Caterpillar Inc.

Daniel Joseph Sordelet

Daniel Cavanaugh

Douglas Trent Weaver

Justin Curtis Embrey

Robert L Meyer

Roger Lee Recker

Thierry Andre Marchione

M Brad Beardsley

Robert E Sharp

Kegan Jon Luick

Kurt Steven Goslovich

Chandrasen Rameshlal Rathod

Chad Arnold

Fernando Martinez Diez

Andrew Douglas Steinmetz

Thomas E Clements

Ronald Mark Ginn

Scott E Keele

Robert Jason Pickerill

Arun Rajendran

John Allan White

Steven Jon Henderson

Mark David Veliz

Robert Eugene Sharp

Chad M Arnold

A work machine, such as a hauler at a mining site, includes a conductor rod housing concentric metal tubes for receiving electrical power from a contactor sliding on a power rail. Electrical connectivity between conductors within the conductor rod are provided using a conductive liquid. Corrosion barriers are used to protect the conductors while maintaining the electrical connectivity between the conductors.

High-velocity air-fuel coatings for conductor corrosion resistance

An example hydraulic system component of a machine includes a protective coating deposited by high velocity air fuel (HVAF) thermal spray, exhibiting high adhesion strengths and surface morphologies that promote lubricant adhesion and reduce the leakage of oil and/or hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic system. The coating may have surface roughness with Rvalues less than 2 μm and hardness of 1000 Vickers or greater. The HVAF coating may be thinner than conventional coatings with thicknesses less than 100 μm. The HVAF coating may be deposited on a variety of steel components with adhesion strengths greater than those achieved by high velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF). The HVAF coating may be formed without time consuming roughening and/or post-grind operations, resulting in cost savings compared to conventional coatings. The coatings may have operational lifetimes of 1000 hours or more.

Thin coatings for hydraulic components

A steel track chain component, such as a track bushing, may be formed with a carburized portion, a hardface portion, and a core portion. The core portion may be softer than the carburized portion, which in turn, may be softer than the hardface portion. This configuration of the various portions of the component may allow for relatively high wear resistance of the component, as well as toughness. The core portion may be mostly ferrite crystal structure, while the carburized portion and the hardface portions may include martensitic and/or austenitic crystal structure. The carburized portion may be formed by carburizing the track chain component in a heated and carbon rich environment. The hardface portion may be formed by welding a hardface alloy over at least a portion of the carburized portion.

Track chain components with hardface overlay

A method for installing a sensor on a component is provided. The method includes attaching the sensor to a surface of the component. The method includes covering the sensor using a metal wire. The method includes applying a multilayer coating on the metal wire. Applying the multilayer coating includes applying a first coating. The first coating is capable of being machined. Applying the multilayer coating includes machining the first coating and applying a second coating over the first coating. The second coating is a ceramic oxide and the second coating is configured to serve as a thermal and dielectric barrier. Applying the multilayer coating also includes applying a third coating over the second coating. The third coating is configured to provide erosion resistance.

Method for sensor installation on component

A manufacturing process includes depositing a clad layer having a thickness greater than about 0.5 mm (0.02 in) on a surface of the component by hardfacing, and creating a heat affected zone directly below the clad layer due to the depositing. The heat affected zone may be a region of the component where a lowest hardness is lower than a base hardness of the component below the heat affected zone. The method may also include heat treating the component after the deposition such that the lowest hardness in the heat affected zone is restored to within about 15% of the base hardness of the component.

Hardfacing process and parts produced thereby

A laser cladding system includes a laser apparatus, a chamber, and a pump system. The laser apparatus is configured to generate a laser beam. The chamber includes an interior surface that defines a cladding area comprising a sealed volume. The chamber includes a window that is made from a laser-transparent material and is configured to allow the laser beam to pass therethrough into the cladding area. The pump system has a port in communication with the cladding area. The pump system is configured to selectively generate a vacuum pressure within the cladding area sufficient to evacuate gas from within the cladding area out through the port. The laser apparatus includes a laser head from which the laser beam is emitted and a robotic laser motion system configured to selectively move the laser head such that the laser beam moves relative to a reference point within the chamber.

System and method for laser cladding in controlled environment

A pin joint for coupling a first component with a second component is provided. The pin joint includes a shell disposed within an opening in the first component. The shell has a bore and a coupling portion. The pin joint also includes a sleeve disposed concentrically within the bore of the shell. The pin joint further includes a retainer disposed proximal to an end of the sleeve and detachably coupled to the coupling portion of the shell. The retainer is configured to axially retain the sleeve within the bore of the shell. The pint joint includes a pin received through the sleeve and the retainer. The pin is engaged with the second component.

Pin joint for coupling components

Thermal spray coating compositions, methods of using thermal spray coating compositions, and remanufactured components are disclosed herein. A thermal spray coating composition can include about 7% to about 9% by weight aluminum, about 5% to about 7% by weight silicon, about 1% to about 3% by weight manganese, about 1% to about 14% by weight copper, with a remaining balance of iron. The thermal spray coating composition can include about 2% to about 12% by weight copper.

Thermal spray composition and component made therewith

A process of remanufacturing a component such as an attachment flange used in turbochargers is provided and includes using a steam oxidation process to form an adhesion layer on top of a sealing surface of the component. The adhesion layer is an oxidation layer that a thermal metal spray coating can be applied on top of in order to prevent spalling that can occur at high heat. Once the process is completed, the component can be inspected to ensure that it meets or exceeds the manufacturer's original specifications.

Steam oxidation of thermal spray substrate

Cladding and remanufacturing a machine component includes directing cleaning and welding beams split from an incident laser beam toward the machine component, and moving the machine component relative the cleaning and welding beams such that the welding beam trails behind the cleaning beam along a common travel path. A surface of the machine component is decontaminated by the cleaning beam, while a cladding material is melted via the welding beam such that upon solidifying the cladding material forms a coating metallurgically bonded to base material and previously deposited cladding material of the machine component.

Machine component cladding strategy

The present disclosure is related to a cladding composition. The cladding composition may include cladding powder particles and flux particles. The flux particles may have an average particle size of less than about 40 &#x3bc;m, and more than about 50% of the flux particles may adhere to the surfaces of the cladding powder particles.

Cladding composition with flux particles

A fabrication method is provided for use in making a component. The fabrication method may include generating a laser beam at a first orientation relative to a wear surface of the component to produce a first laser beam spot having a first characteristic, and feeding a cladding material into the first laser beam spot to produce a cladding layer on the wear surface. The fabrication method may also include generating a laser beam at a second orientation relative to the wear surface of the component to produce a second laser beam spot having a second characteristic, and moving the second laser beam spot along the cladding layer to substantially flatten the cladding layer.

Growing community of inventors

Peoria, IL, United States of America

Daniel Joseph Sordelet