Ford Motor Company Limited

Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Other

V Durga Rao

Daniel M Kabat

David A Yeager

Robert A Rose

Carlo Alberto Fucinari

Gary Mark Crosbie

Robert A Pett

James K Vallance

Christian J Rahnke

S Burhan Qaderi

James R Clarke

Wallace R Wade

Harry Arthur Cikanek

Robert Jay Natkin

Daniel Joseph German

Michael G Aimone

Charles A Knapp

Robert Alan Rose

Robert S Parsons

Gregory E Schafer

Brian M Lizotte

Brian W Lizotte

A low friction valve train actuating at least one valve in an internal combustion engine includes a cam shaft having at least one cam, a tappet contacting the cam and valve, the cam and valve having outer surfaces with an open porosity, a solid film lubricant impregnated and anchored in the open porosity, the solid film lubricant is stable to temperatures at about 700.degree. F. to retain a low coefficient of friction in an oil starved environment.

Low friction valve train

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

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. A method of making agglomerated grains of powder suitable for plasma deposition, by (a) H.sub.2 O atomization of a molten stream of martensitic stainless steel to produce a collection of first particles, (b) uniformly blending such first particles with solid lubricant second particles and a binder agent in a slurry, the binder agent being present in a small amount and being constituted to vaporize at the temperature of plasma spraying, and (c) mist spraying the slurry into a heated chamber to form a collection of porous rounded granules.

Agglomerated anti-friction granules for plasma deposition

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

Method of depositing a metal base coating containing a self-lubricating oxide phase and one or more wear resistant phases, by: preparing at least one light metal substrate surface to be essentially oxide-free and in a condition to adherently receive the coating, plasma spraying a supply of metal (M) powder particles onto the substrate surface to produce a composite coating of such metal (M) and an oxide (MO.sub.x) of such metal that has the lower oxygen content of any of such metal's oxide forms, the plasma being formed by introduction of a primary plasma gas through an electric arc/electromagnetic field to ionize the primary gas as a plasma stream which stream envelopes each particle of the introduced powder, the powder particles being introduced to the plasma stream by an aspirating gas and being melted or plasticized substantially only at a surface region of each particle by the heat of the plasma; the primary plasma gas being constituted of a reactively oxide-neutral gas, but including a reducing gas component particularly when the oxide form of such powder is less than 90% MO.sub.x, and the aspirating gas being constituted of a reactively oxide-neutral gas, but including an oxidizing component if the volume content of the MO.sub.x form of the powder is less than 5% or it is desired to increase the volume of the oxide form MO.sub.x of the powder.

Method of depositing composite metal coatings containing low friction

A sealing assembly that significantly reduces or eliminates blow-by, peristolic pumping and sealing element flutter while, at the same time, reducing to ultra low levels friction between the sealing element and its assembly. The assembly has surfaces in at least one of the bore wall or piston to form a groove facing the other of the wall or piston, the groove having exposed smoothly curved shoulders which face each other. A sealing element is positioned in the groove, the element having smoothly curved side surfaces mateable with the groove shoulders for supporting the element in the groove. The sealing element has an exposed outer surface (crown) which also is smoothly curved with a pair of mirror image shoulders, The crown is effective to tangentially contact the cylinder wall while the element side surfaces each tangentially contact their respective mating groove shoulders. The pair of mating groove shoulders and element side walls each have defined curvatures which are effective to maintain the tangency and transfer any load from the sealing element (resulting from contact between the element crown and the cylinder wall contact) to the groove shoulders in a substantially equal manner regardless of articulation of the element in the groove. The curvature of the groove shoulders side surfaces and crown surfaces all adhere to a tractrix relationship.

Piston sealing assembly

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 method of preparing the surface of a conductive metal to be non-smooth and non-passivated for reception of thermal sprayed coatings. The method comprises melting and rapidly solidifying globules of the surface by electrical discharge by bring an electrode (anode) in close gap-sparking proximity to the surface, filling the gap with an electrolyte containing a halogenated hydrocarbon fluid present in an amount of 2-5% of the electrolyte, and imposing a pulsed DC voltage (i.e. 20-100 volts at 40-200 amps) on the electrode to provide cyclical sparking between the electrode and the surface through the electrolyte resulting in a breakdown of the hydrocarbon to release nascent halogen atoms which attack the surface to prevent passivation during melting and solidification of the globules. The electrolyte is preferably cooled to a temperature below 65.degree. F. during the sparking, and the halogenated hydrocarbon is preferably present in a sufficient amount to attack silicon and aluminum, if such surface is an aluminum alloy containing silicon.

Using electrical discharge surface preparation for thermal coatings

A high efficiency pump having relatively-moving parts constituted of a light weight material and a coating on at least one of the parts to effect essentially zero clearance between the parts where they merge together. The coating is comprised of solid lubricants in a polymer resin matrix stable up to 700.degree. F.

Method of making an efficiency enhanced fluid pump or compressor

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.

A piston and ring assembly operative within a cylindrical bore wall to retain fluid to one side. The piston has a side wall for movement along the cylindrical wall and has one or more spaced grooves in the side wall, each groove defining a pair of interior groove surfaces spaced apart a uniform distance; at least one sealing element presenting a pair of opposed surfaces operating between and along the pair of groove surfaces, the sealing element being capable of engaging the cylindrical wall, the spacing between the opposed surfaces of the sealing element and the pair of interior surfaces of the groove being no greater than ten microns; and a solid film lubricant mixture coating the groove surfaces and the opposed surfaces of the sealing element, whereby surface adhesion of the fluid, present in the spacing, inhibiting migration of such fluid through the spacing and flutter of the sealing element, in said spacing, being essentially eliminated.

Flutter free piston ring assembly

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

Solid lubricant coating for fluid pump or compressor

A piston and ring assembly operative within a cylindrical bore wall to retain pressurized fluid to one side of the assembly, the piston having a crown and an annular side wall for movement along the bore wall. The assembly comprises a piston having at least on annular groove (the groove having an enlarged height of at least 4 mm) in the side wall of the piston; at least two split compression rings in each such groove effective to each substantially annularly engage the bore wall, the rings having mating superimposed surfaces to facilitate movement of the rings in unison as a result of friction therebetween; a compressed elastomeric ring (constituted of polysilanes, such as silastic with strengtheners) disposed in said groove (having a compression of 10-20% at room temperature), acting between the piston and ring most-remote from said piston crown, to resiliently bias at least the most-remote-ring against the bore wall; a solid film lubricant coating essentially all the sides of said groove; and non-mating surfaces of solid lubricant carried by the rings to effect reduced friction between said rings and groove when being biased by the elastomeric ring.

Growing community of inventors

Bloomfield Township, MI, United States of America

V Durga Rao