C22F CHANGING THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF NON-FERROUS METALS AND NON-FERROUS ALLOYS (surface treatment of metallic material involving at least one process provided for in class C23 and at least one process covered by this subclass, C23F17/00)
Introduced: September 1968
Description
C22F covers heat treatment and mechanical processing methods that modify the physical structure and properties of non-ferrous metals and alloys without changing their chemical composition. This includes annealing, hardening, tempering, aging, and cold-working operations applied to aluminum, copper, titanium, nickel, zinc, and their alloys. The classification encompasses both the thermal processes and the resulting microstructural changes that enhance mechanical properties such as strength, ductility, hardness, or corrosion resistance. Note that chemical modification or alloying of non-ferrous materials is covered under different C22 subclasses, while C22F focuses exclusively on physical structure modification.
Title
Titles differ between systems:
IPC: CHANGING THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF NON-FERROUS METALS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS
CPC: CHANGING THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF NON-FERROUS METALS AND NON-FERROUS ALLOYS (surface treatment of metallic material involving at least one process provided for in class C23 and at least one process covered by this subclass, C23F17/00)
Full Title
Full titles differ between systems:
CHANGING THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF NON-FERROUS METALS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS
CHANGING THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF NON-FERROUS METALS AND NON-FERROUS ALLOYS (surface treatment of metallic material involving at least one process provided for in class C23 and at least one process covered by this subclass, C23F17/00)
Additional Content IPC
Glossary
Aging or ageing aging ageing A process in which the hardness or strength of a metal alloy having a constituent in supersaturated solid solution is increased over time as the constituent precipitates out as a secondary phase containing the constituent. When occurring at room temperature the process is termed "natural aging", while a process that occurs when subjecting the metal alloy to elevated temperature is termed "artificial aging". Aging for a longer time than that corresponding to maximum strength or hardness at the particular temperature is termed "over-ageing". Alloy alloys A composition of plural elements at least one of which is a free metal. Also includes material containing any combination of fibres, filaments, whiskers and particles, e.g. carbides, diamond, oxides, borides, nitrides or silicides, or other metal compounds, e.g. oxynitrides or sulfides, embedded in a metallic matrix. Hardening The increase in resistance to deformation. Normalising normalizing A process of heating metallic material above its critical temperature and cooling in air thereby establishing a fine uniform grain size and improving the microstructural uniformity. Quenching The rapid cooling of metallic material either from elevated temperature to room temperature or cooling of metal to sub-ambient temperature. Tempering Involves the heating of a previously quenched or normalised metallic material to an elevated temperature, and then cooling under suitable conditions to obtain the desired mechanical properties.
Limiting references
Powder metallurgical apparatus or processes, not specifically modified for making alloys Heat treatment, e.g. annealing, quenching, tempering, adapted for particular metallic articles; furnaces therefor Electrolytic production or refining of metals Single crystals or homogeneous polycrystalline material with defined structure; production thereof
IPC and CPC are identically structured here. All 2 subcodes exist in both systems.
1 shared codes have differing titles between IPC and CPC.
Child Classifications
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- C22F 1/00 Changing the physical structure of non-ferrous metals or alloys by heat treatment or by hot or cold working (apparatus for mechanical working of metal B21, B23, B24) +4 CPC IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
- C22F 3/00 Changing the physical structure of non-ferrous metals or alloys by special physical methods, e.g. treatment with neutrons IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
Top Applicants
Top Applicants (IPC)
Class C22,2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT
- JFE STEEL JP 7,152
- NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION JP 5,416
- POSCO (POHANG IRON AND STEEL COMPANY) KR 4,530
- JFE STEEL 3,986
- CENTRAL SOUTH UNIVERSITY 3,086
- NSSMC (NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL) JP 2,843
- CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 2,702
- ARCELORMITTAL LU 2,124
- NSSMC (NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL) 2,075
- KOBE STEEL JP 1,891
Top Applicants (CPC)
Class C22,2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT
- JFE STEEL JP 7,620
- NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION JP 5,769
- POSCO (POHANG IRON AND STEEL COMPANY) KR 4,523
- JFE STEEL 3,080
- NSSMC (NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL) JP 2,999
- ARCELORMITTAL LU 2,962
- CENTRAL SOUTH UNIVERSITY 2,431
- KOBE STEEL JP 2,100
- CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 2,052
- MITSUBISHI MATERIALS CORPORATION JP 1,405