Alloy Coating Apparatus and Metalliding Method

Abstract

A material ( 20 ) is coated to enhance and add desirable properties through a metalliding process employing an atmosphere ( 14 ) substantially free of oxygen and an electrolytic bath ( 18 ) within the atmosphere ( 14 ). An electrically conductive substrate ( 20 ) to be coated is submerged within the bath ( 18 ) as a cathode ( 20 ) along with multiple anodes ( 26 ), each anode ( 26 a, 26 b, 26 c ) having a distinctive composition from the other. A variable power source ( 30 ) provides distinctly selected current densities to each of the anodes ( 26 ) so as to result in a coating of the substrate ( 20 ) by each anode material ( 26 a, 26 b, 26 c ) in proportion to the applied current densities.

1 . An apparatus comprising:
 an atmosphere substantially free of oxygen;   an electrolytic bath within the atmosphere;   an electrically conductive substrate having a surface thereof submerged within the bath;   a plurality of elements, each element being electrically conductive, and each having a distinctive composition from each other and each having surfaces thereof submerged within the bath; and   a power source operable with the substrate and each of the plurality of elements, the power source providing a current density to each of the elements and the substrate so as to result in a coating of the substrate by material from each of the plurality of elements within the bath in proportion to the current densities applied thereto.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of elements comprises at least one of an atomic element, a metal, a non-metallic material, and an alloy. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the element is selected from the group of atomic elements consisting of silicon (Si), niobium (Nb), boron (B), and tantalum (Ta). 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of elements comprises two elements including a first element of boron and a second element of niobium, and wherein the current densities applied to the first and second elements provides an alloy coating of niobium boride to the substrate. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises steel. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the electrolytic bath comprises a fluoride salt. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein the flouride salt is selected from the group consisting of fluorides of lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, and cesium. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the atmosphere comprises at least one of an inert atmosphere and a vacuum. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the power source operable with the substrate and the plurality of elements form an electrical circuit wherein the plurality of elements comprise an anode and the substrate comprises a cathode. 
     
     
         10 . An apparatus for applying a coating to a substrate, the apparatus comprising:
 a housing having an atmosphere therein substantially free of oxygen;   an electrolytic bath carried within the housing;   an electrically conductive substrate having a surface thereof submerged within the bath;   a plurality of electrically conductive elements, each element having a distinctive composition from each other and each having surfaces thereof submerged within the bath; and   a power source connected to the substrate and to each of the plurality of elements so as to form an electrical circuit having the plurality of elements forming an anode and the substrate forming a cathode within the electrical circuit, wherein the power source is operable for providing a preselected current separately to each of the plurality of elements thus resulting in a current density to each of the elements and the substrate, and wherein a metalliding reaction results in coating the substrate with material diffusing from the plurality of elements within the bath onto the substrate in proportion to the current density applied to each of the plurality of elements.   
     
     
         11 . The apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein the power source comprises a plurality of power sources operable with the plurality of elements for imposing the preselected currents onto each of the elements forming the anode. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus according to  claim 10 , further comprising a heater operable with the electrolytic bath for providing a heating thereof. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein at least one of the plurality of elements forming the anode comprises at least one of an atomic element, a metal, a non-metallic material, and an alloy. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein the substrate comprises at least one of a metallic turbine blade and a single blade, and wherein the plurality of elements forming the anode comprises a first anode including niobium and a second anode including boron. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein the electrolytic bath comprises a fluoride salt, and wherein the flouride salt is selected from the group consisting of fluorides of lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, and cesium. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein the atmosphere comprises at least one of an inert atmosphere and a vacuum. 
     
     
         17 . A method for applying a coating to a substrate, the method comprising:
 providing an atmosphere substantially free of oxygen and an electrolytic bath within the atmosphere;   submerging an electrically conductive substrate within the bath;   submerging a plurality of electrically conductive elements within the bath, each element having a distinctive composition from each other;   applying a current density to each of the plurality of elements; and   imposing the current densities sufficiently for coating the substrate with material from each of the plurality of elements within the bath in proportion to the current densities applied to each of the plurality of elements.   
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 17 , further comprising selecting each of the plurality of elements from at least one of an atomic element, a metal, a non-metallic material, and an alloy. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 17 , wherein applying the current density comprises forming each of the plurality of elements as an anode and the substrate as a cathode within the electrolytic bath, and wherein the electrolytic bath comprises a molten fluoride salt. 
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 19  wherein the cathode comprises at least one of a metal turbine styled blade and a single blade, and wherein the plurality of electrically conductive elements forming the anode comprise a first anode including niobium and a second anode including boron, the method thus coating the metallic blades with an alloy of niobium and boron. 
     
     
         21 . The method according to  claim 19 , wherein the plurality of elements comprises two elements including a first element of boron and a second element of niobium, and wherein the current density applying step comprises applying a current density to each of the first and second elements for providing an alloy coating of niobium boride to the substrate. 
     
     
         22 . The method according to  claim 21 , wherein the current density applied to the first element of boron is substantially equal to current density applied to the second element of niobium so as to form an alloy coating on the substrate of NbB. 
     
     
         23 . The method according to  claim 21 , wherein the current density applied to the first element of boron is twice the current density applied to the second element of niobium so as to form an alloy coating on the substrate of NbB 2 . 
     
     
         24 . The method according to  claim 17 , further comprising a step of heating the electrolytic bath and controlling a temperature thereof during the current density imposing step.