Ford Motor Company Limited

Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Other

National Center for Manufacturing Sciences

Robert C McCune

Oludele Olusegun Popoola

Franco Leonardi

John Matthew Ginder

Larry Van Reatherford

Matthew John Zaluzec

Larry V Reatherford

Ronald Paul Cooper

William R Drawl

Eddie Lee Cartwright

John Edward Brevick

Paul Earl Pergande

Armando Mateo Joaquin

Jeffrey Hampton Helms

James R Baughman

Gerald S Cole

Ray Jahn

Ronald W Smith

Nakhleh Hussary

Ronald J Baird

Michael R Kim

Robert S Bailey

Louis Toth

Howard K Plummer

A method of manufacturing electric machines comprised of geometrically patterned arrays of permanent magnets, soft magnetic materials, and electrical conductors deposited by kinetic spraying methods directly atop a carrier. The magnets and planar coils of the present invention may be integrally formed atop carriers to form electrical machines such as motors, generators, alternators, solenoids, and actuators. The manufacturing techniques used in this invention may produce highly defined articles that do not require additional shaping or attaching steps. Very high-purity permanent and soft magnetic materials, and conductors with low oxidation are produced.

Method of manufacturing electromagnetic devices using kinetic spray

An electric machine made from kinetically sprayed permanent magnet material and a binder material form a composite admixture having microstructure of permanent magnet material embedded in the binder material. The admixture has a permanent magnetic moment. The magnets of the present invention may be integrally formed atop carriers to form electrical machines such as motors, generators, alternators, solenoids, and actuators. The manufacturing techniques used in this invention may produce highly defined articles that do not require additional shaping or attaching steps. Very high-purity permanent and soft magnetic materials, and conductors with low oxidation are produced.

Electromagnetic device

A method of manufacturing a permanent magnet by the steps of preparing an admixture of magnetic material and binder material, the admixture material having a particle size of less than 325 mesh. Then heating a carrier gas to a temperature substantially below the melting point of either component of the admixture. The admixture is introduced into the carrier gas and the admixture is sprayed atop a ductile carrier. The admixture adheres to the carrier and forms a solid permanent magnet. An electric field is applied to the sprayed admixture to create a permanent magnetic moment.

Method of manufacturing a permanent magnet using kinetic spray

A method of fabricating a foamed metal structure using a powder supply of metal particles, comprising: (a) introducing the powder supply along with foaming agent particles into a propellant gas to form a gas/particle mixture stream; (b) projecting the mixture stream at a critical velocity of at least sonic velocity onto a metallic substrate to create a deposit of pressure-welded metal particles containing the admixed foaming agent; and (c) subjecting at least the coating of the substrate to a thermal excursion effective to activate expansion of the foaming agent while softening the metal particles for plastic deformation under the influence of the expanding gases.

Forming metal foam structures

A method of making valve guides by thermal spraying a wear-resistant layer onto a rotating mandrel that is subsequently built up by thermal spraying steel on the wear-resistant layer. A flame spray polymer lubricant may be applied to the wear-resistant layer to improve self-lubricating properties of the engine valve guide. The mandrel and applied layers are then cut off and the remaining segment is further processed in a machining operation to remove the mandrel from the inside of the engine valve guide. The mandrel is preferably cooled as the thermal spray is applied preferably by routing a cooling fluid such as air through the mandrel.

Methods for manufacturing multi-layer engine valve guides by thermal spray

A method of manufacturing a metal and polymeric composite article by the following steps. Droplets of spray deposited metal and spray deposited polymeric material are combined to form an article having the polymeric material interspersed within the metal. A carrier or form that shaped to receive the metal and polymeric layers is provided. The carrier may be made either stationary or movable. Layers of spray deposited metal and spray deposited polymeric material are applied atop the carrier. The spray deposited metal is between 90 and 95 percent by volume of the article. The polymeric layers do not completely cover the metal layers. Succeeding spray deposited metal layers contact bond to previous metal layers. The polymeric material between imbedded between the interconnected metal layers.

Method of manufacturing a metal and polymeric composite article

A machine tool or die that is fabricated from thermally spray-formed steel is easily repaired by cleaning, roughing and covering the surface to be repaired by a cold-spray layer of metal and then forming a weldment by conventional electric welding processes. The repaired surface is then finished by conventional machining, grinding and polishing and then the tool is put back into service.

Method for repairing spray-formed steel tooling

Transmission torque converter reactor thrust washer segments (,) comprising a surface hardenable aluminum alloy are subjected to electrical discharge machining (EDM) using an electrode (,) and under conditions effective to impart a hydrodynamic bearing surface profile to the segment surfaces (,), reduce segment surface roughness, and increase segment surface hardness. Torque converter reactors (,) having integrated thrust washer segments machined in this manner exhibit improved wear resistance and hydrodynamic lift when compared to as cast thrust washer segments.

Shaped and finished metallic torque converter reactor

A high-velocity spray nozzle is used to physically embed conductive particles into the surface of a non-conductive substrate, thereby rendering it electrically conductive. In contrast to existing, chemically based alternatives, the method offers the use of a dry process with no chemical baths and associated environmental concerns; the ability to produce localized modifications, only in areas where actually required; the use of simple materials, such as air and powdered graphite; and a potential cost savings. Methods of modifying localized areas of the underlying substrate are also disclosed.

Surface modification to achieve improved electrical conductivity

A method of defining valve seats on valve seat supports of an internal combustion engine head. The method includes steps of; (a) roughening the exposed surface of the valve seat support to a finish of 10-50 .mu.m RA; (b) thermally spraying a stream of composite particles onto the roughened support surface, using gaseous propellants with sufficient heat and force to produce a dense adherent composite coating of metal and metal oxide particles and to a thickness no greater than 1-1.5 mm; and (c) finish machining if necessary, the sprayed coating to define the valve seat surface. The composite coated product consists of a metal/metal oxide mixture that possesses one or more of the following characteristics: a surface porosity of 2-5%, a density of 6.5-8 grams/cc, a Vickers hardness of about 280 kg/mm.sup.2 at 450.degree. C., high wear resistance and high corrosion resistance.

Method of making adherently sprayed valve seats

Method of making seat inserts by thermally spraying bulk material. The method includes the steps of: (i) preparing a mandrel having an outside dimension not greater than the desired inside dimension of the desired insert, the mandrel having a part to provide for separation of the sprayed bulk material from the mandrel, (ii) thermal spraying separate particles of one or more types of steel or nickel alloys in the presence of a controlled oxidizing medium to form a bulk composite material on the mandrel with a density of at least 99% and, (iii) after cooling the bulk material, removing such material from the mandrel and slicing it into discrete seat shapes for implanting into the final product.

Method of making spray-formed inserts

A composite metallizing wire useful in thermal flame spraying, having a conductive metallic solid core wire strand and a coating consisting of solid lubricant particles (i.e., graphite, BN, Teflon) and wear-resistant particles (i.e., SiC, TiC, Cr.sub.3 C.sub.2) homogeneously suspended in a conductive metal (i.e., Ni, Fe, Cr, Mo, Ti) complementary to said solid core wire strand. A method of making such composite metallizing wire useful in thermal flame spraying, comprising submersing a solid core wire mandrel of conductive metal in a plating bath to act as a cathode, the bath containing conductive metal salt and an electrolyte having a salt with a depositable metal and a dispersant of wear-resistant particles (i.e., in an amount of from 20-150 grams/liter) and solid lubricant particles (i.e., in an amount of from 10-200 grams/liter), and energizing the electrolyte to codeposit metal from said electrolyte along with wear-resistant particles and solid lubricant particles onto said wire mandrel. A method of thermal spraying to produce a metal matrix composite coating, comprising providing a thermalizing through-flow chamber with an exit nozzle, the chamber having a gas flow-through of at least 100 ms.sup.-1, establishing a flame in said chamber, and feeding a composite coated wire into said flame to be melted and projected by the gas flow to a target, the wire being constructed as above.

Composite metallizing wire and method of using

Method of depositing an Fe.sub.x O comprising coating onto a light metal substrate by use of wire-arc thermal spraying that propels atomized droplets by use of atomizing gases, comprising: preparing at least one surface of the light metal substrate to present an exposed essentially non-oxidized substrate surface; and thermally spraying melted droplets of a steel feedstock wire onto the prepared surface by use of propellant gases to deposit a composite coating, the gases being controlled as to content to regulate the exposure of the droplets to oxygen so that Fe.sub.x O is substantially the only iron oxide formed during spraying, x being 0.5-1.5.

Growing community of inventors

Birmingham, MI, United States of America

Robert C McCune