olytic aluminum polishing processes.docx

olytic aluminum polishing processes.docx

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olyticaluminumpolishingprocesses

Electolyticaluminumpolishingprocesses

Abstract

Thisinvention,inoneaspect,relatestoprocessesforelectropolishingaluminum,inparticular,aluminumalloymetalsurfaces,byimmersingthemetalsurfaceinapolishingsolutionandmakingthealuminumalloymaterialanodic.Thepolishingsolutioncancompriseaphosphoricacidsolutionandahypophosphite-containingcompound.Thepolishingsolutioncanalsocompriseapolyol,apolyoletherandanorganicacid.

Claims

Iclaim:

1.Aprocessforelectropolishinganaluminumalloymaterialcomprisingthestepsof:

a.providingapolishingsolutioncomprisingbyweight:

i.fromabout55%toabout90%ofaphosphoricacidsolution,whereinthephosphoricacidsolutioncomprisesfromabout60%toabout100%phosphoricacid;

ii.fromabout0.2%toabout20%ofahypophosphite-containingcompound,

whereincomponentsi.andii.aremeasuredoutofatotalof100%polishingsolution;

b.applyingamechanicalforcetothepolishingsolution,therebyprovidinganagitatedpolishingsolution;

c.immersingthealuminumalloymaterialinthepolishingsolutionforfromabout2minutestoabout60minutes;and

d.makingthealuminumalloymaterialanodicbyapplyingaDCcurrentconcurrentlywiththeimmersingstep;

therebyprovidinganelectropolishedaluminumalloymaterial.

2.Theprocessofclaim1,whereinthepolishingsolutioncomprises:

iii.fromabout2%toabout30%ofapolyol;

iv.fromabout1%toabout15%ofapolyolether;

v.fromabout2%toabout20%ofanorganicacid;and

vi.water;

whereincomponentsi.throughvi.total100%ofthepolishingsolution.

3.Theprocessofclaim1,whereintheDCcurrentisfromabout10voltstoabout48volts.

4.Theprocessofclaim1,whereinthepolishingsolutioncomprisesfromabout2toabout40gramsdissolvedaluminumperliterofpolishingsolution.

5.Theprocessofclaim1,whereinthepolishingsolutioncomprisesfromabout2toabout10gramsofdissolvedaluminumperliterofpolishingsolution.

6.Theprocessofclaim1,whereinthealuminumalloymaterialissubjectedtooneormorecleaningstepspriortoimmersingintothepolishingsolution,andwhereinatleastoneofthecleaningstepscomprisesimmersingofthealuminumalloymaterialinasolutioncomprisingoneormoreof:

ferricsulfate,peroxides,persulfates,perborates,sulfuricacid,nitricacid,hydrofluoricacidorammoniumbiflouoride.

7.Theprocessofclaim6,whereinatleastoneofthecleaningstepscomprisesimmersingofthealuminumalloymaterialinasolutioncomprisingferricsulfate.

8.Theprocessofclaim1,whereinthepolishingsolutionismaintainedatatemperatureoffromabout100.degree.F.toabout200.degree.F.

9.Theprocessofclaim1,whereintheimmersingstepisconductedforfromabout2minutestoabout30minutes.

10.Theprocessofclaim1,whereinduringtheimmersingstepthealuminumalloymaterialhasacurrentdensityofatleastabout10amps/ft.sup.2.

11.Theprocessofclaim1,whereinthealuminumalloymaterialcomprisesatleastabout85%aluminummetalinthealloy.

12.Theprocessofclaim1,whereinthealuminumalloymaterialcomprisesoneormoreofthefollowingAluminumAssociationdesignatedalloys:

1050,1060,1100,1145,1175,1200,1230,1235,1345,2024,2219,3003,5252,5657,6063,6061,6463or7075.

13.Theprocessofclaim1,whereinthealuminumalloymaterialcompriseslessthanabout2%byweightsilicon.

14.Theprocessofclaim2,whereinthepolishingsolutioncomprises:

i.fromabout65%toabout80%ofaconcentratedphosphoricacidsolution,whereinthephosphoricacidsolutioncomprisesfromabout60%toabout100%phosphoricacid;

ii.fromabout0.2%toabout5%ofahypophosphite-containingcompound;

iii.fromabout5%toabout15%ofapolyol;

iv.fromabout1%toabout10%ofapolyolether;

v.fromabout5%toabout15%ofanorganicacid;and

vi.water;

whereincomponentsi.throughvi.total100%ofthepolishingsolution.

15.Theprocessofclaim1,whereintheagitationforceisprovidedbyoneormoreof:

mechanicalstirringorapplicationofaeration.

16.Theprocessofclaim1,whereintheprocessfurthercomprisesremovingthealuminumalloymaterialfromthepolishingsolutionaftertheimmersingstepandsubjectingthealuminumalloymaterialtooneormoreofthefollowingsteps:

arinsingstep,adesmuttingsteporananodizingstep.

17.Theprocessofclaim2,whereinthepolyolcomprisesoneormoreof:

ethyleneglycol,glycerol,butanediols,propanediols,propyleneglycol,diethyleneglycol,polypropyleneglycolorpolyethyleneglycol.

18.Theprocessofclaim2,whereinthepolyolethercomprisesoneormoreof:

ethyleneglycoln-butylether,diethyleneglycoln-butylether,dipropyleneglycolmonomethylether,ethyleneglycoldimethylether,ethyleneglycoldiethyletherorpropyleneglycoln-butylether.

19.Theprocessofclaim2,whereintheorganicacidcomprisesoneormoreof:

.alpha.-hydroxycarboxylicacids,hydroxyaceticacid,glycolicacid,lacticacid,tartaricacid,glycericacid,malicacid,maleicacid,mandelicacid,citricacid,ascorbicacid,succinicacid,gluconicacid,formicacid,pyruvicacid,propanoicacid,palmiticacid,butyricacid,oxalicacid,fumaricacidoritaconicacid.

20.Theprocessofclaim19,whereintheorganicacidcomprisesthe.alpha.hydroxycarboxylicacidandthe.alpha.-hydroxycarboxylicacidcomprisesoneormoreof:

.alpha.-hydroxyaceticacid,glycolicacid,lacticacid,tartaricacid,glycericacid,mandelicacidorcitricacid.

21.Theprocessofclaim1,whereinthehypophosphite-containingmaterialcomprisesoneormoreof:

sodiumhypophosphite,calciumhypophosphiteorammoniumhypophosphite.

22.Theprocessofclaim1,whereinthealuminumalloymaterialislongilateralorirregularinshape

Description

FIELDOFTHEINVENTION

Thisinventionrelatestoprocessesforelectropolishingaluminumoraluminumalloymaterials.

BACKGROUNDOFTHEINVENTION

Inmanyaluminumpolishingprocesses,thealuminummaterialispolishedusingachemicalprocessthatdoesnotrequireelectricitytoeffectuatepolishing.However,suchpolishingprocessestypicallyusehightemperaturesandmayrequiretheuseofascrubbertoremovenitrousoxidefumesproducedbythenitricacidandphosphoricacidcomponentsthatcanbeusedinsuchchemicalprocess.Suchprocessescanalsobeundesirableduetoenvironmentalconcerns.

Whileprocessesusingelectricity,i.e.,electropolishingprocesses,havebeenusedtopolishstainlesssteelmetalsurfaces,processesforelectropolishingaluminum,inparticular,aluminumalloymetalsurfaces,havemetwithlimitedsuccessduetothegeneralrequirementforhazardousorfumeproducingchemicals,theneedforlargeamountsofelectricitytobeappliedtoeffectthepolishingoradverseeffectsonthemetalsurfacecausedby,forexample,etchingofthesurface.

Itwouldbedesirabletohaveprocessesforelectropolishingaluminum,inparticular,aluminumalloymaterials,thatdonotresultinnoxiousand/ortoxicfumes,useminimalelectricityanddonotetchthesurfaceofthemetalsurface.

SUMMARYOFTHEINVENTION

Inaccordancewiththepurposesofthisinvention,asembodiedandbroadlydescribedherein,thisinvention,inoneaspect,relatestoprocessesforelectropolishingaluminum,inparticular,aluminumalloymetalsurfaces,byimmersingthemetalsurfaceinapolishingsolutionandmakingthealuminumalloymaterialanodic.Thepolishingsolutioncancompriseaphosphoricacidsolutionandahypophosphite-containingcompound.Thepolishingsolutioncanalsocompriseapolyol,apolyoletherandanorganicacid.

Additionaladvantagesoftheinventionwillbesetforthinpartinthedescriptionwhichfollows,andinpartwillbeobviousfromthedescription,ormaybelearnedbypracticeoftheinvention.Theadvantagesoftheinventionwillberealizedandattainedbymeansoftheelementsandcombinationsparticularlypointedoutintheappendedclaims.Itistobeunderstoodthatboththeforegoinggeneraldescriptionandthefollowingdetaileddescriptionareexemplaryandexplanatoryonlyandarenotrestrictiveoftheinventionasclaimed.

DESCRIPTIONOFTHEINVENTION

ThepresentinventionmaybeunderstoodmorereadilybyreferencetothefollowingdetaileddescriptionofparticularaspectsoftheinventionandtheExampleincludedtherein.

Beforethepresentcompounds,compositions,articles,devices,and/orprocessesaredisclosedanddescribed,itistobeunderstoodthatthisinventionisnotlimitedtospecificmethodsortoparticularreagentsunlessotherwisespecified,and,assuchmay,ofcourse,vary.Itisalsotobeunderstoodthattheterminologyusedhereinisforthepurposeofdescribingparticularembodimentsonlyandisnotintendedtobelimiting.

Asusedinthespecificationandtheappendedclaims,thesingularforms"a,""an"and"the"includepluralreferentsunlessthecontextclearlydictatesotherwise.

Rangesmaybeexpressedhereinasfrom"about"oneparticularvalue,and/orto"about"anotherparticularvalue.Whensucharangeisexpressed,anotherembodimentincludesfromtheoneparticularvalueand/ortotheotherparticularvalue.Similarly,whenvaluesareexpressedasapproximations,byuseoftheantecedent"about,"itwillbeunderstoodthattheparticularvalueformsanotherembodiment.Itwillbefurtherunderstoodthattheendpointsofeachoftherangesaresignificantbothinrelationtotheotherendpoint,andindependentlyoftheotherendpoint.

Aweightpercentofacomponent,unlessspecificallystatedtothecontrary,isbasedontheweightoftheformulation