Oriented particles in hard surfaces
OwnerEllis E. Robertsinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention pertains to an article providing a hard surface of oriented particles for abrasive or wear-resistant applications which includes a plurality of synthetic single crystals of diamond or cubic boron nitride, or like materials, oriented in a formation so that their corresponding crystallographic directions of maximum hardness, i.e., maximum abrasive resistance, are aligned, whereby the group of crystals, which form a working surface, exhibits a common direction of maximum hardness across the surface, and to a method of making such an article.
Claims13
A method for producing an abrasive article, said article comprising a plurality of synthetic single crystals of substantially the same polyhedral shape and of substantially the same size, each of said crystals having at least one abrasive portion, said abrasive portion having a crystallographic direction of hardness which is substantially the same in all of the crystals, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) introducing the crystals into a template having a receptor means shaped to position and align said abrasive portions to collectively exhibit a common crystallographic direction of hardness and wherein each crystal protrudes from said template,
- (b) vibrating the template to stabilize the crystals in the receptor means and to remove excess crystals,
- (c) applying a binder to the crystals protruding from the template whereby the crystals are fixed in the positions in which they were aligned in the template,
- (d) at least partially curing said binder, and
- (e) removing the crystals and binder from the template.
A method for producing abrasive and wear-resistant articles, each of said articles comprising a plurality of synthetic single crystals of substantially the same polyhedral shape and of substantially the same size, and wherein each of said crystals has at least one workpiece-engaging portion having a crystallographic direction of hardness which is substantially the same in all of the crystals, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) orienting the crystals to position and align said workpiece-engaging portions so that all of said same crystallographic directions of hardness are aligned and whereby said workpiece-engaging portions collectively exhibit a common crystallographic direction of hardness;
- and
- (b) securing the crystals as positioned and aligned in step (a).
A method for producing an abrasive and wear-resistant article, said article comprising a plurality of synthetic single crystals of substantially the same polyhedral shape and of substantially the same size, wherein each of said crystals has a workpiece-engaging portion having at least one crystallographic direction of hardness which has substantially the same direction and degree of hardness as the corresponding crystallographic direction of hardness in the workpiece-engaging portions of the other crystals, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) orienting the crystals so that the corresponding crystallographic directions of hardness are aligned and so that the workpiece-engaging portions are positioned to collectively exhibit a common crystallographic direction of hardness and for collectively engaging a workpiece;
- and
- (b) securing the crystals together as oriented in step (a).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.