Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
  • G04B37/00—Cases
  • G04B37/22—Materials or processes of manufacturing pocket watch or wrist watch cases
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C22—METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
  • C22C—ALLOYS
  • C22C14/00—Alloys based on titanium

Definitions

• This invention refers to the technical field of metallurgy, in particular to the technical field of alloys consisting of titanium and at least one other material.
• titanium possesses in particular a high specific mechanical strength and a very high resistance to corrosion in different aggressive environments.
• strength of titanium can be further improved by adding alloying elements such as aluminum and vanadium.
• the density of titanium is 40% lower than that of carbon steels, making it particularly suitable for different applications where the relationship between weight and strength of materials play an important role.
• titanium The corrosion resistance of titanium is accompanied by resistance to erosion by fluids loaded with abrasive products (eg sand in seawater), fire and chemical attack. These properties are mainly due to the ability of titanium to passivate by the formation of an oxide protective film. Titanium thus resists perfectly all natural environments (atmosphere, seawater, ...) and many chemicals, especially those containing chlorine.
• titanium Another remarkable property of titanium is its good biocompatibility, so essentially the property of a material not to induce negative reactions when it is brought into contact with biological tissues (eg skin, bone, blood, etc.). Indeed, a large part of Surgical instruments and medical implants are today made of a suitable titanium alloy.
• titanium in the fields of jewelery, jewelery or watchmaking remains rather symbolic.
• the aesthetic aspects of titanium make it rather uninteresting for those areas in which the appearance and dollar value of the products still play a vital role.
• the most used metals in the fields of jewelery, jewelery and high-end watchmaking are precious metals, in particular gold, silver, platinum or palladium. These metals are particularly appreciated for the aesthetic properties, but also for the economic value.
• the present invention therefore aims to provide a new material, especially for the production of timepieces and / or jewelry, to overcome the limitations of the state of the art mentioned above, also reducing significantly the production costs of the parts.
• the advantage of this invention over all known solutions in the state of the art is that the resulting alloy has a very advantageous combination of properties.
• the proposed new material has the mechanical properties of titanium, namely a very good resistance to corrosion and other chemical attacks, as well as a high mechanical hardness and strength.
• this new alloy also has properties inherited from precious metals, including excellent polishability, good gloss, and a specific color with different reflections depending on the precious metal content.
• this new material can also be easily colored, thanks to the completely preserved titanium coloring properties.
• the objectives of the present invention are effectively achieved by using an alloy which is made of titanium and at least one other material, containing between 50% and 99% titanium and between 1% and 50% of the other material, and wherein the other material is a precious metal.
• the hardness and color of the alloy, as well as its monetary value depend essentially on the amount of precious metals used in the alloy.
• the variety of colors of the alloy according to the invention can range from green or blue to gray, via pink or pale yellow, depending on the specific needs.
• the precious metal used in the alloy may be any one between gold, silver, platinum or palladium.
• the precious metal used in the alloy may be any one between gold, silver, platinum or palladium.
• other materials metal or non-metals
• titanium and the precious metal are alloyed under controlled atmosphere and / or under pressure. Titanium and precious metal are alloyed in a closed enclosure to obtain conditions of pressure and controlled atmosphere. Indeed, it is important given the avidity of titanium to oxygen to work under a neutral atmosphere free of oxygen. To do this a relatively high vacuum is made in the enclosure of the machine after introduction of the alloying elements. Only when oxygen is removed or replaced by a neutral gas such as argon are the elements melted and alloyed by electrical discharge. This gives alloys with properties perfectly mastered.
• the parts in question being notably watchmaking elements intended to be polished.
• the piece in question can notably be a watch case, a bracelet, a crown, certain elements of a movement, such as a platinum, bridges, etc. Of course, other pieces are absolutely possible.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Materials Engineering (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Metallurgy (AREA)
• Organic Chemistry (AREA)
• Adornments (AREA)
• Powder Metallurgy (AREA)

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Citations (3)

• 2012
  • 2012-07-09 EP EP12175562A patent/EP2548982A1/de not_active Withdrawn

Patent Citations (3)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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