Patent ID: 7690312
Filing Date: 2010-04-06
Classification: F42B

Abstract:
1. A method of producing a projectile, comprising the steps of: providing a plurality of tungsten particles that are from about 8 microns to about 30 microns in diameter and a plurality of iron particles that are from about 40 microns to about 200 microns in size; mixing the plurality of tungsten particles and the plurality of iron particles; blending the tungsten particles and the iron particles; mechanically compacting the mixture in a die, thereby forming the projectile; and sintering the formed projectile in a sintering furnace under controllable atmospheric conditions and at a temperature sufficient to form bonds between at least a portion of the plurality of iron particles, the temperature being from about 1500° F. to about 2450° F., wherein no intermetallic materials or alloys of the tungsten particles and the iron particles are formed during the compacting and sintering steps due to the sintering temperature and to the size of the tungsten particles and the size of the iron particles utilized; wherein the final density of the projectile is from about 8.0 grams per cubic centimeter to about 12.2 grams per cubic centimeter and the final hardness of the projectile is from about 10 HB to about 50 HB; wherein densification is achieved when the mixture is compacted due to mechanical bond formation between the plurality of tungsten particles and the plurality of iron particles and no substantial densification occurs in the sintering step; and wherein the ratio of the mixture of tungsten particles to iron particles is, by weight, from about 30:70 to about 65:35.