METALLIC COMPONENT OF A ROLLING-ELEMENT BEARING OR A PLAIN BEARING HAVING A COATING AND A METHOD OF COATING THE COMPONENT

Abstract

A method of coating a metallic component of a rolling-element bearing or a plain bearing having at least one non-sandblasted surface includes directly applying a first metal coating onto at least a portion of the non-sandblasted surface by a cold spray method, preferably at a pressure of more than 50 bar. Also a coated metallic component formed by the method.

Claims

1. A method comprising: providing a metallic component of a rolling-element bearing or a plain bearing having at least one non-sandblasted surface; and directly applying a first metal coating onto at least a portion of the at least one non-sandblasted surface by a cold spray method.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cold spray method comprises applying the first metal coating at a pressure of more than 50 bar.

3. The method according to claim 2 including applying a second metal coating on the first metal coating using the cold spray method.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein directly applying the first metal coating changes the shape of the metallic component.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first metal coating is applied in a straight unbraked trajectory perpendicular to the non-sandblasted surface.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cold spray method comprises adding a powdered metal to a volume of a gas and directing the gas and metal mixture toward the non-sandblasted surface at a pressure of greater than 50 bar.

7. A metallic bearing component having a metal coating applied by the method according to claim 1.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cold spray method comprises adding a powdered metal to a volume of a gas and directing the gas and metal mixture in a straight unbraked trajectory perpendicular to the non-sandblasted surface toward the non-sandblasted surface at a pressure of greater than 50 bar.

9. A metallic bearing component having a metal coating applied by the method according to claim 8.

10. A metallic component of a rolling-element or plain bearing comprising: at least one non-sandblasted surface at least partially coated with a metal coating directly applied to the non-sandblasted surface using a cold spray method.

11. The metallic component according to claim 10, wherein the metal coating is applied at a pressure of more than 50 bar.

12. The metallic component according to claim 10, wherein the metal coating is a corrosion protection layer.

13. The metallic component according to claim 10, wherein the metal coating is configured as a first and at least one second layer that are applied one-over-the-other using the cold spray method.

14. The metallic component according to claim 10, wherein the metal coating is configured to change the shape of the metallic component.

15. The metallic component according to claim 10, wherein the metallic component includes compressive stresses.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0037] FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a rolling-element bearing according to the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] In the following, identical or functionally equivalent elements are designated by the same reference numbers.

[0039] In FIG. 1 a rolling-element bearing 1 is depicted in a greatly simplified outline. The rolling-element bearing 1 includes an inner ring 2 and an outer ring 4. Rolling elements 6 are rotatably disposed between the two rings 2, 4. The rolling elements 6 can be held spaced from one another by a not-shown cage. Alternatively, instead of the rolling-element bearing 1 the bearing can also be a plain bearing.

[0040] The various components of the rolling-element bearing 1, for example, the inner ring 2, the outer ring 4, or the rolling elements 6, can be provided as metallic rolling-element- or plain-bearing components that have a non-sandblasted surface. Here at least one non-sandblasted surface can be provided with at least one partial metal coating. Here the metal coating is directly applied onto the non-sandblasted surface using a cold spray method, in particular a high-pressure cold spray method.

[0041] For example, the metal coating can be a corrosion protection layer. Such a layer can be used to provide the inner ring 2 or the outer ring 4 with a protective layer in order to protect the components against corrosion or rust.

[0042] Up to now it has been assumed that for such a metal coating a roughening, for example, by sandblasting, of the surface to be coated is required so that the metal coating that is applied using a flame spray galvanization method, as lacquer, or using a cold spray method, adheres to the surface.

[0043] However, it has been surprisingly found that with the cold spray method used here, in particular performed as a high-pressure cold spray method, it is not necessary to previously roughen the surfaces of the components 2, 4 by sandblasting. This means that the metal coating can be applied onto a surface of the components 2, 4 that is already present in its final shape. In particular no dimensional or positional tolerances are influenced by the application of the metal coating.

[0044] The metal coating is applied onto the surface of the metallic rolling-element- or plain-bearing component 2, 4, 6 in particular using a high-pressure cold spray method at more than 50 bar. By applying the metal coating under high pressure a type of welding occurs of the metal particles, which are present in the gas jet of the cold spray method, to the surface of the rolling-element- or plain-bearing component 2, 4, 6. Due to this welding a particularly stable metal coating arises which, in contrast to a flame spray galvanized coating, shows a low risk of spalling. Furthermore the metal coating, which is applied by such a cold spray method, is not porous, for which reason an additional lacquering or sealing can be omitted.

[0045] Alternatively or additionally the metal coating can also be applied onto the inner ring 2 or the outer ring 4 such that the shape of the components 2, 4 is changed. For example, the metal coating can be applied onto one of the rings 2, 4 in the shape of a shoulder or of a plateau. For this purpose it is only necessary, using the cold spray method, in particular the high-pressure cold spray method, to apply a thicker metal coating, or to apply the metal coating in multiple layers at one point.

[0046] Due to the disclosed metallic rolling-element- or plain-bearing component it is possible to provide a rolling-element- or plain-bearing component that includes an improved metal coating that is more stable in comparison to known coatings that are applied, for example, by flame spray galvanization, and can be applied onto an untreated or non-sandblasted surface.

[0047] Representative, non-limiting examples of the present invention were described above in detail with reference to the attached drawings. This detailed description is merely intended to teach a person of skill in the art further details for practicing preferred aspects of the present teachings and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Furthermore, each of the additional features and teachings disclosed above may be utilized separately or in conjunction with other features and teachings to provide improved coated metallic components of rolling-element and plain bearings.

[0048] Moreover, combinations of features and steps disclosed in the above detailed description may not be necessary to practice the invention in the broadest sense, and are instead taught merely to particularly describe representative examples of the invention. Furthermore, various features of the above-described representative examples, as well as the various independent and dependent claims below, may be combined in ways that are not specifically and explicitly enumerated in order to provide additional useful embodiments of the present teachings.

[0049] All features disclosed in the description and/or the claims are intended to be disclosed separately and independently from each other for the purpose of original written disclosure, as well as for the purpose of restricting the claimed subject matter, independent of the compositions of the features in the embodiments and/or the claims. In addition, all value ranges or indications of groups of entities are intended to disclose every possible intermediate value or intermediate entity for the purpose of original written disclosure, as well as for the purpose of restricting the claimed subject matter.

REFERENCE NUMBER LIST

[0050] 1 Rolling-element bearing

[0051] 2 Inner ring

[0052] 4 Outer ring

[0053] 6 Rolling element