Process for making rhenium-containing alloys

US6039920A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• W.C. Heraeus GmbH & Co. KG · DE

Inventors

• Michael Koch · Bruchköbel, DE
• Wulf Kock · Alzenau, DE
• David Francis Lupton · Gelnhausen, DE
• Friedhold Scholz · Rodenbach, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: May 4, 1998
• Grant date: Mar 21, 2000
• Expiry date: May 4, 2018

Classification

• Technology area (CPC B): Performing Operations; Transporting
• CPC primary: B22F2998/00
• WIPO field: Materials, metallurgy
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A process for making iron, cobalt and/or nickel base alloys containing rhenium. The process involves melting together the components that form the alloys, at least one of the components being a rhenium master alloy having 30 to 70 wt % rhenium, then casting the resultant melt and allowing the melt to solidify. Possible difficulties such as the formation of rhenium heptoxide are avoided by using a master alloy containing (i) rhenium and (ii) iron, cobalt and/or nickel, instead of sintered rhenium as the rhenium source during the melting step.