Method of producing titanium

Claim 1

PROCESS FOR MAKING A DUCTILE TITANIUM METAL WHICH COMPRISES HEATING TITANIUM TETRACHLORIDE AND EXCESS ALUMINUM METAL OF PARTICLE SIZE SUBSTANTIALLY ENTIRELY PASSING A NO. 200 SCREEN, AT FROM 400* C. TO 600* C., IN THE ABSENCE OF A REACTIVE GAS, TO FORM A LOWER CHLORIDE OF TITANIUM AND VAPOROUS ALUMINUM CHLORIDE AND LESS THAN STOICHIOMETRIC AMOUNT OF FINELY DIVIDED ALUMINUM METAL, REMOVING SAID VAPOROUS ALUMINUM CHLORIDE, MIXING SAID TITANIUM LOWER CHLORIDE AND FINELY DIVIDED ALUMINUM, AGGLOMERATING SAID MIXTURE UNDER PRESSURE, HEATING SAID AGGLOMERATES AT A TEMPERATURE GRADUALLY INCREASING FROM 500* C. TO AT LEAST 1000* C., UNDER A STREAM OF INERT GAS, TO FORM VAPOROUS ALUMINUM CHLORIDE AND COMPACT TITANIUM METAL, SEPARATELY WITHDRAWING SAID VAPOROUS ALUMINUM CHLORIDE, AND RECOVERING SAID TITANIUM METAL.