Abstract: The invention provides a sinterable brass powder blend, comprising about 90% to about 99% by weight of brass powder, about 0.2% to about 6.0% by weight manganese sulfide, and 0% to about 5.0% by weight of lubricants, binders, graphite, sintering enhancing additives and mixtures thereof.The invention also provides methods for making lead-free but machinable sintered brass powder metal parts.

Abstract: A method of making aluminum alloy parts having high wear resistance, comprising incorporating, in an aluminum premix powder, a minor proportion of particles of an additive alloy of cobalt or nickel containing a relative hard Laves phase intermetallic in a relatively soft matrix, and sintering the resultant mixture under conditions for effecting controlled diffusion of the additive alloy. The premix powder may be a mixture of a major proportion of aluminum with a minor proportion of one or more alloying elements; in particular, the premix may contain a minor proportion of magnesium. To achieve properly limited diffusion, the sintering step is performed at a temperature lower than that employed to sinter the premix powder when the additive alloy is not present.

Abstract: In production of sintered bodies of particulate metal, especially porous sintered bodies, from particles of metal having a refractory oxide coating, a minor proportion of a flux is mixed with the particulate metal before sintering to aid in removing oxide from surfaces of the metal particles. The particulate metal may be aluminum, with which there may be mixed a minor proportion of particles of an alloying element. The flux may be a mixture of potassium fluoaluminate complexes; the residue of this flux, after sintering, provides a coating that aids in protecting the sintered article against corrosion.