Method for continuously producing thermally-stable nitrided manganese

Claim 1

THE PROCESS FOR CONTINUOUSLY PRODUCING THERMALLYSTABLE NITRIDED MANGANESE CONTAINING UP TO ABOUT 6% BY WEIGHT OF NITROGEN WHICH COMPRISES FEEDING SUBDIVIDED SOLID MANGANESE IN METALLIC FORM INTO A ROTARY NITRIDING VESSEL, INTRODUCING AND MAINTAINING A STREAM OF GASEOUS NITROGEN FLOWING THROUGH SAID VESSEL AT A SLIGHTLY SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE, CONTINUOUSLY ROTAING SAID VESSEL AND THEREBY AGITATING AND ADVANCING THE MANGANESE THROUGH THE VESSEL IN CONTACT WITH THE FLOWING GASEOUS NITROGEN, HEATING THE MANGANESE ADVANCING THROUGH THE VESSEL IN CONTACT WITH THE GASEOUS NITROGEN TO 1750* TO 1950*F. FOR A PERIOD SUFFICIENTLY LONG TO EFFECT SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM NITRIDING OF THE MANGANESE TO THERMALLY-STABLE NITRIDED FORM CONTAINING UP TO ABOUT 6% BY WEIGHT OF NITROGEN, COOLING THE NITRIDED MANGANESE ADVANCING THROUGH THE VESSEL IN CONTACT WITH THE GASEOUS NITROGEN TO SUBSTANTIALLY ROOM TEMPERATURE, AND WITHDRAWING THE COOLED NITRIDED MANGANESE FORM THE VESSEL.