Machining of aluminum surfaces
AssigneeGM Global Technology Operations LLC
InventorYue Qi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Machining of aluminum workpieces with diamond or diamond-like carbon-surface coated tools may be conducted in an atmosphere containing hydrogen gas at a partial pressure effective for hydrogen to react with carbon atoms at the surface to form C—H bonds that resist adherence of aluminum to the tool surface. Suitably, hydrogen or a hydrogen-containing gas mixture is confined at the interface of tool and workpieces at the machining site. Hydrogen partial pressure may be determined for a tool-workpiece-machining temperature combination by calculation or experiment.
Claims12
A method of dry machining an aluminum alloy workpiece with a tool having a carbon material cutting surface, the carbon material being characterized by sp2 and/or sp3 carbon-to-carbon bonding, the method comprising:
- bringing the aluminum alloy workpiece and carbon material cutting surface of the tool into machining engagement in which the tool removes aluminum material from the workpiece;
- and
- continually maintaining an atmosphere containing hydrogen gas at the region of machining engagement, the atmosphere presenting sufficient hydrogen partial pressure at the tool-workpiece engaging surfaces, at the temperature of the engaging surfaces, to form and maintain a hydrogenated carbon layer on the carbon material cutting surface for minimizing adherence of aluminum to the carbon cutting surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.