Eutectic Corporation

John E Lyons

Anthony J Rotolico

Eduardo Romero

John P Broderick

A multi-purpose hand tool applicator is provided for applying coating material to a surface. The tool comprises an elongated handle having a blade-receiving slot longitudinally disposed therein for detachably receiving one of a plurality of applicator blades each having a male portion for insertion into the handle and an applicator portion opposite the male portion, the handle having means for detachably holding the blade against dislodgement during use. The multi-purpose tool has at least a first blade having an applicator portion in the form of a straight edge and a contoured edge portion characterized by at least one radius of curvature, at least a second blade having an applicator portion in the form of an edge transverse to and opposite to the male portion, and at least a third blade having an applicator portion rotatably mounted to the male portion and capable of being set in one of a plurality of radial positions, the blade being made of flexible material and being characterized by at least one right angled edge and at least one edge having a radius of curvature, whereby the multi-purpose hand tool is capable of being used to apply coating material to flat surfaces, to concave surfaces and to convex surfaces.

Multi-purpose hand tool applicator

The invention contemplates a powder-feeding system for gas-propelled delivery of a powder to be controllably supplied, as to a flame-spraying gas torch or to a transferred-arc plasma torch. A fluidizing chamber receives (a) fluidizing-gas flow from below a porous screen, and (b) a restricted gravitational flow of powder at a relatively small central discharge location above the porous screen. A gas conduit extends transversely through the chamber between the powder-discharge location and the porous screen; it has a carrier-gas supply connection at one end and a gas-propelled powder-delivery connection at its other end. The conduit also has an upwardly extending opening virtually beneath and facing the powder-discharge location, but a shed interposed between this opening and the powder-discharge location sufficiently overlaps the opening to assure that no powder will pass through the opening and into the conduit unless it has been gas-fluidized. The powder-discharge flow is blocked to gas flow when powder is being delivered by the carrier-gas flow, but the powder delivery is terminated promptly upon gas-venting the fluidizing chamber, via the powder-discharge flow or otherwise. A multiple-unit combination of such a system is also described wherein the proportion of different gas-fluidized powders may be selectively varied and/or coordinated to achieve various different application objectives, as in the course of a single run of a flame-spraying torch served by such combination.

Device for the controlled feeding of powder material

The invention contemplates a powder-feeding system for gas-propelled delivery of a powder to be controllably supplied, as to a flame-spraying gas torch or to a transferred-arc plasma torch. A fluidizing chamber receives (a) fluidizing-gas flow from below a porous screen, and (b) a restricted gravitational flow of powder at a relatively small central discharge location above the porous screen. A gas conduit extends transversely through the chamber between the powder-discharge location and the porous screen; it has a carrier-gas supply connection at one end and a gas-propelled powder-delivery connection at its other end. The conduit also has an upwardly extending opening virtually beneath and facing the powder-discharge location, but a shed interposed between this opening and the powder-discharge location sufficiently overlaps the opening to assure that no powder will pass through the opening and into the conduit unless it has been gas-fluidized. The powder-discharge flow is blocked to gas flow when powder is being delivered by the carrier-gas flow, but the powder delivery is terminated promptly upon gas-venting the fluidizing chamber, via the powder-discharge flow or otherwise.

The method of the invention employs a gas torch which has the feature of selective addition of metal powder to the gas flow, in a cyclical pattern of metal-spraying and non-spraying (fusing) utilization of the same torch. The torch is caused to make short and relatively rapid transverse oscillations of sweep across the width of a swath along the workpiece, the swath developing in the course of a relatively slow feed (e.g., a longitudinal feed) of the torch with respect to the workpiece. The rate of torch feed and the duty cycle of metal application (vs. non-spraying) are related to the effective width of the metal 'bead' thus sprayed, so as to assure (1) overlapping of adjacent beads and (2) fusing of adjacent beads to each other and to the workpiece. The embodiment which is described in detail has the almost universal capability of developing such torch-application along a swath of virtually any prescribed course, from straight longitudinal (single rectilineal component), to complex curvilinear (combination of rectilineal and rotational components), as for example to apply coating metal to what will become the cutting edge of a helical auger blade.

Method of applying a metal coating to a metal substrate

The apparatus of the invention employs a gas torch which has the feature of selective addition of metal powder to the gas flow. In use, the torch is caused to make a continuous succession of traverses of a workpiece region for preheating purposes and then, without interrupting the continuous operation of either the torch or the traversing cycles, a controlled flow of metal powder is caused to enter the torch flow, enabling the bonding and progressive building of a metal coat to desired thickness. In the embodiments described, first and second different metal powders are thus successively coated to the substrate without interrupting the continuous operation. Different embodiments are described in the particular context of applying uniform circumferential coatings to a cylindrical workpiece such as a shaft.

Apparatus for applying metal coatings to a metal substrate

The apparatus and method of the invention employ a gas torch which has the feature of selective addition of metal powder to the gas flow, in a cyclical pattern of metal-spraying and non-spraying (fusing) utilization of the same torch. The torch is caused to make short and relatively rapid transverse oscillations of sweep across the width of a swath along the workpiece, the swath developing in the course of a relatively slow feed (e.g., a longitudinal feed) of the torch with respect to the workpiece. The rate of torch feed and the duty cycle of metal application (vs. non-spraying) are related to the effective width of the metal 'bead' thus sprayed, so as to assure (1) overlapping of adjacent beads and (2) fusing of adjacent beads to each other and to the workpiece. The embodiment which is described in detail has the almost universal capability of developing such torch-application along a swath of virtually any prescribed course, from straight longitudinal (single rectilineal component), to complex curvilinear (combination of rectilineal and rotational components), as for example to apply coating metal to what will become the cutting edge of a helical auger blade.

Multiple-coordinate means for applying a metal coating to a metal

An improved nozzle is provided for a metal spraying torch, said nozzle comprising a hollow cylindrical body having a substantially conically shaped nose terminating into a tip and a plurality of gas-conducting orifices communicating with the hollow of said nozzle and passing substantially axially through the nose of said nozzle, for example, coaxially parallel or conically disposed relative to the axis of the nozzle, and emerging from the conical surface thereof short of the tip. The orifices are radially disposed about the axis of said nozzle with the terminal portions thereof lying in a circle when observed from the tip end. An advantage of the nozzle is that it provides a quieter flame and also avoids flashback when the tip thereof makes contact with a workpiece.

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Levittown, NY, United States of America

John E Lyons