Abstract: Disclosed is a method of floatingly supporting a metallic strip in a direct firing type continuous heat treating furnace accommodating a plurality of floater nozzles. In this method, furnace gas is initially supplied to and pressurized by a plurality of multistage booster fans. The temperature of the furnace gas to be supplied to the booster fans is less than a critical temperature of the fans. When the temperature of the furnace gas is less than the temperature of the material of the strip, the temperature of the furnace gas is raised to a temperature near the material temperature in combustion chambers provided with respective direct firing type burners. The furnace gas is then supplied to the floater nozzles, the internal pressure of which is controlled prior to being jetted.

Abstract: A fiber reinforced metal alloy comprising a metal matrix and a fibrous reinforcement which is constituted by refractory fibers having a high tensile strength. The fiber reinforced metal alloy is manufactured by the use of a centrifugal casting method.

Abstract: A method for making an aluminum nitride powder comprises atomizing a molten aluminum into a nitriding atmosphere of N.sub.2 gas of elevated temperature and solidifying the finely divided liquid particles of aluminum which have been nitrided.