U.S. patent application number 15/340688 was filed with the patent office on 2018-05-03 for friction burnish for alloy plating.
This patent application is currently assigned to Catepillar Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is Catepillar Inc.. Invention is credited to Zachary S. BIRKY.
Application Number | 20180119286 15/340688 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 62021087 |
Filed Date | 2018-05-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180119286 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
BIRKY; Zachary S. |
May 3, 2018 |
FRICTION BURNISH FOR ALLOY PLATING
Abstract
A plating method for plating a layer of material onto a part
using friction burnishing is provided. The method includes moving
the part at a predetermined speed. The method further includes
bringing the material into contact with the moving part at a
predetermined pressure. The method further includes forming a
plating layer of the material on a surface of the part by
maintaining the material in contact with the moving part for a
predetermined time period. Alternatively, the method includes
forming at least one lobed plating layer of the material on the
moving part by maintaining the material in contact with the moving
part and switching between a first predetermined pressure and a
second predetermined pressure.
Inventors: |
BIRKY; Zachary S.;
(Washington, IL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Catepillar Inc. |
Peoria |
IL |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Catepillar Inc.
Peoria
IL
|
Family ID: |
62021087 |
Appl. No.: |
15/340688 |
Filed: |
November 1, 2016 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
C23C 12/00 20130101 |
International
Class: |
C23C 18/54 20060101
C23C018/54; C23C 30/00 20060101 C23C030/00 |
Claims
1. A plating method for plating a layer of material onto a part,
the method comprising: moving the part at a predetermined speed;
bringing the material into contact with the moving part at a
predetermined pressure; and forming a plating layer of the material
on a surface of the part by friction burnishing the material in
contact with the moving part for a predetermined time period.
2. The plating method of claim 1, wherein the part is a steel
pin.
3. The plating method of claim 1, wherein the material includes at
least one of chromium and nickel.
4. The plating method of claim 1, wherein the material includes
boron.
5. The plating method of claim 1, wherein the material includes
aluminum.
6. The plating method of claim 5, wherein the part comprises steel,
forming the plating layer includes forming a diffusion layer of
aluminum below the surface of the steel part, and the method
further comprising subjecting the steel part having the plating
layer to a nitriding heat treatment.
7. The plating method of claim 1, wherein the material includes at
least one of copper, zinc, and tin.
8. The plating method of claim 1, further comprising subjecting the
part having the plating layer formed thereon to a heat
treatment.
9. The plating method of claim 1, wherein forming the plating layer
includes forming a diffusion layer of the material below the
surface of the part.
10. A plating method for plating a layer of a first material and a
second material onto a part, the method comprising: moving the part
at a predetermined speed; bringing the first material into contact
with the moving part at a predetermined pressure; bringing the
second material into contact with the moving part at a
predetermined pressure; and forming at least one plating layer of
the first material and the second material on a surface of the part
by friction burnishing the first material and the second material
in contact with the moving part for a predetermined time
period.
11. The plating method of claim 10, wherein the first material and
the second material have the same composition.
12. The plating method of claim 10, wherein the first material and
the second material have different compositions.
13. The plating method of claim 12, wherein the first material and
the second material are brought into contact with the part
simultaneously, and the at least one plating layer includes a layer
comprising the first material and the second material.
14. The plating method of claim 10, wherein the second material is
brought into contact with the moving part when the first material
is not in contact with the moving part, and the at least one
plating layer includes a layer comprising the second material and
not the first material.
15. The plating method of claim 10, wherein the predetermined
speed, the predetermined pressure, and the predetermined time are
selected based on a desired chemical composition and thickness of
the at least one plating layer.
16. (canceled)
17. A plating method for plating a layer of a material onto a part,
the method comprising: moving the part at a predetermined speed;
bringing the material into contact with a first portion of a
circumference of the moving part at a first predetermined pressure;
bringing the material into contact with a second portion of the
circumference of the moving part at a second predetermined
pressure; and forming at least one lobed plating layer of the
material on the moving part by friction burnishing the material in
contact with the moving part and switching between the first
predetermined pressure and the second predetermined pressure.
18. The plating method according to claim 17, further comprising
forming a lobed structure on the part by forming the at least one
plating layer of the material on the first portion of the moving
part.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates to alloy plating of materials
and, more particularly, to method of plating a layer of a material
onto a part by using friction burnishing.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Chrome plating is widely used as a surface coating method
for metal articles because of its high hardness value, improved
durability through abrasion tolerance, superior wear and corrosion
resistance, reduced galling or seizing of parts, and increasing
chemical inertness. Chrome plating also provides attractive
appearance, and sometimes may be further used as bulking material
for worn parts to restore their original dimensions. Traditionally,
chromium deposition is accomplished by electrodeposition from a
chromium plating bath containing chromium ions as a source of
chromium. Such processes involve secondary chemicals which are
highly toxic in nature and difficult to dispose of. The traditional
chrome plating method also consumes a large quantity of water,
which is also a by-product of the traditional chrome plating
method. Such waste water may, eventually, mix with the used toxic
chemicals, thereby affecting the sewage system or, generally, the
environment if the toxic water were released.
[0003] Thus, industries using chromium plating have to incur
additional cost for proper disposal of such toxic waste as per
guidelines of Environment Protection Agency (EPA) and other
corresponding agencies. Furthermore, the conventional hard chrome
plating method will soon be in violation of EU regulations and
likely the regulations of other countries, and therefore, it will
not be possible to employ this banned conventional chrome plating
method for providing chrome plating over desired parts. There are
some alternate alloy plating methods but even if other plating
processes are not subject to the EU ban, there is nonetheless a
need for a simple and non-toxic process for chrome plating that
requires limited equipment and materials and that may be customized
to yield a wider spectrum of plating results.
[0004] While burnishing techniques are known and used in
applications for physically or mechanically modifying or burnishing
parts, such as in the process of GB822092, such conventional
burnishing applications do not achieve a plating effect, such as
the one described in the present disclosure. That is, conventional
burnishing applications do not involve a substantial transfer of
material from the burnishing tool onto a part. In contrast, the
present disclosure describes a burnishing application in which,
through the application of pressure and speed, particles of the
burnishing tool are plated onto the part.
SUMMARY
[0005] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a plating method
for plating a layer of material onto a part is described. The
method includes moving the part at a predetermined speed. The
method further includes bringing the material into contact with the
moving part at a predetermined pressure. The method further
includes forming a plating layer of the material on a surface of
the part by maintaining the material in contact with the moving
part for a predetermined time period.
[0006] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a plating
method for plating a layer of a first material and a second
material onto a part is described. The method includes moving the
part at a predetermined speed. The method further includes bringing
the first material into contact with the moving part at a
predetermined pressure. The method also includes bringing the
second material into contact with the moving part at a
predetermined pressure. The method further includes forming at
least one plating layer of the first material and the second
material on a surface of the part by maintaining the first material
and the second material in contact with the moving part for a
predetermined time period.
[0007] In yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a plating
method for plating a layer of a material onto a part is described.
The method includes moving the part at a predetermined speed. The
method further includes bringing the material into contact with a
first portion of a circumference of the moving part at a first
predetermined pressure. The method also includes bringing the
material into contact with a second portion of the circumference of
the moving part at a second predetermined pressure. The method
further includes forming at least one lobed plating layer of the
material on the moving part by maintaining the material in contact
with the moving part and switching between the first predetermined
pressure and the second predetermined pressure.
[0008] Other features and aspects of this disclosure will be
apparent from the following description and the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and
constitute a part of the specification, are illustrative of one or
more embodiments and, together with the description, explain the
embodiments. The accompanying drawings have not necessarily been
drawn to scale. Further, any values or dimensions in the
accompanying drawings are for illustration purposes only and may or
may not represent actual or preferred values or dimensions. Where
applicable, some or all select features may not be illustrated to
assist in the description and understanding of underlying
features.
[0010] FIG. 1 is an exemplary representation of a plating
arrangement, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the
present disclosure;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a plating method, in accordance
with a first embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a plating method, in accordance
with a second embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0013] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a plating method, in accordance
with a third embodiment of the present disclosure; and
[0014] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a plating method, in accordance
with a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] The description set forth below in connection with the
appended drawings is intended as a description of various
embodiments of the described subject matter and is not necessarily
intended to represent the only embodiment(s). In certain instances,
the description includes specific details for the purpose of
providing an understanding of the described subject matter.
However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that
embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In
some instances, well-known structures and components may be shown
in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of
the described subject matter. Wherever possible, corresponding or
similar reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to
refer to the same or corresponding parts.
[0016] Any reference in the specification to "one embodiment" or
"an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure,
characteristic, operation, or function described in connection with
an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, any
appearance of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment"
in the specification is not necessarily referring to the same
embodiment. Further, the particular features, structures,
characteristics, operations, or functions may be combined in any
suitable manner in one or more embodiments, and it is intended that
embodiments of the described subject matter can and do cover
modifications and variations of the described embodiments.
[0017] Generally speaking, a solution involves plating a subject
part with a desired alloy material by controlling the pressure,
speed and time of burnishing the subject part with the desired
alloy material, which results in achieving the desired level of
transfer of the desired alloy material onto the surface of the
subject part.
[0018] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to
mechanically plating an part, such as a pin or a cylinder rod, by
moving the part and then bringing the moving part into contact with
an alloy material containing a high alloy content, such that some
of the material having the high alloy content is physically
transferred onto the moving part. The amount of the transferred
material and the type of bond between the transferred material and
the part is dependent upon the speed of movement of the part and
the pressure applied between the part and the alloy material, and
further upon the time for which the part and the alloy material are
in contact with each other. These variables may be selected to
achieve various levels of chemical bonding, in light of the desired
physical or chemical qualities of the resulting plated part.
[0019] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary graphical representation of
a plating arrangement 100 for carrying out the alloy plating
process of the present disclosure. The plating arrangement 100
involves a part 102 which is required to be plated with a suitable
alloy material. Particularly, an outer surface 106 of the part 102
is to be coated with the alloy material 104 or with an alloy
material that is a component of alloy material 104. In general, the
alloy plating process of the present disclosure achieves the
plating of the part 102 by transferring some of the alloy material
104 or a component of alloy material 104 to the outer surface 106
of the part 102 using friction burnishing, as will be discussed in
detail. Hereinafter, the terms "friction burnishing" and
"burnishing" have been interchangeably used without any
limitations. The present disclosure may further provide for varying
the thickness of the plating on the part 102 as well as the shape
of the resultant plated part 102 by fine-tuning some parameters of
the alloy plating process.
[0020] In the illustrated example, the part 102 is shown in the
form of a cylindrical shaft pin; however the part 102 may have any
other suitable shape. For example, the part 102 may have a
non-cylindrical shape. In embodiments, the type and direction of
movement of the part 102 within the plating process is selected
with respect to the shape of the part 102. For example, a part 102
having planar sides may be plated according to an embodiment by
moving the part 102 in a back-and-forth motion and bringing each of
the planar sides in contact with the alloy material 104
sequentially.
[0021] Furthermore, either or both of the part 102 and alloy
material 104 may be moved with respect to the other during the
burnishing process. That is, in various embodiments, the part 102
may be moved while in contact with the stationary alloy material
104 or the alloy material 104 may be moved while in contact with
the stationary part 102. In another embodiment, both the part 102
and alloy material 104 are moved while in contact with each other,
in order to facilitate the burnishing process.
[0022] In the plating arrangement 100, the part 102 may be mounted
on a clamp arrangement 108 of a rotating body (not shown). In one
example, as illustrated, the clamp arrangement 108 may be in the
form of a chuck. It may be contemplated that the clamp arrangement
108 may use jaws/dogs which may be tightened or loosened to
accommodate parts of varying diameters. The rotating body may
provide rotational movement to the clamp arrangement 108 and
thereby the part 102 when mounted thereon. The rotating body may
employ a conventional motor for the purpose of rotating the clamp
arrangement 108. Further, the rotating body may be capable of
varying the rotational speed of the part 102 to a desired
level.
[0023] The plating arrangement 100 may also provide a support 110
which may be able to hold the alloy material 104 in place with
respect to the part 102. The support 110 may be designed such that
at least a portion thereof is movable to enable contact between the
outer surface 106 of the part 102 and the alloy material 104, as
desired. In one example, as illustrated, the support 110 may be in
the form of an arm which may be moved to displace the alloy
material 104 to come into contact with the part 102 or removed
therefrom. The support 110 may be able to vary the contact pressure
between the part 102 and the alloy material 104. Further it may be
contemplated that with such arrangement, the support 110 may also
be able to vary the time period for which the contact is made
between the part 102 and the alloy material 104.
[0024] For the purpose of this disclosure, the part 102 may be made
of any suitable substrate material capable of supporting a coating
of the alloy material 104 thereupon, but is typically a substrate
material for which the coating of the alloy material 104 displays
sufficient affinity to form a stable coating thereupon. Substrates
may be inorganic materials such as metals, or organic materials
such as plastics, or composite materials, for example an organic
polymer having an inorganic filler. In one example, the substrate
is a metal substrate. Non-limiting examples of suitable metal
substrates include iron, chromium, nickel, cobalt, copper,
aluminum, titanium, and the like. In another example, the substrate
includes steel. In yet another example, the substrate includes low
alloy steel, for example low alloy carbon steel. In one embodiment,
the coating may form a diffusion bond layer between the alloy
material and the metal substrate. The formation of such a diffusion
bond layer results in coatings possessing advantageous performance
characteristics resulting from a strong chemical bond between
particles of the substrate and of the coating within the diffusion
bond layer.
[0025] On the other hand, the alloy material 104 may be chosen
based on the requirements of the coating, and further based on the
substrate material of the part 102. Many elemental metals and some
selected alloys may be used as the alloy material 104. Each
material has certain benefits that make its use advantageous in
specific applications. One common example of the alloy material 104
to be plated is chromium or nickel, alone, or in combination, for
achieving chrome plating of the part 102. As may be understood, it
may further be possible to customize the hardness and
anti-corrosiveness properties of the resulting plated part 102 by
modifying the alloy content of the alloy material 104. In one
example, zinc plating may be used to prevent oxidation of the
protected metal substrate of the part 102 by forming a barrier and
by acting as a sacrificial anode if this barrier is damaged.
Another example is zinc-nickel plating which provides excellent
corrosion resistance for the part 102. Tin plating is also used
extensively to protect both ferrous and nonferrous surfaces, and is
particularly useful in the food processing industry since it is
non-toxic, ductile and corrosion resistant.
[0026] Other commonly deposited materials include copper, boron,
solder, brass, cadmium, palladium, silver, gold, etc. For example,
by plating steel with boron and applying a heat treatment, a steel
and boron alloy is created with high surface hardness. In another
example, plating steel with aluminum yields aluminized steel with
high corrosion resistance. Further, applying a nitriding heat
treatment to such aluminized steel results in a material with high
surface hardness. In yet another example, plating steel with
copper, zinc, or tin, as the alloy material 104, yields plated part
102 with desirable cosmetic and antimicrobial properties.
[0027] In one embodiment, the alloy material 104 includes multiple
component materials, which are selectively plated onto the part
102. That is, the alloy material 104 used to burnish the part 102
has a composition different than the alloy material plated onto the
part 102. In this embodiment, additional components in the alloy
material 104 are used to facilitate plating of the alloy material,
but the additional components are not themselves plated onto the
part 102. Accordingly, in this embodiment, the composition of the
alloy material 104 may not be the same as the composition of alloy
material plated onto the part 102.
[0028] In one embodiment, controlling the thickness of the coating
of the alloy material 104 over the part 102 is generally achieved
by varying the speed of the movement of the part 102 and/or the
contact pressure between the part 102 and the alloy material 104.
It may be contemplated by a person skilled in the art that
increasing the speed of the part 102 increases the number of times
the outer surface 106 of the part 102 comes in contact with the
alloy material 104 for a given time period. Thus, increasing the
speed of movement of the part 102 increases the energy input into
the transfer of the alloy material 104 to the outer surface 106,
and thereby may lead to a thicker coating of the alloy material 104
over the outer surface 106 and may lead to a stronger chemical bond
between the alloy material 104 and the outer surface 106.
Similarly, increasing the contact pressure between the part 102 and
the alloy material 104 adds energy to the transfer of the alloy
material 104 to the outer surface 106. Thus, increasing the contact
pressure may lead to thicker coating of the alloy material 104 over
the outer surface 106 and may lead to a stronger chemical bond
between the alloy material 104 and outer surface 106. Also, in one
embodiment, the thickness of the coating of the alloy material 104
over the part 102 is controlled by altering the time period the
part 102 is in contact with the alloy material 104 while the part
102 is moving. It may be contemplated by a person skilled in the
art that the longer the moving part 102 remains in contact with the
alloy material 104, more time and energy will be input into the
transfer of the alloy material 104 to the part 102, and therefore a
thicker coating of the alloy material 104 over the outer surface
106 and a stronger bond therebetween is generated.
[0029] Depending upon the selected speed and contact pressure for
the alloy plating process, a spectrum of chemical bonding between
the part 102 and the alloy material 104 may be achieved. That is,
it may be possible to achieve customized parts 102 that vary from
mechanically plated with the alloy material 104 to having a
diffusion layer of the alloy material 104 to being alloyed with the
alloy material 104, based on the speed and the contact pressure
(i.e., energy) applied during the alloy plating process. For
example, with moderate speed and contact pressure, a small amount
of chemical bonding between the alloy material 104 and the outer
surface 106 of the part 102 is achieved. In contrast, with high
speed and contact pressure, the alloy material 104 may bond by
diffusion into the outer surface 106 of the part 102, causing a
diffusion gradient of the alloy material 104 to form below the
outer surface 106 of the part 102. At very high speed and contact
pressure, portions of the outer surface 106 of the part 102 may
melt and fuse with the alloy material 104, resulting in a
traditional alloying effect at the outer surface 106 between the
substrate material of the part 102 and the alloy material 104.
[0030] For example, aluminum plating of steel may be done at
varying speed and/or contact pressure to achieve aluminized steel
with different properties. At moderate speed/pressure, such plating
would achieve good corrosion resistance for the part 102. At high
speed/pressure, an aluminum-steel alloy may be made which may be
subjected to a nitriding heat treatment to achieve a very high
surface hardness for the part 102.
[0031] In one embodiment, the alloy plating process includes
applying the alloy material 104 in multiple passes, using either
the same alloy material 104 or different alloy materials 104. This
may be done when the desired plating material does not bond well
with the part 102 subject to the plating. In this case, an
intermediate material may be plated onto the part 102 and then the
desired alloy material 104 may be plated onto the intermediate
material. Thus with the present process, it may be possible to
achieve multiple layers of various materials, such that a layer of
an intermediate material may be used to plate an alloy material 104
that does not chemically bond with the material of the part 102.
Also, with the alloy plating process of the present disclosure, it
may be possible to achieve structural and dimensional modifications
of the part 102 by applying the process in multiple passes either
simultaneously or sequentially, using different alloy materials
104, and in combination with conventional friction burnishing
techniques. If applying two alloy materials 104 simultaneously, a
plating layer that is a combination of those materials may be
achieved. If applying two alloy materials 104 sequentially, a
layer-by-layer structure of different materials on the part 102 may
be achieved. Further, different speeds and contact pressures may be
applied to the different alloy materials 104, thereby controlling
the amount of transfer of each alloy material 104 separately.
[0032] Furthermore, the alloy plating process of the present
disclosure may also be used to generate a part 102 with a lobed
structure, by varying the pressure during the burnishing of the
outer surface 106 of the part 102 with the alloy material 104. That
is, the alloy plating process may include burnishing a first
portion of the outer surface 106 of the part 102 at a first contact
pressure and a second portion of the outer surface 106 of the part
102 at a second contact pressure, so that the resulting structure
of the plating layer onto the part 102 is lobed.
[0033] In one embodiment, the present disclosure relates to a
method 200 for plating a layer of the alloy material 104 onto the
part 102, as illustrated in the form of a flowchart in FIG. 2. At
block 202, the method 200 includes providing the part 102. The part
102 may be provided by mounting onto the clamp arrangement 108 of
the rotating body, in the plating arrangement 100. At block 204,
the method 200 includes providing the alloy material 104 to be
plated onto the part 102. The alloy material 104 may be provided by
mounting onto the support 110, in the plating arrangement 100. In
one example, the alloy concentration of the alloy material 104 is
selected based on a desired chemical composition of the plating
layer. At block 206, the method 200 includes moving the part 102 to
be plated at a predetermined speed. For this purpose, the rotating
body may rotate the clamp arrangement 108, which in turn rotates
the part 102. However, other types of movement, such as
back-and-forth movement, may also be used, based on the geometry of
the part 102.
[0034] Further, at block 208, the method 200 includes bringing the
alloy material 104 in contact with the moving part 102 at a
predetermined pressure. In one example, the alloy material 104 may
be brought in contact with the moving part 102 by moving the
support 110. Further, at block 210, the method 200 includes
maintaining the contact between the moving part 102 and the alloy
material 104 for a predetermined time period. It may be understood
that the predetermined speed, the predetermined pressure, and the
predetermined time are selected based on a desired chemical
composition and a desired thickness of the plating layer onto the
part 102. At block 212, the method 200 optionally includes applying
a post-processing treatment to the plated part 102. This
post-processing treatment may be applied for achieving the required
chemical and physical properties of the part 102 based on its
application.
[0035] Referring to FIG. 3, a method 300 for plating a layer of the
alloy material 104 onto the part 102 is illustrated in the form of
a flowchart, in accordance with a second embodiment of the present
disclosure. The method 300 includes making multiple plating layers
onto the part 102 with the same alloy material 104 or different
alloy materials 104, or plating simultaneously with two different
alloy materials 104. At block 302, the method 300 includes
providing the part 102. The part 102 may be provided by mounting
onto the clamp arrangement 108 of the rotating body, in the plating
arrangement 100. At block 304, the method 300 includes providing a
first alloy material 104 and a second alloy material 104 to be
plated onto the part 102. In one example, the first alloy material
104 and the second alloy material 104 have the same composition. In
another example, the first alloy material 104 and the second alloy
material 104 have different compositions. It may be contemplated
that both the first alloy material 104 and the second alloy
material 104 may be held by using two separate supports 110, in the
plating arrangement 100.
[0036] At block 306, the method 300 includes moving the part 102 to
be plated at a predetermined speed. Further, at block 308, the
method 300 includes bringing the first alloy material 104 and the
second alloy material 104 into contact with the moving part 102 at
a predetermined pressure, either simultaneously or sequentially.
Further, at block 310, the method 300 includes maintaining the
contact between the moving part 102 and each of the two alloy
materials 104 for respective time periods. That is, each of the
first and second alloy materials 104 is maintained in contact with
the moving part 102 for either the same period of time or for
different periods of time. As discussed earlier, if the two alloy
materials 104 are applied simultaneously, a plating layer that is a
combination of those two alloy materials 104 may be achieved.
Alternatively, if the two alloy materials 104 are applied
sequentially, i.e., the second alloy material 104 is brought into
contact with the moving part 102 when the first alloy material 104
is not in contact with the part 102, a layer-by-layer structure of
different materials on the part 102 may be achieved.
[0037] Referring to FIG. 4, a method 400 for plating a layer of the
alloy material 104 onto the part 102 is illustrated in the form of
a flowchart, in accordance with a third embodiment of the present
disclosure. The method 400 includes generating a lobed section on
the part 102 by plating with the alloy material 104. At block 402,
the method 400 includes providing the part 102. The part 102 may be
provided by mounting onto the clamp arrangement 108 of the rotating
body, in the plating arrangement 100. At block 404, the method 400
includes providing the alloy material 104 to be plated onto the
part 102. The alloy material 104 may be fixed onto the support 110,
in the plating arrangement 100. At block 406, the method 400
includes moving the part 102 to be plated at a predetermined
speed.
[0038] Further, at block 408, the method 400 includes bringing the
alloy material 104 in contact with the moving part 102
intermittently at a predetermined pressure, such that a same region
of the part 102 is in contact with the moving part 102 during each
rotation cycle. It may be contemplated by a person skilled in the
art that this intermittent contact/engagement of the alloy material
104 with the part 102 may be achieved by using a timing mechanism
in the support 110, so that when the part 102 is moving at a
constant speed, the support 110 may move at regular intervals of
time to enable contact of the alloy material 104 and the part 102.
Further, at block 410, the method 400 includes brining the alloy
material 104 into contact with the moving part 102 for a
predetermined time period. It may be understood that the
intermittent intervals and the time period may be determined based
on the desired lobe structure for the part 102.
[0039] In yet another embodiment, the present disclosure provides a
method 500 to generate at least one lobed plating layer of the
alloy material 104 onto the part 102, as illustrated in the form of
a flowchart in FIG. 5. At block 502, the method 500 includes
providing the part 102. The part 102 may be provided by mounting
onto the clamp arrangement 108 of the rotating body, in the plating
arrangement 100. At block 504, the method 500 includes providing
the alloy material 104 to be plated onto the part 102. The alloy
material 104 may be fixed onto the support 110, in the plating
arrangement 100. At block 506, the method 500 includes moving the
part 102 to be plated at a predetermined speed. At block 508, the
method 500 includes bringing the alloy material 104 into contact
with a first portion of a circumference of the moving part 102 at a
first predetermined pressure. Further, at block 510, the method 500
includes bringing the alloy material 104 into contact with a second
portion of the circumference of the moving part 102 at a second
predetermined pressure. At block 512, the method 500 includes
forming at least one lobed plating layer of the alloy material 104
on the moving part 102 by maintaining the alloy material 104 in
contact with the moving part 102 and switching between the first
predetermined pressure and the second predetermined pressure. It
may be understood that the first pressure and the second pressure
may be determined based on the desired lobe structure for the part
102.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
[0040] The genesis of the alloy plating process of the present
disclosure was the need for a novel chrome plating method because
the conventional chrome plating method involves secondary chemicals
that are toxic and, therefore, the conventional chrome plating
method will soon be banned in some jurisdictions. In order to
achieve chrome plating via a different method, the alloy plating
process of the present disclosure includes mechanically burnishing
the part subjected to the plating with the alloy material to be
plated (i.e., chromium, nickel, etc.), such that some amount of the
alloy material is transferred onto the part. While burnishing
techniques are well known in the art, such techniques were
traditionally directed to polishing one surface using another, and
not for transferring material from one surface onto the surface of
another part to achieve a plating effect.
[0041] The alloy plating process of the present disclosure may
extend to various parts to be plated and to various alloy
materials. That is, parts of different of compositions may be
plated with various alloy materials using the present process.
Depending on the composition of the part, the alloy material to be
plated onto the part, and the amount of material transfer required
for achieving the desired plating, a rotation speed and a contact
pressure may be selected for the burnishing process. Also, the time
period or duration of the burnishing may be appropriately selected.
Conventional techniques do not include any process for using
mechanical or friction burnishing to achieve a desired level of
transfer of material onto a part, such that the speed and pressure
of the burnishing cause the desired level of transfer/plating.
[0042] Embodiments of the present disclosure for coating the alloy
material 104 over the part 102 may be applied for alloy plating of
various types of parts 102. The alloy plating process of the
present disclosure is particularly applicable for parts 102 with
cylindrical shapes. Examples of parts 102 subject to the alloy
plating process of the present disclosure are steel pins and
shafts. However, other shapes may also be subject to the present
process, using either rotation or oscillation of the part 102 with
respect to the alloy material 104. The parts 102 to be coated by
the present method may be a metal part made of, for instance,
steel, copper, bronze, brass, etc., or it may be a part made of
ceramics or plastics. For example, the methods of the present
disclosure may be utilized for providing alloy plating to various
components of a fuel injection assembly of a diesel engine, such
as, but not limited to, a plunger or a poppet valve.
[0043] The alloy plating process of the present disclosure achieves
plating by burnishing chrome and/or nickel without use of the toxic
chemicals as employed in conventional hard chrome plating method.
One advantage of the present process is that different levels of
bonding/plating may be achieved, from mere mechanical bonding to
alloying by controlling the speed and pressure of the burnishing
process. For example, the present process achieves corrosion
resistance for the part 102 by achieving a small amount of chemical
bonding between the part 102 and the applied alloy material 104 by
applying moderate speed and pressure between the part 102 and the
alloy material 104. Further, the present process may be employed to
generate a diffusion gradient of the alloy material 104 on the
outer surface 106 of the part 102, with application of higher
speeds and pressures between the part 102 and the alloy material
104. Furthermore, the present process may be employed to generate a
lobe structure for the part 102, which may be advantageous because
the lobe may then be ground down such that a portion of the outer
surface 106 may have the alloy material 104 and another portion of
the outer surface 106 may be the substrate material of the part
102. Therefore, after machining the lobed part 102, there is a
variation in the material being worn as the part 102 rotates during
operation, which in turn may reduce wear and galling of the part
102.
[0044] While aspects of the present disclosure have been
particularly shown and described with reference to the embodiments
above, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that
various additional embodiments may be contemplated by the
modification of the disclosed machines, systems and methods without
departing from the spirit and scope of what is disclosed. Such
embodiments should be understood to fall within the scope of the
present disclosure as determined based upon the claims and any
equivalents thereof.
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