Dispersion strengthening of metals

Claim 1

A WET METHOD FOR PRODUCING A HOMOGENEOUS METALCONTAINING MIXTURE FOR USE IN THE PRODUCTION OF DISPERSION STRENGTHENED WROUGHT DUCTILE METALS OF MELTING POINT ABOVE 250*C. HAVING A UNIFORM DISPERSION THERETHROUGH OF A REFRACTORY OXIDE PHASE WHOSE NEGATIVE FREE ENERGY OF FORMATION IS AT LEAST ABOUT 100,000 CALORIES PER GRAM ATOM OF OXYGEN AT ABOUT 25*C. WHICH COMPRISES, PROVIDING A SOLUTION OF A SOLUBLE DECOMPOSABLE REFRACTORY OXIDE-FORMING SALT WITH A NON-RESIDUE LEAVING SOLVENT, SAID SALT BEING ONE WHICH DECOMPOSES ON HEATING TO A REFRACTORY OXIDE WHOSE NEGATIVE FREE ENERGY OF FORMATION IS AT LEAST ABOUT 100,000 CALORIES PER GRAM ATOM OF OXYGEN AT ABOUT 25*C., SLOWLY ADDING SAID FINELY DIVIDED DUCTILE MATRIX METAL POWDER OF MELTING POINT ABOVE 250*C. TO SAID SOLUTION WHILE RAPIDLY STIRRING AND EVAPORATING SAID SOLUTION TO PRODUCE A HIGHLY VISCOUS SLURRY WHICH TENDS TO RESIST FURTHER STIRRING, CONFINING THE HIGHLY VISCOUS SLURRY IN A MOLD, EVAPORATING SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE SOLVENT THEREFROM TO FORM A DRY SOLID RESIDUE COMPRISING SAID DUCTILE METAL WITH SAID SALT ASSOCIATED WITH THE PARTICLES THEREOF, AND SUBJECTING SAID RESIDUE TO HEATING IN A DRY REDUCING ATMOSPHERE AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO DECOMPOSE SAID SALT TO FORM A REFRACTORY OXIDE FINELY DISPERSED THERETHROUGH.