Methods for producing medium-density articles from high-density tungsten alloys
OwnerDarryl D. Amickinventor
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Abstract
Methods for producing medium-density articles from recovered high-density tungsten alloy (WHA) material, and especially from recovered WHA scrap. In one embodiment of the invention, the method includes forming a medium-density alloy from WHA material and one or more medium- to low-density metals or metal alloys. In another embodiment, medium-density grinding media, such as formed from the above method, is used to mill WHA scrap and one or more matrix metals into particulate that may be pressed and, in some embodiments, sintered to form medium-density articles therefrom.
Claims32
An article produced according to a method comprising:
- providing a supply of scrap having a density of at least approximately 15 g/cc and having a composition formed from at least 70% of at least one of tungsten and a tungsten alloy;
- milling the supply into a particulate;
- mixing the particulate with a high-density component having a density greater than 15 g/cc and a metallic component formed from at least one of a metal and an alloy having a density less than approximately 15 g/cc to produce a product composition therefrom;
- and
- forming from the product composition an article having a density in the range of approximately 8 g/cc to approximately 15 g/cc.
A lead-free article produced according to a method comprising:
- providing a high-density component having a density greater than approximately 15 g/cc and a metallic component containing at least one of a metal or an alloy having a density less than 15 g/cc, wherein the high-density component includes at least a first constituent selected from scrap materials containing at least one of tungsten and a tungsten alloy and having a density greater than 15 g/cc and a second constituent containing at least one of tungsten and a tungsten alloy in powder form and which has a density greater than 15 g/cc;
- forming a molten alloy from the components;
- and
- producing an article having a density less than approximately 15 g/cc from the molten alloy.
A lead-free firearms projectile, comprising:
- a projectile body at least substantially comprised of at least a first constituent, a second constituent, and a third constituent, the first constituent comprising tungsten-rich scrap that contains at least 70% of at least one of tungsten or a tungsten alloy, has a density of at least 15 g/cc, and which is obtained without requiring chemical processing of the scrap to recover tungsten therefrom;
- the second constituent comprising a tungsten-containing high-density component having a density greater than 15 g/cc;
- and
- the third constituent comprising a metallic component formed from at least one of a metal and an alloy having a density less than approximately 15 g/cc;
- wherein the projectile body has a density in the range of 8-15 g/cc.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.