Corrosion-resistant coated metal and method for making the same

• US 20030089432A1
• Filed: 05/10/2002
• Published: 05/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/1992
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Revere Copper Products, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The Louis Berkman Company
• Inventors: Zamanzadeh, Mehrooz, Hesske, Nicholas R., Carey, Jay F. II
• Granted Patent: US 6,652,990 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 148/527
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 35/262 Sn as the principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 35/282 Zn as the principal constituent
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 15/01 all layers being exclusively metallic making layered metal workpieces by pressure cladding B23K20/22; making coatings with a metallic material characterised by its composition C23C30/00
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 15/011 all layers being formed of iron alloys or steels
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 15/013 one layer being formed of an iron alloy or steel, another layer being formed of a metal other than iron or aluminium
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 15/015 the said other metal being copper or nickel or an alloy thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 13/00 Alloys based on tin
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 18/00 Alloys based on zinc
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 30/00 Alloys containing less than 50% by weight of each constituent
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 30/04 containing tin or lead
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 30/06 containing zinc
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 2/0034 Details related to elements immersed in bath
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 2/0035 Means for continuously moving substrate through, into or out of the bath C23C2/00344 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 2/0036 Crucibles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 2/0038 characterised by the pre-treatment chambers located immediately upstream of the bath or occurring locally before the dipping process
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 2/02 Pretreatment of the material to be coated, e.g. for coating on selected surface areas C23C2/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 2/024 by cleaning or etching
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 2/026 Deposition of sublayers, e.g. adhesion layers or pre-applied alloying elements or corrosion protection
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 2/06 Zinc or cadmium or alloys based thereon
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 2/08 Tin or alloys based thereon
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 2/28 : Thermal after-treatment, e.g. treatment in oil bath
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 2/40 : Plates; Strips
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 26/00 : Coating not provided for in groups C23C2/00 - C23C24/00
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 28/021 : including at least one metal alloy layer
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 28/023 : only coatings of metal elements only
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 28/025 : with at least one zinc-based layer
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 30/00 : Coating with metallic material characterised only by the composition of the metallic material, i.e. not characterised by the coating process C23C26/00, C23C28/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/939 : Molten or fused coating
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12708 : Sn-base component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12715 : Next to Group IB metal-base component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12722 : Next to Group VIII metal-base component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12792 : Zn-base component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12799 : Next to Fe-base component [e.g., galvanized]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12937 : Co- or Ni-base component next to Fe-base component

Abstract

A corrosion-resistant coated brass metal coated with a corrosion resistant alloy. The corrosion resistant alloy is a tin metal alloy or a tin and zinc metal alloy. The corrosion resistant metal alloy may also include one or more metal additives to improve the coating process and/or to alter the properties of the tin or tin and zinc metal alloy.

Claims

1. A method of producing a corrosion-resistant metal strip comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a metal strip from a roll of strip;

(b) coating said metal strip with a corrosion resistant metal alloy, said corrosion resistant metal alloy comprising tin, zinc and a metal additive, said tin content plus said zinc content constituting a majority of the metal alloy, said metal alloy including at least 15 weight percent tin and at least 10 weight percent zinc, said metal additive including an additive selected from the group consisting of at least an effective amount of stabilizer to inhibit crystallization of the tin in said metal alloy, at least an effective amount of a coloring agent to reduce the reflectivity of the metal alloy, at least an effective amount of a corrosion-resistant agent to enhance the corrosion resistant properties of the metal alloy, and mixtures thereof.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, including the step of forming a heat created intermetallic layer between the surface of said metal strip and said metal alloy, said heat created intermetallic layer having a thickness of up to about 10 microns.

3. The method as defined in claim 2, including the step of introducing heat to said metal alloy to form said heat created intermetallic layer, said step of introducing heat selected from the group consisting of exposing molten metal alloy to said metal strip, flow heating said metal alloy, and combinations thereof.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said metal alloy comprises:

5. The method as defined in claim 4, wherein said metal alloy comprises:

6. The method as defined in claim 5, wherein said metal alloy comprises:

7. The method as defined in claim 6, wherein said metal alloy comprises: