Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05D—PROCESSES FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05D7/00—Processes, other than flocking, specially adapted for applying liquids or other fluent materials to particular surfaces or for applying particular liquids or other fluent materials
  • B05D7/20—Processes, other than flocking, specially adapted for applying liquids or other fluent materials to particular surfaces or for applying particular liquids or other fluent materials to wires
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C23—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL
  • C23C—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL
  • C23C28/00—Coating for obtaining at least two superposed coatings either by methods not provided for in a single one of groups C23C2/00 - C23C26/00 or by combinations of methods provided for in subclasses C23C and C25C or C25D
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16F—SPRINGS; SHOCK-ABSORBERS; MEANS FOR DAMPING VIBRATION
  • F16F1/00—Springs
  • F16F1/02—Springs made of steel or other material having low internal friction; Wound, torsion, leaf, cup, ring or the like springs, the material of the spring not being relevant
  • F16F1/024—Covers or coatings therefor
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05D—PROCESSES FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05D2202/00—Metallic substrate
  • B05D2202/10—Metallic substrate based on Fe
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05D—PROCESSES FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05D2350/00—Pretreatment of the substrate
  • B05D2350/60—Adding a layer before coating
  • B05D2350/65—Adding a layer before coating metal layer
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05D—PROCESSES FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05D2507/00—Polyolefins

Definitions

• the invention relates to a coated wire and to a. method of manufacturing a coated wire.
• Such type of wire has to be characterised by a uniform color, it has to keep its beautiful appearance over a long period of time and at the same time it has to be characterised by a good corrosion resistance.
• a method known in the art comprises the application of a zinc coating followed by the application of a polymer coating, generally applied on a cold metal surface after a prior treatment of chemical conversion, for example a chromate conversion.
• a coated wire comprises : a steel core; a zinc alloy coating, said zinc alloy comprises at least 2 wt% of an element selected from the group consisting of Fe, Al, Ni, Mn and Sn; a polyolefin based polymer coating.
• the zinc alloy layer comprises a porous structure allowing the polyolefin based coating to penetrate into the pores of this porous structure. In this way a mechanical anchoring of the polyolefin based polymer coating in the zinc alloy layer is obtained.
• the pores can for example be obtained by the presence of an element such as Fe, Al, Ni, Mn, Sn in the zinc lattice as the presence of such a foreign element is disturbing the zinc lattice.
• a great advantage of the coated wire according to the present invention is that a good adhesion of the polyolefin based coating can be obtained without using adhesion promoting agents, such as toxic chromium components or the more expensive Ti and/or Zr salts.
• the composition of the zinc alloy may be homogeneous throughout the whole thickness of the zinc alloy coating.
• the outer surface of the zinc alloy coating comprises at least traces of an element selected from the group consisting of Fe, Al, Ni, Mn and Sn.
• the zinc alloy layer has at its outer surface a lamellar structure allowing the polyolefin based coating to penetrate in the pores created between neighboring lamellas.
• the invention is applicable to steel wires as core.
• the steel wires may be chosen within a high diameter range. Either steel wires with a low or a high carbon content can be considered.
• the steel wires can have any cross-section such as round, square, rectangular, oval or half oval cross-sections.
• the zinc alloy layer has a thickness ranging preferably between 1 and
• zinc alloy layer one can consider for example zinc alloys comprising at least 2 wt% of an element selected from the group consisting of Fe,
• the zinc alloy layer comprises more than 3 wt% or even more than 5 wt% of an element selected from the group consisting of Fe, Al, Ni, Mn and Sn.
• a first group of zinc alloys comprises Zn-Fe alloys.
• the Zn-Fe alloy coating can be applied by any technique known in the art, as for example by electrolysis, by the deposition of a Fe-Zn salt, by hot dip, ...
• a gradient of the iron throughout the thickness of the coating layer may be observed. This gradient is for example due to the diffusion of iron, for example of the steel into the coating layer, as for example a Zn coating layer or a Zn-Fe coating layer.
• a second group of zinc alloys comprises Zn-AI alloys.
• a preferred Zn-AI alloy comprises between 2 and 15 % Al. Possibly, the Zn-AI alloy comprises a rare earth element such as Ce and/or La.
• zinc alloys comprise comprise Zn-Ni alloys, Zn-Mn alloys or Zn-Sn alloys.
• polyolefin based polymer coating is meant a polymer coating comprising at least one olefin as monomer.
• polyolefin based polymer coatings are high or low density polyethylene, polypropylene and polyethylene/polypropylene copolymers.
• the polyolefin based polymer coating may further comprise a polyacrylate.
• the polyolefin based polymer coating preferably has a thickness between 0.1 and 5 ⁇ m, for example between 0.5 and 2 ⁇ m
• stabilizers or other additives can be added to the polyolefin based polymer coating.
• colored wires By adding a coloring pigment to the polyolefin based polymer coating colored wires can be obtained. In this way colored wires pertaining to the whole visible spectrum, from violet till red can be obtained.
• the colored wire according to the present invention can be used for any kind of application whereby a wire with an improved corrosion resistance and/or a colored wire is desired.
• the colored wires can for example be used for decoration, anti-corrosion and identification application.
• Examples where a decorative aspect is desired are for example wires for handles of buckets or pails, wires for the closing of bottles or jars, coat hanger wire.
• Colored wires according to the present invention can be used for fences since they are giving a nice decorative aspect and at the same time an improved corrosion resistance. They can for example be used as barbed wire, for knotted fences, for welded fences, ... Structures comprising a number of colored wires according to the present invention are described below.
• a further application of the colored wire according to the present invention is for the manufacturing of springs.
• the colored wires are suitable for al kind of identification purposes, for example for filament identification in cables, for identification of springs or for applications where the visibility of the wire is important, such as vineyard wire.
• a colored wire according to the present invention comprises no toxic compounds as for example chromium compounds, it is food approved and can thus be used in the food industry, for example as handles of buckets or pails, as wires for the closing of bottles or jars or as champagne cork wire.
• a spring comprising a coated wire according to the invention is provided.
• a structure comprising a number of colored wires as described above is provided.
• the structure may for example comprise a welded, woven or braided structure.
• Wires according to the present invention can be used in reinforcing structures for buildings such as wire beads for reinforcing internal or external corners of a wall or for reinforcing window or door openings. Such wire beads are sold by the applicant under the trademark WIDRA ® . According to a fourth aspect of the invention a method of manufacturing a colored wire is provided.
• This method comprises the steps of providing a steel core; applying a zinc alloy layer comprising at least 2 wt% of an element selected from the group consisting of Fe, Al, Ni, Mn and Sn on said steel core; applying a polyolefin based polymer coating on said zinc alloy layer.
• the colored wire according to the present invention can be manufactured in a continuous, in line process. By using this continuous process, the manufacturing costs of the colored wire are considerably reduced. This is a great advantage over the processes known in the art.
• the zinc alloy layer can be applied by any conventional technique, for example by hot dip, electrolysis or cladding.
• the zinc or zinc alloy coated wire is subjected to a thermal treatment.
• the polyolefin based coating can be applied by any technique known in the art.
• a preferred technique is extrusion.
• the polyolefin based coating can also be applied by dipping or spraying. Possibly, the application of the polyolefin based coating is followed by a drying or curing step.
• the coated steel core Before the polyolefin based coating is applied, the coated steel core may be cooled. Alternatively, the polyolefin based coating is applied on a hot metal surface.
• FIGURE 1 shows the cross-section of a colored wire according to the present invention.
• FIGURE 1 represents a transversal cross-section of a coated wire 10 according to the invention.
• the steel wire 10 comprises a steel core 12, a Zn-Fe alloy coating layer 14 applied on the steel core and a polyethylene based coating layer 16 applied on top of the zinc alloy layer.
• a steel wire according to the invention can be manufactured as follows : Starting material is a low carbon wire rod with a diameter of about 5.5 mm. This wire rod is drawn either to an intermediate diameter or to the final diameter. Subsequently, the drawn wire is subjected to a heat treatment and at this intermediate or final diameter a zinc alloy coating is applied.
• the coated wire can be further drawn to its final diameter in case of an intermediate drawing step.
• the Zn-Fe coating layer has for example a thickness of 20 ⁇ m.
• the Zn-Fe coating layer comprises 8 wt% Fe.
• Zn-Fe coating layer comprises 5 wt% Fe.
• a polyethylene based polymer coating comprising at least one coloring agent is applied.
• the polyethylene base polymer coating is thereby penetrating in the pores located at the outer surface of the zinc alloy layer.
• the above described colored wire is characterised by a long lasting shiny aspect.
• wires are subjected to a corrosion test (DIN50021 NSS (neutral salt spray test)).
• the corrosion resistance is evaluated by determining the relative corrosion performance of a wire.
• the relative corrosion performance is defined as : number of hours to obtain 5 % dark brown rust (DBR) weight of the coating layer in g/ m 2
• Table 1 shows the relative corrosion performance of a wire with a Zn-Fe coating alloy with and without a polyethylene coating and the relative corrosion performance of a wire with a Zn-AI with and without a polyethylene coating.

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• 2003
  • 2003-05-20 AU AU2003238078A patent/AU2003238078A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2003-05-20 WO PCT/EP2003/050177 patent/WO2003100132A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2003-05-20 EP EP03735710A patent/EP1537256A1/de not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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