Tool system for resisting abrasive wear of a ground engaging tool of an agricultural implement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9699947-B2
Application number	US-201213706845-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 6, 2012
Priority date	Dec 7, 2011
Publication date	Jul 11, 2017
Grant date	Jul 11, 2017

Abstract

A tool system is provided for resisting abrasive wear of a ground-engaging tool of an agricultural implement during a crop production procedure. The tool system may include a tool for engaging an agricultural field while performing crop production procedure and that defines a main segment and a cutting segment having a working edge covered by a nanostructure coating. The cutting segment may include multiple wear zones with multiple working edges, respectively, covered by nanostructure coatings which may have different thicknesses.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method of using a wear resistant ground engaging tool comprising:
applying a first nanostructure coating to a first working edge at a first wear zone defined upon a tool having a metallic parent material of a first color by way of a non-thermal procedure so that the metallic parent material of the tool avoids undergoing temperature-induced characteristic changes while applying the first nanostructure coating, the first nanostructure coating having a generally uniform thickness, being a second color different from the first color and including nanostructures providing a greater hardness value at the first working edge of the tool than at a mounting portion of the tool that is spaced from the first working edge of the tool, wherein the first wear zone is arranged at one of an upwardly facing segment and a downwardly facing segment of the tool;
applying a second nanostructure coating to a second working edge at a second wear zone defined upon the tool such that the second nanostructure coating is separated from the first nanostructure by a portion of an outer surface of the ground engaging tool free of a nanostructure coating and including a plurality of surface irregularities to visually distinguish the portion free of the nanostructure coating from the first nanostructure coating applied to the first working edge and from the second nanostructure coating applied to the second working edge such that the portion of the outer surface of the ground engaging tool free of the nanostructure coating surrounds the second nanostructure coating, the second nanostructure coating being discontinuous with the first nanostructure coating and having a generally uniform thickness which differs from the thickness of the first nanostructure coating, wherein the second wear zone is arranged at the other one of the upwardly facing segment and the downwardly segment of the tool so that the first and second nanostructures coatings define different thicknesses at upwardly and downwardly facing segments of the tool;
attaching the tool to an agricultural implement by engaging the mounting portion of the tool with a tool support of the agricultural implement;
visually inspecting the first working edge of the tool to determine a worn condition, the worn condition being defined by at least a portion of the first wear zone having a color that is visually indistinguishable from the first color of the parent material of the tool; and
removing the tool from the tool support of the agricultural implement for reapplication of the first nanostructure coating in response to a determination that the first working edge of the tool is in the worn condition.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising applying more layers of a nanostructure coating material at the second wear zone so as to provide the second nanostructure coating at the second wear zone that is thicker than the first nanostructure coating at the first wear zone and wherein at least one of the first and second nanostructures coatings includes carbon nanotubes.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein at least two layers of the nanostructure coating is applied to the first working edge of the first wear zone and wherein at least three layers of the nanostructure coating are applied to the second working edge at the second wear zone.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the second nanostructure coating is the second color and is visually distinguishable from first color of the parent material of the tool.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising the additional step of visually inspecting the second working edge of the tool to determine a second worn condition, the second worn condition being defined by at least a portion of the second wear zone being a color that is visually indistinguishable from the first color of the parent material of the tool.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of removing the tool from the tool support of the agricultural implement includes the additional step of reapplying the second nanostructure coating to the second wear zones of the tool in response to a determination that the second working edge of the tool is in the second worn condition.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
engaging an agricultural field with the tool;
removing the tool from the agricultural implements; and
reapplying the first nanostructure coating covering the first working edge of the tool.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the tool includes a main segment having an outer surface defined by the metallic parent material and a cutting segment connected to the main segment and at which the first working edge of the tool is defined, and wherein the method further includes removing the cutting segment from the main segment and reapplying the first nanostructure coating to the cutting segment of the tool without applying the first nanostructure coating to the main segment of the tool.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the tool includes a main segment having an outer surface defined by exposed metallic parent material and a cutting segment connected to the main segment and at which the first working edge of the tool is defined and the first nanostructure coating is arranged, the first nanostructure coating defining a coating surface that is at least as smooth as the exposed metallic parent material at the outer surface of the main segment.

Assignees

• Cnh America Llc
• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• Wendte Keith W
• Meiners Tracey D
• Zemenchik Robert A

Classifications

• A01C5/062

  Devices for making drills or furrows · CPC title

• Y10T29/49885

  with coating before or during assembling · CPC title

• Y10S977/902

  Specified use of nanostructure · CPC title

• A01B15/18 Primary

  Coulters · CPC title

• A01B35/20 Primary

  Tools; Details · CPC title