Thick cubic boron nitride (CBN) layer and manufacturing process therefor

• US 9,821,435 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2012
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: P&S Global Holdings, LLC
• Original Assignee: NanoMech, Inc.
• Inventors: Jiang, Wenping, Malshe, Ajay P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jennifer A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Moore, Alexandra M
• Application Number:
  US14/119,789
• Publication Number:
  US 20140215925A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,002 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B23B 2200/081 with projections
• CPC Class Codes: B23B 2200/087 for chip breaking
• CPC Class Codes: B23B 2200/204 with discontinuous cutting edge
• CPC Class Codes: B23B 2200/205 with cutting edge having a wave form
• CPC Class Codes: B23B 2228/10 Coatings
• CPC Class Codes: B23B 27/141 Specially shaped plate-like cutting inserts, i.e. length greater or equal to width, width greater than or equal to thickness with specially shaped plate-like exchangeable cutting inserts, e.g. chip-breaking groove, B23B27/1603; with removable plate-like milling cutting inserts of special shape B23C5/202
• CPC Class Codes: B23B 27/143 characterised by having chip-breakers
• CPC Class Codes: B23B 27/148 Composition of the cutting inserts
• CPC Class Codes: B24D 18/0009 using moulds or presses
• CPC Class Codes: B24D 3/06 metallic or mixture of metals with ceramic materials, e.g. hard metals, "cermets", cements
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3217 Aluminum oxide or oxide forming salts thereof, e.g. bauxite, alpha-alumina
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3843 Titanium carbides
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3856 Carbonitrides, e.g. titanium carbonitride, zirconium carbonitride
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3886 Refractory metal nitrides, e.g. vanadium nitride, tungsten nitride
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/604 Pressing at temperatures other than sintering temperatures
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/614 Gas infiltration of green bodies or pre-forms
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/665 Local sintering, e.g. laser sintering
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/667 Sintering using wave energy, e.g. microwave sintering
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/5831 based on cubic boron nitrides or Wurtzitic boron nitrides, including crystal structure transformation of powder
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 28/044 coatings specially adapted for cutting tools or wear applications
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 30/005 : on hard metal substrates
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 407/24 : with chip breaker, guide or deflector
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 407/27 : comprising tool of specific chemical composition
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/265 : 1 mil or less

Abstract

A method for forming a stand-alone wafer or a coating on a substrate uses a composite of cubic boron nitride (cBN) particles and other materials, such as nitrides, carbides, carbonitrides, borides, oxides, and metallic phase materials. The wafer or coating may be formed of a thickness up to about 1000 microns for improved wear life. The density of material within the wafer or coating may be varied according to desired parameters, and a gradient of particle sizes for the cBN may be presented across the thickness of the material.

Claims

1. A method for fabricating a hard composite, comprising:

a. depositing into a notch of a form a composite material comprising (i) a plurality of cubic boron nitride (cBN) particles, and (ii) a plurality of particles selected from the group consisting of nitrides, carbides, carbonitrides, borides, oxides, carbon, and metallic phases;

b. applying a mechanical press to the composite material in the notch of the form whereby the composite material is leveled and compressed; and

c. applying a consolidation process to the composite material in the notch of the form, wherein the consolidation process is selected from the group consisting of chemical vapor infiltration (CVI), microwave sintering, and pulsed infrared (IR) heating;

wherein a thickness of the composite material is controlled by depositing the composite material to a target height in the notch less than or equal to a total depth of the notch, further wherein the thickness of the composite material is between 30 μ

m and 1000 μ

m.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of applying a consolidation process to the composite material comprises the step of infiltrating the composite material with a second material using a CVI process.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second material is selected from the group consisting of nitrides, carbides, carbonitrides, oxides, borides, carbon, and metallic phases.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the particles forming the composite material range in size between 50 nm and 100 μ

m.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the plurality of particles selected from the group consisting of nitrides, carbides, carbonitrides, borides, oxides, carbon, and metallic phases comprise particles selected from the group consisting of titanium nitride (TiN), titanium carbide (TiC), and titanium carbonitride (TiCN).

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the plurality of particles selected from the group consisting of nitrides, carbides, carbonitrides, borides, oxides, carbon, and metallic phases comprise particles selected from the group consisting of cobalt and nickel.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of mixing the composite material using a ball mill.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the CVI process is performed for a time in the range of 120 min and 2400 min.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the CVI process is performed at a temperature in the range of 850°

C. to 1100°

C.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein the form is a substrate.

11. The method of claim 4, wherein the form is a sacrificial material.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of grinding away the sacrificial material.

13. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of inserting a thin film onto the form prior to the step of depositing the composite material.

14. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of applying a roller to the composite material.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of agitating the roller during the step of applying a roller to the composite material.

16. A method for fabricating a hard composite, comprising:

a. depositing into a notch of a form a composite material comprising (i) a plurality of cubic boron nitride (cBN) particles, and (ii) a plurality of particles selected from the group consisting of nitrides, carbides, carbonitrides, borides, oxides, carbon, and metallic phases, wherein a thickness of the composite material is controlled by depositing the composite material to a target height in the notch less than or equal to a total depth of the notch, further wherein the depositing step is performed to create a particle-size gradient across an entirety of the thickness of the composite material, wherein the particle-size gradient comprises an incremental change in cBN particle size;

b. applying a mechanical press to the composite material in the form whereby the composite material is leveled and compressed; and

c. applying a consolidation process to the composite material in the form, wherein the consolidation process is selected from the group consisting of chemical vapor infiltration (CVI), microwave sintering, and pulsed infrared (IR) heating.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of applying a consolidation process to the composite material comprises the step of infiltrating the composite material with a second material using a CVI process.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the second material is selected from the group consisting of nitrides, carbides, carbonitrides, oxides, borides, carbon, and metallic phases.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the particles forming the composite material range in size between 50 nm and 100 μ

m.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the plurality of particles selected from the group consisting of nitrides, carbides, carbonitrides, borides, oxides, carbon, and metallic phases comprise particles selected from the group consisting of titanium nitride (TiN), titanium carbide (TiC), and titanium carbonitride (TiCN).

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the plurality of particles selected from the group consisting of nitrides, carbides, carbonitrides, borides, oxides, carbon, and metallic phases comprise particles selected from the group consisting of cobalt and nickel.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of mixing the composite material using a ball mill.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the CVI process is performed for a time in the range of 120 min and 2400 min.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the CVI process is performed at a temperature in the range of 850°

C. to 1100°

C.

25. The method of claim 16, wherein the particle-size gradient comprises a smallest particle size of about 1 nm.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the particle-size gradient comprises a largest particle size of about 30 μ

m.

27. The method of claim 19, wherein the form is a substrate.

28. The method of claim 19, wherein the form is a sacrificial material.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising the step of grinding away the sacrificial material.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising the step of inserting a thin film onto the form prior to the step of depositing the composite material.

31. The method of claim 28, further comprising the step of applying a roller to the composite material.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising the step of agitating the roller during the step of applying a roller to the composite material.