Material obtained by compaction and densification of metallic powder(s)

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019009331-A1
Application number	US-201616064314-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 18, 2016
Priority date	Dec 21, 2015
Publication date	Jan 10, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

The invention relates to a compacted and densified metal material comprising one or more phases formed of an agglomerate of grains, the cohesion of the material being provided by bridges formed between grains, said material having a relative density higher than or equal to 95% and preferably higher than or equal to 98%.

First claim

1 : A compacted and densified metallic material comprising one or more phases formed of an agglomerate of grains, wherein cohesion of the material is provided by bridges formed between grains, said material having a relative density greater than or equal to 95%, the external surface of the grains having an irregular random shape comprising hollows and peaks.

2 : The material according to claim 1 , wherein the phase or phases comprise at least one element selected from the group consisting of Ni, Cu, Zn, Ti, Al, Fe, Cr, Co, V, Zr, Nb, Mo, Pd, Ag, Ta, W, Pt, Au and alloys thereof.

3 : The material according to claim 1 , wherein the grains have different sizes and wherein the grain size distribution varies from 1 to at least 4.

4 : The material according to claim 1 , wherein the material comprises at least two phases and wherein a difference in grain size distribution between the at least two phases is at least a factor of 4.

5 : The material according to claim 1 , comprising three phases, a first phase comprising nickel, a second phase comprising bronze, and a third phase comprising brass.

6 : The material according to claim 5 , wherein a mass fraction of the first phase is between 3 and 40%, a mass fraction of the second phase is between 2 and 20%, and a mass fraction of the third phase corresponds to a remaining percentage, such that a total mass fraction of the first, second and third phases sums to 100%.

7 : A component comprising a compacted and densified metallic material comprising one or more phases formed of an agglomerate of rains, wherein cohesion of the material is provided by bridges formed between grains, said material having a relative density greater than or equal to 95%, the external surface of the mains having an irregular random shape comprising hollows and peaks.

8 : The component according to claim 7 , wherein the component is a horological component.

9 . (canceled)

10 : A method for making a material by powder metallurgy, comprising:
compacting one or more metallic powders having grains with a random irregular shape including hollows and peaks, to form a compacted assembly, in which the grains are bound to each other by entanglement of their respective hollows and peaks, to form an intermediate product in the form of an agglomerate exclusively comprised of metallic powder grains, and densifying by impact the agglomerate at a temperature below the melting temperature of the powder having the lowest melting temperature, the assembly being brought to said temperature, prior to or during densification, for a time between 3 and 30 minutes.

11 : The method according to claim 10 , further comprising mixing the powder or powders prior to compaction.

12 : The method according to claim 10 , wherein the powder or powders are one or more selected from the group consisting of the following pure metals: Ni, Cu, Zn, Ti, Al, Fe, Cr, Co, V, Zr, Nb, Mo, Pd, Ag, Ta, W, Pt, Au and alloys thereof.

13 : The method according to claim 10 , wherein the powder or powders have grains of different sizes and wherein the grain size distribution varies from 1 to at least 4.

14 : The method according to claim 10 , wherein the material comprises at least two phases and wherein a difference in grain size distribution between the at least two phases is at least a factor of 4.

15 : The method according to claim 10 , wherein at least two powders of different compositions are compacted.

16 : The method according to claim 11 , wherein the material comprises at least two phases and wherein the difference in grain size distribution between the at least two phases is at least a factor of 4.

17 : The method according to claim 10 , wherein three powders are compacted, a first powder being a nickel powder, a second powder being a brass powder and a third powder being a bronze powder.

18 : The method according to claim 17 , wherein the percentage of nickel powder is between 3 and 40%, the percentage of bronze powder is between 2 and 20%, and the percentage of brass powder corresponds to a remaining percentage, such that a total percentage of the nickel powder, bronze powder, and brass powder sums to 100%; the percentages being expressed by weight.

19 : The method according to claim 17 , wherein the Cu and Zn content of the brass powder is 60% and 40% respectively and wherein the Cu and Sn content of the bronze powder is 90% and 10% respectively.

20 : The method according to claim 15 , wherein the densification by impact is performed at a temperature greater than or equal to 500° C.

21 : The method according to claim 10 , wherein the compaction is cold compaction.

22 : The method according to claim 10 , wherein the number of impacts during densification is between 1 and 50 with an energy between 500 and 2000 J.

Assignees

• Eta Sa Mft Horlogere Suisse

Inventors

• Eichenberger Jean-Claude
• Tran Hung Quoc

Classifications

• C22C1/0425

  Copper-based alloys · CPC title

• C22C9/02

  with tin as the next major constituent · CPC title

• B22F2301/15

  Nickel or cobalt · CPC title

• B22F1/0014

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B22F3/02 Primary

  Compacting only · CPC title