Machine element and method of making
AssigneeBalzers Aktiengesellschaft
InventorsErich Bergmann, Manfred Berger
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Machine elements formed which overcome the problems associated with rolling bearings or rolling drive units, which, apart from load under rolling are simultaneously exposed to frictional load, which leads in particular zones to frictional wear. In order to keep this to a minimum the invention teaches to apply on the effected surfaces of such structural parts a coating of a friction bearing material, which, however, according to the findings of the invention must be applied with the PVD method and must have a thickness of the order of magnitude of the surface roughness of the base body; known thicker friction bearing coatings are not suitable. The invention is especially for forming gear wheels, rolling bearings, shafts, compressor screws, and rolling pistons.
Claims19
A method for producing a rolling element part to be subjected to rolling wear comprising:
- forming a rolling element body with a contact surface, the formed body surface having surface irregularities;
- smoothing said contact surface to reduce the surface irregularities;
- applying a coating on the smoothed surface by physical vapor deposition;
- the coating consisting of an alloy matrix containing at least one of the elements aluminum, chromium, nickel, magnesium, copper and metallic particles embedded in the matrix, said particles containing at least one of the elements tin, lead, indium and zinc;
- applying the coating in a thickness of 0.2 to 4 times the vertical height of the reduced surface irregularities, remaining after said smoothing.
A method for producing a rolling element part to be subjected to rolling wear comprising:
- forming a structural machine element body of chrome steel with a contact surface, the formed contact surface having surface irregularities;
- tempering said body at a tempering temperature and polishing said contact surface irregularities whereby the vertical height of the irregularities are in the submicrometer region;
- applying a coating on the polished contact surface by physical vapor deposition, the coating consisting of an alloy matrix containing at least one of the elements aluminum, chromium, nickel, magnesium, and copper and metallic particles embedded in the matrix, said embedded metallic particles being selected to have a melting point which is lower than said tempering temperature, the coating being applied in a thickness of 0.2 to 4 times the vertical height of the surface irregularities, remaining after said polishing.
A rolling element part subjected to rolling wear comprising a body with a contact surface and a coating on said contact surface, said contact surface having a smooth surface finish including surface irregularities remaining from a smoothing process, said coating being applied on the smoothed contact surface by physical vapor deposition and consisting of an alloy matrix containing at least one of the elements aluminum, chromium, nickel, magnesium, copper and metallic particles embedded in the matrix, said particles containing at least one of the elements tin, lead, indium and zinc, the coating having a thickness of 0.2 to 4 times the vertical height of said irregularities remaining from the smoothing process on said contact surface.
A rolling element part subjected to rolling wear comprising a tempered steel body with a contact surface and a coating on said contact surface, said contact surface having a smooth surface finish including surface irregularities remaining from a smoothing process, said coating being applied on the smoothed contact surface by physical vapor deposition and consisting of an alloy matrix containing at least one of the elements aluminum, chromium, nickel, magnesium, copper and metallic particles embedded in the matrix, said embedded metallic particles having a melting point which is lower than the tempering temperature of said tempered steel body, the coating having a thickness of 0.2 to 4 times the vertical height of said irregularities remaining from the smooth process on said contact surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.