Abstract: A carbothermic reduction method is provided for reducing a La-, Ce-, MM-, and/or Y-containing oxide in the presence of carbon and a source of a reactant element comprising Si, Ge, Sn, Pb, As, Sb, Bi, and/or P to form an intermediate alloy material including a majority of La, Ce, MM, and/or Y and a minor amount of the reactant element. The intermediate material is useful as a master alloy for in making negative electrode materials for a metal hydride battery, as hydrogen storage alloys, as master alloy additive for addition to a melt of commercial Mg and Al alloys, steels, cast irons, and superalloys; or in reducing Sm2O3 to Sm metal for use in Sm—Co permanent magnets.

Abstract: A carbothermic reduction method is provided for reducing a La-, Ce-, MM-, and/or Y-containing oxide in the presence of carbon and a source of a reactant element comprising Si, Ge, Sn, Pb, As, Sb, Bi, and/or P to form an intermediate alloy material including a majority of La, Ce, MM, and/or Y and a minor amount of the reactant element. The intermediate material is useful as a master alloy for in making negative electrode materials for a metal hydride battery, as hydrogen storage alloys, as master alloy additive for addition to a melt of commercial Mg and Al alloys, steels, cast irons, and superalloys; or in reducing Sm2O3 to Sm metal for use in Sm—Co permanent magnets.

Abstract: A carbothermic reduction method is provided for reducing a La-, Ce-, MM-, and/or Y-containing oxide in the presence of carbon and a source of a reactant element comprising Si, Ge, Sn, Pb, As, Sb, Bi, and/or P to form an intermediate alloy material including a majority of La, Ce, MM, and/or Y and a minor amount of the reactant element. The intermediate material is useful as a master alloy for in making negative electrode materials for a metal hydride battery, as hydrogen storage alloys, as master alloy additive for addition to a melt of commercial Mg and Al alloys, steels, cast irons, and superalloys; or in reducing Sm2O3 to Sm metal for use in Sm—Co permanent magnets.

Abstract: A carbothermic reduction method is provided for reducing a La-, Ce-, MM-, and/or Y-containing oxide in the presence of carbon and a source of a reactant element comprising Si, Ge, Sn, Pb, As, Sb, Bi, and/or P to form an intermediate alloy material including a majority of La, Ce, MM, and/or Y and a minor amount of the reactant element. The intermediate material is useful as a master alloy for in making negative electrode materials for a metal hydride battery, as hydrogen storage alloys, as master alloy additive for addition to a melt of commercial Mg and Al alloys, steels, cast irons, and superalloys; or in reducing Sm2O3 to Sm metal for use in Sm—Co permanent magnets.

Abstract: A method for preparing R5X4 alloy materials where R is a rare earth element selected from one or more of La, Ce, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Lu, Sc, and Y and X represents a non-rare earth alloying element such as silicon, germanium, tin, lead, gallium, indium and mixtures thereof. The method involves carbothermically reducing amounts of a rare earth element-containing oxide, an alloying element-containing oxide and/or alloying element in elemental or alloy form, and carbon at elevated temperature to form an R5X4 alloy material, which is melted, solidified, and optionally heat treated. Such a method provides an economical and efficient technique of configuring magnetic refrigerant, magnetostrictive and magnetoresistive alloys and products.

Abstract: A carbothermic reduction method is provided for reducing a rare earth element-containing oxide including at least one of neodymium (Nd) and praseodymium (Pr) and possibly other rare earth elements (La, Ce, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Sc, and Y) as alloying agents in the presence of carbon and a source of a reactant element including one or more of silicon, germanium, tin, lead, arsenic, antimony and bismuth to form a rare earth element-containing intermediate alloy as a master alloy for making permanent magnet material. The process is a more efficient, lower cost and environmentally friendly technology than current methods of manufacturing rare earth metals. The intermediate material is useful as a master alloy for making a permanent magnet material comprising at least one of neodymium and praseodymium, and possibly other rare earth metals as alloying additives.

Abstract: Method of treating rare earth metal-bearing scrap, waste or other material (e.g. Nd--Fe--B or Dy--Tb--Fe scrap) to recover the rare earth metal comprising melting the rare earth metal-bearing material, melting a Group IIA metal extractant, such as Mg, Ca, or Ba, in which the rare earth is soluble in the molten state, and contacting the melted material and melted extractant at a temperature and for a time effective to extract the rare earth from the melted material into the melted extractant. The rare earth metal is separated from the extractant metal by vacuum sublimation or distillation.

Abstract: Rare earth-transition metal (e.g., iron) scrap (e.g., Nd-Fe-B scrap) is flux (slag) remelted to reduce tramp non-metallic impurities, such as oxygen and nitrogen, and metallic impurities, such as Li, Na, Al, etc., picked up by the scrap from previous fabrication operations. The tramp impurities are reduced to concentrations acceptable for reuse of the treated alloy in the manufacture of end-use articles, such as permanent magnets. The scrap is electroslag or inductoslag melted using a prefused, rare earth fluoride-bearing flux of CaF.sub.2, CaCl.sub.2 or mixtures thereof or the slag resulting from practice of the thermite reduction process to make a rare earth-iron alloy.

Abstract: Rare earth-transition metal (e.g. iron) scrap (e.g. Nd-Fe-B scrap) is melted to reduce the levels of tramp oxygen and nitrogen impurities therein. The tramp impurities are reduced in the melt by virtue of the reaction of the tramp impurities and the rare earth to form dross on the melt. The purified melt is separated from the dross for reuse. The oxygen and nitrogen of the melt are reduced to levels acceptable for reuse of the treated alloy in the manufacture of end-use articles, such as permanent magnets.

Abstract: A particulate mixture of Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3 and RE.sub.2 O.sub.3, where RE is a rare earth element, is reacted with an excess of HF acid to form an insoluble fluoride compound (salt) comprising REF.sub.3 and FeF.sub.3 present in solid solution in the REF.sub.3 crystal lattice. The REF.sub.3 /FeF.sub.3 compound is dried to render it usable as a reactant in the thermite reduction process as well as other processes which require an REF.sub.3 /FeF.sub.3 mixture. The dried REF.sub.3 /FeF.sub.3 compound comprises about 5 weight % to about 40 weight % of FeF.sub.3 and the balance REF.sub.3 to this end.

Abstract: An audiographics conferencing arrangement for use in a business communication system allows the conferees to exchange displayed text and/or graphics stored locally in their respective data terminals. The conferees may change the displayed text and/or graphics and such changes are automatically distributed to the other data terminals so that all of the conferees view the same information. Moreover, a data terminal and its associated telephone station set may be included in an audiographics conference connection even though they are not directly served by the business communication system. In addition, one of the conferees may establish concurrent with the original audiographics conference connection a second audiographics conference connection with one or more other data terminals and transfer information obtained from one conference connection to the other conference connection.

Abstract: Thin coatings of normally solid materials are applied to target substrates using an inductively coupled plasma. Particles of the coating material are vaporized by plasma heating, and pass through an orifice to a first vacuum zone in which the particles are accelerated to a velocity greater than Mach 1. The shock wave generated in the first vacuum zone is intercepted by the tip of a skimmer cone that provides a second orifice. The particles pass through the second orifice into a second zone maintained at a higher vacuum and impinge on the target to form the coating. Ultrapure coatings can be formed.

Abstract: Molybdenum-copper and tungsten-copper alloys are prepared by a consumable electrode method in which the electrode consists of a copper matrix with embedded strips of refractory molybdenum or tungsten. The electrode is progressively melted at its lower end with a superatmospheric inert gas pressure maintained around the liquifying electrode. The inert gas pressure is sufficiently above the vapor pressure of copper at the liquidus temperature of the alloy being formed to suppress boiling of liquid copper.

Abstract: Copper-dendritic composite alloys are prepared for mechanical reduction to increase tensile strength by dispersing molten droplets of the composite alloy into an inert gas; solidifying the droplets in the form of minute spheres or platelets; and compacting a mass of the spheres or platelets into an integrated body. The spheres preferably have diameters of from 50 to 2000 .mu.m, and the platelets thicknesses of 100 to 2000 .mu.m. The resulting spheres or platelets will contain ultra-fine dendrites which produce higher strengths on mechanical reduction of the bodies formed therefrom, or comparable strengths at lower reduction values. The method is applicable to alloys of copper with vanadium, niobium, tantalum, chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, iron and cobalt.

Abstract: The invention comprises a continuous casting and crystallization method for manufacturing grain-oriented magnetostrictive bodies. A magnetostrictive alloy is melted in a crucible having a bottom outlet. The melt is discharged through the bottom of the crucible and deposited in an elongated mold. Heat is removed from the deposited melt through the lower end portion of the mold to progressively solidify the melt. The solid-liquid interface of the melt moves directionally upwardly from the bottom to the top of the mold, to produce the axial grain orientation.

Abstract: An improved method for the preparation of high-purity rare earth-iron alloys by the aluminothermic reduction of a mixture of rare earth and iron fluorides.

Abstract: A tantalum-copper alloy can be made by preparing a consumable electrode consisting of an elongated copper billet containing at least two spaced apart tantalum rods extending longitudinally the length of the billet. The electrode is placed in a dc arc furnace and melted under conditions which co-melt the copper and tantalum to form the alloy.

Abstract: An improved method of preparing composite multifilament superconducting wire of Nb.sub.3 Sn in a copper matrix which eliminates the necessity of coating the drawn wire with tin. A generalized cylindrical billet of an alloy of copper containing at least 15 weight percent niobium, present in the copper as discrete, randomly distributed and oriented dendritic-shaped particles, is provided with at least one longitudinal opening which is filled with tin to form a composite drawing rod. The drawing rod is then drawn to form a ductile composite multifilament wire containing a filament of tin. The ductile wire containing the tin can then be wound into magnet coils or other devices before heating to diffuse the tin through the wire to react with the niobium forming Nb.sub.3 Sn. Also described is an improved method for making large billets of the copper-niobium alloy by consumable-arc casting.

Abstract: A tantalum-copper alloy can be made by preparing a consumable electrode consisting of an elongated copper billet containing at least two spaced apart tantalum rods extending longitudinally the length of the billet. The electrode is placed in a dc arc furnace and melted under conditions which co-melt the copper and tantalum to form the alloy.

Abstract: A process for preparing high purity silicon metal from Na.sub.2 SiF.sub.6 (sodium fluosilicate). The sodium fluosilicate is heated to decomposition temperature to form NaF, which retains most of the impurities, and gaseous SiF.sub.4. The SiF.sub.4 is then reduced by the bomb reduction method using a reductant having a low packing density.