Method of making high density sintered parts

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF FORMING STRONG HOMOGENEOUS ARTICLES FROM IRON POWDER MIXED WITH CARBON, THE STEPS COMPRISING; SHAPING A MIXTURE OF IRON POWDER AND CARBON INTO A SELF-SUSTAINING MASS HAVING A DENSITY NOT IN EXCESS OF 100 GRAMS PER CUBIC INCH TO A SHAPE APPROXIMATING THAT ULIMATELY DESIRED AND OF A SIZE SLIGHTLY LARGER THAN THAT ULTIMATELY DESIRED, HEATING THE SELF-SUSTAINING SHAPE UNDER NON-OXIDIZING CONDITIONS AT A TEMPERATURE BELOW THE CARBON DIFFUSION TEMPERATURE AND FOR A TIME SUFFICIENT TO AGGLOMERATE THE POWDER INTO A POROUS NETWORK, COMPRESING THE AGGLOMERATED ARTICLE UNDER HIGH PRESSURES FOR BRINGING THE DENSITY THEREOF TO AT LEAST 105 GRAMS PER CUBIC INCH AND THEN REHEATING THE COMPRESSED ARTICLE TO A HIGHER TEMPERATURE AND ABOVE THE CARBON DIFFUSION TEMPERATURE AND FOR A TIME SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE CARBON DIFFUSION AND FINAL SINTERING OF THE ARTICLE WHEREIN SAID OPERATION IS CARRIED OUT UNDER CONTROLLED CONDITIONS OF ATMOSPHERE.