Patent ID: 7056470

Claim:
A process for making a silicone-doped niobium lead wire comprising: (a) forming a low oxygen niobium powder by hydriding a niobium ingot or a niobium bar and grinding or milling the ingot or the bar, and thereby making a powder having a Fisher Average Particle Diameter particle size range of less than 150 microns; (b) (i) dehydriding the niobium powder, and (ii) deoxidating the dehydrided niobium powder thereby forming a low oxygen niobium powder; (c) blending the low oxygen niobium powder with a silicon additive powder, and compacting the powder blend of low oxygen niobium powder and silicon additive powder by cold isotactic pressing to form a bar; (d) thermomechanically processing the bar into a rod; and (e) subjecting the rod to the following sequential steps, (i) annealing at a temperature of about 2500° F. for 1.5 hours, (ii) rolling to a diameter of about 0.440 inches, (iii) annealing at a temperature of about 2500° F. for 1.5 hours (iv) reducing to a diameter of about 0.1 inches, and (v) drawing to a wire having a diameter of at least about 0.005 inches.