JP2586986B2 - Apparatus and method for blasting metal surfaces - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method of coating a wear-resistant coating material on the wall of a cylinder of an aluminum engine block.
Equipment and method for blasting in preparation for pitting. This also broadly relates to blasting equipment and methods for subsequent processing of other products.

In recent years, aluminum pistons and aluminum engine blocks have been used in automobile engines, but wear and damage due to movement between the piston and the cylinder-wall have become a problem. U.S. Patent No. 5.080.56, issued January 14, 1992, discloses and seeks to solve this problem. Patent No.5.
No. 080.056 teaches a method of forming a wear and damage resistant liner in an aluminum alloy casting engine block having a relatively low silicon content. Here, an engine block casting of a suitable low silicon aluminum alloy, such as aluminum 319 alloy, is easily cast into the engine block, and the aluminum and bronze alloy composition is applied to the inner diameter of the bore of the aluminum casting cylinder by hot spraying. It is disclosed to be coated. In this patent, the hot-sprayed coating is applied to the cylinder before the hot-sprayed composition is coated into the bore of the cylinder.
It is disclosed that the grease can be thoroughly cleaned and grease removed to make it suitable for bonding to the wall of the hole.

The owner of US Patent No. 5.080.56 contacts the assignee of the present application and provides equipment for preparing the surface of the bore of a casting cylinder to coat the hot sprayed material. Asked to develop. An obvious way to prepare the surface is to roughen the surface of the cylinder bore so that the coating is more firmly adhered. It has been believed that rough sand, such as crushed pieces of glass, aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, etc., is to be blasted dry or in a slurry. The use of blasting of rough sand raises the problem of ensuring that all the rough sand is removed from the engine block in order to avoid contaminating parts or rough sand on the engine.

[0004] It is also possible that the rough sand itself may remain in cracks in the engine block or cylinder-hole surface itself. Thus, the use of rough sand or abrasive to roughen the surface requires subsequent cleaning of the entire area where rough sand is likely to remain, which is a time consuming operation. Also, there is no guarantee that all rough sand has been completely washed away. In fact, it is virtually impossible to guarantee that all the sand has been removed from the area where the sand may be contained as a result of the blasting operation.

Another disadvantage when using rough sand or abrasive slurries is that rough sand or abrasive can even smear the surface to be treated, often resulting in a roughened surface. While suitable for keeping the coating, enhanced tensile strength of the roughened surface is desired. According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, these problems are solved in a more economical manner than would occur to one skilled in the art.

According to the invention, substantially pure water is used as the blasting medium. The word pure water means that no rough sand or essentially anything else has been added to the water. A higher pressure pump was used, which pumped 25,000 pounds per square inch (25,000 ps).
At a pressure of i), water is sprayed through a very small orifice to create a jet of water towards the surface of the bore of the cylinder. Water jets from 25,000 psi to 60.00
0 psi, preferably about 50,000 pounds /
In particular, in patents 5.0 square inches (50.000 psi)
Best results for preparing an alloy of aluminum 319 for the coating disclosed in 80.56.

The water jet is an aluminum cylinder
It has been discovered that the surface of the pores can be made rough and clean at the same time. Water. The jets not only roughen the surface to increase the surface area to which the hot sprayed composition adheres, but also form a metal to form a receptacle that provides superior adhesion to the coating as compared to known techniques. Attack the tiny structure hole that is the crack. Thus, in accordance with the present invention, the surface is cleaned to remove any pre-existing contaminant material on the surface without leaving any, and the surface is etched to provide good adhesion to the coating, thereby removing its own harmfulness. Leaves no residue.

[0008] A more detailed description of the apparatus and method of the present invention is set forth below. These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become particularly apparent when described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1, 2 and 6 disclose the apparatus and method of the present invention. 1 and 2 disclose a schematic view of a cast aluminum engine 1 having four cylinder chambers 2, one of which has been cut away to reveal a cylinder wall 3. FIG. Engine block 1 is aluminum 31
9 is a casting of a suitable aluminum alloy, such as Nine Alloy, which is well known as an alloy that can easily cast complex structures such as engine blocks. Aluminum 319 alloy is a low silicon aluminum alloy having the composition and properties specified in the Eighth Edition of the Metals Handbook of the American Metal Association. This is 90.2% by weight
In addition to containing aluminum, 6.3 silicon, and 3.5% copper, it is a malleable ductile metal with a surface hardness of Brinell 70-95. 319 aluminum alloy is the only metal we are accustomed to because it is easily cast into engine blocks and processed by methods and equipment to create the objects and advantages of the present invention, but other malleable ductile metals It is also believed that our methods can be processed to produce the same objectives and benefits.
The criteria required for our invention to properly treat a surface requires a metal having a Brinell hardness of between about 50-100 degrees.

These alloys are composed of 95.96% zinc, 4%
Aluminium, a zinc alloy AG40A having a composition of 0.04% magnesium and a Brinell hardness of 82 degrees; rolled zinc hardened by copper having a composition of 99% zinc and 1% copper and a Brinell hardness of 60 degrees; 98 .99% zinc, 1% copper and 0.010% magnesium composition and Brinell hardness 8
Rolled zinc alloy with 0 degree composition; magnesium alloy AM100A with composition of 89.9% magnesium, 10% aluminum and 0.1% manganese and 52-69 degree Brinell hardness; 90-98% magnesium , 6%
aluminum. Magnesium alloy AZ having a composition of 3% zinc and 0.2% manganese and a Brinell hardness of 50-73 degrees
63A; 88.9% magnesium, 9% aluminum,
Brinell hardness 6 with composition of 2% zinc and 0.1% manganese
Magnesium alloy AZ92A with 3-81 degrees; 95.8
% Magnesium, 3% aluminum, 1% zinc and 0.
A magnesium alloy AZ31B having a composition of 2% manganese and having a Brinell hardness of 49-73 degrees. The method and equipment are believed to correctly process the other alloys described above, but the only tested composition is a 319 aluminum alloy.

As briefly disclosed in FIGS. 1 and 2, water is supplied at high pressure to a cylindrical head 5 through a rotating conduit 4. The head 5 has a plurality of orifices 6, which have a very small diameter, preferably between 0.005 inches and 0.006 inches. The pressure of water forced through conduit 4 and exiting orifice 6 is at least 25,000 pounds (25,000 psi) and 60,000 pounds (60,000 psi) per square inch.
000 psi) or more. The preferred pressure of water jet 7 is about 50,000 pounds per square inch (50.000 psi). As the conduit 4 and the head rotate, the water jet is moved up and down to strike the surface 8 to be treated.

In the surface treatment of a hole in a 319 aluminum cylinder, 500 to 1500 r.p. p. m. With a lateral movement of the head at a rate of 5.0 inches per minute at a rotational speed of about 5.5 inches has been found to produce satisfactory results if two passes are made in one pass of about 5.5 inches. did. The ideal separation, which is the distance from the end of the head to the wall of the bore of the cylinder, is one-half inch to one inch. Obviously, the variables of separation distance, speed of rotation, and rate of lateral movement will vary with the metal being treated, the degree of bold surface desired and the pressure of the water jet. Larger water jet pressures and / or increased treatment times produce more bold surfaces.

[0013] After the surface 8 has been treated and prepared as described above, the surface 8 or a portion thereof may be patented US Pat.
Coated by the method described in the item. Briefly, an aluminum-bronze alloy is supplied to the center of the coating head in the formation of wire 16 which is spun.
On top of the Commercially available hot spray
A gun device is used to coat the cylinder.
This is achieved by using a high speed oxy-fuel hot spray process.

A combustion mixture of propylene and oxygen (HVO)
F) flows at supersonic speed and is introduced down the center of the coating head 17 and a high voltage, low current electrical spark (not shown) inside the tip of the coating head 17 It is ignited using. Once ignited, the flame self-contains. The aluminum-bronze alloy is melted, blown off as a spray by the high velocity gas of the head 17 and deposited on the wall 8 inside the cylinder wall 3. The metal spray gun device automatically moves the coating head 17
Is rotated around wire-16, and the head is cylinder-
Cylinder-wall surface 8 by moving up and down the axis of the wall
The molten wire-material droplets 18 are directed against.

FIG. 7 discloses a robot mechanism for producing the movement described in connection with FIGS. In FIG. 7, FIG. 4 shows a conduit 4 as disclosed in FIGS. This is rotated by the rotation lance drive mechanism 10. The motor 11 drives a lance 12 on which the conduit 4 and the cylinder head 5 are mounted and which can rotate together. The unit 10 includes a passage member extending from one side to which the water conduit 13 is connected. A high-pressure pump 14 of the type known as an ultra-high pressure water strengthening device is a flow type.
Model 12 by Systems International
XT, which is commercially available as XT, is used to supply high-pressure water to the rotating conduit 4 and the cylinder head 5.
3 is connected.

The unit 10 is secured to the bottom end of a mast assembly 20, which extends upward through the roof of a chamber 21 and moves up and down as indicated by arrow 22. . This is achieved by a mast connected to a screw 23 located in the housing 24. The screw 23 is rotated by a motor 24. The vertical and vertical operation of this mast is 19
The assignee entitled "Five Proximity Robots", November 26, 1991, is similar to that disclosed in Pending Patent No. 5.067.285.

Once the lateral positions of the conduit 4 and the cylindrical head 5 have been established, it is not necessary to change such lateral positions during the processing of a single cylinder. When one head 5 is used for processing various cylinders as disclosed, it is preferable to move the entire unit 10 and mast 20 sideways from right to left as disclosed in FIG. For this purpose, a movable platform 30 is provided which is mounted on a nut 31 which is mounted so as to move on a screw 32. Screw 32
Is operated by a motor to move the nut 31 and the movable base 30 when the screw 32 rotates. An example of this type of device is described in U.S. Pat.
No. 7.285. The disclosure of such patents is also incorporated by reference into this document.

FIGS. 4a, 4b and 4c illustrate the particular results obtained with the method and apparatus of the present application. FIG. 4a
Discloses a surface such as a very small portion of one surface 8 in cylinder-2. This is patent 5.08
Discloses a relatively smooth surface prepared as disclosed in US Pat. No. 0.056. FIG. 4b discloses the surface 8 after it has been treated with our device according to our method. It will be noted that the high pressure water jet actually eroded the surface. It has not been cut into the surface so that it can occur with coarse sand, such as glass particles, but is actually eroded to form the receiving portions of 9a, 9b and 9c.

Certain metal structures have a porosity that leaves the surface of the receptacle exposed to surface erosion. The addition of receptacles in the surface improves the adhesive properties of the surface. Erosion also greatly increases the surface area. Thus, the structure of the irregular surface 8 after treatment by our method and apparatus gives excellent adhesion. This is illustrated by the catch 4c, which shows the increased surface area, especially the catches 9a, 9b,
9c, and a coating 40 held and mounted by others not specifically shown.

This method of treating a cylindrical wall of an aluminum engine block by exposing the cylindrical wall to a jet of water at very high pressure. I thought it could be used for things. In particular, the aluminum 319 referred to above.
It was thought that it could be used for malleable ductile metal having a surface hardness similar to that of the alloy. Figures 5 and 6 disclose a schematic of an apparatus for treating such surfaces.

FIG. 5 discloses a tube-like water conduit 104 connected to a cylindrical head 105. The head has a plurality of orifices 106 of the same size as the orifice 6 of FIGS. 1 and 2 located on the bottom surface of the cylinder-105.
Thus, the jet 107 is positioned downward on the surface 108 and has a spacing between the bottom of the cylindrical head 105 of about one inch to one half inch. Computing 10
4 and the rotation speed of the head 105, the pressure of the water jet 107, and the separation distance, that is, the distance between the bottom surface of the head 105 and the surface 108, all correspond to the above-mentioned cases in many cases. It should be understood that they can vary, but are preferably similar to those previously disclosed with respect to FIGS.

The conduit 104 and the head 105 are moved by a device as disclosed in FIG. Thus, the conduit 104 is mounted on the lance 12 and the work piece 100 is substituted for the engine block 1. All the advantages of FIGS. 1 and 2 given above are shown in FIGS.
It is also obtained by our invention when applied to flat or contoured objects, such as the work piece 100 of FIG.

Having described the invention so far, it is to be understood that while preferred embodiments have been disclosed herein, other modifications and embodiments may also be utilized without departing from the spirit of the invention. . Accordingly, the present invention should not be limited to only the illustrated embodiments.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a four-cylinder cast aluminum engine block having the major components of the apparatus of the present invention in a cylinder, with the surface layer cut away to show the interior, as illustrated by the present invention. It is a schematic diagram.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view with the main part of the device of the present invention contained therein, further illustrating the present invention, with the surface of the cylinder cut away.

FIG. 3 shows, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the surface of the cylinder, which shows the stage of the hot-sprayed coating, on the internal surface of the cylinder previously prepared according to the invention. It is a perspective view which cuts out and shows the inside.

FIG. 4 illustrates the subsequent state of a metal surface treated and subsequently coated according to the present invention; FIG. 4a shows an untreated surface; FIG. 4b is treated by the method and apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 4c discloses the coated surface.

FIG. 5 discloses another embodiment of the present invention when the present invention is used to treat flat surfaces rather than cylindrical surfaces.

FIG. 6 discloses another embodiment of the present invention when the present invention is used to treat flat surfaces rather than cylindrical surfaces.

FIG. 7 discloses an apparatus for moving any of the two rotating heads disclosed in FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 5.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Engine block 2 Cylinder chamber 3 Cylinder wall 4 Rotary conduit 5 Head 6 Orifice 7 Water jet 8 Surface 9a Receptacle 9b Receptacle 9c Receptacle 10 Lance drive mechanism 11 Motor 12 Lance 13 Water conduit 14 High pressure pump 16 Wire 17 Coating head 18 Spray 20 Mast assembly 21 Room roof 22 Arrow 23 Screw 24 Housing 24 Motor 30 Movable base 31 Nut 32 Screw 33 Motor 40 Coating 100 Work piece 104 Conduit 105 head 106 orifice 107 jet 108 surface

Claims (33)

(57) [Claims] 1. Apparatus for preparing a surface of a cylinder wall of an engine block to coat a wear-resistant coating: to provide an irregular surface so as to increase the adhesive properties; Means for generating a jet of water with a high enough pressure to clean and erode the surface of the cylinder wall; cleaning and eroding the surface to provide the irregular surface with increased adhesive properties Means for directing said jet against said surface of said cylinder wall portion. 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pressure of the jet is between 25,000 and 60.000 psi to erode the surface and provide it with a port portion. 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the jet has a pressure of about 50.000 psi. 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means for directing the jet is a rotatable member rotatable about an axis and substantially radially outward from the axis relative to the surface of the cylinder-wall portion. An apparatus comprising means for directing a jet in a direction. 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the means for generating the jet is substantially from 0.005 inches to 0.5 inches.
An apparatus comprising a high pressure pump for pushing water through a jet nozzle having a diameter of 006 inches. 6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the means for directing the jet is a rotating member rotatable about an axis, and wherein the metal forming the inner wall surface of the cylinder comprises:
Means for directing the jet substantially radially outward from the axis; and means for causing relative movement between the member and the surface in a direction substantially along the axis. apparatus. 7. An apparatus for preparing a metal surface for subsequent processing: means for generating a jet of water having a pressure of at least 25,000 psi; and a metal surface provided for coating the jet. Means for directing against the device. 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the jet pressure is between 25,000 psi and 60.000 psi. 9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the means for directing the jet is a rotating member rotatable about an axis, the metal forming the inner wall surface of the cylinder being substantially displaced from the axis. Means for directing the jet radially outwardly; and means for causing relative movement between the member and the surface in a direction substantially along the axis. 10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the means for directing the jet is a rotating member rotatable about an axis, the jet being directed in a direction substantially parallel to the axis relative to the surface of the metal. Means for directing; means for causing relative movement between the rotating member and the metal surface in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis. 11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the means for generating the jet is substantially from 0.005 inches to 0.5 inches.
An apparatus comprising a high pressure pump for pushing water through a jet nozzle having a diameter of 006 inches. 12. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the pressure of the jet is between 25,000 psi and 60.000 psi. 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the jet has a pressure of about 50.000 psi. 14. A method of adjusting the surface of a cylindrical wall portion of an engine block to coat a wear-resistant coating: providing said cylinder with an irregular surface to increase adhesive properties. Generating a jet of water with a pressure high enough to clean and erode the surface of the wall portion; and to clean and erode the surface to provide the irregular surface with increased adhesive properties Means for directing the jet against the cylinder-wall portion against the surface. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the pressure of the generated jet is between 25,000 psi and 60.000 psi to erode the surface and provide its receptacle. 16. The method of claim 14, wherein the surface of the wall portion is made of a malleable ductile light metal. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the metal has a Brinell surface hardness of between about 50 and 100. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the metal has a Brinell surface hardness of between about 70 and 95. 19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the metal is an aluminum alloy. 20. A method of coating a wear-resistant coating material on the surface of a cylinder-wall portion of an engine block, the method comprising: providing an irregular surface to increase the adhesive properties of the cylinder-wall portion; Generating a jet of water having a pressure high enough to clean and erode the surface; to provide a receptacle by cleaning and eroding the surface, and to coat the abrasion-resistant coating. Directing a jet against the surface of the cylinder-wall portion to prepare the surface;
Providing a coating material; and coating the wear-resistant coating material on the surface. 21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the code
Applying the ting by hot spraying. 22. The method of claim 20, wherein the surface of the wall portion is made of a malleable light metal. 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the metal has a Brinell surface hardness of between about 50 and 100. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the metal has a Brinell surface hardness of between about 70 and 95. 25. The method of claim 21, wherein the pressure of the generated jet is 25,000 psi and 60.000 ps so as to erode the surface to provide a receiving portion thereof.
A method characterized by being between i. 26. The method of claim 25, wherein the jet pressure is about 50.000 psi. 27. A method of conditioning a metal surface for subsequent processing: at least 25,000 psi.
Generating a water jet having a pressure of: and directing the jet against the surface. 28. The method of claim 27, wherein the jet pressure generated is 25,000 psi and 60.000.
psi. 29. The method of claim 28, wherein the pressure of the generated jet is about 50.000 psi. 30. The method of claim 28, wherein the metal surface is made of a malleable ductile light metal. 31. The method of claim 30, wherein said metal has a Brinell surface hardness of between about 50 and 100. 32. The method of claim 31, wherein the metal has a Brinell surface hardness of between about 70 and 95. 33. The method of claim 32, wherein the metal is an aluminum alloy.