Patents by Inventor Daniel BUFFORD

Daniel BUFFORD has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Method for producing high stacking fault energy (SFE) metal films, foils, and coatings with high-density nanoscale twin boundaries
    Patent number: 10023977
    Abstract: Materials, including metals such as bulk metals, specialty alloys, metallic films and coatings, are made up of many tiny single crystals, which may also be referred to as grains. The boundaries between crystals are called grain boundaries and govern properties such as mechanical strength, deformation, and electrical resistivity. These properties are affected by not only the number of grain boundaries formed, but also the density and orientation of those grain boundaries. Twin boundaries are a special type of grain boundary which have symmetrical “mirror image” structures and preserve favorable qualities of grain boundaries while suppressing unfavorable properties such as the initiation of cracks, inclusions, and other unwanted flaws. Some metals and alloys form twins more easily than others during processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: THE TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
    Inventors: Xinghang Zhang, Daniel Bufford, Haiyan Wang, Yue Liu
  • Method for Producing High Stacking Fault Energy (SFE) Metal Films, Foils, and Coatings with High-Density Nanoscale Twin Boundaries
    Publication number: 20150233019
    Abstract: Materials, including metals such as bulk metals, specialty alloys, metallic films and coatings, are made up of many tiny single crystals, which may also be referred to as grains. The boundaries between crystals are called grain boundaries and govern properties such as mechanical strength, deformation, and electrical resistivity. These properties are affected by not only the number of grain boundaries formed, but also the density and orientation of those grain boundaries. Twin boundaries are a special type of grain boundary which have symmetrical “mirror image” structures and preserve favorable qualities of grain boundaries while suppressing unfavorable properties such as the initiation of cracks, inclusions, and other unwanted flaws. Some metals and alloys form twins more easily than others during processing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2013
    Publication date: August 20, 2015
    Applicant: THE TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
    Inventors: Xinghang ZHANG, Daniel BUFFORD, Haiyon WANG, Yue LIU