Silicon-alloyed corrosion-resistant metal powders and related products and processes

Claim 1

A SINTERED CAKE BODY OF METAL POWDER PARTICLES WHICH IS READILY COMMINUTABLE INTO SOFT METAL POWDER PARTICLES, THE PARTICLES OF SAID CAKE BODY BEING COMPOSED ESSENTIALLY OF AT LEAST ONE METAL OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF IRON CONTAINING AT MOST ABOUT .2% CARBON, OF NICKEL, AND OF COBALT, AND MIXTURES AND ALLOYS OF SAID METALS, SAID CAKE BODY HAVING BEEN SUBJECTED TO A SILICONALLOYING TREATMENT CAUSING AT LEAST THE SURFACE LAYER OF SAID PARTICLES TO BECOME ALLOYED WITH SILICON DEPOSITED ON THE PARTICLES FROM A SILICON COMPOUND AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURES SO THAT SAID BODY CONTAINS AT LEAST 3% OF SILICON, SAID CAKE BODY HAVING AT MOST A DENSITY OF ABOUT 5 GRAMS PER CUBIC CENTIMETER, WHEREBY SAID BODY MAY BE PULVERIZED INTO MINUTE SILICON-ALLOYED POWDER PARTICLES WHICH EXHIBIT MINIMIZED WORK HARDNESS AND SUFFICIENTLY GREAT SOFTNESS SO THAT WHEN THE SILICON-ALLOYED PARTICLES ARE COMPACTED INTO A GREEN BODY UNDER PRESSURE OF ABOUT 50,000 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH, SAID GREEN BODY EXHIBITS A MODULUS OF RUPTURE OF AT LEAST 200 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH.