Corrosion-resistant Fe-Cr-uranium.sup.238 pellet and method for making the same

A solid, generally spherical metal shotgun pellet consisting essentially of a solid iron-chromium-uranium alloy having a specific gravity of at least about 8.4, said pellet having been formed by cooling to ambient temperature, in less than about a minute, a molten solution comprising a uranium isotope mixture in molten stainless steel, said isotope mixture containing more than 99.3% U.sup.238 ;

• said solid alloy consisting essentially of about 3 to about 35 atomic % solid uranium, having essentially the isotopic distribution in said molten solution, about 50-87 atomic-% iron, and about 10-35 atomic-% chromium.

In a process for making high density ammunition from uranium containing at least the naturally-occurring amount of the U.sup.238 isotope, the steps comprising:

• (a) blending together, as elements or intermetallic compounds, the elements consisting essentially of about 3 to about 35 atomic % uranium, about 10-35 atomic % molten chromium, and about 50-87 atomic-% iron, in the molten state, thereby obtaining essentially a solution,
• (b) cooling the resulting solution to about ambient temperature quickly enough to prevent the formation of a segregated uranium-rich phase containing less than 10 atomic % free chromium, thereby obtaining a solid metal pellet having a fine grain structure and a specific gravity of at least about 8.4.

An iron-chromium-uranium alloy having stainless properties and a specific gravity of at least about 8.4, said alloy consisting essentially of a fine-grain structure consisting essentially of:

• 3-35 atomic-% uranium, which uranium has at least the naturally-occurring amount of the U.sup.238 isotope,
• 50-87 atomic-% iron, and
• 1- 35atomic-% chromium, said alloy being substantially free of solid segregated phases locally containing less than 10 atomic-% free chromium.