Antifriction coatings, methods of producing such coatings and articles including such coatings

1. A coated metal fastener, comprising:

a first lubricious coating layer overlying the metal fastener, the first lubricious coating layer comprising a first lubricant providing to the first lubricious coating layer a first coefficient of friction; and

a second lubricious coating layer overlying the first lubricious coating layer, the second lubricious coating layer comprising a second lubricant providing to the second lubricious coating layer a second coefficient of friction, wherein the second coefficient of friction is greater than the first coefficient of friction,

wherein at least one of the first lubricious coating layer and the second lubricious coating layer further comprises a binder or a curable resin or comprises or is in the form of a dry film lubricant and the first lubricant has a first lubricity the second lubricant has a second lubricity and the first lubricity is lower than the second lubricity.

2. The coated metal fastener of claim 1 wherein the first and second lubricants are the same lubricant, and the lubricant is present in the first lubricious coating layer at a concentration greater than a concentration of the lubricant in the second lubricious coating layer.

3. The coated metal fastener of claim 1 wherein the first and second lubricants are different lubricants.

4. The coated metal fastener of claim 1 further comprising a third lubricious coating layer overlying the second lubricious coating layer, the third lubricious coating layer comprising a third lubricant providing to the third lubricious coating layer a third coefficient of friction, wherein the third coefficient of friction is greater than to the second coefficient of friction.

5. The coated metal fastener of claim 1 further comprising at least two additional coating layers overlying the second lubricious coating layer, wherein each subsequent coating layer includes a lubricant which provides to the respective subsequent coating layer a coefficient of friction greater than that of each preceding coating layer.

6. The coated metal fastener of claim 1 wherein the metal fastener is coated with a base layer comprising one or more of, a metal or an alloy layer, a conversion coating, and a sealing composition, wherein the first lubricious coating layer overlies the base layer.

7. The coated metal fastener of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first lubricious coating layer and the second lubricious coating layer further comprises a sealing composition, a colorant, a phosphorescent composition, a fluorescent composition, or a mixture or combination of any two or more thereof.

8. The coated metal fastener of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first lubricant and the second lubricant comprises a natural or synthetic of petroleum-based wax, a vegetable fat or oil, a fluorinated polymer, a polyolefin polymer, molybdenum sulfide, tungsten disulfide, silver, graphite, soapstone, a stearate, a dithiophosphonate, a calcium based grease, a reactive white solid lubricant, or a mixture or combination of any two or more thereof.

9. The coated metal fastener of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first lubricious coating layer and the second lubricious coating layer is or comprises the dry film lubricant.

10. The coated metal fastener of claim 1 wherein the metal fastener has a surface and (A) one or more layer of a metal or alloy is on the surface and the first lubricious coating layer is on the one or more layer of a metal or alloy, (B) a layer of a conversion coating is on the surface and the first lubricious coating layer is on the layer of a conversion coating, or (C) one or more layer of a metal or alloy is on the surface, a layer of a conversion coating is on the one or more layer of a metal or alloy and the first lubricious coating layer is on the layer of a conversion coating.

11. A coated metal fastener, comprising:

a first lubricious coating layer overlying the metal fastener, the first lubricious coating layer comprising a first lubricant providing to the first lubricious coating layer a first coefficient of friction; and

a second lubricious coating layer overlying the first lubricious coating layer, the second lubricious coating layer comprising a second lubricant providing to the second lubricious coating layer a second coefficient of friction, wherein the second coefficient of friction is greater than the first coefficient of friction,

wherein at least one of the first lubricious coating layer and the second lubricious coating layer further comprises a binder or a curable resin or comprises or is in the form of a dry film lubricant, wherein at least one of the first lubricious coating layer and the second lubricious coating layer further comprises the binder and the binder comprises one or more of an epoxy, an acrylic, a silicone, a phenolic resin, an inorganic silicate, waterglass and cellulose.

12. A coated metal fastener, comprising:

a first lubricious coating layer overlying the metal fastener, the first lubricious coating layer comprising a first lubricant providing to the first lubricious coating layer a first coefficient of friction; and

a second lubricious coating layer overlying the first lubricious coating layer, the second lubricious coating layer comprising a second lubricant providing to the second lubricious coating layer a second coefficient of friction, wherein the second coefficient of friction is greater than the first coefficient of friction,

wherein at least one of the first lubricious coating layer and the second lubricious coating layer further comprises a binder or a curable resin or comprises or is in the form of a dry film lubricant, wherein at least one of the first lubricious coating layer and the second lubricious coating layer further comprises the curable resin.

13. The coated metal fastener of claim 12 wherein the curable resin comprises one or more of phenolic resins, polyurethanes, thermoplastics, polyamide resins, polyimide resins, alkyd resins, acrylic resins, epoxy resins and thermosetting resins.

14. A plurality of coated metal fasteners, comprising:

a first lubricious coating layer overlying the substrate, the first lubricious coating layer comprising a first lubricant providing to the first lubricious coating layer a first coefficient of friction; and

a second lubricious coating layer overlying the first lubricious coating layer, the second lubricious coating layer comprising a second lubricant providing to the second lubricious coating layer a second coefficient of friction, wherein the second coefficient of friction is greater than the first coefficient of friction,

wherein when the coated metal fasteners include fasteners having at least two different geometries selected from the group consisting of captive washer bolts, flange head bolts and hexagonal head bolts, the fasteners having at least two different geometries have torque values, at a specified load, within a specified torque range and have an average torque value that is ±3 standard deviations within the specified torque range and the first lubricant has a first lubricity the second lubricant has a second lubricity and the first lubricity is lower than the second lubricity.

15. The coated metal fasteners of claim 14 wherein the first and second lubricants are the same lubricant, and the lubricant is present in the first lubricious coating layer at a concentration greater than a concentration of the lubricant in the second lubricious coating layer.

16. The coated metal fasteners of claim 14 wherein the first and second lubricants are different lubricants.

17. The coated metal fasteners of claim 14 further comprising a third lubricious coating layer overlying the second lubricious coating layer, the third lubricious coating layer comprising a third lubricant providing to the third lubricious coating layer a third coefficient of friction, wherein the third coefficient of friction is greater than to the second coefficient of friction.

18. The coated metal fasteners of claim 14 further comprising at least two additional coating layers overlying the second lubricious coating layer, wherein each subsequent coating layer includes a lubricant which provides to the respective subsequent coating layer a coefficient of friction greater than that of each preceding coating layer.

19. The coated metal fasteners of claim 14 wherein the fasteners are coated with a base layer comprising one or more of, a metal or an alloy layer, a conversion coating, and a sealing composition, wherein the first lubricious coating layer overlies the base layer.

20. The coated metal fasteners of claim 14 wherein at least one of the first lubricious coating layer and the second lubricious coating layer further comprises a sealing composition, a colorant, a phosphorescent composition, a fluorescent composition, or a mixture or combination of any two or more thereof.

21. The coated metal fasteners of claim 14 wherein the lubricant comprises a natural or synthetic of petroleum-based wax, a vegetable fat or oil, a fluorinated polymer, a polyolefin polymer, molybdenum sulfide, tungsten disulfide, silver, graphite, soapstone, a stearate, a dithiophosphonate, a calcium based grease, a reactive white solid lubricant, or a mixture or combination of any two or more thereof.

22. The coated metal fasteners of claim 14 wherein at least one of the first lubricious coating layer and the second lubricious coating layer comprises a dry film lubricant.

23. The coated metal fasteners of claim 14 wherein at least one of the first lubricious coating layer and the second lubricious coating layer further comprises a binder or a curable resin or comprises or is in the form of a dry film lubricant.

24. A plurality of coated metal fasteners, comprising:

a first lubricious coating layer overlying the substrate, the first lubricious coating layer comprising a first lubricant providing to the first lubricious coating layer a first coefficient of friction; and

a second lubricious coating layer overlying the first lubricious coating layer, the second lubricious coating layer comprising a second lubricant providing to the second lubricious coating layer a second coefficient of friction, wherein the second coefficient of friction is greater than the first coefficient of friction,

wherein when the coated metal fasteners include fasteners having at least two different geometries selected from the group consisting of captive washer bolts, flange head bolts and hexagonal head bolts, the fasteners having at least two different geometries have torque values, at a specified load, within a specified torque range and have an average torque value that is ±3 standard deviations within the specified torque range, wherein at least one of the first lubricious coating layer and the second lubricious coating layer further comprises a binder and the binder comprises one or more of an epoxy, an acrylic, a silicone, a phenolic resin, an inorganic silicate, waterglass and cellulose.

25. A plurality of coated metal fasteners, comprising:

a first lubricious coating layer overlying the substrate, the first lubricious coating layer comprising a first lubricant providing to the first lubricious coating layer a first coefficient of friction; and

a second lubricious coating layer overlying the first lubricious coating layer, the second lubricious coating layer comprising a second lubricant providing to the second lubricious coating layer a second coefficient of friction, wherein the second coefficient of friction is greater than the first coefficient of friction,

wherein when the coated metal fasteners include fasteners having at least two different geometries selected from the group consisting of captive washer bolts, flange head bolts and hexagonal head bolts, the fasteners having at least two different geometries have torque values, at a specified load, within a specified torque range and have an average torque value that is ±3 standard deviations within the specified torque range, wherein at least one of the first lubricious coating layer and the second lubricious coating layer further comprises a curable resin.

26. The coated metal fasteners of claim 25 wherein the curable resin comprises one or more of phenolic resins, polyurethanes, thermoplastics, polyamide resins, polyimide resins, alkyd resins, acrylic resins, epoxy resins and thermosetting resins.