Method of manufacturing sintered compositions

Claim 1

A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A METALLIC COMPOSITION COMPOSED OF A MAJOR CONSTITUENT COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF IRON, ALUMINUM, CHROMIUM, COBALT, COPPER, MAGNESIUM, MOLYBDENUM, NICKEL, TANTALUM, TITANIUM, TUNGSTEN, AND ZIRCONIUM, AND A MINOR CONSTITUENT COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE COMPLEX OF A METAL WITH A NON-METAL, SAID MAJOR CONSTITUENT FORMING AT LEAST 90% OF THE METAL COMPOSITION AND SAID MINOR CONSTITUENT FORMING NOT MORE THAN 10% OF THE METALLIC COMPOSITION: WHICH METHOD COMPRISES MIXING TOGETHER IN POWDER FORM THE MAJOR CONSTITUENT, AT LEAST ONE COMPOUND OF SAID MAJOR CONSTITUENT WITH THE COMPLEXING NON-METALLIC ELEMENT WHICH NON-METALLIC ELEMENT IS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SILICON, BORON, NITROGEN, CARBON AND OXYGEN, AND AT LEAST ONE ALLOY OF SAID MAJOR CONSTITUENT WITH THE COMPLEXING METAL WHICH IS DIFFERENT FROM THE METAL SELECTED AS THE MAJOR CONSTITUENT AND IS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF TITANIUM, ZIRCONIUM, VANADIUM, NIOBIUM, TANTALUM, CHROMIUM, MOLYBDENUM, TUNGSTEN AND TELLURIUM, WHICH LATTER METAL IS CAPABLE OF FORMING WITH THE NON-METALLIC ELEMENT EMPLOYED A COMPOUND WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY INSOLUBLE IN THE MAJOR CONSTITUENT AND HAS A HIGHER ENERGY OF FORMATION THAN ANY COMPOUND WHICH THE NON-METALLIC ELEMENT COULD FORM WITH THE MAJOR CONSTITUENT IN THE CONDITIONS EMPLOYED, AND PRESSING AND SINTERING THE MIXED POWDERS TO FORM A COHERENT BODY IN WHICH SAID COMPLEX, CONSISTING OF GROUPINGS OF ATOMS CORRESPONDING EMPIRICALLY TO SAID SUBSTANTIALLY INSOLUBLE COMPOUND, IS UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE MAJOR CONSTITUENT IN A STABLE STATE OF INCIPIENT PRECIPITATION.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A METALLIC COMPOSITION COMPOSED OF A MAJOR CONSTITUENT COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF IRON, ALUMINUM, CHROMIUM, COBALT, COPPER, MAGNESIUM, MOLYBDENUM, NICKEL, TANTALUM, TITANIUM, TUNGSTEN, AND ZIRCONIUM, AND A MINOR CONSTITUENT COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE COMPLEX OF A METAL WITH A NON-METAL, SAID MAJOR CONSTITUENT FORMING AT LEAST 90% OF THE METAL COMPOSITION AND SAID MINOR CONSTITUENT FORMING NOT MORE THAN 10% OF THE METALLIC COMPOSITION: WHICH METHOD COMPRISES MIXING TOGETHER IN POWDER FORM THE MAJOR CONSTITUENT, AT LEAST ONE COMPOUND OF SAID MAJOR CONSTITUENT WITH THE COMPLEXING NON-METALLIC ELEMENT WHICH NON-METALLIC ELEMENT IS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SILICON, BORON, NITROGEN, CARBON AND OXYGEN, AND AT LEAST ONE ALLOY OF SAID MAJOR CONSTITUENT WITH THE COMPLEXING METAL WHICH IS DIFFERENT FROM THE METAL SELECTED AS THE MAJOR CONSTITUENT AND IS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF TITANIUM, ZIRCONIUM, VANADIUM, NIOBIUM, TANTALUM, CHROMIUM, MOLYBDENUM, TUNGSTEN AND TELLURIUM, WHICH LATTER METAL IS CAPABLE OF FORMING WITH THE NON-METALLIC ELEMENT EMPLOYED A COMPOUND WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY INSOLUBLE IN THE MAJOR CONSTITUENT AND HAS A HIGHER ENERGY OF FORMATION THAN ANY COMPOUND WHICH THE NON-METALLIC ELEMENT COULD FORM WITH THE MAJOR CONSTITUENT IN THE CONDITIONS EMPLOYED, AND PRESSING AND SINTERING THE MIXED POWDERS TO FORM A COHERENT BODY IN WHICH SAID COMPLEX, CONSISTING OF GROUPINGS OF ATOMS CORRESPONDING EMPIRICALLY TO SAID SUBSTANTIALLY INSOLUBLE COMPOUND, IS UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE MAJOR CONSTITUENT IN A STABLE STATE OF INCIPIENT PRECIPITATION.