Production of aluminum powder

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF AN ALUMINUM POWDER HAVING AN ALUMINUM OXIDE CONTENT OF AT LEAST 6% RENDERING IT PARTICULARLY SUITED FOR THE PRODUCTION OF SINTERED BODIES OF HIGH TENSILE STRENGTH AND HARDNESS EVEN AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURES, SAID POWDER HAVING A POURED WEIGHT OF ABOUT 0.7-0.8 G./CC. AND OVER AND A LUBRICANT CONTENT OF LESS THAN 0.3%, THE STEPS WHICH COMPRISE PREPARING AN ADMIXTURE OF WATER WITH AN ALUMINUM POWDER OBTAINED BY THE ATOMIZATION OF MOLTEN ALUMINUM, SUBJECTING SAID ADMIXTURE TO AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO EFECT SURFACE OXIDATION OF THE ALUMINUM POWDER, COOLING SAID ADMIXTURE TO A TEMPERATURE BELOW THAT AT WHICH SUCH SURFACE OXIDATION OCCURS AFTER THE OXIDE CONTENT OF THE ALUMINUM POWDER HAS REACHED AT LEAST 6% TO TERMINATE SUCH OXIDATION, DRYING THE OXIDIZED POWDER, ADMIXING THE DRIED POWDER WITH A RELATIVELY SMALL QUANTITY OF LUBRICANT AND TREATING SUCH ADMIXTURE IN A BALL MILL TO KNEAD THE OXIDE INTO THE METALLIC BASE OF THE PARTICLES TO OBTAIN AN ALUMINUM OXIDE CONTAINING ALUMINUM POWDER HAVING THE REQUIRED FINE DISTRIBUTION BETWEEN ALUMINUM METAL AND OXIDE TO RENDER IT SUITED FOR THE PRODUCTION OF SINTERED BODIES OF HIGH TENSILE STRENGTH AND HARDNESS EVEN AT HIGHER TEMPERATURES THE QUANTITY OF LUBRICANT ADMIXED WITH THE DRIED OXIDIZED POWDER BEING SUCH THAT AFTER THE TREATMENT IN THE BALL MILL THE MILLED POWDER HAS A LUBRICANT CONTENT LESS THAN 0.3%.