Ford Motor Company Limited

Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Robert A Rose

V Durga Rao

David A Yeager

Daniel M Kabat

Carlo Alberto Fucinari

An iron or copper based metal powder useful for plasma deposition of a coating that has a dry coefficient of friction 0.75 or less and readily conducts heat through the coating. The powder comprises (a) H.sub.2 O atomized and annealed particles consisting essentially of (by weight) carbon 0.15-0.85%, oxygen 0.1-0.45%, an air hardening agent selected from manganese and nickel of 0.1-06.5%, and the remainder iron or copper, with at least 90% of the particles having oxygen and iron or copper combined in the lowest atomic oxygen form for an oxide of such metal. A method of making anti-friction iron powder that is economical, selectively produces FeO and promotes fine flowable particles. The method comprises (a) steam atomization of a molten steel that excludes other oxygen, the steel containing carbon up to 0.4% by weight to produce a collection of comminuted particles, and (b) annealing the particles in an air atmosphere for a period of time of 0.25-2.0 hours in a temperature range of 800.degree.-1400.degree. F. to reduce carbon in the particles to about 0.2% or sponge iron by reducing Fe.sub.3 O.sub.4 or Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3 in CO and (H.sub.2 O steam) to attain nearly all iron with nearly all FeO and 0.1.degree. to 0.85.degree. C.

Low energy level powder for plasma deposition having solid lubricant

An iron or copper based metal powder useful for plasma deposition of a coating that has a dry coefficient of friction 0.75 or less and readily conducts heat through the coating. The powder comprises (a) H.sub.2 O atomized and annealed particles consisting essentially of (by weight) carbon 0.15-0.85%, oxygen 0.1-0.45%, an air hardening agent selected from manganese and nickel of 0.1-6.5%, and the remainder iron or copper, with at least 90% of the particles having oxygen and iron or copper combined in the lowest atomic oxygen form for an oxide of such metal. A method of making anti-friction iron powder that is economical, selectively produces FeO and promotes fine flowable particles. The method comprises (a) steam atomization of a molten steel that excludes other oxygen, the steel containing carbon up to 0.4% by weight to produce a collection of comminuted particles, and (b) annealing the particles in an air atmosphere for a period of time of 0.25-2.0 hours in a temperature range of 800.degree.-1400.degree. F. to reduce carbon in the particles to about 0.2% or sponge iron by reducing Fe.sub.3 O.sub.4 or Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3 in CO and (H.sub.2 O steam) to attain nearly all iron with nearly all FeO and 0.1 to 0.85 C.

Low alloy steel powder for plasma deposition having solid lubricant

A method of making coated engine blocks by (a) casting a metallic engine block having one or more cylinder bores; (b) fabricating a thin walled liner for each bore, the liner being constituted of extruded metallic tubing having a cleansed inner surface, a wall thickness controlled to a thickness of 1-3 mm.+-.15 microns, the outer diameter of the liner being slightly greater than the internal diameter of the cylinder bores; (c) relatively rotating the liner with respect to one or more nozzles for applying a plurality of materials to the internal surface of the liner, the materials comprising first a metal texturing fluid that is applied at high pressures to expose fresh metal of the surface, secondly a bond coating material that is thermally sprayed to form a metallurgical bond with the liner internal surface, and a top coating of anti-friction material that is adheringly plasma sprayed to the bond coating; (d) honing the coated internal surface to remove up to 150 microns of top coating, leaving a finish surface that is concentric to the tube axis within .+-.15 microns; and (e) interference fitting the coated liner to the cylinder bore by freezing the liner while maintaining the block at or above ambient temperature to permit implanting of the liner.

Method of making an engine block using coated cylinder bore liners

An iron or copper based metal powder useful for plasma deposition of a coating that has a dry coefficient of friction 0.75 or less and readily conducts heat through the coating. The powder comprises (a) H.sub.2 O atomized and annealed particles consisting essentially of (by weight) carbon 0.15-85%, oxygen 0.1-0.45%, an air hardening agent selected from manganese and nickel of 0.1-6.5%, and the remainder iron or copper, with at least 90% of the particles having oxygen and iron or copper combined in the lowest atomic oxygen form for an oxide of such metal. A method of making anti-friction iron powder that is economical, selectively produces FeO and promotes fine flowable particles. The method comprises (a) steam atomization of a molten steel that excludes other oxygen, the steel containing carbon up to 0.4% by weight to produce a collection of comminuted particles, and (b) annealing the particles in an air atmosphere for a period of time of 0.25-2.0 hours in a temperature range of 800.degree.-1400.degree. F. to reduce carbon in the particles to about 0.2% or sponge iron by reducing Fe.sub.3 O.sub.4 or Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3 in CO and (H.sub.2 O steam) to attain nearly all iron with nearly all FeO and 0.1.degree. to 0.85.degree. C.

A collection of agglomerated anti-friction grains for plasma deposition, the grains each consisting essentially of (a) H.sub.2 O atomized stainless steel particles, (b) solid lubricant particles consisting of at least one of boron nitride or a eutectic of calcium fluoride and lithium fluoride, and (c) a binder holding said steel and solid lubricant particles together for plasma spraying, said binder being present in an amount of 0.5-4.0% by weight and is vaporizable at the temperature of plasma spraying and does not interfere with the deposited process.

Agglomerated anti-friction granules for plasma deposition

A method of flexibly manufacturing engine blocks by first bonding an extruded tube liner insert, of a given thickness (1-15 mm), to a fixed configuration block, the liner insert having been coated with an anti-friction wear-resistant coating having a controlled standard thickness, and secondly bonding an extruded tube liner insert of a different thickness (again selected from 1-15 mm) to another of the fixed configuration blocks, the second liner insert having been coated with the same type of anti-friction wear-resistant coating in essentially the same controlled standard thickness. The common sized engine block can have (i) identically shaped circular cylindrical bore walls or (ii) ovoid cylindrical bore walls with the liner insert having an interior surface shape selection varying between circular to ovoid. The block and liner insert may be both made of aluminum. To promote wear-resistant and lubricant qualities, the coating may contain a mixture of hard particles (such as stainless steel, nickel, chromium or vanadium) and solid lubricant particles such as oxides of iron having controlled oxygen, BN, LiF, NaF.sub.2 or a eutectic of LiF/NaF.sub.2.

Flexibly making engine block assemblies

A method of making an anti-friction coating on a metal surface subject to sliding wear, including the steps of: forming an encapsulated powder having grains made of a core of solid lubricants including at least graphite and MoS.sub.2 (others may include BN, NaF, LiF, CaF.sub.2, and WS.sub.2), and a thin shell of fusable soft metal such as Ni, Co, Fe, Zn, Sn, Mg, or Cu; plasma spraying the powder onto a light metal surface, such as a cylinder bore wall of an internal combustion engine, to form a coating; and finish-smoothing the coating to a uniform thickness of about 25-175 microns. Some core particles may be hard, wear-resistant particles such as SiC, NiCrAl, FeMn, FeCrAl, FeWNiVCr, NiCrMoVW, FeCrMoWV, CoFeNiCrMoWV, NiCrMoV, and CoMoCrVW.

Method of making an anti-friction coating on metal by plasma spraying

An engine block having one or more anti-friction coated cylinder bore walls, comprising: a coating of grains fused to the cylinder bore wall, the grains being comprised of solid lubricant particles encapsulated within a soft metal shell, the shells being fused together to form a network with limited porosity, the solid lubricant comprising at least graphite and MoS.sub.2 ; and wet oil lubrication retained within the porosity of the coating.

Metal encapsulated solid lubricant coating system

A thermally sprayable powder having grains comprising: a core of solid lubricant particles comprised of at least graphite and MoS.sub.2 (others may include Bn, NaF, LiF, CaF.sub.2, and WS.sub.2); and a thin, soft metal shell (Ni, Co, Fe, Zn, Sn, Mg, or Cu) encapsulating such core. Some core particles may also be hard, wear-resistant particles from the group consisting of SiC, NiCrAl, FeMn, FeCrAl, FeWNiVCr, NiCrMoVW, FeCrMoWV, CoFeNiCrMoWV, NiCrMoV, and CoMoCrVW.

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Grosse Pointe Park, MI, United States of America

Robert A Rose