LU83459A1 - MECHANICAL COATING METHOD AND APPARATUS - Google Patents

Description

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Mechanical coating method and apparatus.

The present invention relates to a mechanical process. 8th coating, and an apparatus intended for the implementation of this process. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved mechanical coating method of type 5 in which a tenaciously adherent metallic coating is applied to a surface of an object by subjecting metallic particles to mechanical energy in a liquid agent, for cold rolling and welding these metal particles on the surface of the object, in order to form a continuous metallic coating and adhering to the surface. Mechanical coating processes of this kind are described in US Pat. Nos. Re 23,861; 268y 808; 2,640,002; 3,023,127 3,132,043; and 3,479,209 and in United States patent application 13 of America 9 ^ 8,230 filed October 3, 1978 in the name of the plaintiff.

The invention relates to an apparatus of the portable type intended for depositing different metallic coatings by using mechanical energy, on metal objects.

The coatings spread with the different types of apparatus which will be described below are of very high quality. The coatings are integrated and metallurgically welded, they. are ductile, - resistant to hammering and cannot in any way be compared with paints, »23 spray coatings, or the like.

The coatings according to the invention are spread using mechanical energy, the tool which is very portable allowing the coating of objects of all kinds, on site. It seems that this portable device intended to deposit solid metallic coatings, generally by means of a hand-held device, is one of a kind. In the entire history of metallic coating on steel and other substances, there has never been mentioned a tool held in the hand which makes it possible to spread out solid coatings metallurgically integrated, of high cL) if * 'λ Λ "· Ο quality and thickness desired in very short periods" and all without applying electricity or molten metal.

The National Bureau of Standards indicates that in the United States of America, metal corrosion costs around 5,350 billion francs per year. This represents about 4 ^ o of gross national product. The Bureau's report concludes that a substantial part of this loss could be avoided.

The ability of the hand-held device to spread not paint but a true galvanized metal coating of the desired thickness, even and of good appearance on both small and large surfaces in short periods of time, constitutes a unique, completely new way to attack the high cost of corrosion, not only in the aforementioned country, but worldwide, especially in tropical and humid countries in which the corrosion of metal surfaces is considerably aggravated.

The aforementioned patent application No. 48 48 230 is mainly oriented on Le. coating of large areas of moving steel which must be galvanized. These surfaces can be those of plates, strips, sheets, tubes, wires, bars, structural shapes and the like. This work is done with a large number of coating elements, generally used in pairs or groups of 4 or 5 on a coating tool, a large number of these coating tools constituting a unit and a number of units forming a chain of coatings.

The present invention describes the use of a single element of this coating chain, namely a coating tool which may consist of one or more coating elements, brushes or the like, which can be held by hand, very portable, and which can be of different types, all of which will be described below.

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In addition, the aforementioned patent application is directed to the chemical procedures necessary to obtain extremely high coating speeds attained? gaining the desired thickness in very short periods. This result is obtained for example by the control of chemical variables, such as the pH of the solution, flocculation, etc.

The processing techniques and the materials described in the aforementioned patent application can be similar to those used with the present portable device. Mention should be made of things such as controlling pH and flocculation, and the use of lubricants to prevent seizure, friction wear, etc. The invention relates more particularly to different types of tools to be coated which can be used for the implementation of the invention, in particular, the coating tool according to the invention is portable.

According to one aspect, the invention relates to a method of mechanically applying a metallic coating to the surface of an object and comprising using a portable coating apparatus comprising a housing; a mechanical coating part movable relative to the casing and with a coating surface arranged to be applied against the surface of the object and set in motion relative to it; a device for setting in motion the coating part with respect to the casing, with the coating surface applied against the surface of the object; and a device for holding and guiding the apparatus so that it is set in motion by an operator on the surface, the apparatus being portable and capable of being moved over the object to coat it; the method of moving the apparatus into the operating position with its coating surface of the coating part applied against the surface of the object; providing a mixture of mechanical coating promoters and coating metal particles on the coating surface; and to set in motion the coating part by bringing it back to the casing and by. ratio to the surface of the object to form a solid metallic coating and metallurgically integrated from the 5 particles of coating metal on the surface ·

According to another object, the invention relates to a portable device intended for mechanically applying a coating of metal to a surface of an object, and comprising: a casing; a piece of mechanical coating mounted on the apparatus and capable of being moved relative to the housing, and with a coating surface arranged to be applied against a surface of an object, and moving relative thereto, - for mechanically applying a coating of metal on this surface; a device for supplying to the coating surface of the coating part a mixture containing a mechanical coating promoter and particles of a coating metal; a device for setting in motion the coating part with respect to the casing with the coating surface applied against a surface of an object for mechanically applying to this object surface a solid metallic coating metallurgically integrated from the particles coating metal supplied to the coating surface; and a device for holding and guiding the device 25 so that it is set in motion by an operator on the surface of the object to carry out a metal coating thereon, the device being portable and capable of being moved on the object to coat it.

According to another object, the invention relates to a portable device intended for mechanically applying a coating of metal on a surface of an object and comprising: a casing; a mechanical coating part mounted on the device so as to be able to be moved relative to the casing and with a coating surface arranged

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1 1 „„ 2 * t to be applied against a surface of an object and set in motion relative to it for mechanically applying a coating of metal to this surface, the coating surface consisting of several coating elements with 5 spaces between them, these spaces faith-like a reservoir and containing a mixture constituted by a promoter of mechanical coating and metal particles to be deposited on the surface of the object; a device for moving the coating part relative to the casing with the coating surface applied against a surface of an object to mechanically apply to this object surface a solid metallic coating metallurgically integrated from the metal particles coating provided to the coating surface} and a device 15 for holding and guiding the device so that it is set in motion by an operator on the surface of the object in order to coat it with metal, the device being portable and capable of being moved over the object to coat it.

According to another aspect, the invention relates to a piece of mechanical coating comprising a coating surface arranged to be applied against a surface of an object and set in motion with respect to it and to mechanically apply a coating of metal on this surface, the coating surface consisting of several coating elements with spaces between them, these spaces forming a reserve which retains particles of metal to be deposited on the object surface, the metal particles being present in the coating part in sufficient quantity to effect the coating of a sub-tancial part of the surface of the object.

According to another aspect, the invention relates to a portable device intended for mechanically applying a coating of metal to a surface of an object and comprising: a casing; a piece of mechanical coating mounted on J.

6 the apparatus so as to be able to be moved relative to the housing and with a coating surface arranged to be applied against a surface of an object and put. moving relative to it to mechanically apply a coating of metal to this surface; a device for supplying the coating surface of the coating part with a mixture containing a mechanical coating promoter and particles of a coating metal; a device for setting in motion the coating part 10 relative to the casing with the coating surface applied against a surface of an object to mechanically apply to this object surface a solid metallic coating metallurgically integrated from the metal particles coating provided to the coating surface; And a device for holding a reserve of a mixture of mechanical coating promoter and metal particles near the coating surface when the latter is applied against a surface of an object to mechanically apply the metallic coating thereon; and a device for holding and guiding the apparatus so that it is set in motion by an operator on the surface of the object in order to carry out a metallic coating thereon; the device being portable and capable of being moved over the object to coat it.

, 25 Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of several embodiments and with reference to the appended drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic elevation view of a portable coating device according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic elevation view on a larger scale of part of the apparatus of FIG. 1,

Figure 3 is a schematic section of a coating piece according to the invention,

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view on a larger scale of part of the covering part of FIG. 3,

Figures 5 and 6 are large scale schematic views of covering elements according to the invention.

In general, the portable coating device covers a wide range of possibilities. On very small tools, very small brushes or pads, possibly 6.3 to 12.5 mm in diameter are mounted on a ball joint so as to be able to penetrate into hollows and around curves and thus restore jewelry or the like, up to large coating tools, possibly with a diameter of 300 mm or more, and consisting of a number of rotating elements mounted on a hand tool or on a portable tool actuated mechanically for control more precise.

The end user of the handheld device must be able to galvanize a farm barn roof that has started to rust, and large companies can coat farm equipment, industrial equipment, fencing, tanks, piping. , etc. In areas subject to severe corrosion, special corrosion-resistant alloys such as cadmium tin can be applied by the handheld device.

The types which will be described fall into those in which entangled fibers are immersed in a suspension of the promoter and metallic powder, with or without thickening, in order to use the entangled fibers to convey the material to the surface to be put on "30 to be immersed again when it is exhausted, the operation taking place as a simple paint. From this type of device, larger devices are classified in which the operator can carry a tank on his back, such as diving tanks and providing a permanent current of coating mixture to the tools.

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coating. This type includes small tank devices similar to gardening spray tanks used to spray insecticides. In other words, the reservoir can be pressurized with a hand pump, the material being driven by the air pressure towards the tool.

Some types include a device that holds and confines the solution so that it does not flow out of the device. Other types include devices using a wide variety of different kinds of brushes, tangled fibers, pads and others, made of different materials such as stainless steel, brass, bronze, etc. These brushes, pads and the like are used for different and specific purposes, for example for abrasion cleaning, coating and polishing. Some types use disposable pads which can be used once and then discarded and the purchaser can purchase a set similar to those supplied with propane stoves with a variety of 20 nozzles of different sizes. The handheld device set may have different coating tools and equipment for different purposes.

As mentioned above, it is now necessary to describe in more detail the different types of apparatus 23 which are operated by hand and which may or may not be connected to a mobile cart, a van or the like, yard be able to be moved from place to place.

The following description does not relate specifically to the chemical procedures which are used for carrying out the invention. These are described for example in the aforementioned patents and patent application.

The different types of apparatus fall into distinct types which have been mentioned above but which will now be described in more detail.

The invention also relates to mechanically actuated, hand-held coating tools which. are portable and can be used from place to place on a cart, vehicle, or whatever. This type of portable coating device is used mainly in industry for large jobs, and can be easily moved from site to site.

TYPE I:

It implements the procedure of painting with a brush, namely repetitive plunging and stirring of a mixture containing the metallic powder coating with brushes, pads and the like of tangled fibers, with or without sponge, regular brushes of different metals with or without absorbent material incorporated in the tool to retain more metallic mixture of clothing. As in the case of painting, when a charge of absorbed material is used, for the application of a metallic coating, the tool is again immersed in the mixture for a fresh reserve; the process is repeated until the job is done.

20 TYPE I-A:

In this category, tangled fibers, pads, brushes and the like are made of wire, metallic tape or the like not being incorporated into the veneer. These metals are stainless steel, bronze, lai-25 ton, steel and others.

Some of these metals such as brass, bronze and copper take a coating of metal which eliminates the wear of the tool because as the applied coating wears, it is reformed from the mixture. In this case, the metal is transferred from the ends of the brushes or entangled fibers of the pad to the work to be coated with particles of metallic powder or the like which are implanted and cold welded to form a homogeneous coating and metallurgically integrated.

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• 10 Other metals such as stainless steel do not tend to take a coating and are particularly suitable for the preliminary cleaning of the work, the removal of rust from other foreign matter. These brushes with 3 fibers or bristles of stainless steel can also be used for coating and also to produce a high degree of polishing on the deposited coating. They can also be used to achieve an especially high degree of consolidation of the coating surface, thereby producing a coating of especially high quality.

TYPE I-B:

In this type of device, the fibers, hairs and other tangles are made of the same material as the coating metal. In this way, the metal can wear out and be transferred to the surface to be coated.

Many metals such as zinc do not have the right physical properties to be used as wires in common type brushes, but if the wires are arranged not on their ends but on their sides to form a nested mass of fibers , these can be used to coat the article.

They can of course be used with normal metal powder.

23 TYPE 1-C:

In the form of a type I-B development described above, type I-C relates to the use of disposable pads. These disposable pads can be purchased by the user for use in his portable device. They contain everything necessary to carry out the coating. The chemicals and the metal powder or metal tape to be used for coating, or a metal in another suitable form acting as a binder, are compressed into a compact, absorbent pad. The pad is an accessory to fix it

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11 on the shaft of an electric drill or the like.

These disposable pads can sometimes contain absorbent material which increases the amount of material in the disposable pad.

These disposable pads are sealed in plastic envelopes when sold to retain the coating mixture in the form of a gel, or liquid or thixodropic mixture. Alternatively, disposable pads contain dry chemicals with a suitable binder, in which case the pad can be used as a dry coating tool or immersed in water or a weak organic acid solution or the like. These solutions can be supplied separately with disposable pads which would not retain the film-forming surfactants and the coating metal. The acid flow is in a separate container. This simplifies the problem of manufacturing tampons.

Alternatively, if only water is used to activate the disposable pad, the flux is present in the form of a powdered water-soluble acid salt, for example sodium acid sulfate which delivers sulfuric acid when immersed in water. Arrangements are made by absorption, emulsification and the like to control the level of acid released for the coating operation, in order to control the pri and obtain a maximum rate and maximum speed of coating. Since disposable tampons are part of type I, they can be used by repeated immersion of the tampon in water or flux, or in a mixture of coating chemicals which also contain the acid flux, or they can be used in type II which will be described below.

The advantage of the disposable tampon is its great convenience for the small user. Solutions can be properly mixed and stored. The mass of the coating

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12 can be made of a metal such as zinc, in the form of thin narrow ribbons or a fine powder, or a combination of both. The tapes wear out and provide zinc to the coating. Preferably, ribbons are the only source of metal for the coating. One of the functions of the metal in ribbons is that it also acts as a binder because the ribbons have highly active surfaces and are very suitable for forming a porous but solid and durable mass of interlaced ribbons. The ribbons can be of any suitable metal and are easily made of an alloy, directly from the molten state and molded into a shell at high speed.

TYPE I-D: The device of type I is particularly suitable for 1 tj using very small brushes, and it is particularly useful for the small user. For example, there may be small patches of rust in certain positions of a vehicle. Some motor vehicles have these small areas of rust. They are then cleaned by abrasion with a very small brush and they are then coated with zinc by repetitively immersing a small brush with tangled metal wires in the coating mixture. A substantial and regular zinc coating is thus formed over the already rusted area and, when it is covered with paint, it forms a permanent and invisible repair.

Again, it must be emphasized that this mechanically deposited coating is not a paint. The coatings applied to this vehicle are solid, metallurgically integrated, according to a variant of the process which has been used worldwide for decades, under the brand names "Peen Plate" and "Dyko".

These small pads or brushes work well when supplemented by a ball joint that allows them to be moved against curved surfaces, 4d

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hollow areas, bypassed shapes, for example in jewelry and other. The small size of the pads allows intimate contact in hollow areas, even on very small objects.

These very small brushes and pads are suitable for the use of multiple units, each unit consisting of elements which preferably rotate in opposite directions. Since these brushes are small, it is possible to mount 2, 4, 6 or more in a reduced space. This ensures more uniform contact and better distribution. The space between the rotating brushes can also be filled with absorbent material which can retain substantial amounts of coating mixture.

The broom commonly used for cleaning toilets 15 is a device of the general type useful for containing rotating coating tools and preventing splashing. For the modification of this broom, the wooden handle is replaced by a metal tube fixed to the broom in place of the handle. The drive shaft, for example of an electric drill, passes through the tube. The rotary coating tools are fixed at the end of the shaft, inside the brush, b other retaining devices can be used instead of the brush, for example flexible bellows. A sponge or other suitable absorber is attached to the upper surface of the flexible bellows, and the coating mixture is admitted at a rate controlled by the hollow tube. When pressure is applied to the broom or flexible bellows, a closed container is formed. The flexible bellows can slide or move from one zone to another 50 with a minimum of splashes.

In all type I coating devices, the rotating coating tool can be used with each repetitive dive to agitate the contents of the container, to keep the coating mixture in suspension during use.

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This can be done using a source of motive power, for example an electric drill with variable speed. In all of the Type I examples, the source of motive power is an electric motor with a single drive shaft or multiple shafts as in a mixing machine, for example a kneader.

TYPE II:

Type II is intended for large industrial users who intend to cover large areas such as bridges, transmission towers, ships, structural forms and the like.

Type II is characterized by the fact that it carries a source of coating mixture in a separate container which may or may not be part of the portable device.

This mixture is supplied to the coating tool under pressure or by gravity, at controlled flow rates.

The Type II apparatus can be much larger and preferably consists of multiple brushes rotating in opposite directions, with or without absorbent material, and preferably with an apron or rubber skirt surrounding the apparatus to maintain the coating mixture in the vicinity of the brushes and minimize splashing. The amount of mixture used is very small and does not normally cause problems.

23 Using a device such as a floor polisher on flat surfaces, a simple frame, for example 0.4 m, can be placed on the flat surface to be coated to retain the solution inside this frame. Since the volume of solution required is very small, this is not necessary but may be convenient in some cases. This frame may have suction cups which hold it firmly on the surface to be coated, with a flexible rubber lining, a small reserve of coating mixture and metal powder can be maintained in the closed barrier. This barrier is preferably made of light plastic, or it can be made of angle iron or the like for larger areas and for larger jobs. A portable device such as a floor polisher can be moved back and forth to cover the surface inside the barrier. A small amount of coating medium can be placed in the barrier. This barrier can be moved when each closed surface is coated.

10 Most floor polishers have a bag or container to hold shampoo for carpets' and this can be used to contain the coating promoter and acid fluxes or metal powder separately coating 15 can be mixed with the promoter in the bag and thereby be fed to the rotating coating tools.

The floor polisher has been used in one example with great success, but it is obvious that the invention in no way has a particular shape, for example a floor polisher.

Similarly, the invention is not limited in any way to one type or kind of barrier made to maintain the coating mixture.

For example, the light barrier may be part of the coating tool itself. Appropriate supports can allow its assembly and disassembly, the invention is also not limited in any way to a means of sealing this barrier or keeping it in position. The small amount of unused material 130 can be recovered, for example by a vacuum pump. There is thus no loss. The vacuum pump can be part of the floor polisher, so that the coating mixture is pumped back into the bag of the polisher or its container for reuse. In this way, large areas that are flat can be quickly covered, simply by moving the barrier.

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‘1ö tative from one place to another on the surface. There may be a slight overlap of the coating on the joints.

Furthermore, the container containing the coating solution can be carried on the user's back or hand, the device being mounted, when desired, on a vehicle or a cart.

This provision allows for a much larger promoter reserve. The vehicle is equipped with appropriate pumps and can be moved from place to place as work progresses. It should be noted that this differs from type I devices employing repetitive soaking in the container which contains the mixture. In Type II apparatus, a continuous supply of coating mixture and metal powder is provided at controlled flow rates to the coating tool. This arrangement is closer to that of the continuous high speed process described in the patent application. United States of America-20 as aforementioned ykP · 230.

Type I and Type II devices have one thing in common that distinguishes them from continuous high-speed industrial installations and that is that the actual tool itself is operated by hand.

In the case of a small hand-pushed vehicle or cart, or the like, carrying a substantial reserve of coating mixture, two or more individual coating tools may be used at the same time with the same source of reserve . In other words, two, three, four or more operators can work with the same portable reserve system. "

The mixture reserve tank can be kept in suitable places, possibly in barrels of about 200 liters, so that this mixture can be taken to supplement the immediate supply source used in the tank. coating operation.

With regard to the type of container and pressurization used, the invention is in no way limited to a special system. Simply by way of example, there are portable sprayers on the market for fruit trees and others.

These sprayers are actuated by means of a pump or by means of a plunger placed in an airtight tank. The liquid is placed in the tank, usually to fill it in three quarters. The cover is closed in an airtight manner against its lining. The plunger is raised and lowered by hand to produce significant pressure inside the container, causing a permanent flow of liquid through a nozzle on fruit trees or what receives a spray. This type of device is generally used with a capacity of approximately 11 liters, but there are also on the market devices with a capacity of the order of 4 liters comprising a small and practical tank, easily carried and operated with the same pressurization system.

By modifying the type of nozzle used, it can be fixed in the coating tool, the rotating shaft of a drill being inside a fixed tube in which the promoter and the metal powder are brought in from the tank. The mixture can descend by gravity into the area of brushes, coating pads or the like. The fixed tube can be 3O mounted on the housing of the drill so that it can be easily removed when not in use.

This same type of apparatus can be used in a wide variety of installations, operating on the same general principle. A similar device for this type of coating can be used for cleaning by abrasion, wet or dry. It appears that brushes with stainless steel wires can be used to

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18 Abrasive, wet or dry cleaning. The operation is similar to that of the coating mode, except that instead of the coating promoter, a suitable cleaning mixture with the desired fluxes and abrasives, or the like, is used.

Example 1

A steel block of approximately 65 mm squared and 50 mm thick was hand-held, gloved with rubber. With the other hand, the operator holds a small electric pole with a short rod on which has been fixed a brush made of brass wire which has been compressed in a vice to form a fiber mat. The brush was immersed in a small bucket containing a plating mixture, and the rotating brush containing the mixture was held against each side of the steel block. The brush was repeatedly dipped into the mixture, as necessary. In about a minute, all sides of the thick steel block were galvanized with a good galvanized coating. aspect 20 with a thickness of about 0.025 mm.

It is important to note that if this block of steel had been hot dip galvanized, the temperature of this entire room would have been. be raised above the melting point of zinc, by immersing it in a bath. 25 of molten metal.

Example 2

A length of a steel reinforcement bar with a diameter of 25 mm was slowly rotated in a long tank containing coating mixture. The bar was first cleaned by abrasion.

Then the coating tool of Example 1 was immersed in the mixture of metal powder and coating promoter, and moved in one direction and in the other against the rotating bar. In a very short period, it was galvanized with a very shiny coating with a thickness of about 0.037 mm. All cracks have been properly coated. There were no unpaved regions.

If this part had been hot dip galvanized, not only should it have been immersed in a bath of molten zinc, but the small intersecting edges 5 would have been filled or partially filled with zinc.

Example 3

A steel plate with a thickness of 9.5 mm, a width of 250 mm and a length of 337 mm, 10 or about 930 cm, was degreased, then kept in dilute sulfuric acid and rinsed. It was placed in a flat, shallow basin with. cleats in the corners to prevent it from moving.

The coating tool was a floor polisher. This 1-5 tool consisted of two active elements rotating in opposite directions and driven by a 1/3 CV motor.

A coating mixture containing zinc powder was added and the floor polisher equipped with brass wire brushes was moved manually and quickly back and forth on the flat piece of steel. In about 25 seconds, the steel part was coated with a bright and good looking galvanized coating.

In order to check the uniformity of this coating, a large number of thickness measurements were made at uniform intervals on the surface coated with this piece of steel. The thickness measurements were as follows in mm 0,0 0.020 0.021. 0.020 0.022 0.027 0.027 0.027 30 0.020 0.017 0.027 0.027 0.021 0.021 0.020 0.020 0.021 0.020 0.020 0.020 0.021.

The maximum variation in thickness was therefore 0.01 mm.

Example 4 In a similar example, a long piece of steel 75 mm wide and about 7> 5 µm long was degreased and pickled with a mild acid.

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She then received a very light layer of copper.

The hassin of Example 3 which contained rollers and opposing end guides was covered with about 6.3 mm of coating mixture containing zinc. One end of the steel strip was introduced into the guides and under the rollers and was pulled slowly through the basin, while the floor polisher of Example 3 was moved quickly in one direction and in the other on the moving steel strip. In this way, this strip was covered with a regular coating of galvanized zinc with a thickness of 0.023 mm.

In this example and in Example 3, the floor polisher was equipped with a plastic tank intended to contain shampoo for the carpets. This tank was filled with water to increase the weight of the floor polisher.

It is obvious that the thick steel block of Example 1 could have been a section of a beam of a bridge. On a vertical or overhanging section, the device 20 of the plunger type described above can be used.

It is also obvious that the bar of Example 2 could have been a tube or an angle iron forming part of a transmission tower, a support for a water tank, etc.

25 The piece of steel in Example 3 could have been part of a ship's hull, barn roof, aircraft carrier landing deck, and also repair and maintenance of a motor vehicle as already described.

3 ° Preferred embodiments of the apparatus according to the invention are shown in the figures.

Figure 1 shows a portable coating apparatus according to the invention designated by 10, and whose appearance and construction are similar to that of a floor polisher. The apparatus comprises the casing 11, a piece 12 of mechanical coating, a reservoir 13 intended to supply a mixture of coating promoter

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21 ment and particles of a coating metal to the coating part 12 by a pipe 14 provided with a tap actuated by a device (not shown) easily accessible to the operator who uses the device 5 by means of a handle 16. The covering piece has a covering surface 20 arranged to be applied against a surface 21 of an object 22 to be coated and to be set in motion relative to it. A vertical piece 17 connects the casing and the handle and constitutes a means of supporting the tank the J for example by collars 18 "and also of supporting a power cord of the electric motor 19 and a device for controlling the tap 15 · The motor 19 is started by a switch preferably located 15 near the handle 16 for easy access. In a similar way, the tap 15 is preferably actuated by a piece adjacent to the handle 16. For example, in a simple arrangement, an elongated rod (not shown) is mounted in the reservoir 13 and its upper end supports a obturator positioned so as to close the pipe 15 * The upper end of the rod comes out above the top of the reservoir 13 and this upper end carries a handle or the like. The pipe is opened simply by pulling on the rod to the desired extent, until a quantity of mixture arrives in the region of the covering element 12.

The weight of the apparatus 10 applies the coating surface 20 of the coating part 12 against the surface 21. For this purpose, the apparatus can support additional weights. The casing 20 has a peripheral retaining wall 23 which surrounds the coating part 12 and which constitutes a means of retaining a reserve of mixture near the coating plate 35 and the coating surface 20. Preferably, the end bottom of the peripheral wall 23 bears against the surface 21 to facilitate retention

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22 of a reserve of coating material against the coating surface 20. This result is easily obtained by making the peripheral wall 23 so that it is elastic in the vertical direction.

5 Of course, this bearing force must be considerably less than that which applies the coating surface 20 against the object surface 21.

The motor 19 is controlled to set in motion the coating part 12 relative to the casing 10 11j with the coating surface 20 applied against the surface 21 and to coat it.

A support piece 17 and a handle 16 constitute a device making it possible to hold and guide the device so that it is moved by an operator on the object surface in order to effect the metallic coating. The device is therefore portable and can be moved on the object 22 which can be massive and fixed, in order to coat it.

Although Figure 1 shows only one piece of coating 12, it is obvious that two of these pieces can be easily provided, in the same way as in a common floor polisher. In this case, it is preferable that the coating parts rotate in appropriate directions. It is also obvious that any number of coating parts can be provided, for example an odd number of these parts or several pairs of them.

FIG. 2 illustrates a modification applicable to the embodiments of the invention in which the coating part can take various positions relative to the apparatus, allowing access to object surfaces, other than planar. To this end,. a ball joint 24 may be provided near the lower end of the support 17, to connect the covering piece 12 and the casing 11 with the handle 16 by which the apparatus is moved relative to the object surface.

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Figures 3 and ^ show a coating part according to the invention. The coating part, 30 has a coating surface 31 intended to be applied against an object surface and to be moved in relation to it * in order to mechanically apply a metallic coating on this surface.

The covering surface 31 comprises covering elements 32 ", preferably elongated metallic elements such as fibers or threads. Spaces 33 between the coating elements form a reservoir which retains the metal particles 3k to be coated on the surface of the object, these metal particles being present in sufficient quantity to ensure the coating of a substantial part of the object surface. The coating parts 13 can be pre-packaged with a reserve of coating metal particles and can also receive some or all of the metal coating promoters chosen for a particular use. A coating piece of this kind, packaged, is preferably wrapped in a protective plastic or similar covering, particularly if the coating mixture carried by the piece contains an evaporating liquid. In many cases it may be desirable to provide more than one covering piece as a set, in which case the covering pieces in this set may have various dimensions, shapes or types of covering members, or types of coating materials, etc.

The covering elements are fixed to a support piece 36 in any suitable way, for example by embedding the wire elements in the piece 36, as in a wire brush. Preferably, however, the elongate coating elements are entangled to facilitate the retention of particles of coating metal and other materials.

An absorbent material, for example the pieces of sponge 35 can be provided in spaces 12 2 k forming a reservoir to facilitate the retention of liquids.

In use, the part 3o is preferably fixed to a rotating part, for example a drill chuck. For this purpose, the covering part comprises a shaft 37 directed towards the rear, and perpendicular to the covering surface 31.

In some cases, it is desirable to bring a supply of coating material to the re-garment piece during operation of the apparatus. This has been described for example with reference to Figure 1. In order to facilitate the arrival of coating material in the region of the coating surface 31> the coating part 30 may have channels 38 which bring the material coating from an outside source.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the metal fibers 32 can take different forms. According to Figure 5 "the free end 51 of each wire is flattened so that in use, the widest side of the flattened surface 51 can be applied against the work surface. As mentioned above, a preferred form of covering piece consists of a mattress or pad of interwoven threads. But many other configurations may be suitable. The essential conditions are: (1) to provide substantial free space to form a reservoir of liquid coating agent and metallic coating particles; and (2) quickly hammering and cold welding the metal particles on the surface to be coated, at high speed. If wire brushes are used, these can come in different configurations. . For example, and as shown in Figure 6, a "paper clip" or "U" configuration may be suitable. As shown, individual U-shaped wires 61 (only one of which is shown) are fixed to a base 62 of a covering piece, by any means. . 2: 5 yen suitable, The base 63 of the "U" is at the free end of the wire which rests against the surface to be coated. It is readily apparent that the empty spaces o4 between the branches of the U-shaped wires and the spaces between the dual individual wires form a substantial free volume for the coating materials. The free end 63 can be flattened as explained in detail in Figure 5 "in order to reduce abrasion. Whatever type of yarns are used, these can be arranged regularly or randomly. Other shapes, for example sponge-shaped pads, textile pads or the like, with substantial void volume, as mentioned above may be suitable.

A closure piece, for example a peripheral wall 39 of plastic material can be arranged around the piece 36 to retain the coating material in the vicinity of the coating surface 31 ·

A coating part containing metallic coating particles according to the invention can be provided in a portable coating apparatus like that of FIG. 1, in which case it is not necessary for the reservoir 13 to deliver metallic coating particles. If the coating part contains all the coating materials necessary for a particular stain 23, or if the coating materials are supplied in a different way, the reservoir 13 can be removed or filled with water or the like, only in the purpose of increasing the weight of the device during its use. The reservoir 13 includes a filling cap 30 40, of the standard type, for receiving water, coating materials, etc.

As mentioned above, the apparatus may include a device which retains a supply of coating mixture near the surface of the coating part, in use. For example, a wall can be designed to surround the piece of mechanical covering, for example the peripheral wall 23 1) 26 of FIG. 1 and the wall 39 of FIG. 3. The part of this retaining piece which is in contact with the surface of the object to be coated is preferably made of a material which has a low coefficient of friction, so that the device can be easily * moved on the surface of the object.

In use, a portable coating device according to the invention is moved into the operating position, with the coating surface of the part] _0 rie coating pressed against the surface of the object. A mixture of mechanical coating promoter and metallic coating particles is thus displaced with respect to the housing and with respect to the object surface to form a solid, metallurgically integrated metallic coating formed from the coating metal particles. on the surface of the object. The device itself can also be easily moved over the surface of the object. The coating mixture can be supplied in any of the various ways explained above, for example from an external source from a source carried by the apparatus, from a source provided in the covering part itself, or by combinations of these arrangements. In addition, some of the materials can be supplied in one way and others in another way. For example, all the ingredients except those which are liquid can be provided in advance in a coating part, the latter being simply immersed in a liquid, before its use. If the appliance is provided with more than 30 different types of coating part, the operation can be interrupted, a coating part replaced by a part of a different type, and the operation resumed thereafter. If the apparatus is large, for example an apparatus suitable for coating a bridge or other massive structure, it may have a motor or the like to drive it over the surface to be coated. Thus, the device is portable in that it is transportable from one workplace to another and that, i 1) 27 after being positioned against a work surface, it can be moved by means of a motor drive mounted on the device itself.

The term "coating surface" used in the present description relates to the surface of the mechanical coating part of the apparatus.

Claims (46)

28 IîSVËNDI CATIONS 1. Portable device intended for mechanically applying a coating of metal on a surface of an object, characterized in that it has a housing (11), a piece (12) of mechanical coating mounted on the ap-5 similar for being capable of being set in motion with respect to said housing (11) and having a coating surface (20) arranged to be applied against a surface (21) of an object (22), and set in motion with respect to it, so mechanically applying a coating of metal to said surface, a device (13-15) for supplying said coating surface of said coating part with a mixture comprising a mechanical coating promoter and particles of a coating metal , a device (iy) for moving said coating part (12) relative to said casing (il), with said coating surface applied against the surface (21) of the object (22) in order to '' mechanically apply a coating to said object surface ent metallurgically integrated solid metal produced from the coating metal particles supplied to said coating surface, and a device (16, 17) for holding and guiding said apparatus so that it is set in motion by an opex ator on said object surface to coat it with metal, said apparatus being portable and capable of being moved over said object to coat it. 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said mixture supply device consists of a supply tank (13) supported by said apparatus. 3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said mixture supply device comprises a pipe (14) with an inlet end for connecting it to an external tank containing said mixture and an outlet end near said coating part (12) for supplying said mixture to said coating part, the mixture coming from said external tank. 4. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said coating surface (20) of said mechanical coating part 112) consists of coating elements (32) with spaces between them, said spaces forming a reservoir for retaining said mixture. 3. Apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that said covering elements (32) are metallic. 6. Apparatus according to claim 3 »characterized in that said metallic coating elements consist of metallic fibers. 7 - Apparatus according to claim 6, charac terized in that said metal is at least one chosen from the group comprising zinc, steel, copper, brass and bronze. 8. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it comprises several of said covering parts (12). 9. Apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that said covering pieces (12) are arranged in pairs, the covering pieces of a pair being adjacent and each consisting of a covering surface, the latter rotating in opposite directions. opposites. 10. Apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that the number of coating parts (12) is odd>. 11. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that it further comprises a coupling device (24) which connects said covering piece and said device which sets it in motion, said device coupling allowing said piece of coating to take different positions relative to said device. L 30 12. Apparatus according to claim 11 "characterized in that said coupling device consists of a ball joint. 13. Apparatus according to any one of reven-5 dications 1 to 12 "characterized in that said device (19) which sets in motion said coating part (12) consists of an electric motor. 14. Portable device intended for mechanically applying a coating of metal to an object surface, characterized in that it comprises a casing (11) ”a piece (12) of mechanical coating mounted on the device and capable of being set in motion with respect to said housing, and comprising a coating surface (20) arranged to be applied to a surface of an object 15 and set in motion by the addition thereto, in order to mechanically apply a coating of metal on said surface, said coating surface consisting of coating elements (32) with spaces between them, said spaces forming a reservoir and containing a lanpce consisting of a mechanical coating promoter and particles of the metal to be coated on said object surface, the apparatus also includes a device (19) for moving the coating part relative to said housing, with said coating surface applied against a surface of an object (22) in order to mechanically applying to said object surface a metallurgically integrated solid metallic coating produced from the coating metal particles supplied to said coating surface and a device (L (j, 17) for holding and guiding said apparatus so that it is set in motion by an operator on said object surface in order to carry out a metallic coating therein, said apparatus being portable and capable of being moved over said object to coat it. 15. Apparatus according to claim 14, characterized in that said coating metal is chosen Ju λ 31 from the group comprising copper »zinc, aluminum, lead, tin, silver and their alloys · Ιό - Apparatus according to claim 14 or 15 »r characterized in that said coating elements 5 (32) are metallic. 17. Apparatus according to claim 16, characterized in that said metal covering elements (32) consist of metal fibers. 18. Apparatus according to claim 17, characterized in that said metal is at least one selected from the group comprising zinc, steel, copper, brass and bronze. 19. Apparatus according to any one of claims 14 to 18, characterized in that it comprises several of said covering pieces (12). 20. Apparatus according to claim 19, characterized in that said covering pieces (12) are arranged in pairs, the covering pieces of a pair being adjacent and each having a covering surface, the latter rotating in opposite directions. . 21. Apparatus according to any one of claims 14 to 20, characterized in that it comprises several replacement coating parts, each of which contains said mixture, each of said replacement coating parts being stored, ready to replace a part of coating after use. 22. Apparatus according to any one of claims 14 to 20, characterized in that it comprises several coating parts (12) of different types, each of them containing said mixture and being ag-encée to be mounted on the device, to be set in motion. 35 23 - Apparatus according to any one of the claims ik to 22, characterized in that said coating part (12) comprises an absorbent material ï 32 for retaining a liquid that contains said coating mixture. 24. Apparatus according to any one of claims 14 to 23, characterized in that said pro-5 mechanical coating motor consists of a synthetic resin. 23. Mechanical coating part "characterized in that it comprises a coating surface (31) arranged to be applied against a surface 10 of an object, and set in motion relative thereto, to mechanically apply a coating of metal on this surface, said coating surface comprising several coating elements (32) with spaces between them, said spaces forming a reservoir which re-holds the metal particles to be deposited on said object surface, said metal particles being present on said coating part, in sufficient quantity to effect the coating of a substantial part of said object surface. 20 2b - coating part according to claim 25, characterized in that it further comprises a device (37) intended to be fixed on a rotating part to rotate said coating part. 27. Covering piece according to claim 23 or 2b, characterized in that said covering elements (32) are metallic. 28. A covering piece according to claim 27, characterized in that said metallic covering elements (32) consist of metallic fibers. 29. Coating part according to claim 28, characterized in that said metal is at least one chosen from the group comprising zinc, steel, copper, brass and bronze · 32 30 - Coating part according to claim 25 "characterized in that said coating metal is selected from the group comprising copper, zincf" 1) i 33 aluminum, lead, tin, starter and their alloys -> p-es. 31. Coating part according to any one of claims 25 to 30, characterized in that said reservoir also contains a mechanical coating promoter in melanpe with said coating metal particles. 32. coating part according to claim 31, characterized in that it further comprises a closure part (39) surrounding said coating surface to prevent drying of said melanpe. 33. Covering piece according to claim 31 or 32, characterized in that it further comprises an absorbent material for retaining a mud which contains said melanp. 3k - coating part according to any one of claims 31 to 33, characterized in that said promoter consists of a synthetic resin. 35. Portable device, intended for mechanically applying a coating of metal on a surface of an object, characterized in that it comprises a cartel '(il), a piece (12) of mechanical coating mounted on a device to be set in motion relative to said cartel · ', and comprising a coating surface (20) arranged to be applied against a surface of an object and set in motion relative to it to mechanically apply a coating of metal to said surface, a device (19) for moving said coating part with respect to said casing with said coating surface applied against a surface of an object to mechanically apply to this object surface a solid metallic coating, metallurgically integrated produced from a mixture of a mechanical coating promoter and metal particles supplied to said surface of the coating part, a device (39) intended to retain a reserve of a mixture of mechanical coating promoter and particles of IL 3k metal near said coating surface when the latter is applied against a surface of an object to mechanically apply said metallic coating} and a device (16} 17) for holding and guiding 5 of said device so that it is set in motion by an operator on said object surface in order to carry out the metal coating therein * the device being portable and capable of being moved on said object to coat it. 10 36 - Appai * eil according to claim 35> charac terized in that said retaining device consists of a wall (39) surrounding said part (12) of mechanical coating. 37. Apparatus according to claim 35 or 36 "15 characterized in that said retaining device (39) has a surface of a low coefficient of friction positioned against said surface of the coating part and intended to slide on the surface of an object against which said surface of the coating part is applied. 38. Apparatus according to any one of claims 35 'to 37' characterized in that said retaining device consists of a closure piece (39) surrounding said covering piece and open on one side intended to be in contact with the elongated surface against which said surface of the coating part is applied. 39. Apparatus according to claim 38 * characterized in that it further comprises a device intended to elastically apply said closure part against a surface of an object against which said coating part is applied. ko -Apparatus according to claim 38 or 39 "characterized in that it further comprises an absorbent part (35) located inside said closure part and intended to store said mixture. 41. Process for the mechanical application of a metal coating on the surface of an object, characterized in that it essentially consists in using a portable coating device comprising a housing (il) * at least one part (12) of mechanical coating 5 movable relative to said casing and comprising a coating surface (20) intended to be applied against said object surface (21) and set in motion relative thereto, a device (19) intended to moving said coating piece relative to said housing, with said coating surface applied against said object surface, and a device (lb, 17) for holding and guiding said apparatus so that it is brought into operation movement by an operator on said surface, said apparatus being portable and capable of being moved over said object to coat it, the method also comprising moving said apparatus into operating position with said coating surface (20) of ladi the coating part applied against said object surface (21), delivering a mixture of a mechanical coating promoter and particles of the coating metal to said coating surface and moving said coating part in motion with respect to said housing and with respect to said object surface to form a metallically integrated solid metallic coating produced from said coating metal particles on said surface. 42. The method according to claim 41, characterized in that it further consists in moving said apparatus relative to said object surface while simultaneously moving said coating part relative to said object surface. 43. Method according to claim 41 or 42, characterized in that said mixture is supplied by a reservoir (13) supported by said apparatus. 44. The method of claim 41 or 42, characterized in that said mixture is supplied to said oKJ 36 device by an external source. 45. The method as claimed in claim 41, characterized in that said coating surface (20) of said mechanical coating part (12) comprises several coating elements (32) with spaces between them, said spaces forming a reservoir for retain said melanpe. 46. Method according to claim 45, characterized in that said covering elements (32) 10 are metallic. 47. The method of claim 46, characterized in that said metallic coating elements (32) consist of metal fibers. 48. The method according to claim 47, characterized in that said metal is at least one chosen from the hemlock comprising zinc, steel, copper, brass and bronze. 49. Method according to any one of claims 41 to 48, characterized in that the coating parts (12) are in odd number. 50. Method according to any one of claims 41 to 49, characterized in that said coating metal is chosen from the group comprising copper, zinc, aluminum, lead, tin, arpent and their alliapes. 51. A method according to any one of claims 41 to 50, characterized in that said covering piece (12) comprises an absorbent material (35) for retaining a liquid that contains said covering melanpe. 52. A method according to any one of re vendications 41 to 51> characterized in that said mechanical coating promoter consists of a synthetic resin. 35 53 - Piocédé according to any one of re vendications 41 to 52, characterized in that it further consists in interrupting the coating operation of ♦ '37 metal, replacing the coating part by a coating part d 'a different type and resume the metal coating operation. 54. Method according to any one of reven-5 dications 41 to 53> characterized in that said metal particles consist of ribbons, fibers, or metal powder. 55. Method according to claim 41, characterized in that the covering part comprises covering elements (64) consisting of stainless steel wires formed in U-shaped loops with the U-shaped part (53) on the outside. and forming said coating surface. 5b - The method of claim 41, charac-terized in that said coating promoter consists of an acid flux, a surfactant a ^ ent and an organic lubricant. 57. The method of claim 41, characterized in that said coating promoter contains water and its pH is acidic. he