METHOD FOR PRODUCING METAL FIBERS

摘要

A method of producing metal fibers including melting a mixture of at least a fiber metal and a matrix metal, cooling the mixture to form a bulk matrix comprising at Ieast a fiber phase and a matrix phase and removing at Ieast a substantial portion of the matrix phase from the fiber phase. Additionally, the method may inciude deforming the bulk matrix. In certain embodiments, the fiber metal may be at Ieast one of niobium, a niobium alloy, tantalurn and a tantalum alloy and the matrix metal may be at Ieast one of copper and a copper alloy. The substantial portion of the matrix phase may be removed, in certain erbodiments, by dissolving of the matrix phase in a suitabie minerai acid, such as, but not Iimited to, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, hydrochioric acid and phosphoric acid.