Abstract: Cermet electrode compositions and methods for making are disclosed which comprise NiO--NiFe.sub.2 O.sub.4 --Cu--Ni. Addition of an effective amount of a metallic catalyst/reactant to a composition of a nickel/iron/oxide, NiO, copper, and nickel produces a stable electrode having significantly increased electrical conductivity. The metallic catalyst functions to disperse the copper and nickel as an alloy continuously throughout the oxide phase of the cermet to render the electrode compositon more highly electrically conductive than were the third metal not present in the base composition. The third metal is preferably added to the base composition as elemental metal and includes aluminum, magnesium, sodium and gallium. The elemental metal is converted to a metal oxide during the sintering process.

Abstract: Cermet electrode compositions comprising NiO-NiFe.sub.2 O.sub.4 -Cu-Ni, and methods for making, are disclosed. Addition of nickel metal prior to formation and densification of a base mixture into the cermet allows for an increase in the total amount of copper and nickel that can be contained in the NiO-NiFe.sub.2 O.sub.4 oxide system. Nickel is present in a base mixture weight concentration of from 0.1% to 10%. Copper is present in the alloy phase in a weight concentration of from 10% to 30% of the densified composition. Such cermet electrodes can be formed to have electrical conductivities well in excess of 100 ohm.sup.-1 cm.sup.-1. Other alloy and oxide system cermets having high content metal phases are also expected to be manufacturable in accordance with the invention.

Abstract: A method of forming a composite of fibers having high strength at high temperatures in a high temperature metal matrix is taught. The high strength fibers may be silicon carbide fibers. The fibers are aligned and disposed on a substrate surface. A metal to serve as a matrix is provided in powder form with relatively larger particles of the order of more than 100 .mu.m. The powder is plasma spray deposited on the fiber coated substrate surface to cause the metal to at least partially envelop the fibers. The composite is then separated from the substrate.

Abstract: A cermet material comprises an intergrown network of a minor proportion of ceramic such as TiB.sub.2 in a metal matrix such as Al. The cermet is prepared by forming a minor proportion by weight of a ceramic phase in situ in a molten metal phase and holding the mixture of elevated temperature for a time to effect formation of an intergrown ceramic network.

Abstract: The shrinkage normally encountered when molding a mixture of spherical cobalt-containing particles and thermoplastic binder, heating the resulting molded article to degrade the binder and form a porous preform, and infiltrating the same is counteracted by adding finely divided elemental iron or elemental nickel to the spherical cobalt-containing particles. In addition to improving dimensional control, the elemental powder addition increases impact strength while maintaining hardness.

Abstract: A precision molded article, such as a die cavity, is made by combining granules of a refractory and granules of a first metal or alloy which has a homogeneous crystalline appearance at a temperature below its melting point and has a lower Rockwell Hardness than the refractory, mixing the granules with a heat fugitive organic binder, molding the granule-binder mixture into a green molded preform, thermally degrading and removing essentially all the binder to form a skeletal preform, and infiltrating the preform with a second metal or alloy which will wet the first metal or alloy and has a lower Rockwell Hardness than the first metal or alloy, thereby forming a molded article having refractory granules fully enveloped within a single skeleton of the first metal or alloy, the refractory granules and skeleton of first metal being surrounded by layers or matrices of softer metals.

Abstract: A contact for a vacuum interrupter has excellent characteristics of high withstand voltage, low melt bonding property, large current durability and low chopping current and is prepared by uniformly distributing, in a copper matrix, two kinds of high melting point metal powders having a melting point of higher than 1450.degree. C. which have different particle diameters of (1) 80-300 .mu.m and (2) less than 30 .mu.m. The low chopping current characteristic is imparted by incorporating more than 10 wt. % of the high melting point metal powder. The high melting point metal powder can be selected from the group consisting of Cr, W, Mo, Ir and Co.

Abstract: A contact for a vacuum interrupter has excellent characteristics of high withstand voltage, large current durability and low chopping current and is prepared by infiltrating copper into a skeleton obtained by sintering a specific tungsten powder having an average diameter of less than 1 .mu.m.The skeleton is preferably prepared by a vacuum sintering process and the copper is infiltrating into the skeleton in hydrogen atmosphere or in vacuum.

Abstract: Material and method for securely attaching boron filaments to other like filaments and to a substrate with preservation of the filament integrity for cutting and abrading by coating them with a mixture of matrix metals essentially containing copper, tin and titanium and joining the filaments by the matrix metals and/or to the substrate into an integral structure by liquid-phase-sintering of the matrix metals which grip and adhere the filaments in a strong, tough alloy with the integrity of the filaments essentially preserved. Boron filament-containing tools for cutting, grinding, abrading, or the like may be fabricated using the materials of the invention and the methods disclosed.

Abstract: A sintered contact material of silver and at least two embedded metal oxides for use in electrical contacts in which the metal oxides are distributed alternatingly in the silver in different microscopic zones of the sintered contact material.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for making fibrous steel webs or matts from particulate iron oxides with the aid of a fiber-forming acrylic polymer. A plurality of continuous filaments are first formed by wet spinning an acrylic polymer spin dope in which particles of iron oxide are dispersed. The filaments obtained are then converted into a precursor web or matt by conventional textile procedures. This is followed by exposing the precursor to a reducing atmosphere (e.g., a gaseous mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide) at a temperature in the range of from about 900.degree. C to 1150.degree. C for a period of about 3 to 8 minutes. Under these conditions, the iron oxide particles are reduced to the metallic state and the polymer in the precursor is pyrolized to carbon and by-product gases. The carbon in the system diffuses into the resulting iron, and the individual metal particles sinter to form a matt of steel wire having a configuration essentially corresponding to that of the precursor.

Abstract: Material and method for securely attaching boron filaments to other like filaments and to a substrate with preservation of the filament integrity for cutting and abrading by coating them with a mixture of matrix metals essentially containing copper, tin and titanium and joining the filaments by the matrix metals and/or to the substrate into an integral structure by liquid-phase-sintering of the matrix metals which grip and adhere the filaments in a strong, tough alloy with the integrity of the filaments essentially preserved. Boron-filament-containing tools for cutting, grinding, abrading, or the like may be fabricated using the materials of the invention and the methods disclosed.

Abstract: Method and material for fabricating composite structures and cutting tools containing super hard filaments using a modified brazing process that employs liquid phase sintering to alloy a mixture of metals about groups of the filaments in side by side parallelized arrangement to produce preforms or bundles of the filaments secured spaced apart in a strong tough metal matrix. A plurality of the completed bundles may then be bonded together by like method and materials into larger structures, tools or cutting portions thereof.

Abstract: A method for making filamentary steel wire from particulate iron oxides with the aid of a fiber-forming acrylic polymer is disclosed. A precursor filament is first formed by wet-spinning an acrylic polymer spin dope in which particles of iron oxide are dispersed. The resulting precursor filament is then exposed to a reducing atmosphere (e.g., a gaseous mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide) at a temperature in the range of from about 900.degree. C. to 1150.degree. C. for a period of about 3 to 8 minutes. Under these conditions, the iron oxide particles are reduced to the metallic state and the polymer in the precursor is pyrolized to carbon and byproduct gases. The carbon diffuses into the resulting metallic iron, and the individual metal particles sinter to form continuous steel wire.The method has the capability of producing steel wire of an essentially ferritic/pearlitic structure with a tensile property in excess of 140,000 psi.