A method for making a braking band of a cast iron brake disc with increased resistance to wear and corrosion, may have the following steps: a) making a braking band of a brake disc of cast iron, preferably gray cast iron; b) immersing at least partially the braking band in molten aluminum maintained at a predetermined temperature so that the molten aluminum covers at least a predetermined surface region of the braking band. Forming intermetallic iron-aluminum compounds at a surface layer of the braking band and generating a layer having of intermetallic iron-aluminum compounds in the predetermined surface region of the braking band. The method may also have the steps of c) extracting the braking band from the molten aluminum; and d) removing the aluminum remaining adherent on the braking band after extraction to expose the layer of intermetallic iron-aluminum compounds on the surface.

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for passively cooling water vapor to enable efficient condensation, and methods of making such systems. A passive cooler can include a thermally conductive substrate having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, a coating disposed on at least a portion of the first side of the substrate, and a housing having one or more insulative walls. The insulative walls may define a vapor flow channel from an inlet to an outlet of the housing such that the second side of the substrate is exposed to water vapor flowing through the vapor flow channel.

A system may include an energy delivery device and a computing device. The computing device may be configured to: control the energy delivery device to deliver energy to an abrasive coating, wherein the abrasive coating comprises a metal matrix and abrasive particles at least partially encapsulated by the metal matrix; and control the energy delivery device to scan the energy across a surface of the abrasive coating and form a series of softened or melted portions of the metal matrix.

A system may include an energy delivery device and a computing device. The computing device may be configured to: control the energy delivery device to deliver energy to an abrasive coating, wherein the abrasive coating comprises a metal matrix and abrasive particles at least partially encapsulated by the metal matrix; and control the energy delivery device to scan the energy across a surface of the abrasive coating and form a series of softened or melted portions of the metal matrix.

A surface-treated steel sheet for a battery container includes a steel sheet, an iron-nickel diffusion layer formed on the steel sheet, and a nickel layer foamed on the iron-nickel diffusion layer and constituting the outermost layer. When the Fe intensity and the Ni intensity are continuously measured from the surface of the surface-treated steel sheet for a battery container along the depth direction with a high frequency glow discharge optical emission spectrometric analyzer, the thickness of the iron-nickel diffusion layer being the difference (D2−D1) between the depth (D1) at which the Fe intensity exhibits a first predetermined value and the depth (D2) at which the Ni intensity exhibits a second predetermined value is 0.04 to 0.31 μm; and the total amount of the nickel contained in the iron-nickel diffusion layer and the nickel contained in the nickel layer is 10.8 to 26.7 g/m2.

A surface-treated steel sheet for a battery container includes a steel sheet, an iron-nickel diffusion layer formed on the steel sheet, and a nickel layer foamed on the iron-nickel diffusion layer and constituting the outermost layer. When the Fe intensity and the Ni intensity are continuously measured from the surface of the surface-treated steel sheet for a battery container along the depth direction with a high frequency glow discharge optical emission spectrometric analyzer, the thickness of the iron-nickel diffusion layer being the difference (D2−D1) between the depth (D1) at which the Fe intensity exhibits a first predetermined value and the depth (D2) at which the Ni intensity exhibits a second predetermined value is 0.04 to 0.31 μm; and the total amount of the nickel contained in the iron-nickel diffusion layer and the nickel contained in the nickel layer is 10.8 to 26.7 g/m2.

A method for forming a self-forming barrier in a feature of a substrate is provided, including the following operations: depositing a metallic liner in the feature of the substrate, the metallic liner being deposited over a dielectric of the substrate; depositing a zinc-containing precursor over the metallic liner; performing a thermal soak of the substrate; repeating the depositing of the zinc-containing precursor and the thermal soak of the substrate for a predefined number of cycles; wherein the method forms a zinc-containing barrier layer at an interface between the metallic liner and the dielectric.

A method for improving the surface of an aluminum alloy article includes manufacturing the aluminum alloy article using an additive manufacturing technique, wherein the article as-manufactured includes one or more of cracks, roughness, or porosity at a surface of the article; coating the surface of the aluminum alloy article with a diffusion element, the diffusion element being capable of diffusing at least 0.2 mils into the article; heating the aluminum alloy article coated with the diffusion element to cause the diffusion element to diffuse the at least 0.2 mils into the article, thereby forming a diffusion layer of at least 0.2 mils in thickness comprising both aluminum alloy and diffusion element; and removing the diffusion layer from the aluminum alloy article, whereby upon the removing, a resulting improved surface of the article comprises fewer or smaller cracks, reduced roughness, or reduced porosity.

A method for improving the surface of an aluminum alloy article includes manufacturing the aluminum alloy article using an additive manufacturing technique, wherein the article as-manufactured includes one or more of cracks, roughness, or porosity at a surface of the article; coating the surface of the aluminum alloy article with a diffusion element, the diffusion element being capable of diffusing at least 0.2 mils into the article; heating the aluminum alloy article coated with the diffusion element to cause the diffusion element to diffuse the at least 0.2 mils into the article, thereby forming a diffusion layer of at least 0.2 mils in thickness comprising both aluminum alloy and diffusion element; and removing the diffusion layer from the aluminum alloy article, whereby upon the removing, a resulting improved surface of the article comprises fewer or smaller cracks, reduced roughness, or reduced porosity.

A method for improving the surface of an aluminum alloy article includes manufacturing the aluminum alloy article using an additive manufacturing technique, wherein the article as-manufactured includes one or more of cracks, roughness, or porosity at a surface of the article; coating the surface of the aluminum alloy article with a diffusion element, the diffusion element being capable of diffusing at least 0.2 mils into the article; heating the aluminum alloy article coated with the diffusion element to cause the diffusion element to diffuse the at least 0.2 mils into the article, thereby forming a diffusion layer of at least 0.2 mils in thickness comprising both aluminum alloy and diffusion element; and removing the diffusion layer from the aluminum alloy article, whereby upon the removing, a resulting improved surface of the article comprises fewer or smaller cracks, reduced roughness, or reduced porosity.