High-strength high-thermal-conductivity wrought nickel alloy

Abstract

A nickel alloying process includes providing a metal powder containing substantially unalloyed nickel for high inherent thermal conductivity, forming a nickel alloy from the metal powder with addition of additives to form a uniform fine thermo-dynamically stable incoherent precipitate dispersion like carbides, oxides or nitrides, apply mechanical or thermo-chemical reactions to form or maintain a uniform fine dispersion of the incoherent precipitates, removing air and absorbed water from the nickel alloy, and hot extruding the nickel alloy to substantially full density and prescribed dispersion strengthened condition. A net result is a dispersion strengthened high thermal conductivity nickel alloy.

1 . A nickel alloying process comprising:
 providing a metal powder containing substantially unalloyed nickel;   forming a nickel alloy from the metal powder;   removing air and absorbed water from the nickel alloy; and   hot extruding the nickel alloy.   
     
     
         2 . The nickel alloying process of  claim 1 , wherein the providing the metal powder comprises providing a substantially unalloyed nickel powder; providing an incoherent particle powder; and blending the substantially unalloyed nickel powder with the incoherent particle powder. 
     
     
         3 . The nickel alloying process of  claim 1 , wherein the providing the metal powder comprises providing a nickel oxide powder with fine oxide dispersion; providing a nickel-aluminum alloy powder; and blending the nickel oxide powder proportionally with the nickel-aluminum alloy powder. 
     
     
         4 . The nickel alloying process of  claim 3 , where the proportion between the nickel oxide powder and the nickel-aluminum alloy powder is determined by a need for the nickel oxide powder to react with the nickel-aluminum alloy powder to form nickel metal and aluminum oxide. 
     
     
         5 . The nickel alloying process of  claim 1 , wherein the forming the nickel alloy comprises ball milling the metal powder under a predetermined atmosphere. 
     
     
         6 . The nickel alloying process of  claim 5 , wherein the predetermined atmosphere is gaseous to promote repetitive cold-welding, deformation and fracturing of powder particles. 
     
     
         7 . The nickel alloying process of  claim 5 , wherein the predetermined atmosphere is cryo-liquid to promote repetitive cold-welding, deformation and fracturing of powder particles. 
     
     
         8 . The nickel alloying process of  claim 1 , wherein the providing the metal powder comprises providing the group consisting of a nickel-vanadium-carbon powder, a nickel-refractory metal-carbon powder and a nickel-refractory metal-nitrogen powder. 
     
     
         9 . The nickel alloying process of  claim 8 , wherein the nickel-refractory metal-carbon powder is formulated to subsequently form a dispersion of metal carbides. 
     
     
         10 . The nickel alloying process of  claim 8 , wherein the nickel-refractory metal-nitrogen powder is formulated to subsequently form a dispersion of metal nitrides. 
     
     
         11 . The nickel alloying process of  claim 1 , wherein the forming the nickel alloy comprises melting the metal powder; and rapidly solidifying the melted metal powder. 
     
     
         12 . The nickel alloying process of  claim 11 , wherein the melting is a vacuum induction melting. 
     
     
         13 . The nickel alloying process of  claim 11 , wherein the rapidly solidifying is performed by rotary atomization using a high specific heat inert quench gas and high rotational speeds to produce fine rapidly cooled powder. 
     
     
         14 . The nickel alloying process of  claim 11 , wherein the heat inert quench gas is selected from the group consisting of Helium, Hydrogen, Argon, Nitrogen and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         15 . The nickel alloying process of  claim 1 , wherein the removing air and water is performed in a stainless steel container. 
     
     
         16 . The nickel alloying process of  claim 1 , further comprising a thermo-mechanical processing for controlling recrystallized grain size and shape of the nickel alloy. 
     
     
         17 . The nickel alloying process of  claim 1 , wherein the hot extruding includes extruding the nickel alloy to substantially full density and a prescribed dispersion strengthened metallurgical condition. 
     
     
         18 . A nickel alloying process comprising:
 providing a substantially unalloyed nickel powder;   providing an incoherent particle powder;   blending the substantially unalloyed nickel powder with the incoherent particle powder;   forming a nickel alloy from the blended powder;   removing air and absorbed water from the nickel alloy; and   hot extruding the nickel alloy.   
     
     
         19 . The nickel alloying process of  claim 18 , wherein the forming the nickel alloy comprises ball milling the blended powder under a predetermined atmosphere. 
     
     
         20 . The nickel alloying process of  claim 19 , wherein the predetermined atmosphere is gaseous to promote repetitive cold-welding, deformation and fracturing of powder particles. 
     
     
         21 . The nickel alloying process of  claim 19 , wherein the predetermined atmosphere is cryo-liquid to promote repetitive cold-welding, deformation and fracturing of powder particles. 
     
     
         22 . The nickel alloying process of  claim 18 , wherein the removing air and water is performed in a stainless steel container. 
     
     
         23 . The nickel alloying process of  claim 18 , further comprising a thermo-mechanical processing for controlling recrystallized grain size and shape of the nickel alloy. 
     
     
         24 . The nickel alloying process of  claim 18 , wherein the hot extruding includes extruding the nickel alloy to substantially full density and a prescribed dispersion strengthen metallurgical condition. cm  25 - 47 . (canceled)