Solid lubricant coatings produced by thermal spray methods

• US 6,689,424 B1
• Filed: 05/27/2000
• Issued: 02/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Inframat Corporation
• Original Assignee: Inframat Corporation
• Inventors: Wang, You, Ye, Hui, Xiao, Tongsan D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bareford, Katherine A.
• Application Number:
  US09/579,874
• Time in Patent Office: 1,354 Days
• Field of Search: 427/450, 427/451, 427/453, 427/455, 427/456, 427/242, 427/215, 427/216
• US Class Current: 427/456
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 4/04 characterised by the coating material
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 4/06 Metallic material

Abstract

A method for the deposition of solid lubricant coatings onto a substrate, comprising thermally spraying a powder comprising agglomerates of a solid lubricant coated with sulfur. Preferably, the solid lubricant is a sulfide. The coatings find particular utility on rollers used in the manufacture of steel.

Claims

1. A process for producing solid, lubricant coatings, comprising

mixing particles comprising a solid lubricant with sulfur to form an agglomerated feedstock powder, wherein the solid lubricant comprises FeS, MoS₂, WS₂, or mixtures thereof;

and

thermal spraying the agglomerated feedstock powder onto a substrate to form a coating of the solid lubricant on the substrate.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein the feedstock powder is prepared by ball milling the lubricant particles with a source of sulfur.

3. The process of claim 1, wherein the lubricant particles are nanostructured.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein the thermal spraying uses chemical combustion spraying processes or electric heating spraying processes.

5. The process of claim 1 wherein the thermal spraying is by powder flame spraying, wire/rod flame spraying, high velocity oxygen fuel flame spraying, oxygen acetylene torch spraying, detonation/explosive flame spraying, electric-arc spraying, twin-wire arc spraying, or plasma spraying.

6. The process of claim 1, wherein the substrate is selected from the group consisting of ferrous metal, steels, cast irons, nonferrous metals, aluminum, titanium, nickel alloys, cobalt alloys, aluminum alloys, titanium alloys, ceramics, Si₃N₄, SiC, Al₂O₃, Cr₂O₃, ZrO₂, BN, TiC, TiN, WC, WC/Co, diamond, and hard, high temperature plastics.

7. The process of claim 1, wherein the coatings have a porosity in the range of about 5% to about 30% by volume.

8. The process of claim 1, wherein the coatings are from about 1 to about 300 microns thick.

9. The process of claim 1, further comprising heating the agglomerated particles to 50-180 EC for 2 to 24 hours before spraying.

10. The process of claim 1, wherein the solid lubricant comprises FeS.

11. The process of claim 10, wherein the solid lubricant further comprises FeS₂.

12. A process for producing solid, lubricant coatings, comprising

ball milling particles comprising a solid lubricant with a source of sulfur to form an agglomerated feedstock powder, wherein the lubricant particles comprise FeS MoS₂, WS₂, or mixtures thereof;

and

thermal spraying the agglomerated feedstock powder onto a substrate to form a coating of the solid lubricant on the substrate.

13. The process of claim 12 wherein the thermal spraying is by powder flame spraying, wire/rod flame spraying, high velocity oxygen fuel flame spraying, oxygen acetylene torch spraying, detonation/explosive flame spraying, electric-arc spraying, twin-wire arc spraying, or plasma spraying.

14. The process of claim 12 wherein the substrate is selected from the group consisting of ferrous metals, steels, cast irons, nonferrous metals, aluminum, titanium, nickel alloys, cobalt alloys, aluminum alloys, titanium alloys, ceramics, Si₃N₄, SiC, Al₂O₃, Cr₂O₃, ZrO₂, BN, TiC, TiN, WC, WC/Co, diamond, and hard, high temperature plastics.

15. The process of claim 12, wherein the coatings have a porosity in the range of about 5% to about 30% by volume.

16. The process of claim 12, further comprising heating the agglomerated particles to 50-180 EC for 2 to 24 hours before spraying.

17. The process of claim 12, wherein lubricant particles are nanostructured.

18. The process of claim 12, wherein the thermal spraying uses chemical combustion spraying processes or electric heating spraying processes.

19. The process of claim 12, wherein the coatings are about 1 to about 300 microns thick.

20. The process of claim 12, wherein the solid lubricant comprises FeS.

21. The process of claim 20, wherein the solid lubricant further comprises FeS₂.