Corpuscular energy beam produced microasperities
AssigneeCaterpillar Tractor Co.
InventorsWilliam H. Belke, Joseph C. Hafele, Ernest W. Landen, Thomas J. Richards
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus for producing microasperities for enhancing lubrication is provided. A pulsed laser beam or other heat source having high resolution with respect to time and space is focused onto a surface such as a thrust bearing surface to produce an array of microasperities of controlled size, shape and density. The staggered ramp shaped asperities produce an enhanced lubrication effect.
Claims8
A method of producing asperities on a body defining a surface, comprising the steps of selecting a body of unhardened pearlite carbon steel material having the property of expanding by grain structure change under the action of a beam of corpuscular energy, impinging a beam of corpuscular energy on said surface, varying the intensity of said beam from a minimum to a maximum value and then abruptly dropping the intensity back to said minimum so as to produce asperities, moving said body in a predetermined path relative to said beam while varying the intensity of said beam, and, repeating the above steps so as to produce a plurality of spaced, raised, martensitic asperities defining a height, length and width on said surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.