Cermet Decorative Component Low Color Variation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cermet decorative components exhibit high oxygen and nitrogen content, leading to color variation due to oxide and nitride formation, which affects their aesthetic appeal and mechanical properties.
Innovation Solution
A cermet decorative component with a titanium carbide crystal phase and a metal bonding phase, where oxygen and nitrogen content is limited to no greater than 2.0 mass%, reducing oxide and nitride formation and ensuring consistent color tone and enhanced mechanical characteristics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional cermet manufacturing processes are used, then mechanical characteristics such as hardness and strength are achieved, but oxygen and nitrogen content becomes high causing color variation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by strictly controlling the oxygen content to 2.0 mass% or less and nitrogen content to 2.0 mass% or less in the cermet composition. This compositional parameter control prevents oxide and nitride formation, thereby eliminating color variation while maintaining the desired silver family color tone and mechanical properties
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs an inert atmosphere approach by using a metal bonding phase from groups 6-8 (such as chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, manganese, cobalt, nickel, or iron) that creates an oxygen- and nitrogen-free environment. This inert environment prevents harmful oxide and nitride formation during manufacturing and service, ensuring consistent color tone
2Manufacturing precision
If oxygen and nitrogen content is reduced to not greater than 2.0 mass%, then color variation is minimized, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent simplifies manufacturing by establishing clear compositional parameters (oxygen ≤2.0 mass%, nitrogen ≤2.0 mass%) that can be controlled through standard sintering processes. This approach avoids the need for complex additional processing steps while achieving the desired low color variation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses inherently inert metal bonding phases from groups 6-8 that resist oxidation and nitridation. This chemical inertness eliminates the need for complex protective atmosphere controls during manufacturing, simplifying the process while ensuring color consistency
3Strength
If titanium carbide is used as the crystal phase, then hardness and strength are achieved, but oxide and nitride formation causes color tone changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent protects the titanium carbide crystal phase from harmful reactions by employing a metal bonding phase from groups 6-8 that creates an inert chemical environment. This prevents oxygen and nitrogen from reacting with the titanium carbide, eliminating oxide and nitride formation that would otherwise cause color tone changes
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite material system combining titanium carbide crystal phase with a metal bonding phase from groups 6-8. This composite structure provides both the hardness from titanium carbide and the chemical inertness from the metal bonding phase, preventing harmful reactions while maintaining mechanical properties
Data Source
AI summary
The cermet decorative component according to the invention has an oxygen content of not greater than 2.0 mass% and a nitrogen content of not greater than 2.0 mass% to have a low color variation. In the cermet decorative component according to an embodiment, a lightness factor L* in the CIE 1976 L*a*b* color space is from 72 to 74, the psychometric chroma coordinate a* is from 1 to 2, and the psychometric chroma coordinate b* is from 0 to 1 on a surface of the component, the surface having an arithmetic mean roughness Ra of not greater than 0.03 µm on the roughness curve of the surface.