In accordance with the present invention, there are provided: a soft magnetic flattened powder having an average particle diameter, excellent sheet moldability, and a high magnetic permeability; and a method for producing the soft magnetic flattened powder. The soft magnetic flattened powder according to the present invention includes an Fe—Si—Al-based alloy, an average particle diameter D.sub.50 being 30 to less than 50 μm; a coercive force Hc measured by applying a magnetic field in the longitudinal direction of the flattened powder being 176 A/m or less; the ratio of a tap density to a true density being 0.18 or less; a specific surface area BET value being 0.6 m.sup.2/g or more; the amount of contained oxygen being 0.6 mass % or less; and the BET value and oxygen value of the soft magnetic powder satisfying expression (1): [oxygen value/BET value 0.50 (excluding zero)].

A sputtering target, which has a component composition including: 30.0-67.0 atomic % of Ga; and the Cu balance containing inevitable impurities, wherein the sputtering target is a sintered material having a structure in which θ phases made of Cu—Ga alloy are dispersed in a matrix of the γ phases made of Cu—Ga alloy, is provided.

A sputtering target, which has a component composition including: 30.0-67.0 atomic % of Ga; and the Cu balance containing inevitable impurities, wherein the sputtering target is a sintered material having a structure in which θ phases made of Cu—Ga alloy are dispersed in a matrix of the γ phases made of Cu—Ga alloy, is provided.

Disclosed herein are embodiments of hardfacing/hardbanding materials, alloys, or powder compositions that can have low chromium content or be chromium free. In some embodiments, the alloys can contain transition metal borides and borocarbides with a particular metallic component weight percentage. The disclosed alloys can have high hardness and ASTM G65 performance, making them advantageous for hardfacing/hardbanding applications.

Various non-limiting embodiments disclosed herein relate to nozzle assemblies for conveying molten material, the nozzle assemblies comprising a body, which may be formed from a material having a melting temperature greater than the melting temperature of the molten material to be conveyed, and having a molten material passageway extending therethrough. The molten material passageway comprises an interior surface and a protective layer is adjacent at least a portion of the interior surface of the passageway. The protective layer may comprise a material that is essentially non-reactive with the molten material to be conveyed. Further, the nozzle assemblies according to various non-limiting embodiments disclosed herein may be heated, and may be self-inspecting. Methods and apparatus for conveying molten materials and/or atomizing molten materials using the nozzle assemblies disclosed herein are also provided.

An amorphous soft magnetic alloy of the formula (Fe.sub.1-αTM.sub.α).sub.100-w-x-y-zP.sub.wB.sub.xL.sub.ySi.sub.z Ti.sub.pC.sub.qMn.sub.rCu.sub.s, wherein TM is Co or Ni; L is Al, Cr, Zr, Mo or Nb; 0≦α≦0.3, 2≦w≦18 at %, 2≦x≦18 at %, 15≦w+x≦23 at %, 1<y≦5 at %, 0≦z≦4 at %; p, q, r, and s represents an addition ratio such that the total mass of Fe, TM, P, B, L and Si is 100, and 0≦p≦0.3, 0≦q≦0.5, 0≦r≦2, 0≦s≦1 and r+s>0; the composition fulfills one of the following conditions: L is Cr, Zr, Mo or Nb; or L is a combination of Al and Cr, Zr, Mo or Nb, wherein 0<Al≦5 at %, 1≦Cr≦4 at %, 0<Zr≦5 at %, 2≦Mo≦5 at %, and 2≦Nb≦5 at %; the alloy has a crystallization start temperature (Tx) which is 550° C. or less, a glass transition temperature (Tg) which is 520° C. or less, and a supercooled liquid region represented by ΔTx=Tx−Tg, which is 20° C. or more.

An amorphous soft magnetic alloy of the formula (Fe.sub.1-αTM.sub.α).sub.100-w-x-y-zP.sub.wB.sub.xL.sub.ySi.sub.z Ti.sub.pC.sub.qMn.sub.rCu.sub.s, wherein TM is Co or Ni; L is Al, Cr, Zr, Mo or Nb; 0≦α≦0.3, 2≦w≦18 at %, 2≦x≦18 at %, 15≦w+x≦23 at %, 1<y≦5 at %, 0≦z≦4 at %; p, q, r, and s represents an addition ratio such that the total mass of Fe, TM, P, B, L and Si is 100, and 0≦p≦0.3, 0≦q≦0.5, 0≦r≦2, 0≦s≦1 and r+s>0; the composition fulfills one of the following conditions: L is Cr, Zr, Mo or Nb; or L is a combination of Al and Cr, Zr, Mo or Nb, wherein 0<Al≦5 at %, 1≦Cr≦4 at %, 0<Zr≦5 at %, 2≦Mo≦5 at %, and 2≦Nb≦5 at %; the alloy has a crystallization start temperature (Tx) which is 550° C. or less, a glass transition temperature (Tg) which is 520° C. or less, and a supercooled liquid region represented by ΔTx=Tx−Tg, which is 20° C. or more.

Raw material feed into an electric arc furnace (“EAF”) is melted into heated liquid metal at a controlled temperature with impurities and inclusions removed as a separate liquid slag layer. The heated liquid metal is removed from the EAF into a passively heatable ladle wherein it is moved into a refining station where they are placed into a inductively heated refining holding vessel and wherein vacuum oxygen decarburization is applied to remove carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and other undesirable impurities from the liquid metal. The ladle and liquid metal is then transferred to a refining station/gas atomizer having a controlled vacuum and inert atmosphere wherein the liquid metal is poured from an inductively heated atomizing holder vessel into a heated tundish at a controlled rate wherein high pressure inert gas is applied through a nozzle to create a spray of metal droplets forming spherical shapes as the droplets that cool and fall into a bottom formed in the chamber. Spherical powder comprising the droplets are removed from the chamber through screen and blenders and then classified by size.

A method of making dispersion-strengthened alloy particles involves melting an alloy having a corrosion and/or oxidation resistance-imparting alloying element, a dispersoid-forming element, and a matrix metal wherein the dispersoid-forming element exhibits a greater tendency to react with a reactive species acquired from an atomizing gas than does the alloying element. The melted alloy is atomized with the atomizing gas including the reactive species to form atomized particles so that the reactive species is (a) dissolved in solid solution to a depth below the surface of atomized particles and/or (b) reacted with the dispersoid-forming element to form dispersoids in the atomized particles to a depth below the surface of said atomized particles. The atomized alloy particles are solidified as solidified alloy particles or as a solidified deposit of alloy particles. Bodies made from the dispersion strengthened alloy particles, deposit thereof, exhibit enhanced fatigue and creep resistance and reduced wear as well as enhanced corrosion and/or oxidation resistance at high temperatures by virtue of the presence of the corrosion and/or oxidation resistance imparting alloying element in solid solution in the particle alloy matrix.

A method of making dispersion-strengthened alloy particles involves melting an alloy having a corrosion and/or oxidation resistance-imparting alloying element, a dispersoid-forming element, and a matrix metal wherein the dispersoid-forming element exhibits a greater tendency to react with a reactive species acquired from an atomizing gas than does the alloying element. The melted alloy is atomized with the atomizing gas including the reactive species to form atomized particles so that the reactive species is (a) dissolved in solid solution to a depth below the surface of atomized particles and/or (b) reacted with the dispersoid-forming element to form dispersoids in the atomized particles to a depth below the surface of said atomized particles. The atomized alloy particles are solidified as solidified alloy particles or as a solidified deposit of alloy particles. Bodies made from the dispersion strengthened alloy particles, deposit thereof, exhibit enhanced fatigue and creep resistance and reduced wear as well as enhanced corrosion and/or oxidation resistance at high temperatures by virtue of the presence of the corrosion and/or oxidation resistance imparting alloying element in solid solution in the particle alloy matrix.