Warm consolidation of glassy metallic alloy filaments

The method of producing a magnetically soft consolidated dense discrete body comprising the steps of:

• (a) defining an open-ended compacting volume;
• (b) distributing a preselected amount of intertwined magnetically soft filamentary glassy metallic alloy, preheated to a temperature of at least its plastic transition temperature, but less than its crystallization temperature, substantially uniformly into said open-ended compacting volume without exceeding the elastic limit of said alloy while maintaining said die at a substantially uniform temperature throughout of at least the plastic transition temperature, but less than the crystallization temperature of said alloy, said magnetically soft filamentary alloy having a width-to-thickness ratio of less than about 600:1;
• and
• (c) uniaxially compressing said preselected amount of magnetically soft filamentary glassy metallic alloy with a gradually applied pressure for a period of time sufficient to produce thereby a magnetically soft consolidated dense discrete metallic body that is at least 50% glassy, with any remainder crystalline, while maintaining said filamentary alloy at a substantially uniform temperature throughout of at least its plastic transition temperature, but less than its crystallization temperature;
• and
• (d) disassembling said die following completion of said uniaxial compression step recovering thereby a magnetically soft metallic body in a substantially strain-free condition.