Composite matter

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR PRODUCING REINFORCED METAL PRODUCTS CAPABLE OF SUSTAINING HIGH STRENGTH PROPERTIES AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURES WHICH COMPRISES PROVIDING FREE FLOWING, FINELY DIVIDED COMPOSITE PARTICLES RANGING IN SIZE UP TO ABOUT FIVE MICRONS CONTAINING AS ESSENTIALLY INGREDIENTS A STRONG HIGH-MELTING POINT HARD AND SUBSTANTIALLY INSOLUBLE REFRACTORY MATERIAL AS A SLIP AND RECOVERY INHIBITING PHASE AND A DUCTILE METAL OF MELTING POINT ABOUT 1250* C. IN INTEGRAL RELATION THEREWITH, WHEREBY ONE CONSTITUENT SUBSTANTIALLY COATS THE OTHER SO THAT WHEN THE METAL COATS THE REFRACTORY MATERIAL ITS THICKNESS RANGES FROM ABOUT 0.05 TO ONE MICRON, AND WHEN THE REFRACTORY MATERIAL COATS THE DUCTILE METAL ITS THICKNESS RANGES UP TO ABOUT 0.3 MICRON, THE AMOUNT OF THE HARD REFRACTORY MATERIAL RANGING FROM ABOUT 0.5% TO ABOUT 25% BY VOLUME OF THE TOTAL POWDER COMPOSITION, SHAPING SAID POWDER MIXTURE TO A COHERENT BODY, SINTERING THE SHAPED BODY AT A TEMPERATURE OF AT LEAST ABOUT 1100* C. TO NOT GREATER THAN ABOUT 5* BELOW THE POINT OF INCIPIENT FUSION UNDER SUBSTANTIALLY NON-REACTIVE CONDITIONS TO PRODUCE A SUBSTANTIALLY DENSE BODY, HOT WORKING SAID SINTERED BODY TO REDUCE ITS CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA AT LEAST ABOUT 50% TO ELIMINATE SUBSTANTIALLY THE VOIDS IN SAID BODY, AND THEN FABRICATING SAID HOT WORKED BODY INTO A HEAT RESISTANT ARTICLE OF MANUFACTURE, SAID FABRICATED ARTICLE BEING CHARACTERIZED BY A MICROSTRUCTURE HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY DISCONTINUOUS AND RANDOM DISPERSION OF THE FINELY DIVIDED SLIP AND RECOVERY INHIBITING PHASE THROUGHOUT THE MATRIX OF THE REINFORCED METAL.