Solid state fabrication of hard, high melting point, heat resistant materials

Claim 1

IN THE METHOD OF PRODDUCTING BY SOLID STATE FABRICATION HEAT RESISTANT ALLOYS BASED ON A DUCTILE METAL OF MELTING POINT ABOVE 1250*C. CONTAINING SLIP-INHIBITING HARD PHASES WHICH NORMALLY RENDER SUCH ALLOYS DIFFICULT TO HOT WORK, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES FORMING A POWDER MIXTURE OF THE DESIRED CONSTITUENTS WITH THE DUCTILE METAL MAKING UP THE MAJOR PORTION OF AT LEAST 60% BY WEIGHT OF THE COMPOSITION OF THE MIXTURE, THE REMAINING CONSITIUENTS COMPRISING ALLOYING AND HARD PHASE-FORM ING INGREDIENTS WHICH CONFER HEAT RESISTING AND SLIP-INHIBITING PROPERTIES TO THE FINALLY PRODUCED ALLOY THROUGH SUBSEQUENT HEAT TREATMENT, THE HARD PHASE-FORMING INGREDIENTS BEING THOSE WHICH FORM AT LEAST ONE OF THE SLIPINHIBITING COMPOUNDS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CARBIDES, BORIDES, SILICIDES AND NITRIDES OF CR, E, MO, V, NB, TA, TI, ZR, HF AND OXIDES OF AL, BE, CE, MG, ZR, TI AND TH, CONSOLIDATING SAID MIXTURE INTO A HOT WORKABLE COMPACT AND ENCASING IT IN A GAS TIGHT DUCTILE METAL SHEATH, HOT SHAPING SAID SHEATHED COMPACT TO A DESIRED SHAPE AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE UNDER PROTECTIVE CONDITIONS BY UTILIZING THE DUCTILE CHARACTERISICS OF SAID METAL MAKING UP THE SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF SAID COMPACT BEFORE APPRECIABLE ALLOYING SETS IN, AND THEN SUBJECTING SAID HOT WORKED SHAPE TO A DIFFUSION AND REACTION HEAT TREATMENT AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE NOT EXCEEDING THE MELTING POINT OF ANY ONE OF THE INGREDIENTS PRESENT TO FORM THE DESIRED ALLOY COMPOSITION WITH DISCRETE SLIP-INHIBITING HARD PHASES DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT SAID ALLOY.