Mechanical alloying and interdispersion cold bonding agents therefor

Claim 2

IN THE PROCESS OF PRODUCING MECHANICALLY ALLOYED COMPOSITE PRODUCT POWDER PARTICLES, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES CONDUCTING THE MECHANICAL ALLOYING OPERATION IN THE PRESENCE OF AN INORGANIC INTERDISPERSION COLD BONDING AGENT (ICBCA) FORMED OF A HALIDE, THE HALIDE BEING IN CONTACT WITH THE POWDER PARTICLES TO BE MECHANICALLY ALLOYED AND BEING PERCENT IN AN AMOUNT EFFECTIVE TO PROVIDE THE NECESSARY CONTROL BALANCE DURING THE COURSE OF THE OPERATION WITH THE UPPER LIMIT BEING ABOUT 3% BY WEIGHT OF THE POWDER CHARGE, THE CONTROL BALANCE BEING SUCH THAT AN INTIMATE INTERDISPERSION OF CONSTITUENT POWDERS IS ACHIEVED WITHOUT EITHER THE FORMATION OF AN APPRECIABLE AMOUNT OF DETRIMETALLY LARGE COMPOSITE PARTICLES OR THE DELETERIOUS ADHERENCE OF POWDERS TO THE MILLING ELEMENTS OR MILL INTERIOR SURFACES AND WITHOUT INCURRING SERIOUS IMPAIRMENT OF THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF THE COMPOSITION TO BE PRODUCED.

Claim 3

A process as set forth in claim 1 in which the halide is from the group consisting of HCl, HBr, HI and HF.

Claim 4

A procesS as set forth in claim 1 in which the halide is a gas from the group consisting of chlorine, bromine, iodine and fluorine.

Claim 5

In the process of producing mechanically alloyed composite product powder particles, the improvement which comprises conducting the mechanical alloying operation in the presence of an inorganic interdispersion cold bonding agent (ICBCA) formed of a metal halide, the metal halide being in contact with the powder particles to be mechanically alloyed and being present in an amount effective to provide the necessary control balance during the course of the operation with the upper limit being about 3 percent by weight of the powder charge, the control balance being such that an intimate interdispersion of constituent powders is achieved without either the formation of an appreciable amount of detrimentally large composite particles or the deleterious adherence of powders to the milling elements or mill interior surfaces and without incurring serious impairment of the mechanical properties of the composition to be produced.

Claim 6

In the process of producing mechanically alloyed composite product powder particles, the improvement which comprises conducting the mechanical alloying operation in the presence of an inorganic interdispersion cold bonding agent (ICBCA) formed of a metal halide, the metal halide being in contact with the powder particles to be mechanically alloyed and being present in an amount effective to provide the necessary control balance during the course of the operation with the upper limit being about 3 percent by weight of the powder charge, the control balance being such that an intimate interdispersion of constituent powders is achieved without either the formation of an appreciable amount of detrimentally large composite particles or the deleterious adherence of powders to the milling elements or mill interior surfaces and without incurring serious impairment of the mechanical properties of the composition to be produced.

Claim 7

A process as set forth in claim 4, in which the halide is a nickel halide selected from the group consisting of nickelous chloride, bromide and fluoride.