Patents by Inventor Fransua Thomas

Fransua Thomas 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 making small diameter nickel-titanium metal alloy balls
    Patent number: 11517962
    Abstract: A method for making small diameter NiTi metal alloy components, including balls, comprising providing a metal powder comprising nickel, titanium, and a transition metal, consolidating the metal powder into cylindrical rods, and cutting the cylindrical rods into segments. The segments are then machined into spheres slightly larger than the finished ball size diameter. The spheres are heat treated to solutionize and dissolve all phases and subsequently cooled without the need for rapid quenching due to the influence of the transition metal to suppresses the formation of soft phases in the spheres, wherein such soft phases prevent hardening, to achieve a Rockwell hardness of HRC 58-62. Finally, the hardened spheres are polished until the desired finished ball size diameter and surface finish is achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: United States of America as Represented by the Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Christopher DellaCorte, Fransua Thomas, Malcolm K. Stanford
  • Method for making small diameter nickel-titanium metal alloy balls
    Patent number: 11033963
    Abstract: A method for making small diameter NiTi metal alloy components, including balls, comprising providing a metal powder comprising nickel, titanium, and a transition metal, consolidating the metal powder into cylindrical rods, and cutting the cylindrical rods into segments. The segments are then machined into spheres slightly larger than the finished ball size diameter. The spheres are heat treated to solutionize and dissolve all phases and subsequently cooled without the need for rapid quenching due to the influence of the transition metal to suppresses the formation of soft phases in the spheres, wherein such soft phases prevent hardening, to achieve a Rockwell hardness of HRC 58-62. Finally, the hardened spheres are polished until the desired finished ball size diameter and surface finish is achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: United States of America as Represented by the Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Christopher DellaCorte, Fransua Thomas, Malcolm K. Stanford
  • High hardness, high elasticity intermetallic compounds for mechanical components
    Patent number: 10364483
    Abstract: One or more substitutional elements may be used to reduce the solution treatment temperature and required quench rates for hardening of 60-NITINOL. The advantages of modified NITINOL include that less energy is consumed during the heat treatment process, the material is subjected to less thermal distortion, and less machining is required. Modified NITINOL may have adequate hardness for bearing applications and may display highly elastic behavior.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: The United States of America as Represented by the Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Malcolm K. Stanford, Ronald D. Noebe, Christopher DellaCorte, Glen Bigelow, Fransua Thomas