Abstract:
The present invention relates to hard coating of ferrous metal substrates using a laser beam with diamond particles in a metal matrix produced from precursor powders of metals which bond to the diamond particles and to the ferrous substrate. The hard coating is particularly useful for white iron castings for pumps ( 200 ) used in piping tar sand and water mixtures.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   Not Applicable 
   STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
   Not Applicable 
   STATEMENT REGARDING GOVERNMENT RIGHTS 
   Not Applicable 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   (1) Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a process for laser beam hard coating of a ferrous metal substrate with diamond particles in a metal matrix. In particular, the present invention relates to hard coating a cast iron article, particularly a white iron casting, in order to improve the abrasion resistance of the coated surfaces of the article. More particularly the present invention relates to pumps having hard coated surfaces of the pump which are in contact with an abrasive water and tar sand mix. 
   (2) Description of the Related Art 
   The prior art has described processes for using nozzles providing a particle spray and a laser beam for applying a hard faced surface coating to a ferrous substrate. U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,299 to Hammeke and U.S. Pat. No. 6,316,744 to Nowotny et al are illustrative of the patent art. The disclosures of these patents are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. In general, a powdered mixture of a metal alloy with particles of a hard material are coated on a substrate by melting the particles of the metal alloy on a spot surface of the substrate irradiated by the laser beam. Diamonds have been used in cutting tools as evidenced by U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,176,888 and 6,238,280 by unrelated processes. 
   Diamond particles have been incorporated into a metal alloy in the past in an attempt at providing a hard coating in parts which are continuously abraded by hard particles. The problem is that there is a poor bond between the diamond and the metal alloy when abraded by sand particles in an aqueous slurry. The result is that when abraded the diamond particles come loose from the coated surface. There is a need for an improved hard coating process and the resulting products. Relevant prior art is DE10024155 (which corresponds to EP1155768). 
   OBJECTS 
   It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a laser cladding or hard coating process which enables bonding of the surface of the diamond particles to the metal alloy and bonding of the ferrous surface to the metal alloy in such a way that the hard coating is resistant to abrasion, particularly by sand particles. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a process which is economical and reliable and capable of being automated with robotics and CNC controlled machines or devices. These and other objects will become increasingly apparent by reference to the following description. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to an article of manufacture which is a ferrous substrate comprising carbon which requires a hard faced surface coating to reduce wear in use; and a layer of a composite which provides the hard faced surface coating comprising diamond particles in a metal matrix which is bonded on the diamond particles, and wherein the layer is bonded to the substrate. Preferably the diamond particles are between about 40 and 100 microns in their largest dimension. Preferably the matrix comprises copper, tin and titanium. Preferably the matrix consists essentially of about 60 to 80% by weight copper, 15 to 25% by weight tin and 5 to 20% by weight titanium. Preferably there is a plurality of overlapping layers on the substrate wherein each layer is 40 to 80% of a single track width. Preferably the substrate is a casting of white iron or a steel comprising about 4% by weight or less of the carbon. The diamond particles can be naturally or synthetically derived. 
   The present invention also relates to a process for providing an article of manufacture with a hard faced surface coating which comprises: providing a ferrous substrate containing carbon and requiring a hard faced surface coating; feeding a particulate mixture of diamond particles and separating metal particles which can be melted to provide a matrix around the diamond particles into a heating zone while impacting the mixture with a laser beam in a non-reactive atmosphere so as to form the hard faced surface coating as a layer bonded to substrate and the diamond particles. Preferably the process is conducted at a temperature between 400 and 900° C. Decomposition of the diamond particles at high temperature is avoided due to the low heat input of the laser process and the rapid cooling of the clad layer. Preferably the metal particles comprise copper, tin and titanium. Preferably the diamond particles comprise 30 to 50% by volume of the metal particles. Multiple of the layers can be formed on the substrate, although this is not preferred. Preferably the substrate is a white iron or a steel comprising 4% or less by weight of the carbon. Preferably the atmosphere is argon. Preferably particles are applied through moving a head or article which is robotically driven or a CNC controlled system, which head supplies the particles and the laser beam on the substrate in a continuous stream so that the layer is applied as adjacent overlapping lines on the substrate. 
   The present invention also relates to an apparatus for hard faced surface coating a ferrous metal substrate containing carbon which comprises: a first support means for holding the substrate; a supply means mounted on a second support means adjacent the first support means for supplying diamond particles with particles of a metal matrix onto the substrate in a heating zone which is heated by a laser beam to provide the heat, wherein the first and the second support means are adjacent to each other and moveable relative to each other and wherein in use the laser beam bonds the diamond particles onto the substrate at a temperature controlled so as to not degrade the diamond particles to provide the hard faced surface coating in the metal matrix as the hard faced surface coating. Preferably the first support means is moveable and mounts a head for supplying the laser beam and the particles and the second support means is fixed. Also the article can be moved relative to the laser beam. 
   The present invention also relates to an improvement in a pump comprising a rotatable fluid impeller and a housing supporting an impeller for rotation in the housing for the pumping, which comprises at least one surface inside of the pump with a hard faced surface coating which engages the fluid to be pumped, wherein the surface which is coated comprises a ferrous composition comprising carbon and wherein coating comprises a layer of a composition comprising diamond particles in a metal matrix which is bonded to the diamond particles, and wherein the layer is bonded to the substrate. Preferably a face of an inlet plate which diverts flow of the fluid to the impeller has the hard faced surface coating. Preferably the pump comprises a white cast iron. Preferably the housing, the impeller and a diverter plate in the inlet of the pump comprise the hard faced coating. The pump parts which are worn in use by abrasion can be hard coated and reused. The coating is also resistant to impact by particles in the fluid. 
   The present invention further relates to an improvement in a method of pumping a fluid containing abrasive particles, which comprises: providing a pump comprising a rotatable fluid impeller and a housing supporting the impeller for the rotation in the housing for pumping, wherein at least one surface in the pump which engages the fluid to be pumped has a hard faced surface coating, wherein the surface which is coated comprises a ferrous composition comprising carbon and wherein the coating comprises at least one layer of a composition comprising diamond particles and a metal matrix bonded to the diamond particles, and wherein the layer is bonded to the substrate; pumping the fluid in the pump, wherein the layer of the coating inhibits erosion by the abrasive particles. Most preferably the abrasive particles are in a tar sand which is transported in an aqueous solution from a mining site. Most preferably the pump comprises cast white iron on the surfaces in contact with the fluid and abrasive particles. Preferably portions of the housing, the impeller and a suction liner for an inlet of the pump comprise the hard face coating. 
   The present invention also relates to an improvement in a pumping system comprising a rotatable fluid impeller and a housing supporting the impeller for the rotation in the housing for pumping and piping, which comprises at least one surface inside of the pump and optionally portions of the piping in the system with a hard faced surface coating which engages the fluid to be pumped, wherein the surface which is coated comprises a ferrous composition comprising carbon and wherein coating comprises a layer of a composition comprising diamond particles in a metal matrix which is bonded to the diamond particle, and wherein the layer is bonded to the substrate. Preferably a face of an inlet plate which diverts flow of the fluid to the impeller has the hard faced surface coating. 
   The present invention also relates to an improvement in a method of pumping a fluid in a pumping system containing abrasive particles, which comprises: providing a pump in the pumping system with piping comprising a rotatable fluid impeller and a housing supporting an impeller for and optionally portions of piping in the system the rotation, wherein at least one surface in the pump and optionally portions of piping in the system which engages the fluid to be pumped has a hard faced surface coating, wherein the surface which is coated comprises a ferrous composition comprising carbon and wherein the coating comprises at least one layer of a composition comprising diamond particles and a metal matrix bonded to the diamond particles, and wherein the layer is bonded to the substrate; pumping the fluid in the pumping system, wherein the layer of the coating inhibits erosion by the abrasive particles. In the preferred use of the system the abrasive particles are in a tar sand which is transported in an aqueous solution from a mining site.  FIGS. 3 ,  4 ,  5  and  6  show the preferred pump and parts which are hard coated by the present invention. The dotted areas are the hard coatings. The process is effective at higher temperatures (more than 600° C.) because of the big heat sink of the ferrous metal parts and the comparable low heat input by the laser. Thus there is a rapid cooling for laser beam cladding. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES 
       FIG. 1  shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a preferred head or nozzle for delivering particles of the alloy and diamonds as well as a laser beam onto a ferrous substrate to produce a hard coating on the substrate. 
       FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view along line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  shows a pump impeller  100  with the hard faced coating (dots) on the edges of vanes  100 A (arrow). 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a hard coated suction liner  101  which optionally faces into an inlet of a pump. 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view showing a schematic of a pump housings  102  which has an inlet having the hard faced coating  102 A (dots). 
       FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of an assembled pump showing the parts of  FIGS. 3 to 5  in position in the pump. 
       FIG. 6A  shows piping to the pump with a diamond hard coating (dots). 
       FIG. 6B  is a perspective separated view of the pump  200  showing the position of the coated parts. 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view showing a hard coating apparatus used in the Examples. 
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a commercial conical nozzle  50  of the type shown in  FIG. 1 . The connectors are for cooling water  53 , powder and argon carrier gas  52  and extra gas shielding around the nozzle tip  51 . 
       FIG. 9  is a side view of overlapping layers  60  of the hard faced coating produced in the Examples. 
       FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a robotic apparatus with the nozzle of  FIG. 9  for coating the pump parts of  FIGS. 3 ,  4  and  5  for instance. 
       FIGS. 11A and 11B  are microscopic cross sections of a diamond hard coating with matrix material CuSn20Ti13 The diamonds show as black. The particles were natural diamond with a mesh size of about 100. 
       FIG. 12  is a microscopic plan view of a coating with spaces between the layers of the hard coating as an imperfection corrected by overlapping the layers as in  FIG. 9 . 
       FIG. 13  is a graph showing a progression over a period of several months of improved mean abrasion test results on various samples over time leading to the 0.02 mass loss with ASTM 65 which uses dry sand and a rubber wheel. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Apparatus 
   A preferred coating head is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,316,744. The apparatus is adapted to process diamond and matrix metal alloy particles. A housing which is formed from two parts  4 ,  5  is used, which parts are connected to one another by means of a screw thread  9 , with the possibility of fixing the parts in a specific position by means of an additional locking nut  10 . The screw thread  9  can be used to displace the two parts  4  and  5  of the housing relative to one another, resulting in telescopic displacement parallel to the longitudinal axis of a laser beam  7 . 
   Using a beam-guiding means and, if appropriate, also a beam-shaping unit (not shown here), the laser beam  7  can be directed through the housing part  4  onto the surface of a diagrammatically depicted workpiece. The focusing of the laser beam  7  is set in such a way that a specific beam spot size can be obtained on the surface of the workpiece, approximately corresponding to the size of a focal point of a hollow powder jet. As can be seen from  FIG. 1 , the focus of the laser beam  7  may also be arranged inside the housing of the machining head. 
   An inert gas can be guided through the housing part  4  onto the surface of the workpiece in addition to the laser beam  7 , which on the one hand allows improved cooling and on the other hand is able to prevent droplets which splash up from the surface from penetrating into the housing. 
   Both the part  4  and the part  5  of the housing are in this example designed with rotational symmetry about the longitudinal axis of the laser beam  7 . A turbulence chamber  1 , which surrounds the part  4  of the housing and into which radially opposite entry openings  11  lead in the upper area of the turbulence chamber  1 , is formed between part  4  and part  5  of the housing. A powder-gas flow can be guided into the turbulence chamber  1  through each of the entry openings  11 , and the powder components, which may be different, can be mixed inside the turbulence chamber  1 . The bottom part of the turbulence chamber  1  is of conically tapering design, and an angle of inclination of the cone which prevents powder particles from sticking to the inner wall should be selected. 
   In this embodiment, the turbulence chamber  1  leads into an inlet funnel  8 , in which, in turn, there are entry openings for stabilizing passages  2 . As can be seen from  FIG. 1 , the stabilizing passages  2  are aligned parallel to the longitudinal axis of the laser beam  7 , and as can be seen in particular in  FIG. 2 , they are arranged radially symmetrically over the circumference, with a constant distance between them. The powder together with the carrier gas then passes through the cylindrical stabilizing passages  2  into an annular gap  14  which tapers conically into the direction of the surface of the workpiece. The cone angle of the annular gap  14  should be selected here in such a way that the coaxial hollow powder jet which emerges from the annular gap  14  strikes the surface of the workpiece with a small diameter, preferably at its focal point. 
   On the housing part  4 , there is an exchangeable nozzle tip  6 , which in this case is connected to the housing part  4  by means of a screw thread. At least part of the outer circumferential surface of the nozzle tip  6  forms in this case the inner wall of the annular gap  14 . 
   On that side of the housing part  5  which faces the surface of the workpiece, a conical outer nozzle  3  is present or is formed. This outer nozzle  3  may also be an exchangeable design. The inner circumferential surface of the outer nozzle  3  then forms the outer wall of the annular gap  14 . This design makes it possible to vary the clear width of the annular gap  14  by suitably rotating the two housing parts  4  and  5 , resulting in a greater or lesser relative movement of the housing parts  4  and  5  with respect to the longitudinal axis of the laser beam  7  depending on the corresponding angle of rotation. 
   One or more cooling passages  12 ,  12 ′ and  13 , which are connected to one another and through which a cooling agent, preferably water, can pass in particular into the critical part of the machining head, are formed on the part  5  of the housing and, in addition, on the part  4 . The annular cooling passage  13  can cool in particular the inner part  4  with nozzle tip  6 . The cooling passage  12 ′ acts in particular on the area of the outer nozzle  3 . With this integrated cooling system, it is possible to readily deal with even the critical heating which is generated by prolonged use. 
   Process 
   A “matrix metal alloy” as used herein is one which is based upon a mixture of metals which metals melt at elevated temperatures, usually between about 400° to 900° C., without damaging the diamond particles, to produce the hard faced coating. Numerous metal alloys in this temperature range are available, such as shown in Table 1. 
                           TABLE 1                   Liquidus           Soldering process   temperature [° C.]   Materials                   Soft soldering   &lt;450   Zinc-, Lead- and Tin-               solder as well as Tin-               Lead-solder metals       Hard soldering   450 . . . 900   Silver-, Copper- and               Aluminum-basis solders       High temperature   &gt;900   Nickel-, Copper- and       soldering       noble metal solders                    
In the present invention the preferred metal alloy matrix is a mixture of copper (Cu) and tin (Sn).
 
   The pumps which are hard coated are preferably made of white iron castings because of durability and abrasion resistance. The problem is that the white iron alone is not sufficiently wear resistant when tar sands are being pumped. The term “white iron” refers to a relatively brittle cast iron that is essentially free of graphite where most of the carbon is present as hard F 3 C, referred to as cementite. White iron exhibits a white crystalline fractive surface because fracture occurs along the iron platelets. When heated over a long period of time, white iron becomes malleable iron where the F 3 C becomes iron with nodules of graphite. A typical composite of a high abrasive white iron is set forth in Table 2. Table 2 shows a typical composition of white iron which is a preferred substrate for hard coating. 
                                                                   TABLE 2               Fe   C   Mn   Si   P   S   Cr   Ni   Cu   Mo   Al   Mg   CE                   70.85   2.78   0.39   1.26   0.042   0.056   23.15   0.46   0.20   0.7781   N/A   0.259   N/A                    
Brinnel Hardness on 5 bars: 532, 532, 512, 555, 555
 
   EXAMPLES 
   A sideways positioned cladding unit cyclone (Fraunhofer IWS, Dresden Germany) as shown in  FIG. 7  was used in the Examples. The cyclone nozzle technical information is commercially available. The Technical Information is as follows: 
   Application Cyclone to alloy of two powders Optimal grain size 40 to 200 μm—other sizes are possible Recommended powder feeding rates 2 to 10 g/min to 1 kW laser power; 40 g/min to 3 kW laser power. Minimum powder focus approximately 3 to 6 mm. Distance nozzle working surface—13 mm. Nozzle tip changeable—diameter 1 to 3 mm (1 steps to 0.5 mm) possible. Maximum laser power—5 kW (diode laser). Higher laser power may decrease the long-term stability. Compatible laser—CO 2- , Nd: YAG-, diode laser. Dimensions—height: 100.0 mm minimum height without nozzle top; diameter: 50.0 mm. Connection—2 connections for powder feeding, inclined; 1 connection for inert gas, inclined; 2 connections for cooling water (flow by room temperature); All connections for flexible tube with 6 mm external diameter. Included in delivery—X-Y-Z positioning unit. 1 exchangeable nozzle tip couple. An added nozzle for a protection or non-reactive gas is used 
   The following specific Examples demonstrate a good bonding of the hard coating material to the substrate which is white iron, a good content and distribution of the diamonds in the coating and thus increased wear resistance.  FIGS. 11A and 11B  show a cross-section of the diamonds in CuSn20Ti13 metal matrix where the numbers are percentages by weight. The diamonds are natural and are 100 mesh size. A main objective of the Examples was to establish different laser parameters, cladding strategies to achieve strong bonding without damaging the diamond particles and to increase the wear resistance. The samples of  FIGS. 11A and 11B  met the requirements of the G65 wear test (ASTM). 
   Tests were performed to provide laser clad natural diamond particles in the copper-tin titanium matrix as shown in  FIGS. 11A and 11B . In these tests it was important to understand the performance of the coating and how it relates to the percentage of diamond content. The wear performance and bonding of the diamonds in the matrix is dependent on the fraction of diamonds in the coating, so this was evaluated on the white iron. 
   As shown in  FIG. 7 , the process was carried out with a 4.4 kW diode pumped Nd:YAG Rofin-Sinar (Hamburg, Germany) and the beam  21  was supplied to the work piece via a 400 micron fiber and a 200 mm collimator with 200 mm focus lens (not shown). The laser beam  21  had a vertical position. A powder nozzle  20  supplied the coating powder with Argon as conveying and shield gas. The powder nozzle was located off axis and in front of the position of the laser beam  21 . The direction of coating is left to right. The hard coating material was a mixture of the matrix material particles and the diamond particles. Argon gas was supplied by one or both gas supply nozzles  22 . 
   First, the heat input that was required to fully fuse the matrix to the diamond particles and to the substrate was determined. During the tests, the relative positioning of the coupons (substrate) and the laser beam focus was optimized. 
     FIG. 9  shows the resulting cladding or hard coating on coupons (substrate). The cladding direction was on the long and on the short axis. The desired coating layer has a height of at least 0.5 mm. 
   Results 
   The following Table 3 shows the cladding parameters and for coupons  1  to  4 . The matrix material was preferably pre-screened (100 mesh) to improve the powder flow through the nozzle  21 . So called “pulsing” occurs when the powder is blown into the melt pool. Pulsing causes unstable flow conditions and thus inhomogeneous cladding results. The layer height is particularly affected. This problem could be reduced by using this screening. 
   Another problem is the shield gas (argon) supply. For this tests  2  additional gas supply nozzles  22 , one in front and one behind the laser beam were used. The shield gas supply was through the powder nozzle  20  as well as the carrier gas for the diamond particles. Thus oxidation of the coating was mainly avoided. However, the front (left) nozzle has some influence on the powder flow in the melt pool and makes the process unstable. Therefore this nozzle was removed in later tests which solved this problem. 
   The layer height of each coupon was measured before and after cladding. From Table 1 it was learned that the height depends on the powder mass flow which is set by the rotation speed for the diamonds and the alloy powder inside of the powder nozzle  20 . 
                                                                                       TABLE 3                           Laser: Nd:YAG (400 μm fiber, Focus distance 205 mm, Spot size 3~4 mm           Alloy: CuSn20Ti13 premixed, 100-325 mesh size screened           Diamond: natural diamonds mesh size 100           Double sided shield gas           Substrate: White iron, thickness 11.40 mm                    Rotation   Rotation           Hatch           Thickness   Diamond   Alloy   Power   F   distance           [mm]   [rpm]   [rpm]   [W]   [mm/min]   [mm]                        Coupon 1   After layer 1:   1   2.5   1800   370   2           12.6           After layer 2:   1   2.5   1800   370   2           13.4       Coupon 2   After layer 1:   1.5   2.5   1700   370   2           13.0           After layer 2:   1.5   2.5   1700   370   2           14.0       Coupon 3   After layer 1:   1   2.5   1800   370   2           12.8           After layer 2:   1   2.5   1800   370   2           13.5       Coupon 4   After layer 1:   1.5   2.5   1700   370   2           12.8           After layer 2:   1.5   2.5   1700   370   2           14.3                    
The results of a wear test with ASTM procedure “A” are shown in Table 4 (for coupon # 3  which was the best).
 
   
     
       
             
           
             
           
             
           
             
             
             
           
         
             
               TABLE 4 
             
             
                 
             
             
               DRY SAND/RUBBER WHEEL WEAR TEST 
             
             
               ASTM G 65 PROCEDURE “A” 
             
             
                 
             
           
           
             
                 
             
           
        
         
             
               Periodic Re-qualification of Apparatus 
             
             
               NBS Standard Reference Material 1857 Abrasive Wear Standard D-2 
             
             
               Tool Steel SN: 430B 
             
             
               Requirement: 0.324 g ± 0.030 g loss 
             
             
               Actual: 0.310 g 
             
             
                 
             
           
        
         
             
               TEST DATA 
             
           
        
         
             
                 
               Location 
               Conditioned Surface 
             
             
                 
                 
             
             
                 
               Initial Mass (g) 
               171.339 
             
             
                 
               Final Mass (g) 
               171.220 
             
             
                 
               Mass Loss (g) 
               0.119 
             
             
                 
               G65 results coupon #3 
             
             
                 
                 
             
           
        
       
     
   
   The hatch distance has important influence on the G65 results.  FIG. 12  shows a ground coupon (from ASTM 65) that was made with a hatch distance of 2 mm (same as in Table 2). The result of the G65 abrasive wear test for coupon  3  is shown in Table 3. The total mass loss was far too high, since the goal is 0.05 g or less. One reason was the hatch distance. The material was washed out in between the single tracks. The phenomena is clearly visible in  FIG. 12 . The overlap is not enough. Therefore this parameter was changed to 1 mm and is shown in  FIG. 9 . 
   Another problem that occurred was delamination of the first layer to the substrate and of the second layer to first layer where samples were double layer cladded. The reason was found to be in the diamond content in the layer. More delamination occurs with a higher diamond content. These observation were applied for cracking as well. 
   Tables 5 and 6 show the results with Coupons # 5  to # 9  using the single gas nozzle  22 . The mass loss was 0.033 for Coupon # 6  which was much better than the goal of 0.05. 
                                                                                                       TABLE 5                   Diamond Cladding,       February 2005       Laser: Nd:YAG (400 μm fiber, Focus distance 205 mm, Spot size 3~4 mm)       Alloy: CuSn20Ti13 premixed, 100-325 mesh size screened       Diamond: natural diamonds       Z focus = 205 mm       One side shield gas       Substrate: White iron, thickness 11.40 mm                    Rotation   Rotation           Hatch               Thickness   Diamond   Alloy   Power   F   distance           [mm]   [rpm]   [rpm]   [W]   [mm/min]   [mm]               Coupon 5   After   2   3   2.3   700   1   Short           layer 1:                       axis           12.9       Coupon 6   After   3   3   2.3   700   1   Short           layer 1:                       axis           13.0       Coupon 7   After   4   3   2.2   700   1   Short           layer 1:                       axis           13.2       Coupon 8   Thick   3   3   2.2   650   1   50%           uneven                       100 m       Coupon 9   Thick   3   4   2.2   650   1   50%           uneven                       100 m                    Powder feed rates                Diamond       Alloy                    Rpm   g/min   Rpm   g/min                       1   1.1   1   2           2   2   2   3.8           3   2.8   3   5.4                   4   7.4                        
The samples were also wear tested as shown in Table 6 for Coupon # 6   
   
     
       
             
           
             
             
           
             
           
             
             
             
           
         
             
               TABLE 6 
             
             
                 
             
             
               DRY SAND/RUBBER WHEEL WEAR 
             
             
               TEST ASTM g 65 PROCEDURE “A” 
             
             
                 
             
           
           
             
                 
             
           
        
         
             
                 
               Periodic Re-qualification of Apparatus - Date Mar. 9, 2005 
             
             
                 
               NBS Standard Reference Material 1857 
             
             
                 
               Abrasive Wear Standard D-2 Tool Steel SN: 430B 
             
             
                 
               Requirement 0.324 g ± 0.030 g loss 
             
             
                 
               Actual 0.304 g 
             
             
                 
                 
             
           
        
         
             
               TEST DATA 
             
           
        
         
             
                 
               Location 
               Surface 
             
             
                 
                 
             
             
                 
               Initial Mass (g) 
               172.885 
             
             
                 
               Final Mass (g) 
               172.852 
             
             
                 
               Mass Loss (g) 
               0.033 
             
             
                 
               G65 results coupon #6 
             
             
                 
                 
             
           
        
       
     
   
   Additional experiments were performed as follows: 
   Laser 
   
       
       Laser: Nd:YAG (400 μm fiber, working distance 221 mm).
 
Material
 
       Alloy: CuSn20Ti13 premixed, 100-325 mesh size screened. Drying at 60 Celsius under Argon atmosphere. Diamond: natural diamonds, mesh 200-230 (MANT). 
     
  
                                                       Powder hopper disk rotation speed versus measured powder       mass flow for two materials            Diamond   Alloy            Rotation   Powder mass   Rotation Alloy   Powder mass       Diamond [rpm]   flow diamond   [rpm]   flow Alloy               1   1.4   1   2.2       2   2.2   2   3.8       3   3.4   3   5.8                    
Nozzle
     Nozzle orifice=1.7 mm (measured)   Nozzle distance to spot center about 15 mm (measured with nozzle master)
 
Position Unit
   X=+6   Y=middle   Z=24.5
 
Gas Parameter:
   Ar+ pressure bottle 20 psi   Flow meter shield gas nozzle: 4 (full open)   Flow meter shield gas nozzle behind  20  (nozzle 5 mm above surface)   Table 7 shows the results of further refinement of the process for Coupons  10  to  23 .   
   
     
       
             
           
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
           
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
           
         
             
               TABLE 7 
             
           
           
             
                 
             
             
               Cladding white iron coupons 
             
             
               Substrate: White iron, thickness 11.40 mm 
             
           
        
         
             
                 
                 
               Rotation 
               Rotation 
                 
                 
               Hatch 
                 
                 
             
             
                 
               Thickness 
               Diamond 
               Alloy 
               Power 
               F 
               distance 
             
             
                 
               [mm] 
               [rpm] 
               [rpm] 
               [W] 
               [mm/min] 
               [mm] 
                 
               G65 
             
             
                 
                 
             
           
        
         
             
               Coupon 
               1-1.2 
               2 
               3 
               1500 
               700 
               1.7 
               Short axis 
                 
             
             
               10 
             
             
               Coupon 
               1-1.2 
               2 
               3 
               1500 
               700 
               1.7 
               Short axis 
             
             
               11 
             
             
               Coupon 
               1-1.2 
               2 
               3 
               1500 
               700 
               1.7 
               Short axis 
               0.032 
             
             
               12 
             
             
               Coupon 
               1-1.2 
               2 
               3 
               1500 
               700 
               1.7 
               Short axis 
             
             
               13 
             
             
               Coupon 
               1.5 
               3 
               3 
               1500 
               700 
               1.7 
               Short axis 
             
             
               14 
                 
                 
                 
                 
                 
                 
               delamination 
             
             
               Coupon 
               1.5 
               3 
               3 
               1600 
               700 
               1.7 
               Short axis 
               0.078 
             
             
               15 
             
             
               Coupon 
               1.2 
               2.5 
               3 
               1700 
               700 
               1.6 
               Short axis 
               0.02 
             
             
               16 
             
             
               Coupon 
               1.2 
               2.5 
               3 
               1700 
               700 
               1.6 
               Short axis 
             
             
               17 
             
             
               Coupon 
               1 
               2.5 
               2.5 
               1700 
               700 
               1.5 
               Long axis 
               0.051 
             
             
               18 
             
             
               Coupon 
               1 
               2.5 
               2 
               1600 
               700 
               1.5 
               Long axis 
               0.03 
             
             
               19 
             
             
               Coupon 
               1 
               3 
               2.5 
               1600 
               700 
               1.6 
               Long axis 
               0.056 
             
             
               20 
             
             
               Coupon 
               1 
               3 
               2.5 
               1600 
               700 
               1.6 
               Short axis 
               0.053 
             
             
               21 
             
             
               Coupon 
               1 
               3 
               2.5 
               1600 
               700 
               1.6 
               Short axis 
             
             
               22 
             
             
               Coupon 
               1 
               3 
               2.5 
               1600 
               700 
               1.6 
               Short axis 
             
             
               23 
             
             
                 
             
           
        
       
     
   
   The G65 results for Coupon  16  are more than double the goal of 0.05 mass loss.  FIG. 13  shows the comparative G65 test results for various of the coupons. A comparison of the wear test results over several months is shown in  FIG. 13 . The coatings were improved in order to reach well beyond the goal of 0.05 g mass loss for use in the tar sand pump. 
   Pumps 
     FIG. 10  shows hard coating of an inlet suction liner  101  ( FIG. 4 ) inlet of a pump using a robotic system  200 . The outer diameter of the liner is 54 inches (134 cm) and the mass is 1.5 tons (1455 kg). This is a significant wear area in the pump of  FIG. 6  as is the inlet pipe  202  of  FIG. 6A . The separated pump parts are shown in  FIG. 6B . 
   High productivity requires an appropriate robotic cladding unit and sufficient laser beam power; and capabilities to handle large and complex parts. For the pump impeller  100  ( FIG. 3 ), and suction liner  101  ( FIG. 4 ), and housing  102  ( FIG. 5 ) the apparatus is robot system with a combined rotation axes ( FIG. 10 ). Powder nozzles ( FIG. 8 ) with the laser beam can be tilted to accommodate the article which in this case is a pump suction liner. This apparatus is essential for hard coating the impeller  100 . This provides a solution for the suction liners  101  as well as impellers  100  and housings  102  in pumps as in  FIGS. 3 to 5 .  FIG. 6  shows the pump  200  with pumping for the outlet in a system  201  and the inlet  202 . The inlet and outlet pipes  201  and  202  to the pump of  FIG. 6  are shown.  FIGS. 6A and 6B  show a coating around the inlet and outlet. The preferred horizontal slurry pumps are Weir Minerals (includes WARMAN) Weir Netherlands BV, the Netherlands, GIW Industries, Grovetown, Ga. and Sulzer Chemtech, Winterthur, Switzerland. 
   A coaxial cladding unit (Koax 8, Fraunhofer IWS, Dresden, Germany) such as shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  8  can be used to coat the pump parts. For this unit: Optimal grain size—20 to 150 μm—other sizes are possible. Recommended powder feeding rates 2 to 10 g/min. The named rates refer to 1 kW laser power. Higher values are possible. Minimum powder focus—approximately 1.0 to 2 mm. distance nozzle—working surface—13 mm. Maximum power—4 kW (diode laser) higher laser power may decrease the long-term stability. Compatible laser —CO 2 , Nd:YAG, diode laser. Dimensions—height: 80.0 mm; diameter: 78.0 mm. Note—The named values are recommendations, for which the cladding unit was optimized. Deviating values may possible but can harm the unit. Connection—4 connections for powder feeding, inclined; 1 connection for inert gas, inclined; 2 connections for cooling water (flow by room temperature); all connections for flexible tube with 6 mm external diameter. Included in delivery—X-Y-Z positioning unit; exchangeable flange for different focus distance; 1 exchangeable nozzle tip couple (water cooling also in the exchangeable nozzle tip). 
   It is intended that the foregoing description be only illustrative of the present invention and that the present invention be limited only by the hereinafter appended claims.