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AssigneeKnobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear
InventorsHIROTAKA KURITA, HIROSHI YAMAGATA, TOSHIKASTU KOIKE
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An aluminum alloy brake disc body for a disc brake device is provided with a metal layer of a high wear-resistance. The high wear-resistance metal layer is configured to reduce thermal stresses within the aluminum alloy brake disc body so as to inhibit warping, bending or flexing of the brake disc when heated during braking. The high wear-resistant metal layer also is applied to the aluminum alloy brake disc body in a manner reducing manufacturing costs. In one mode, a plating layer made of a metal having a high wear-resistance is formed on a frictional surface of an aluminum alloy brake disc body. Cracks in the form of a fine network are formed in the whole area of the plating layer. The cracks can be formed by a plating process, by nitrosulphurization, by heating, by burnishing or by use of the plated component. The cracks advantageously provide for expansion between the individual metal fragments and, thus, create an expandable plated wear surface. Other aluminum components with wear surfaces can also be formed with a wear-resistant layer in a similar manner.
A method of forming an expandable wear surface on an aluminum alloy component, the method comprising preparing said aluminum alloy component, plating said component with a layer of a wear resistant material, and forming a network of cracks through said layer of said wear resistant material, said network of cracks comprising multiple fragments.
An aluminum alloy part having a plated wear resistant surface, said part comprising an aluminum alloy substrate and a plated wear resistant surface covering at least a portion of said substrate, said wear resistant surface having a plurality of wear resistant surface fragments that are separated from one another by cracks, said cracks forming a network of cracks.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.