GB395745A - An improved compound structural material and shaped articles made therefrom, more particularly for electrical purposes - Google Patents

Abstract

In compositions consisting of one or more hard metals such as tungsten, molybdenum, tantalum, bonded by one or more soft metals such as silver, gold, aluminium, copper, platinum, tin, zinc, the hard metal in the powdered form in which it is obtained from its compounds or ores is sintered or melted, and if desired, hammered, rolled, or otherwise mechanically worked, and then finely powdered before bonding with the soft metal. The bonding may be effected by pouring molten soft metal over the hard metal powder, heating a mixture of the metal powders to the melting point of the soft metal, or a combination of these two methods, or the hard metal may be fritted at a low temperature to form a skeleton which is soaked in the melted soft metal. Articles may be made having different proportions of hard metal in different parts. The proportions of the ingredients may vary within wide limits, the hard metal comprising 10-94 per cent of the whole. The composite material may be heated and chilled, or otherwise treated to obtain a fine crystalline structure. Other metals such as titanium, vanadium, zirconium, cobalt, chromium, nickel, iron, may be incorporated in the above compositions.