Aluminum and aluminum alloy electroplated coatings

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023392275-A1
Application number	US-202318144482-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 8, 2023
Priority date	Apr 30, 2020
Publication date	Dec 7, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

In certain aspects, a coated steel substrate comprises a single or multiple-layer electroplated aluminum coating over a steel substrate. The multiple-layer electroplated aluminum coating comprises one or more porous layers and one or more compact layers. The one or more porous layers comprise a material selected from a group consisting of aluminum and aluminum alloys. The one or more compact layers comprise a material selected from a group consisting of aluminum and aluminum alloys. In certain aspects, a method of depositing a multiple-layer aluminum coating over a steel substrate includes electroplating one or more porous aluminum layers over the steel substrate. The one or more porous aluminum layers comprise a material selected from a group consisting of aluminum and aluminum alloys. One or more compact aluminum layers are electroplated over the steel substrate. The one or more compact aluminum layers comprise a material selected from a group consisting of aluminum and aluminum alloys.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A coated steel substrate, comprising:
a steel substrate; and a multiple-layer electroplated aluminum coating over the steel substrate, the multiple-layer electroplated aluminum coating comprising at least one porous layer and at least one compact layer, the at least one porous layer comprising a material selected from a group consisting of aluminum and aluminum alloys and the at least one compact layer comprising a material selected from a group consisting of aluminum and aluminum alloys.

2 . The coated steel substrate of claim 1 , wherein the at least one porous layer has a plurality of pores having a pore size of about 2 μm or more and wherein the at least one compact layer has a plurality of pores having a pore size of about 0.2 μm or less.

3 . The coated steel substrate of claim 1 , wherein the at least one porous layer has a thickness from about 0.3 μm to about 3 μm and the at least one compact layer has a thickness from about 0.3 μm to about 3 μm.

4 . The coated steel substrate of claim 1 , wherein the multiple-layer electroplated aluminum coating comprises from one to fifty porous layers and from one to fifty compact layers.

5 . The coated steel substrate of claim 1 , wherein the multiple-layer electroplated aluminum coating is configured to provide sacrificial corrosion protection of over 1,000 hrs under ASTM B 117.

6 . The coated steel substrate of claim 1 , wherein the multiple-layer electroplated aluminum coating passes a hydrogen embrittlement (HE) test performed according to ASTM F 519 using Type 1a.1 specimens having a notch.

7 . The coated steel substrate of claim 1 , wherein the multiple-layer electroplated aluminum coating provides sacrificial corrosion protection to the steel substrate in neutral water and in salt water.

8 . The coated steel substrate of claim 1 , wherein multiple-layer electroplated aluminum coating comprises a total thickness of about 10 μm to about 40 μm.

9 . A coated steel substrate, comprising:
a high strength steel substrate; and a multiple-layer electroplated aluminum coating over the steel substrate, the multiple-layer electroplated aluminum coating comprising at least one porous layer and at least one compact layer, the at least one porous layer comprising a material selected from a group consisting of aluminum and aluminum alloys, and the at least one compact layer comprising a material selected from a group consisting of aluminum and aluminum alloys, wherein the at least one porous layer has a plurality of pores having a pore size of about 2 μm or more and wherein the at least one compact layer has a plurality of pores having a pore size of about 0.2 μm or less, wherein the at least one porous layer has a thickness from about 0.3 μm to about 3 μm and the at least one compact layer has a thickness from about 0.3 μm to about 3 μm.

10 . The coated steel substrate of claim 16 , wherein the multiple-layer electroplated aluminum coating is configured to provide sacrificial corrosion protection of over 1,000 hrs under ASTM B 117.

11 . The coated steel substrate of claim 16 , wherein the multiple-layer electroplated aluminum coating passes a hydrogen embrittlement (HE) test performed according to ASTM F 519 using Type 1a.1 specimens having a notch.

12 . The coated steel substrate of claim 16 , wherein the at least one porous layer is electroplated by direct current and wherein the at least one compact layer is electroplated by pulsed current, wherein the multiple-layer electroplated aluminum coating is configured to provide corrosion resistance to the steel substrate in neutral water and in salt water.

13 . The coated steel substrate of claim 16 , wherein the multiple layer aluminum coating has a thickness from about 10 μm to about 40 μm and provides sacrificial corrosion protection.

14 . A component, comprising:
a substrate; an electroplated aluminum coating disposed over the substrate, wherein:
the electroplated aluminum coating is a multiple layer aluminum coating comprising at least one porous layer and at least one compact layer, the at least one porous layer comprising a plurality of pores having a pore size of about 2 μm or more and the at least one compact layer comprising a plurality of pores having a pore size of about 2 μm or less, and
the aluminum coating comprises a total thickness of about 10 μm to about 40 μm.

15 . The component of claim 14 , wherein the substrate is a steel substrate selected from the group consisting of low-carbon steel, medium-carbon steel, high-carbon steel, low-alloy steel, high-alloy steel, and combinations thereof.

16 . The component claim 15 , wherein the electroplated aluminum coating comprises from one to fifty porous layers and from one to fifty compact layers.

17 . The component of claim 16 , wherein the at least one porous layer has a thickness from about 0.3 μm to about 3 μm and the at least one compact layer has a thickness from about 0.3 μm to about 3 μm.

18 . The component of claim 17 , wherein the electroplated aluminum coating is configured to provide sacrificial corrosion protection of over 1,000 hrs under ASTM B 117.

19 . The component of claim 18 , wherein the electroplated aluminum coating passes a hydrogen embrittlement (HE) test performed according to ASTM F 519 using Type 1a.1 specimens having a notch.

20 . The component of claim 19 , wherein the substrate is a part of any one or more of an aircraft, a spacecraft, a water-craft, a land vehicle, an engine, a propulsion structure, a space re-entry vehicle, a power-generation turbine, or any other metal component.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Ijeri Vijaykumar S
• Prakash Om
• Gaydos Stephen P

Classifications

• Y10T428/12764

  Next to Al-base component · CPC title

• C25D3/44 Primary

  Aluminium · CPC title

• C25D3/665

  from ionic liquids · CPC title

• C25D7/00

  Electroplating characterised by the article coated · CPC title

• C25D5/623

  Porosity of the layers · CPC title