Process for producing dispersionhardened alloys

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING A DISPERSION-HARDENED NICKEL-CHROMIUM ALLOY WHICH COMPRISES PROVIDING, BY WEIGHT, ABOUT 6 PARTS OF THORIA HAVING A MEAN PARTICLE SIZE OF ABOUT 0.05 MICRON AND ABOUT 75 PARTS, BY WEIGHT, OF CARBONYL NICKEL POWDER HAVING A MEAN PARTICLE SIZE OF LESS THAN ABOUT 2 MICRONS, BALL MILLING SAID NICKEL POWDER AND THORIA TO FORM A SUBSTANTIALLY HOMOGENEOUS MIXTURE, HEATING SAID MIXTURE TO ABOUT 400*C. IN A HYDROGEN ATMOSPHERE TO REMOVE TRACES OF OXYGEN, PRESSING SAID MIXTURE TO FORM A COMPACTED MIXTURE, CRUSHING THE COMPACTED MIXTURE, REHEATING THE CRUSHED MIXTURE TO ABOUT 400*C. IN THE PRESENCE OF HYDROGEN TO REMOVE TRACES OF OXYGEN, INFUSING SAID MIXTURE BY VAPOR-DEPOSITION IN AN ESSENTIALLY OXYGEN-FREE ATMOSPHERE WITH ABOUT 19 PARTS, BY WEIGHT, OF CHROMIUM TO FORM CHROMIZED AGGREGATES AND EXTRUDING SAID AGGREGATES TO PRODUCE A SUBSTANTIALLY HOMOGENEOUS DISPERSION-HARDENED ALLOY CONTAINING NOT MORE THAN 0.05%, BY WEIGHT, OF METAL OXIDES OTHER THAN THORIA.