . ):
DIN: PEEK
Trademark and Number:
TECAPEEK
Orientation of wear surfaces
Perpendicular sections of
on the original shape:
the rod
Lubricants onto the surface
—
or in the material:
Heat treatments adopted:
Specifications
1.32 g/cm
3
Density:
Coefficient of thermal
4.7 (10
−3
K
−1
)
expansion (CTE):
Ultimate strength (U.T.S.):
92 MPa
Elongation (%):
50%
Young's Modulus (E):
3.6 GPa
Compressive strength:
118 MPa
Young's Modulus under bending:
4.1 GPa
Strength to bending stress:
170 MPa
Poisson's ratio
—
Izod impact resistance:
65 I/m
Rockwell hardness (R scale):
R126
Bending fatigue limit:
—
Melting temperature (Tm):
334° C.
Glass transition
143° C.
temperature (Tg):
Loaded deflection temperature
140° C.
1.82 MPa:
Continuous operation
250° C.
temperature limit:
Transitory operation
300° C.
temperature limit:
TABLE 3
epoxy resin specifications
PROPERTIES:
LIQUID POLYMER:
PROPERTIES
NOTES
VALUE
Appearance
Clear
Density
at 25° C.
1.14
g/cc
Viscosity
at 30° C.
180
cP
(Brookfield)
at 35° C.
125
cP
Penetration depth
4.8
mils
Critical exposure
13.5
ml/cm
2
CROSS-LINKED POLYMER:
PROPERTIES
METHOD
VALUE
Modulus of
DIN 53455
2600-2800 MPa
elasticity
Elongation at
DIN 53455
6-11%
break
Impact
DIN 52453/iso
25-35 kJ/m
2
resistance*
r 179
Impact
DIN 52453/ISO
13-15 kJ/m
2
resistance**
R 179
Hardness
DIN 53505
85 (Shore D)
Glass transition
DMA,
65-90° C.
temperature
4° C./minute
*Tests cast between glass plates and UV post-crosslinked for 30 minutes in PCA-250.
**Tests carried out with SLA (WEAVE) and UV post-crosslinked for 30 minutes in PCA-250.
In the case of polymer matrix composite materials, the most promising hot spraying coating techniques are the Plasma Spraying (PS) and the High Velocity Oxy-Fuel (HVOF), as these exhibit a low thermomechanical load with respect to other hot spraying technologies. Concerning instead the metal matrix composites to be coated, the spraying technologies have a quite small thermomechanical impact thereon.
The invention is not limited to the process for the manufacture, also extending
Costa Carlo
Gimondo Pietro
Bareford Katherine A
Browdy and Neimark
Centro Sviluppo Materiali S.p.A.
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