Claims
- 1. A method for making an aluminum alloy substrate that makes repeated contact with consumable materials more wear resistant, said method comprising:
applying at least about 0.005 inch thick coating of an amorphous composition to only certain portions, but not all, of the substrate that contacts with said consumable materials.
- 2. The method of claim 1 wherein said substrate is substantially planar.
- 3. The method of claim 2 wherein said substrate includes one or more curved regions.
- 4. The method of claim 3 wherein said substrate is made from a 5000 Series aluminum alloy (Aluminum Association designation).
- 5. The method of claim 4 wherein said 5000 Series alloy is 5083 or 5454 aluminum (Aluminum Association designation).
- 6. The method of claim 1 wherein said amorphous composition is applied to certain portions of said substrate after it has been shaped into a consumable materials transportation product.
- 7. The method of claim 6 wherein said transportation product is selected from the group consisting of a dump trailer body, railcar, light truck bed, barge, intermodal container, trash hauler/hopper and a livestock trailer/railcar bed.
- 8. The method of claim 1 wherein said amorphous composition is a mixture having a metal-based component.
- 9. The method of claim 8 wherein said metal-based component is a steel alloy.
- 10. The method of claim 9 wherein said steel alloy is stainless steel.
- 11. The method of claim 8 wherein said metal-based component is an aluminum alloy.
- 12. The method of claim 8 wherein said metal-based component is a blend of steel and aluminum.
- 13. The method of claim 1 wherein said amorphous composition includes polytetrafluoroethylene or a derivative thereof.
- 14. The method of claim 1 wherein said amorphous composition is a mixture containing a polyethylene component.
- 15. The method of claim 1 wherein said substrate consists of treadplate.
- 16. The method of claim 1 wherein said amorphous composition is thermally sprayed onto certain portions of said substrate by a process selected from the group consisting of: electric arc, flame combustion and plasma arc spraying.
- 17. The method of claim 1 wherein said substrate is pretreated prior to said amorphous composition being applied thereto.
- 18. The method of claim 1 wherein said amorphous composition is applied to certain portions of said substrate at a thickness of about 0.025 inch or less.
- 19. The method of claim 1 wherein said amorphous composition is applied to said substrate at varying thicknesses across the length and/or width of said substrate.
- 20. The method of claim 1 wherein said amorphous composition is a blend containing an iron-based wire.
- 21. The method of claim 20 wherein said amorphous composition is a blend containing a chromium carbide wire.
- 22. The method of claim 1 wherein said substrate has a first area onto which a first amorphous composition is applied and a second area onto which a second amorphous composition is applied.
- 23. A method for making an aluminum alloy-based, materials transportation product more wear resistant to repeated impaction, said transportation product selected from the group consisting of a dump trailer body, railcar, light truck bed, barge, intermodal container, trash hauler/hopper and a livestock trailer/railcar bed, said method comprising:
thermally spraying at least about 0.005 inch thick coating of an amorphous composition onto only certain portions, but not all, of the materials-contacting areas for said transportation product, said composition including an iron-based, chromium carbide component.
- 24. The method of claim 23 wherein said amorphous composition further contains a component selected from the group consisting of: stainless steel, aluminum alloy, polytetrafluoroethylene or its derivative, a polyethylene and combinations thereof.
- 25. The method of claim 23 wherein said thermal spraying is performed by a process selected from the group consisting of: electric arc, flame combustion and plasma arc spraying.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 09/347,040, filed on Jul. 2, 1999, which claimed the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/091,615, filed on Jul. 2, 1998, both disclosures of which are fully incorporated by reference herein.
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60091615 |
Jul 1998 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09347040 |
Jul 1999 |
US |
Child |
09795207 |
Feb 2001 |
US |