Process for producing an internal-oxidized alloy or a shaped article thereof

Abstract

A process for producing an internal-oxidized alloy, which comprises allowing a plasma generated in the presence of oxygen, a gas of an oxygen atom-containing compound or a mixture of oxygen and a gas of an oxygen atom-containing compound to act on an alloy consisting of at least two metal elements, thereby selectively oxidizing at least one metal element other than the matrix metal in said alloy. Particles of the internal-oxidized alloy thus obtained can, if necessary, be molded into a desired shape and sintered. Said process enables one to produce an internal-oxidized alloy at a high speed at a temperature of not more than 0.9 Tm (Tm: the melting point of the starting alloy) and does not require the step of separating an internal-oxidizing agent which step is required in the conventional process.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.