Cemented carbide bodies containing a dispersed oxide in the matrix metal and a process of making

Claim 2

A CEMENTED CARBIDE BODY HAVING A DENSITY OF AT LEAST 98% OF THEORETICAL DENSITY CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF AT LEAST ONE PARTICULATE METAL CARBIDE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF TITANIUM CARBIDE, TUNGSTEN CARBIDE AND TANTALUM CARBIDE, AND A MATRIX METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF IORN, COBALT AND NICKEL AND ALLOYS OF THESE METALS WITH EACH OTHER AND WITH OTHER METALS HAVING AN OXIDE STABLE UP TO 300*C., SAID OXIDE HAVING A FREE ENERGY OF FORMATION AT 27*C. OF FROM 30 TO 70 KCAL. PER GRAM ATOM OF OXYGEN, SAID MATRIX METAL HAVING UNIFORMLY DISPERSED THEREIN FROM 0.5% TO 10% BY VOLUME OF A PLURALITY OF DISCRETE METAL OXIDE FILLER PARTICLES HAVING AN AVERAGE SIZE 2 TO 1000 MILLIMICRONS, SAID METAL OXIDE FILLER PARTICLES HAVING A FREE ENERGY OF FORMATION AT 1000*C. OF ABOVE 60 KCAL. PER GRAM OF OXYGEN AND A MELTING POINT ABOVE 1000*C.

Claim 3

A PROCESS FOR MAKING A CEMENTED CARBIDE BODY HAVING A DENSITY OF AT LEAST 98% OF THEORETICAL DENSITY COMPRISING THE STEPS OF BALLMILLING IN AN INERT LIQUID A METAL CARBIDE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF TITANIUM CARBIDE, TUNGSTEN CARBIDE AND TANTALUM CARBIDE TOGETHER WITH A MATRIX METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ION, COBALT AND NICKEL AND ALLOYS OF THESE METALS WITH EACH OTHER AND WITH OTHER METALS HAVING AN OXIDE STABLE UP TO 300*C., SAID OXIDE HAVING A FREE ENERGY OF FORMATION AT 27*C. OF FROM 30 TO 70 KCAL. PER GRAM ATOM OF OXYGEN, SAID MATRIX METAL HAVING UNIFORMLY DISPERSED THEREIN FROM 0.5% TO 10% BY VOLUME OF A PLURALITY OF DISCRETE METAL OXIDE FILLER PARTICLES HAVING AN AVERAGE SIZE OF 5 TO 1000 MILLIMICRONS, SAID METAL OXIDE FILLER PARTICLES HAVING A FREE ENERGY OF FORMATION AT 1000*C. OF ABOVE 60 KCAL. PER GRAM ATOM OF OXYGEN AND A MELTING POINT ABOVE 1000*C., CONTINUING SAID BALLMILLING FOR A PERIOD SUFFICIENT TO INCREASE THE SPECIFIC SURFACE AREA OF THE METAL CARBIDE TO A VALUE RANGING FROM 6/D TO 24/D SQUARE METERS, WHERE D IS THE DENSITY OF THE METAL CARBIDE IN GRAMS PER CUBIC CENTIMETER, HOT PRESSING SAID BALLMILLED METAL CARBIDE FILLED MATRIX METAL POWDER AT A PRESSURE RANTING FROM 1000 TO 5000 P.S.I. AND AT THEMINIMUM TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO PRODUCE A CEMENTED CARBIDE BODY HAVING A DENSITY OF AT LEAST 98% OF THEORECTICAL DENSITY IN A PERIOD OF TIME RANGING FROM ABOUT 5 TO 10 MINUTES AFTER THE APPLICATION OF SAID PRESSURE, AND THEREAFTER RAPIDLY COOLING SAID HOT-PRESSED CARBIDE BODY.

Claim 4

A PROCESS FOR MAKING A CEMENTED CARBIDE BODY HAVING A DENSITY OF AT LEAST 98% OF THEORETICAL DENSITY COMPRISING THE STEPS OF BALLMILLING IN AN INERT LIQUID A METAL CARBIDE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF TITANIUM CARBIDE, TUNGSTEN CARBIDE AND TANTALUM CARBIDE TOGETHER WITH A MATRIX METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ION, COBALT AND NICKEL AND ALLOYS OF THESE METALS WITH EACH OTHER AND WITH OTHER METALS HAVING AN OXIDE STABLE UP TO 300*C., SAID OXIDE HAVING A FREE ENERGY OF FORMATION AT 27*C. OF FROM 30 TO 70 KCAL. PER GRAM ATOM OF OXYGEN, SAID MATRIX METAL HAVING UNIFORMLY DISPERSED THEREIN FROM 0.5% TO 10% BY VOLUME OF A PLURALITY OF DISCRETE METAL OXIDE FILLER PARTICLES HAVING AN AVERAGE SIZE OF 5 TO 1000 MILLIMICRONS, SAID METAL OXIDE FILLER PARTICLES HAVING A FREE ENERGY OF FORMATION AT 1000*C. OF ABOVE 60 KCAL. PER GRAM ATOM OF OXYGEN AND A MELTING POINT ABOVE 1000*C., CONTINUING SAID BALLMILLING FOR A PERIOD SUFFICIENT TO INCREASE THE SPECIFIC SURFACE AREA OF THE METAL CARBIDE TO A VALUE RANGING FROM 6/D TO 24/D SQUARE METERS, WHERE D IS THE DENSITY OF THE METAL CARBIDE IN GRAMS PER CUBIC CENTIMETER, HOT PRESSING SAID BALLMILLED METAL CARBIDE FILLED MATRIX METAL POWDER AT A PRESSURE RANTING FROM 1000 TO 5000 P.S.I. AND AT THEMINIMUM TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO PRODUCE A CEMENTED CARBIDE BODY HAVING A DENSITY OF AT LEAST 98% OF THEORECTICAL DENSITY IN A PERIOD OF TIME RANGING FROM ABOUT 5 TO 10 MINUTES AFTER THE APPLICATION OF SAID PRESSURE, AND THEREAFTER RAPIDLY COOLING SAID HOT-PRESSED CARBIDE BODY.