Oxide-containing Component Patents (Class 428/632)
  • Patent number: 6969558
    Abstract: A coated article is prepared by furnishing an nickel-base article substrate having a free sulfur content of more than 0 but less than about 1 part per million by weight. A protective layer is formed at a surface of the article substrate. The protective layer includes a platinum aluminide diffusion coating. The protective layer may be substantially yttrium-free, or have a controlled amount of yttrium. A ceramic layer may overlie the protective layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: William S. Walston, Jon C. Schaeffer, Wendy H. Murphy
  • Patent number: 6964818
    Abstract: A coated article includes formed of an alloy having a composition including nickel and aluminum, and a protective coating overlying and contacting the substrate. The protective coating is a mixture of a quasicrystalline metallic phase, and a non-quasicrystalline metallic phase comprising nickel and aluminum. The aluminum is present in an amount of from about 3 to about 35 percent by weight of the non-quasicrystalline metallic phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Ramgopal Darolia
  • Patent number: 6960395
    Abstract: Ceramic compositions comprising at least about 91 mole % zirconia and up to about 9 mole % of a stabilizer component comprising a first metal oxide having selected from the group consisting of yttria, calcia, ceria, scandia, magnesia, india and mixtures thereof. This stabilizer component further comprises a second metal oxide of a trivalent metal atom selected from the group consisting of lanthana, gadolinia, neodymia, samaria, dysprosium, and mixtures thereof and a third metal oxide of a trivalent metal atom selected from the group consisting of erbia, ytterbia and mixtures thereof. These ceramic compositions are useful in preparing thermal barrier coatings having reduced thermal conductivity for the metal substrate of articles that operate at, or are exposed to, high temperatures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Irene Spitsberg, Venkat Subramanian Venkataramani, Brett Allen Boutwell, Mark Daniel Gorman
  • Patent number: 6953620
    Abstract: A coating system and a method for its manufacture are provided. An electrically conductive base coat and a porous overcoat lying over the base coat are arranged on a ceramic substrate. At least one additional deposited layer is arranged on the base coat in such a way that the additional layer is formed in the pores of the porous overcoat adjacent to the base coat. The additional layer is deposited either by currentless or electrolytic deposition. For electrolytic deposition of the additional layer, the ceramic substrate sintered with the base coat and the overcoat is submerged in an electrolytic bath and the base coat is connected as a cathode. The currentless deposition takes place from a solution of the metal to be deposited with the addition of a reducing agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2005
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Jens Stefan Schneider, Frank Stanglmeier, Bernd Schumann
  • Patent number: 6953603
    Abstract: The invention concerns a method for producing porous ceramic layers on metallic, ceramic, enameled or glass substrates using crystalline nanoparticles of particle sizes of between 3 nm and 100 nm via a wet-chemical process and functionalising of this porous ceramic layer through introducing a second component into the pores of the porous ceramic layer which serves as carrier layer. The porous ceramic layers can be filled with hydrophobizing, hydrophilizing, dirt-repellent and corrosion-inhibiting substances which remain in the substrate or are supplied later on demand, or with bactericidal substances, aromatics, perfumes or inhalation substances which are delivered to the room air in precise doses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2005
    Assignee: ItN Nanovation GmbH
    Inventors: Ralph Nonninger, Olaf Binkle
  • Patent number: 6946201
    Abstract: A chromium(VI)-free, chromium(III)-containing and substantially coherent conversion layer on zinc or zinc alloys presenting, even in the absence of further components such as silicate, cerium, aluminum and borate, a corrosion protection of approx. 100 to 1000 h in the salt spray test according to DIN 50021 SS or ASTM B 117-73 until first attack according to DIN 50961 Chapter 10; being clear, transparent and substantially colorless and presenting multi colored iridescence; having a layer thickness of approx. 100 nm to 1000 nm; and being hard, adhering well and being resistant to wiping.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2005
    Assignee: SurTec International GmbH
    Inventors: Patricia Preikschat, Rolf Jansen, Peter Hulser
  • Patent number: 6939603
    Abstract: A component (10) having a thermal barrier coating (14) exhibiting an improved resistance to thermal shock. A plurality of stress relieving cracks (22) are formed at the free surface (24) of the thermal barrier coating as a result of the expansion of an inclusion (20) having a higher coefficient of thermal expansion than that of the surrounding matrix material (16). The inclusions function as crack initiators during the fabrication process as well as crack arrestors preventing the propagation of the cracks farther into the matrix material. The inclusion material may be selected to have an evaporation temperature that is less than the peak matrix material processing temperature, wherein the inclusion material will evaporate to leave a plurality of voids (30). In one embodiment, a superalloy substrate (12) is coated with a ceramic thermal barrier coating material having a plurality of spherical polymer inclusions disposed below its free surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2005
    Assignee: Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation
    Inventor: Matthias Oechsner
  • Patent number: 6933062
    Abstract: An article protected by a protective coating has a substrate and a protective coating having an outer layer deposited upon the substrate surface and a diffusion zone formed by interdiffusion of the outer layer and the substrate. The protective coating includes platinum, aluminum, no more than about 2 weight percent hafnium, and substantially no silicon. The outer layer is substantially a single phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Bangalore Aswatha Nagaraj, Jeffrey Lawrence Williams
  • Patent number: 6933058
    Abstract: A protective overlay coating for articles used in hostile thermal environments, and more particularly a predominantly beta-phase NiAl intermetallic overlay coating for use as an environmental coating or as a bond coat for a thermal barrier coating deposited on the overlay coating. The overlay coating has inner and outer regions, with the inner region containing more chromium than the outer region. The lower chromium content of the outer region promotes the oxidation resistance of the overlay coating, while the higher chromium content of the inner region promotes the hot corrosion resistance of the coating interior. Under hot corrosion conditions, hot corrosion may attack the outer region, but further hot corrosion attack will substantially cease once the relatively high-chromium inner region of the overlay coating is encountered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Ramgopal Darolia
  • Patent number: 6933060
    Abstract: A device (10) is made, having a ceramic thermal barrier coating layer (16) characterized by a microstructure having gaps (18) with a sintering inhibiting material (22) disposed on the columns (20) within the gaps (18). The sintering resistant material (22) is stable over the range of operating temperatures of the device (10), is not soluble with the underlying ceramic layer (16) and is applied by a process that is not an electron beam physical vapor deposition process. The sintering inhibiting material (22) has a morphology adapted to improve the functionality of the sintering inhibiting material (22), characterized as continuous, nodule, rivulet, grain, crack, flake and combinations thereof and being disposed within at least some of the vertical and horizontal gaps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2005
    Assignee: Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation
    Inventors: Ramesh Subramanian, Brig B. Seth
  • Patent number: 6933061
    Abstract: A thermal barrier coating for an underlying metal substrate of articles that operate at, or are exposed to, high temperatures, as well as being exposed to environmental contaminant compositions. This coating comprises an inner layer nearest to the underlying metal substrate comprising a ceramic thermal barrier coating material having a melting point of at least about 2000° F. (1093° C.), as well as a thermally glazed outer layer having an exposed surface and a thickness up to 0.4 mils (about 10 microns) and sufficient to at least partially protect the thermal barrier coating against environmental contaminants that become deposited on the exposed surface, and comprising a thermally glazeable coating material having a melting point of at least about 2000° F. (1093° C.) in an amount up to 100%. This coating can be used to provide a thermally protected article having a metal substrate and optionally a bond coated layer adjacent to and overlaying the metal substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Bangalore Aswatha Nagaraj, Brett Allen Boutwell, Todd Jay Rockstroh, Wilbur Douglas Scheidt
  • Patent number: 6929868
    Abstract: A protected article includes a substrate having a substrate surface and made of a substrate nickel-base superalloy that is susceptible to the formation of a secondary reaction zone, as when contacted by an aluminum-containing layer having more than about 20 percent by weight aluminum. A protective layer contacts the substrate surface. The protective layer is of a different composition than the substrate and is made of a protective-layer nickel-base superalloy having from about 7 to about 12 percent by weight aluminum. Preferably, a thermal barrier coating system including a ceramic layer overlies and contacts the protective layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Thomas Joseph Kelly, Philemon Kennard Wright, III
  • Patent number: 6921586
    Abstract: A coating system for an article comprising a substrate formed of a metal alloy that is prone to the formation of a deleterious secondary reaction zone (SRZ) as a result of containing more than three weight percent rhenium and at least one additional refractory metal. The coating system comprises an aluminum-containing overlay coating and a diffusion barrier coating between the overlay coating and the substrate. The diffusion barrier coating consists of, in atomic percent, about 20% to about 90% ruthenium, about 2% to about 60% chromium, optionally up to about 50% aluminum, optionally up to about 20% of a platinum-group metal, and the balance at least one of nickel, cobalt, and iron and incidental impurities. The diffusion barrier coating sufficiently inhibits diffusion of aluminum from the overlay coating into the substrate, such that the substrate remains essentially free of SRZ.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ji-Cheng Zhao, Jeffrey Allan Pfaendtner, Christine Govern, Melvin Robert Jackson
  • Patent number: 6921582
    Abstract: An article is described, which includes a metal-based substrate and an oxidation-resistant coating bonded to the substrate by a bonding agent, such as a braze material The oxidation-resistant coating material is often an aluminide- or MCrAlX-type coating, and can be one which contains relatively high amounts of aluminum. The coating is often very smooth, for maximum aerodynamic efficiency. The oxidation-resistant coating can be applied and bonded to the substrate by a variety of methods, using slurries, braze tapes, or metal foils. Coating repair methods are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Wayne Charles Hasz
  • Patent number: 6916561
    Abstract: A reduced thermal conductivity thermal barrier coating having improved impact and erosion resistance for an underlying metal substrate of articles that operate at, or are exposed to, high temperatures. This coating comprises a zirconia-containing ceramic composition having a c/a ratio in the range of from about 1.0057 to about 1.0123 and stabilized in the tetragonal phase by a stabilizing amount of a stabilizing metal oxide. The coating has a fraction of porosity of from about 0.15 to about 0.25, and an impact and erosion resistance property defined by at least one of the following formulas: (a) I=exp. [5.85?(144×s)?(3.68×p)]; and/or; (b) E=[187?(261×p)?(9989×s)], wherein s=1.0117?c/a ratio; p is the fraction of porosity; I is least about 70 g/mil; and E is least about 80 g/mil. This coating can be used to provide a thermally protected article having a metal substrate and optionally a bond coat layer adjacent to and overlaying the metal substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Irene Spitsberg, Brett Allen Boutwell
  • Patent number: 6916551
    Abstract: A thermal barrier coating material can prevent spall-off from occurring during operation at high temperatures and has a high heat insulating effect. A turbine parts and a gas turbine that are protected with the thermal barrier coating material are also provided. The thermal barrier coating material of the present invention comprises a ceramic layer 23, which is formed on a high temperature heat-resistant alloy base 21 to protect the base 21 from high temperatures, the ceramic layer 23 being applied via a bonding coat layer 22 provided as a metal bonding layer and is made of ZrO2 with Er2O3 added thereto as a stabilizing agent. The turbine parts and the gas turbine of the present invention are coated with the thermal barrier coating material on the surfaces thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2005
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Taiji Torigoe, Sunao Aoki, Kazutaka Mori, Ikuo Okada, Kouji Takahashi
  • Patent number: 6911139
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a process for forming a deposit on the surface of a metallic or conductive surface. The process employs an electrolytic process to deposit a silicate containing coating or film upon a metallic or conductive surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2005
    Assignee: Elisha Holding LLC
    Inventors: Robert L. Heimann, Branko Popov, Bruce Flint, Nancy G. Heimann, Ravi Chandran, William M. Dalton
  • Patent number: 6908692
    Abstract: An electrically conductive wire coated with a curable coating composition that forms a cured coating having a high partial discharge resitance and good mechanical properties. A process for coating an electrically conductive wire with a curable coating composition and curing the coating composition to form a coating having high partial discharge resistance and good mechanical properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2005
    Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
    Inventors: Frank-Rainer Böhm, Gerhard Kiessling, Manfred Oppermann, Heinz Schindler
  • Patent number: 6902826
    Abstract: A film structure and deposition method for creating laminated Fe—M—N and Fe—M—O—N films which retain good anisotropy after HA annealing are provided. Interleaved layers of thin alumina laminations between the Fe—M—[O]—N layers and sublayer alumina nanolaminations within the Fe—M—[O]—N layers create stable magnetic anisotropy in the film. The magnetic anisotropy in the film survives HA annealing at hardbake resist curing conditions in wafer manufacturing processes for GMR magnetic recording heads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: John David Westwood
  • Patent number: 6893739
    Abstract: A steel plate and a hot-dip galvanized steel plate, superior in terms of high electromagnetic shield capacity. The steel plate is prepared from a composition comprising C, N and S in an amount of 0.150% by weight or less in total; Mn in an amount of 0.1 to 1.0% by weight; Si in an amount of 0.5% by weight or less; Al in an amount of 1.0% by weight or less; P in an amount of 0.06% by weight or less; and Fe for the remainder, and inevitable elements, and shows a yield strength of 18 kg/mm2 or higher, and an elongation of 40% or higher. The hot-dip galvanized steel plate is prepared from a composition comprising C, N and S in an amount of 0.0150 % by weight or less in total; Mn in an amount of 0.2 to 0.8% by weight; Al in an amount of 0.6% by weight or less; Si in an amount of 0.4% by weight or less; P in an amount of 0.06% by weight or less, with the proviso that the sum of Mn, Al, Si and P amounts to 0.2-1.0% by weight; and Fe for the remainder, and inevitably present elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2005
    Assignees: Posco, Research Institute of Industrial Science & Technology
    Inventors: Jae-Young Lee, Eel-Young Kim, Jin-Gun Sohn, Noi-Ha Cho, Young-Jin Kwak, Soon-Joo Kwon, Yong-Min Kim, Jung-Sik Lee
  • Patent number: 6893750
    Abstract: A thermal barrier coating for an underlying metal substrate of articles that operate at, or are exposed to, high temperatures, as well as being exposed to environmental contaminant compositions. This coating comprises an optional inner layer nearest to the underlying metal substrate comprising a non-alumina ceramic thermal barrier coating material in an amount up to 100%, and an outer layer having an exposed surface and comprising at least about 50% of a non-alumina ceramic thermal barrier coating material and alumina in an amount up to about 50% and sufficient to protect the thermal barrier coating at least partially against environmental contaminants that become deposited on the exposed surface. This coating can be used to provide a thermally protected article having a metal substrate and optionally a bond coat layer adjacent to and overlaying the metal substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Bangalore Aswatha Nagaraj, Brett Allen Boutwell, Robert George Baur
  • Patent number: 6890668
    Abstract: A coating material for a component intended for use in a hostile thermal environment. The coating material has a cubic microstructure and consists essentially of either zirconia stabilized by dysprosia, erbia, gadolinium oxide, neodymia, samarium oxide or ytterbia, or hafnia stabilized by dysprosia, gadolinium oxide, samarium oxide, yttria or ytterbia. Up to five weight percent yttria may be added to the coating material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert William Bruce, Glen Alfred Slack
  • Patent number: 6887044
    Abstract: Disclosed is a gas turbine blade (1) having a ceramic heat-insulating layer (17). The ceramic heat-insulating layer (17) consists of 10-95% wt. % magnesium aluminate, 5-90 wt. % magnesium oxide and 0-20 wt. % aluminum oxide. Magnesium oxide particles are incorporated into a matrix made of spindle-shaped magnesium aluminate, enabling the thermal expansion coefficient of the ceramic heat-insulating layer (17) to be adapted in a particularly suitable manner to a metallic base body (15) of the gas turbine blade (1). The ceramic heat-insulating layer (17) also has a porosity which is greater that 3 vol. %, thereby guaranteeing sufficiently low heat conductivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2005
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Robert Fleck, Thomas Jansing, Eckart Schumann
  • Patent number: 6887587
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for forming an article having a protective ceramic coating which reduces radiation heat transport through the ceramic coating. The protective ceramic coating includes one or more embedded reflective metallic layers for reducing the radiation heat transport. The method for forming the protective coating broadly comprises the steps of forming a ceramic coating on a substrate and embedding at least one reflective metallic layer within the ceramic coating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2005
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: William P. Allen, William A. Veronesi, Robert J. Hall, Michael J. Maloney, John W. Appleby, Douglas C. Hague, Abdus Khan
  • Patent number: 6887595
    Abstract: A thermal barrier coatings for the underlying substrate of articles that operate at, or are exposed to, high temperatures. The thermal barrier coating includes a zirconia-containing upper layer wherein the zirconia is stabilized in the cubic crystalline phase to reduce the thermal conductivity of the coating. The thermal barrier coating further includes a zirconia-containing lower layer stabilized in the tetragonal crystalline phase that increases the adherence of the upper layer to the bond coat layer that overlies the substrate of the article to improve the resistance of the coating to spallation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ramgopal Darolia, Irene Spitsberg, Brett Allen Boutwell, Mark Daniel Gorman, Robert William Bruce
  • Patent number: 6887589
    Abstract: A beta-phase NiAl overlay coating containing a dispersion of ceramic particles and a process for depositing the overlay coating. If the coating is used to adhere a thermal barrier coating (TBC), the TBC exhibits improved spallation resistance as a result of the dispersion of ceramic particles having a dispersion-strengthening effect on the overlay coating. The overlay coating contains at least one reactive element and is deposited so that the some of the reactive element deposits as the ceramic particles dispersed in the overlay coating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ramgopal Darolia, Joseph David Rigney, William Scott Walston, Jeffrey Allan Pfaendtner, Brett Allen Rohrer Boutwell, Irene Spitsberg, James Anthony Ruud
  • Patent number: 6887588
    Abstract: An article protected by a thermal barrier coating system includes a substrate having a substrate surface, and a thermal barrier coating system overlying the substrate. The thermal barrier coating system has a thermal barrier coating formed of a thermal barrier coating material arranged as a plurality of columnar grains extending generally perpendicular to the substrate surface and having grain surfaces. A sintering inhibitor is within the columnar grains, either uniformly distributed or concentrated at the grain surfaces. The sintering inhibitor is lanthanum oxide, chromium oxide, and/or yttrium chromate, mixtures thereof, or mixtures thereof with aluminum oxide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: John Frederick Ackerman, Venkat Subramaniam Venkataramani, Irene Spitsberg, Ramgopal Darolia
  • Patent number: 6881499
    Abstract: A bonded member includes a ceramic base material and a metal member solid-phase bonded via a soldering material. An active metal is placed on a surface of the ceramic base material and the soldering material, which includes Au, is placed on the active metal, and the active metal and the soldering material are heated so as to form a precoat layer. The metal member is placed on the surface of the precoat layer via a barrier layer, which is capable of inhibiting diffusion of a metal constituting the metal member, and the precoat layer and the metal member are pressurized heated so as to be solid-phase bonded. The production method of the bonded member is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2005
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masayuki Shinkai, Takahiro Ishikawa, Masahiro Kida
  • Patent number: 6878466
    Abstract: Reliable, flaw-tolerant brittle materials are produced by incorporating layers under residual compression on the surface and throughout the bulk of the material that act to trap and contain the propagation of otherwise catastrophic cracking. The residual compression within these layers acts to reduce the stress intensity of the cracks, thereby causing them to arrest until further loading is provided. This highly desirable stable, subcritical crack growth mode persists with increased loading until the applied stress is large enough to drive the crack completely through compressive region, after which failure occurs. The exact level of stress needed to accomplish this is dictated by the architectural design of the compressive layers such that the material can be designed to have any minimum strength desired, within the limits of the materials system used. This results in a truncation of the strength distribution, such that there is virtually zero probability of failure below this minimum value, i.e.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2005
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Frederick F. Lange, Masa P. Rao, Antonio Javier Sanchez Herencia
  • Patent number: 6878464
    Abstract: A glass-ceramic composite material for use in forming a multilayered circuit substrate is provided which has a low dielectric constant, but exhibits a relatively high thermal expansion coefficient. Specifically, the glass-ceramic composite material comprises a glass power and a ceramic powder. The glass powder contains: about 30 to 60 mol % of SiO2, about 20 to 40 mol % of BaO, 0 to about 40 mol % of MgO, 0 to about 40 mol % of ZnO, 0 to about 20 mol % of B2O3, with the total content of MgO and ZnO being about 10 to 40 mol %. The ceramic powder contains an alumina powder. The content of the glass powder is set to be at least about 50 wt %. A sintered compact formed by sintering the above glass powder and the above ceramic powder contains a BaO.Al2O3.2SiO2 (BaAl2Si2O8) crystal, and its Q value becomes about 400 or more when a measured frequency is 10 GHz.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2005
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoichi Moriya, Osamu Chikagawa, Yasutaka Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 6875330
    Abstract: A process is provided for coating metallic workpieces with a bearing material, wherein the workpiece first receives a hard chromium plating having a pearl or columnar structure type surface. A predominantly silver layer is then galvanically deposited, which fills in and smooths the pearl or columnar structure type surface of the hard chromium plating. Optionally, additional hard chromium platings and predominantly silver-containing layers may be applied, preferably galvanically. The predominantly silver layer may advantageously contain a graphite component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2005
    Assignee: Duralloy AG
    Inventor: Marco Santini
  • Patent number: 6875529
    Abstract: A reduced thermal conductivity thermal barrier coating having improved impact and erosion resistance for an underlying metal substrate of articles that operate at, or are exposed to, high temperatures. This coating comprises an inner layer nearest to the underlying metal substrate comprising a ceramic thermal barrier coating material, as well as a protective outer layer adjacent to and overlaying the inner layer and having an exposed surface. The outer layer has a thickness up to about 5 mils (127 microns) sufficient to impart impact and erosion resistance to the thermal barrier coating, and comprises a zirconia-containing ceramic composition having a c/a ratio of the zirconia lattice in the range of from about 1.011 to about 1.016 and stabilized in the tetragonal phase by a stabilizing amount of a stabilizing metal oxide selected from the group consisting of yttria, calcia, ceria, scandia, magnesia, india, ytterbia and mixtures thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Irene Spitsberg, Brett Allen Boutwell, Robert William Bruce
  • Patent number: 6872468
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a peelable circuit board foil (200) has a metal support layer (205) and a conductive metal foil layer (210) bonded by an inorganic release material (215). The conductive metal foil layer has a an exposed surface (212) that is coated with a high temperature anti-oxidant barrier (220) and has a roughness less than 0.05 microns RMS. In a second embodiment, the peelable printed circuit foil (200) has a crystallized dielectric oxide layer (405) disposed on the exposed surface of the conductive metal foil layer and an electrode layer (415) disposed on the crystallized dielectric oxide layer, forming a dielectric peelable circuit board foil (400) that may be adhered to a layer of a flexible or rigid circuit board, after which the metal support layer can be peeled away, leaving a capacitive structure including the metal foil layer, the crystallized dielectric oxide layer, and the electrode layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2005
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy B. Dean, Gregory J. Dunn, Remy J. Chelini, Claudia V. Gamboa
  • Patent number: 6869703
    Abstract: A reduced thermal conductivity thermal barrier coating having improved impact and erosion resistance for an underlying metal substrate of articles that operate at, or are exposed to, high temperatures. This coating comprises a zirconia-containing ceramic composition having a c/a ratio in the range of from about 1.0117 to about 1.0148 and stabilized in the tetragonal phase by a stabilizing amount of a stabilizer metal oxide. The coating has a fraction of porosity of from about 0.10 to about 0.25, and an impact and erosion resistance property defined by at least one of the following formulas: (a) I=exp.[5.85?(144×s)?(3.68×p)]; and/or; (b) E=[187?(261×p)?(9989×s)], wherein s=1.0117?c/a ratio; p is the fraction of porosity; I is least about 140 g/mil; and E is least about 130 g/mil. This coating can be used to provide a thermally protected article having a metal substrate and optionally a bond coat layer adjacent to and overlaying the metal substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Irene Spitsberg, Brett Allen Boutwell
  • Patent number: 6870714
    Abstract: A metal manganese oxide buffer layer is used to seed a barrier layer in a magnetic tunnel junction memory element having pinned and free magnetic layers. An alumina tunnel barrier layer is formed on the oxidized metal manganese layer with the barrier layer and oxidized metal manganese layer being between the pinned or free ferromagnetic layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2005
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Joel A. Drewes
  • Patent number: 6869671
    Abstract: A thin film based nanoporous alumina template has been developed which allows the in situ removal of an electrically insulating alumina barrier layer at the pore bases. This barrier free nanoporous system has great utility for electrodeposition of a wide variety of nanowire materials. An exemplary multilayer thin film precursor is provided comprising Al (anodization layer), Ti (diffusion barrier) and Pt (active electrode) on a Si substrate. Aluminum anodization in sulfuric acid with a subsequent applied voltage ramping program produces a Pt electrode at the base of the nanopores without the additional steps of alumina removal, barrier layer dissolution, and metal deposition onto the pore bottoms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2005
    Assignee: University of Notre Dame
    Inventors: Michael M. Crouse, Albert E. Miller, Juan Jiang, David T. Crouse, Subash C. Basu
  • Patent number: 6866944
    Abstract: An automobile fuel container material and container has good workability, corrosion resistance of internal and external surfaces and weldability. Excellent environmental adaptability arises from the material being free from the elution of harmful components such as lead and chromium(VI). The automobile fuel container material includes a steel sheet, 5 to 80 g/m2 zinc plating as a first layer on at least one side of the surface of the steel sheet, 10 g/m2 nickel plating as a second layer, and not more than 5 g/m2 of a post-treatment layer. The post-treatment layer forms by coating partially reduced chromic acid and a reducing organic compound or can be an electrolytic chromate film as a lower layer and a resin as an upper layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2005
    Assignees: Nippon Steel Corporation, Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Makoto Nakazawa, Kenichiroh Matsumura, Ryoh Maruta, Yoshinobu Matsumura, Shigeru Usuda, Mitsuhiko Hirano
  • Patent number: 6861157
    Abstract: Articles for use in a high-temperature, oxidative environment, methods for manufacturing such articles, and a material system for protecting articles in such an environment are provided where, for example, one article comprises a substrate and a protective layer disposed over the substrate, the protective layer comprising at least about 60 atomic percent of a metal selected from the group consisting of platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), rhodium (Rh), osmium (Os), iridium (Ir), and mixtures thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Ji-Cheng Zhao, Melvin Robert Jackson
  • Patent number: 6861160
    Abstract: The zinc-base plated steel sheet has a steel sheet, a zinc-base plating layer on the steel sheet, and a composite coating film formed on the plating layer, which composite coating layer contains a P ingredient, an N ingredient, and at least one element selected from the group consisting of Mg, Al, Ca, Ti, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Mo, and is prepared by applying an aqueous solution containing a cationic ingredient (?) and a phosphoric acid ingredient (?) onto the surface of plating layer on the zinc-base plated steel sheet, and then drying the applied aqueous solution, without giving washing with water, and which cationic ingredient (?) consists essentially of at least one metallic ion selected from the group consisting of Mg, Al, Ca, Ti, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Mo, and NH4+ ions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2005
    Assignee: JFE Steel Corporation
    Inventors: Satoru Ando, Masaki Tada, Yoshiharu Sugimoto, Masaaki Yamashita, Tomoko Inagaki, Junichi Inagaki
  • Patent number: 6858050
    Abstract: The present invention comprises a method of manufacturing a brazed body. The method comprises forming a multi-layer assembly comprising: a first material capable of forming a first oxide and having a melting temperature higher than 660° C.; a first reducing metal adjacent the first material, the reducing metal capable of reducing at least a portion of the first oxide on the first material a braze adjacent to the reducing metal; and a second material adjacent the braze, the second material comprising a material having a melting temperature higher than 660° C. The method then comprises creating a vacuum around the assembly, and heating the assembly to melt the reducing metal and the braze. The assembly is then subject to cooling to thereby form the brazed body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2005
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventor: Gary M. Palmgren
  • Patent number: 6858334
    Abstract: Zirconia-containing ceramic compositions having a c/a ratio of the zirconia lattice in the range of from about 1.005 to about 1.016. These compositions comprise a stabilizing amount up to about 10 mole % of the composition of a stabilizer component which comprises: (1) a first metal oxide selected from the group consisting of yttria, calcia, ceria, scandia, magnesia, india and mixtures thereof in an amount of from about 1.5 to about 6 mole % of the composition of; (2) a second metal oxide selected from the group consisting of lanthana, neodymia and mixtures thereof in an amount of from about 0.5 to about 4 mole % of the composition; and (3) optionally ytterbia in an amount of from about 0.5 to about 4 mole % of the composition. These compositions further comprise hafnia in an amount of from about 0.5 to about 15 mole % of the composition; and optionally tantala in an amount of from about 0.5 to about 1.5 mole % of the composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2005
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Mark Daniel Gorman, Irene Spitsberg, Brett Allen Boutwell, Ramgopal Darolia, Robert William Bruce, Venkat Subramanian Venkataramani, Anthony Mark Thompson, Antonio Mogro-Campera
  • Patent number: 6858321
    Abstract: A corrosion resistant member has a chemical conversion treatment film with a two-layer structure formed atop a metal substrate plated with zinc or zinc alloy plating. The two-layer structure comprises a lower layer containing Cr formed on the surface of the plating and an upper layer containing SiO2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2005
    Assignee: Yuken Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuaki Wada, Yasuhiro Nagaya, Mitsuhiro Ito, Naruhisa Kamiya, Makoto Sakakibara
  • Patent number: 6855437
    Abstract: The subject of the invention is a layer system for the decorative coating of galvanizable work pieces. In order to have a layer system which meets strict requirements with regard to corrosion resistance and which, at the same time, has a high abrasion resistance and, in addition, provides a high degree of freedom with regard to decorative coloration, the invention proposes a layer system which is formed by galvanic deposition and comprises a base coat consisting of at least one bright layer and one discontinuous chrome layer as well as a cover coat of mechanically resistant materials deposited by the PVD process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2005
    Assignee: Enthone Inc.
    Inventors: Hiltrud Tolls, Elmar Tolls
  • Patent number: 6844085
    Abstract: With the objectives of alleviating the property of attacking on the mating member by scratching-off of local agglutinates on the sliding contact surface, achieving improved wear resistance, and achieving improved seizure resistance through restraint of frictional heat generation by a hard phase, a copper based sintered contact material contains shock-resistant ceramics in an amount of 0.05 to less than 0.5 wt % as non-metallic particles composed of one or more substances selected from pulverized oxides, carbides and nitrides. The shock-resistant ceramics are comprised of SiO2 and/or two or more substances selected from SiO2, Al2O3, LiO2, TiO2 and MgO.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2005
    Inventors: Takemori Takayama, Tetsuo Ohnishi, Yoshikiyo Tanaka, Keiichi Maeda, Kan'ichi Sato
  • Patent number: 6838157
    Abstract: A method (50) of instrumenting a component (10) having a barrier coating (14). A sensor (76) is embedded within or below the coating. Material forming the sensor is deposited within a trench (80) formed into the barrier coating. The trench is then backfilled with material (70) to protect the sensor from the environment within which the component is operating. In this manner, the sensor may be embedded at any desired location and any desired depth within a barrier coating on a previously fabricated component. An array of sensors (98, 100, 102) may be embedded across the depth of the coating to provide signals indicative of operating conditions across the coating. The signals may be conducted to a connection location (24) by conductors (62, 64) that are deposited within the trench. The trench may be formed with a laser engraving process (54) and the material for the sensor and conductors may be deposited with a selective laser melting process (58).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2005
    Assignee: Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation
    Inventor: Ramesh Subramanian
  • Patent number: 6835442
    Abstract: A flexible printed board contains an unroughened electrodeposited copper foil, a zinc-based metallic layer provided thereon in an amount of 0.25 to 0.40 mg/dm2, and a polyimide resin layer formed through the imidation of a polyamic acid layer provided on the zinc-based metallic layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2004
    Assignees: Sony Chemicals Corp., Circuit Foil Japan Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Noriaki Kudo, Asaei Takabayashi, Akitoshi Suzuki, Shin Fukuda
  • Patent number: 6835465
    Abstract: A device operable in a temperature environment in excess of about 1000° C. is provided. The device comprises a substrate and a ceramic thermal barrier layer deposited on at least a portion of the substrate. The layer is formed with a ternary or pseudoternary oxide having a pyrochlore or perovskite structure and a fugative material and having pores or other voluminous defects. The thermal barrier layer advantageously is abradable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2004
    Assignee: Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation
    Inventors: David B. Allen, Ramesh Subramanian, Wolfram Beele
  • Publication number: 20040258946
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for forming an article having a protective ceramic coating which reduces radiation heat transport through the ceramic coating. The protective ceramic coating includes one or more embedded reflective metallic layers for reducing the radiation heat transport. The method for forming the protective coating broadly comprises the steps of forming a ceramic coating on a substrate and embedding at least one reflective metallic layer within the ceramic coating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2003
    Publication date: December 23, 2004
    Inventors: William P. Allen, William A. Veronesi, Robert J. Hall, Michael J. Maloney, John W. Appleby, Douglas C. Hague, Abdus S. Khan
  • Publication number: 20040258842
    Abstract: By thermal spraying, a coating having an embossed or slit pattern is formed on a substrate to construct a coated member. When the coated member is used for sintering compacts, the embossed or slit pattern on the surface helps prevent the compacts from sticking to the coated member during sintering, discourages coating separation due to thermal cycling, and provides the coated member with excellent durability. Such coated members can be effectively used for sintering or heat treating ceramics and powder metallurgy metals, particularly cermets and cemented carbides, in a vacuum, oxidizing atmosphere, inert atmosphere or reducing atmosphere.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2004
    Publication date: December 23, 2004
    Inventor: Noriaki Hamaya
  • Publication number: 20040258947
    Abstract: The invention relates to a coated object in which coatings remain of a constant and unchanged high quality despite operating temperatures of more than 350° C. This is achieved with interlayers which deliberately interrupt and thereby stabilize the morphology of the coating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2004
    Publication date: December 23, 2004
    Applicant: Schott Glas
    Inventors: Christoph Moelle, Lars Bewig, Frank Koppe, Thomas Kupper, Stefan Geisler, Stefan Bauer, Jurgen Dzick