RU2607971C1 - Zipper element and alloy for production thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: clothes.

SUBSTANCE: invention discloses an alloy for a zipper element, which is expressed by general formula Fe_aC_bMn_c (where a, b, c denote content in wt%, a – balance, b ≤ 0.3, c ≤0.6, and unavoidable impurities can be present).

EFFECT: present invention discloses an alloy for a zipper element, having excellent processibility, wear resistance, strength and reduced weight and enabling to produce corrosion-resistant zipper.

6 cl, 8 dwg, 4 tbl

Description

The scope of the invention

The object of this invention is an alloy for the manufacture of a zipper element, the main component of which is iron (Fe), a zipper element in which this alloy is used.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As a rule, materials such as iron, copper and aluminum are widely used for the manufacture of zippers due to their high strength and low cost.

Patent Document 1 discloses a method related to a zipper element for use in a fishing bag. Since the bottom bait is often located in this bag, and the bag itself is intended for use on the banks of water bodies, in the disclosed method, the zipper is made of ordinary metal materials. For this reason, a situation is possible when the slider sticks and cannot move. To prevent the possibility of such a situation, it was proposed to manufacture a stainless steel slider.

In addition, Patent Document 2 discloses a method for manufacturing a slider made of a copper-zinc alloy in order to increase its corrosion resistance and improve workability at low temperatures.

Prior art documents

Patent documents

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication 2005-152066.

Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication Hei 11-124647.

Summary of the invention

Problems to be Solved by the Present Invention

However, the use of zippers made of metal materials for clothes is associated with difficulties, since such zippers, as a rule, easily rust. In addition, as shown in the method disclosed in patent document 1, the zipper elements made of stainless steel have excellent corrosion resistance, but have very high strength, which is associated with problems in their processing, in particular, the service life of the mold when cold metal processing, which is one of the manufacturing steps, is short. In addition, when using stainless steel, the cost of the material is high. Further, zipper elements made of a copper-zinc alloy according to the method disclosed in Patent Document 2, like stainless steel, can increase corrosion resistance, but, as a rule, have a large specific gravity, which increases the weight of the product as a whole.

Considering the above factors, the present invention aims at creating a zipper with high strength, good machinability, reduced weight and high wear resistance, as well as an alloy suitable for the manufacture of such a zipper element.

Means of solving the problem

The applicants conducted extensive research on alloys, given the fact that the elements of the zippers should be lightweight, have good machinability, high wear resistance and strength to ensure long mold service life during cold processing of metal. As a result, it was found that for the manufacture of zipper elements, an iron-containing material of a special composition should be used, which allows to obtain reduced weight, good workability, high strength and good wear resistance, as well as providing the possibility of obtaining a characteristic distribution of hardness in all elements of the zipper, made from the specified iron-containing material, in order to further increase the wear resistance and strength. Then the present invention was created.

In addition, it was found that by means of a certain surface treatment of the fastener elements, an effective increase in their corrosion resistance can be achieved.

In other words, the essence of the present invention is as follows.

(1) An alloy for a zipper element, comprising: 0.3 wt. % or less C and 0.6 wt. % or less Mn, the rest Fe and inevitable impurities.

(2) The alloy for zipper elements according to claim 1, the inevitable impurities of which include at least P and S, 0.04 wt. % or less of each, respectively.

(3) A zipper element containing a base material containing an alloy comprising 0.3 wt. % or less C and 0.6 wt. % or less Mn, the rest Fe and inevitable impurities,

the surface of which consists in the indicated order of the first layer containing Zn or a zinc alloy, and the second layer subjected to surface treatment to provide a self-healing effect.

(4) The zipper element according to claim 3, in which the distribution of hardness on the Vickers scale, measured at a load of 300 gram-force (gf) for 15 seconds, is Hv = from 110 to 250.

(5) The zipper element according to (3) or (4), said first layer of which is made of Zn, with a thickness of 8 to 30 μm, and said second layer is trivalent chromate, and its thickness is 0.2 μm or more.

(6) The zipper element according to claim 3 or 4, said first layer of which is made of zinc-nickel (Zn-Ni) alloy, comprising: more than 85 wt. % Zn, and 15 wt. % or less Ni with a thickness of 2 to 15 μm, and the specified second layer is made of trivalent chromate, and its thickness is 0.1 μm or more.

The beneficial effect of the invention

The present invention allows to obtain an alloy for the manufacture of a zipper element having excellent machinability, wear resistance, strength and low weight, as well as providing high corrosion resistance of a zipper element made of this alloy.

Brief Description of the Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a zipper;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a zipper slider according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a zipper slider according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of yet another embodiment of a slider;

FIG. 5 is a perspective image with a spatial separation of the elements of another embodiment of the slider;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a runner along a longitudinal axis;

FIG. 7 is a diagram for evaluating the hardness of a runner in this embodiment; and

FIG. 8 is a graph illustrating the dependence of machinability on material hardness.

The following is a detailed description of the present invention.

The alloy for the zipper element according to the present invention contains: 0.3 wt. % or less C and 0.6 wt. % or less Mn, the rest Fe and inevitable impurities. The content of inevitable impurities, at least P and S, may be 0.04 wt. % or less.

As for C, if the content of C exceeds 0.3%, then, since the ductility of the material decreases, cracks will occur during cold processing, or it will be necessary to heat treatment, since during molding it will soften. In addition, even if molding can be performed, the load on the mold will be too high, and the quality of such molding will be low.

As for Mn, the presence of Mn can contribute to the formation of carbides and sulfides and lead to a deterioration in both overall machinability and surface machinability. According to Japanese Industrial Standard JIS G3106, a Mn content of 0.6%, in terms of an equivalent carbon content, corresponds to a C content of 0.1%. If the Mn content exceeds 0.6%, this is unfavorable, and therefore, it is good when the Mn content is 0.6% or less.

If the content of P and S as inevitable impurities exceeds 0.04%, segregation at the grain boundaries of the metal easily occurs, which leads to an increase in brittleness.

In addition, to obtain high strength products, the alloy according to the present invention must be hardened during processing by applying a workload during cold working. For this reason, cold processing should be carried out with a degree of compression in the cold state from 30% to 80%. The degree of cold reduction is also defined as the ratio of the thickness of the plate after cold rolling to the initial diameter of the raw material.

The alloy of the present invention can be suitably used to make a zipper slider.

The following is a description of the zipper with reference to the accompanying figures as an example of application of the present invention.

In FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a zipper. The zipper F shown in FIG. 1, contains two braids 1 with sealed edges 2 on one side, links 3 attached to the sealed edge 2 of the braid 1 by crimping at a certain distance from each other, the upper stop 4 and the lower stop 5 attached by crimping to the sealed edge 2 of the braid 1 zippers above the upper link and under the lower link of the element 3, respectively, and the slider S (hereinafter referred to as the “slider”), installed between two opposite pairs of links 3, which slides and moves up and down to connect and fold union units 3. Moreover, a part of tape 1 on which are attached to the edge 2 units 3, 7 is called a chain zippers. In addition, the lower limiter 5 can be made in the form of a detachable element including an insert pin, a socket and a housing (not shown in the illustrations), which can disconnect a pair of chains 7 of the zipper when opening the slider S. The alloy according to the present invention can be used for the manufacture of a metal element of the zipper, such as link 3, the upper stop 4, the lower stop 5, the slider S and the connecting and disconnecting element, which are made of metal. In addition, with regard to the slider S and the connecting-disconnecting element, this alloy can also be used to manufacture individual parts of these components, such as an insert pin, socket and housing (the slider S will be discussed below) and the like. Further, although a zipper is used in the description of the present invention using a link 3, an upper stop 4 and a lower stop 5 made of metal, the present invention can also be applied to a zipper in which the link 3 is an upper the limiter 4 and the lower limiter 5 are made of plastic by injection molding, or of wire (for example, coils, etc.). In this case, the present invention can be applied to other metal parts.

Below we consider in detail the design of the slider S.

In FIG. 2 and 3, a slider is shown in the manufacture of which the present invention can be used. In FIG. 2 shows a perspective image with a spatial separation of the elements, illustrating the relative position of the elements in an exploded view, and in FIG. 3 shows a sectional view along the longitudinal axis of the slider. The runner comprises a housing 11, a tongue 12 and a spring 13 with a locking device. The spring 13 with the locking element is made in the form of a single element including a front spring 14 and a rear locking element 15. As shown in FIG. 3, the slider S1 is assembled by installing a tongue 12 on the upper surface of the housing 11 and installing a spring 13 with a locking element on the slider housing 11. When the slider S1 in question is not used, the end part of the locking element 15 of the spring 13 is at the bottom, pressed by the elastic element 14, the spring 13 and enters the space between adjacent links (not shown), preventing the slider S from moving down. In use, the tongue 12 is lifted, overcoming the compressive action of the elastic element 14, and the end part of the locking element 15 is lifted upward, disengaging from the zipper links (not shown), so that the slider S1 can now move down.

In FIG. 4, 5 and 6 show yet another embodiment of the design of the slider S. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the slider S; FIG. 5 is a perspective image with a spatial separation of the elements, showing the relative position of the elements in the disassembled state, and in FIG. 6 shows a sectional view along the longitudinal axis of the slider. As in the construction described above, the slider includes a housing 11, a tongue 12, a locking member 16, a flat spring 17, and a cover 18. As shown in FIG. 5 and 6, the assembly of the slider S2 is carried out by installing the tongue 12 on the upper surface of the housing 11, installing the locking element 16, fixing the flat spring 17 on the upper surface of the housing 11 and attaching the cover 18 to the upper surface of the housing 11 of the slider. As in the previous case, when the slider S2 in question is not used, the end part of the locking element 16 is located below, pressed by a flat spring 17, and enters the space between adjacent links (not shown), preventing the slider S2 from moving down. In use, the tongue 12 is lifted, overcoming the pressing action of the flat spring 17, and the end part of the locking element 16 is lifted up, disengaging from the zipper links (not shown), so that the slider S2 can now move down.

In the above structures, the spring 13 of the slide element of the runner S1 and the flat spring 17 of the runner S2 are made of stainless steel, and all other elements are made of alloy according to the present invention. In addition, as mentioned above, it is possible to manufacture a slider in which the remaining elements, except for the housing 11, the spring 13 with the locking element and the flat spring 17, such as the locking element 16, the cover 18 and the tongue 12, can be made of brass, red brass etc. In addition, you can create a zipper in which the slider design will be similar to that described above, and the links 3, the upper stop 4 and the lower stop 5 can be made of stainless steel, brass, red brass, etc.

In addition, the alloy for the zipper element according to the present invention preferably should have a Vickers hardness distribution according to JIS B7725, at a load of 300 g for 15 seconds, equal to Hv = from 110 to 250. In particular, when using of this alloy for the manufacture of a zipper element, for example, a slider body, each component of the body must have a hardness distribution corresponding to the required strength. In other words, when cold stamping elements whose strength should be increased, it is necessary to ensure the required distribution of hardness.

This means that if the strength of the spring mounting member 51 with the locking member on the slider body 53 of FIG. 7, will be insufficient, the lock function may be damaged, as the tongue may come off. Thus, hardness must be at or above the required level. For example, a preferred Vickers scale of hardness Hv at a load of 300 g for 15 seconds is Hv = 120 to 190. On the other hand, if the strength of the flange 52 of the upper and lower parts of the runner body 53 shown in FIG. 7, the surface-treated layer (to be described below) will be insufficient, can easily peel, which will reduce the corrosion resistance of the product. Thus, hardness must be at or above the required level. For example, a preferred Vickers hardness value Hv at a load of 300 gs for 15 seconds is 140 or higher.

As already mentioned above, the manufacture of an alloy zipper element according to the present invention makes it possible to reduce the weight of the product, and the high hardness and long life of the mold during cold processing can provide good workability and high wear resistance. In addition, by providing an optimal distribution of hardness for each element, it is possible to achieve an additional increase in wear resistance and strength.

In addition, the zipper element according to the present invention contains a base material of the above alloy, the upper surface of which is often covered with a first layer of Zn or Zn alloy, and a second layer subjected to surface treatment, which provides a self-healing effect.

In a first embodiment of the zipper element, the first layer is made of Zn. If the layer thickness is too small, it will not provide the required corrosion resistance; if the layer thickness is too large, a decrease in wear resistance may occur, which is also undesirable. With this in mind, the preferred thickness of the first layer is from 8 to 30 microns. In addition, another layer is made of trivalent chromate. The thickness of the second layer also depends on the thickness of the first layer; if it is too small, corrosion resistance decreases. With this in mind, the preferred thickness of the second layer is 0.2 μm or more.

In a second embodiment of the zipper element, the first layer is made of a Zn-Ni alloy. In the first layer, when the Ni content is too high, a decrease in wear resistance may occur, therefore, its preferred content is 15 wt. % and less. On the other hand, the content of Zn should not exceed 85 wt. % Since it is impossible to ensure its corrosion resistance when the first layer is too thin, and if its thickness is too large, it takes a long time for the film to form, and in addition it is impossible to create a uniform film, and the wear resistance can decrease, the preferred thickness of the first layer is from 2 μm to 15 microns. Next, a second layer of trivalent chromate is applied. Even if the thickness of the second layer is small compared with the first embodiment, the reduction of corrosion resistance does not occur, so that the preferred thickness of the second layer is 0.1 μm or more.

The zipper element according to the present invention is made by applying a first layer and a second layer to a metal base obtained by molding an alloy as described above. To create a metal film, it is advisable to apply sheet forming, however, vapor deposition, sputtering, ion deposition, or other technologies can also be used.

As mentioned above, the manufacture of a runner by applying a special surface-treated layer according to the present invention makes it possible to obtain high corrosion resistance without lowering the other physical characteristics of the runner itself, in particular its wear resistance.

Examples

The following is a description of one possible embodiment of the present invention. However, this method is only one of the possible, and the present invention is in no way limited to them.

(Examples 1-6, comparative examples 1-6)

To ensure the preferred distribution of hardness over the body of the slider of the base material, which is an iron-containing material, the composition of which is presented in table 1, the body was molded by multi-stage pressing. The Vickers hardness was measured at a load of 300 g for 15 seconds on the entire runner case as a whole, in order to obtain the average hardness for the entire case, and the average hardness of the element for installing a spring with a locking element, as well as flange elements of the upper and lower parts of the runner. The results are shown in table 1.

In addition, for the slider body 53 shown in FIG. 7, the hardness of the element 51 for installing a spring with a locking element along the section A-A 'was evaluated, as well as the hardness of the flange element 52 along the section B-B'.

In addition, the first layer of Zn and the second layer of trivalent chromate were formed sequentially and were tested for wear and corrosion resistance. The first layer of Zn was created by coating, and the second layer of trivalent chromate was created by treatment with trivalent chromate, which is a chemical process. The results are shown in table 2.

Wear test

In accordance with the procedure described in JIS S3015: 2007 "Durability Tests by Opening-Closing", a middle-class opening-closing load was applied to the product (in the lateral direction - 1.6 kgf; in the longitudinal direction - 1.4 kgf) ) 2000 times. If it is impossible to engage the links with each other, a visible lightning tape break, cracks occur in the parts of the links engaged or free separation of the connected links, the testing was stopped.

(Corrosion Test)

After wear tests, a corrosion test was performed by spraying with saline in accordance with the procedure specified in JIS Z2371. The aging time during the tests for corrosion resistance by spraying with saline was 48 hours. After testing, the samples were visually checked for red rust.

Since the carbon content in the base material in comparative example 1 was high, carbide was precipitated during the creation of the first and second layers, as a result of which the adhesion of these layers to the base material worsened, which, in our opinion, was the reason that the results of wear tests on the specimen were comparative Example 1 were worse than other working samples.

Since the manganese content in the base material in comparative example 2 was high, the surface workability in order to create the first and second layers was reduced, as a result of which the results of comparative example 2 were worse than the results of working examples.

Since the content of manganese and sulfur (S) as impurities in the base material in comparative example 3 was high, the surface workability in order to create the first and second layers was reduced, which caused cracks in the product.

Since the content of carbide and manganese in the base material in comparative example 4 was high, the base material became too hard and its deformability decreased, which made it impossible to form an article from this sample.

Since the first layer in comparative example 5 was too thick, the wear resistance of the sample of comparative example 5 was lower than that of other samples. Since the thickness of the second layer in comparative example 6 was too small, the corrosion resistance of this sample 6 was lower than that of other samples.

(Examples 7-14, comparative examples 7-8)

The material for the manufacture of the slider body was selected so that it had the same composition and average stiffness profile as in example 1.

However, the first layer of Zn-Ni alloy with the Ni content shown in Table 3 and the second layer of trivalent chromate were formed sequentially. Then, wear tests and corrosion tests were performed as described above. The first layer of Zn-Ni alloy was created by coating, and the second layer of trivalent chromate was created by treatment with trivalent chromate, which is a chemical process. The results are shown in table 3.

Since the nickel content in the first layer in comparative example 7 was high, the film of the first layer turned out to be heterogeneous and the surface workability in order to create the second layer was reduced, as a result of which the wear test results for comparative example 7 were worse than the results of working examples.

Since the thickness of the second layer in comparative example 8 was too small, the corrosion resistance of this sample 8 was lower than that of other samples.

(Example 15, comparative examples 9-11)

The base material of example 1 (Example 15: specific gravity: 7.85 g / cm ³ ), and the base materials obtained by performing operations similar to those described in example 1, were a corrosion-resistant aluminum alloy A5056 (specific gravity: 2.65 g / cm ³ ), red brass (zinc content 15 wt.%; specific gravity: 8.75 g / cm ³ ), and ferritic stainless steel SUS 430 (specific gravity: 7.70 g / cm ³ ), respectively. A comparison was made of the average hardness of these materials. The results are shown in table 4. When conducting this comparison, the dependence of machinability on the hardness of each alloy, shown in FIG. 8.

From table 4 it becomes clear that the aluminum alloy of comparative example 9 can hardly be used as a material for the manufacture of the product, since its hardness is too low. Since the low hardness of the material indicates that it is soft, there are concerns that the surface-treated layer, which serves to provide corrosion resistance, can easily peel off.

It should also be borne in mind that there is a high probability that the service life of a stainless steel product in comparative example 11 will be shorter than that of other materials.

Although the red brass in comparative example 10 is similar in hardness to the product of the example according to the invention (example 15), the product of comparative example 10 has a high specific gravity, so that the product will have a greater weight with the same volume as the example.

Claims (7)

1. The alloy for the zipper element, the composition of which is expressed by the general formula Fe _a C _b Mn _c (where a, b, c are the content in wt.%, And the rest, b≤0.3, s≤0.6, and unavoidable impurities may be present). 2. The alloy for the zipper element according to claim 1, the inevitable impurities of which include at least P and S, 0.04 wt.% Or less each, respectively. 3. A zipper element, the main material of which is made of an alloy, the composition of which is expressed by the general formula Fe _a C _b Mn _c (where a, b, c are the content in wt.%, And the rest, b <0.3, s <0.6, and unavoidable impurities may be present), the surface of which consists in the indicated order of a first layer consisting of a Zn or Zn alloy and a second layer subjected to surface treatment to provide a self-healing effect. 4. The zipper element according to claim 3, in which the distribution of hardness on the Vickers scale Hv, measured at a load of 300 gram-forces for 15 s, is Hv = from 110 to 250. 5. The zipper element according to claim 3 or 4, wherein said first layer is made of Zn with a thickness of 8 to 30 μm, and said second layer is trivalent chromate, and its thickness is 0.2 μm or more. 6. The zipper element according to claim 3 or 4, wherein said first layer is made of a Zn-Ni alloy with a thickness of 2 to 15 μm, containing more than 85 wt.% Zn, and 15 wt.% Or less Ni, and the second layer is made of trivalent chromate, and its thickness is 0.1 μm or more.

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