Electro-chemical hardening of bearing raceways
AssigneeSikorsky Aircraft Corporation
InventorsBruce D. Hansen, William P. Fallon, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of making bearings includes treating a metallic surface of a bearing raceway with a pulsed electrochemical processing nozzle to transform the amorphous oxide into a crystalline structure on the metallic surface electro-chemically and convert the metallic surface into a ceramic like hardness surface. Treating the metallic surface can include forming a gradient in material composition transitioning from a purely metallic material at a cross-sectional position within the bearing raceway to a purely crystalline structure material at the ceramic like hardness surface of the bearing raceway.
Claims7
A method of making bearings comprising a bearing raceway rotatably housing a plurality of ceramic rolling elements, the method comprising:
- treating a metallic surface of the bearing raceway with a pulsed electrochemical processing nozzle to transform amorphous oxide into a crystalline structure on the metallic surface electro-chemically and convert the metallic surface into a ceramic like hardness crystalline structure surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.