Matrix-3® Coated Bearings Boost Mud Motors Performance
Raising the standard for reliability.
Unique Matrix-3® coated bearings combine
innovative metallurgy and brazing technologies to deliver
unsurpassed mud motor performance. Their superior resistance
to wear, corrosion and mechanical fatigue raises the industry
standard for reliability to give sustained production in the
most demanding operations.
Customer-engineered properties.
Matrix-3® chemistry allows heat-treating
of bearings to a full range of required mechanical properties
with no affect on the coatings. Just as important, the Matrix-3®
composition can be custom-formulated to provide performance
characteristics that best serve diverse operating environments.
Coating thicknesses range from .020” to .250”
and apply to virtually any shape, in line-of-sight or out.
Solid microstructural bonding.
Matrix-3® coatings exhibit a dense, uniform
microstructure of selected tungsten and other specific carbide
phases, bonded by a corrosion-resistant nickel- chrome matrix.
This super-hard composite is metalurgically fused to the base
metal to create a solid, inseparable union. Extended performance
advantages include exceptional resistance to metal-to-metal
impact, wear (abrasion/erosion), corrosion and mechanical
fatigue.
Greater application versatility.
The application spectrum of Matrix-3® coated
bearings far exceeds the limited uses of quickly degraded
thermal sprays, plating and weld overlays. Unavailable from
any other vendor, Matrix-3® coated bearings outperform and
outlast inherently deficient materials to ensure drilling
power that lasts.
| Matrix-3® Coating System |
Other Systems’ Characteristics |
| Characteristics |
Benefits |
Thermal Spray Coatings |
Weld Overlays |
| Very dense, high carbide content
|
Harder, more wear resistant |
Low to high carbide concentrations.
|
Low to High carbide concentrations
|
| Metallurgically bonded (>70,000 psi)
|
Impact resistant. Eliminates wear
due to particle pullout. |
Mechanical bond |
Metallurgically bonded but highly
diluted with base metal. |
| Low porosity (<2%) |
Impact resistant, corrosion resistance,
wear resistance |
Interconnected porosity throughout.
Low to medium porosity. |
Low to medium porosity. |
| Uniform distribution of carbide phases
|
Consistent coating performance from
surface to substrate |
Uniform carbide distribution, but
some carbide degradation. |
Carbide phases seperate and settle
to bottom. |
| Low dilution between carbide/ matrix
phases and substrate |
Predictable, consistent performance
of coating. |
Carbide degradation. High levels
of oxides dispersed throughout. |
High dilution between phases and
with substrate. |
| Fewer process variables |
Consistent coating characteristics.
|
Operator and process variable dependent.
|
Operator and process variable dependent.
|
Magnified 100X – Visible
in a Matrix-3® coating is a densely uniform distribution
of carbide particles, metallurgically fused in a nickel
matrix to the base metal. Note the absence of carbides
in the bond line, which ensures a solid, inseparable
union to give longer-life bearing performance. |
Examination of the Matrix-3® coated base material after
heat treating reveals a fully tempered martensite structure,
with excellent mechanical and impact strength. Because
the Matrix-3® coating is metalurgically fused to the
base metal at extremely high temperatures, lower heat-treating
temperatures will not impair its integrity or solid
bond. This factor contributes to longer bearing life. |
Matrix-3® coatings
in laboratory tests exhibit exceptional abrasion resistance
without sacrificing toughness, a common failing with
conventional materials tested. This balanced performance
is especially advantageous in high impact applications.
|
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